Longevity, age-structure, and optimal schooling

Noël Bonneuil and Raouf Boucekkine ()

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2017, vol. 136, issue C, 63-75

Abstract: The mechanism stating that longer life implies larger investment in human capital, is premised on the view that individual decision-making governs the relationship between longevity and education. This relationship is revisited here from the perspective of optimal period school life expectancy, obtained from the utility maximization of the whole population characterized by its age structure and its age-specific fertility and mortality. Realistic life tables such as model life tables are mandatory, because the age distribution of mortality matters, notably at infant and juvenile ages. Optimal period school life expectancy varies with life expectancy and fertility. The application to French historical data from 1806 to nowadays shows that the population age structure has indeed modified the relationship between longevity and optimal schooling.

Keywords: Longevity; Schooling; School life expectancy; Age structure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C02 C65 C80 D90 H50 I26 I28 J10 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Longevity, age-structure, and optimal schooling (2017)
Working Paper: Longevity, Age-Structure, and Optimal Schooling (2016)
Working Paper: Longevity, Age-Structure, and Optimal Schooling (2014)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:136:y:2017:i:c:p:63-75

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2017.01.022

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