Collateral damage: The German food crisis, educational attainment and labor market outcomes of German post-war cohorts

Hendrik Jürges
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Hendrik Juerges

Journal of Health Economics, 2013, vol. 32, issue 1, 286-303

Abstract: Using the German 1970 census to study educational and labor market outcomes of cohorts born during the German food crisis after World War II, I document that those born between November 1945 and May 1946 have significantly lower educational attainment and occupational status than cohorts born shortly before or after. Several alternative explanations for this finding are tested. Most likely, a short spell of severe undernutrition around the end of the war has impaired intrauterine conditions in early pregnancies and resulted in long-term detriments among the affected cohorts. This conjecture is corroborated by evidence from Austria.

Keywords: J24; N34; Fetal origins hypothesis; Malnutrition; Educational attainment; Labor market outcomes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:32:y:2013:i:1:p:286-303

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2012.11.001

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