Racial and Ethnic Differences in Wealth in the Health and Retirement Study

James P. Smith ()

Labor and Demography from EconWPA

Abstract: This paper examines wealth data in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). In comparison with asset data in other major surveys, the quality of HRS asset data is high. Missing asset data does remain a problem, however, to which future HRS analysts must remain sensitive. Evidence is presented showing that it is no accident that asset data are missing, and solutions for imputing missing data are developed. Finally, racial and ethnic wealth disparities are large. These minority wealth disparities are due in part to differential inheritances and desired bequests as inequities perpetuate themselves across generations: the disparities are also due to lower minority incomes, poorer health, and an excessively narrow definition of wealth that excludes Social Security and employer pensions.

JEL-codes: J (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2004-08-16
Note: Type of Document - pdf; pages: 26. The Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 30, Supplement, pp. S158-S183, 1995
View list of references View citations in EconPapers

Downloads: (external link)
http://129.3.20.41/eps/lab/papers/0408/0408011.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: Racial and Ethnic Differences in Wealth in the Health and Retirement Study (1996)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wpa:wuwpla:0408011

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Labor and Demography from EconWPA
Series data maintained by EconWPA ().