essays on empirical labor and health economics

Essays in Empirical Labor Economics: Evidence on Health, Education and Migration

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Essays in Empirical Labor Economics

• Department of Economics

Research output : Thesis › Doctoral Thesis (compilation)

Bibliographical note

Subject classification (ukä), free keywords.

• working time
• compulsory schooling
• social exclusion
• household specialization
• sexual orientation
• same-sex couples

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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• Labor Economics Business & Economics 100%
• Vacation Business & Economics 49%
• Lesbian Business & Economics 47%
• Poverty Business & Economics 34%
• Education Business & Economics 33%
• Spouses Business & Economics 25%
• Health Business & Economics 22%
• Sweden Business & Economics 21%

T1 - Essays in Empirical Labor Economics

AU - Hofmarcher, Thomas

N1 - Defence details Date: 2019-04-26 Time: 13:15 Place: Holger Crafoord Centre EC3:210 External reviewer Name: Bütikofer, Aline Title: Associate Professor Affiliation: Norwegian School of Economics ---

PY - 2019/4/26

Y1 - 2019/4/26

N2 - This thesis contributes to empirical research in labor economics. It consists of three self-contained papers.The first paper, The Effect of Paid Vacation on Health: Evidence from Sweden, analyzes the causal effect of paid vacation on health. Using register data on the universe of central government employees in Sweden, I exploit an age-based rule stipulated in the collective agreement covering these employees. The results indicate that no statistically significant changes in health are induced by an increase of three paid vacation days at age 30 and four days at age 40. These findings challenge the anecdotal view of additional paid vacation days as an adequate means to improve workers' health.The second paper, The Effect of Education on Poverty: A European Perspective, studies the causal relationship between education and poverty. I construct a novel database comprising compulsory schooling reforms in 32 European countries and use them as instruments for education. I find economically large poverty-reducing effects of education among people aged 30 to 80. This holds true for both objective and subjective measures of poverty. An additional year of education thus reduces not only the likelihood of being classified as poor but also the likelihood of feeling poor.The third paper, Is There Less Household Specialization in Gay and Lesbian Couples?, examines intra-couple differences in earnings potential as a source of specialization in same-sex and different-sex couples. We find that spouses with a higher earnings potential spend significantly more time on market work and less time on household work than spouses with a lower earnings potential. We observe this pattern in gay, lesbian, and different-sex couples. The effect of intra-couple differences in earnings potential on household specialization does mostly not differ statistically in gay and lesbian couples relative to different-sex couples.

AB - This thesis contributes to empirical research in labor economics. It consists of three self-contained papers.The first paper, The Effect of Paid Vacation on Health: Evidence from Sweden, analyzes the causal effect of paid vacation on health. Using register data on the universe of central government employees in Sweden, I exploit an age-based rule stipulated in the collective agreement covering these employees. The results indicate that no statistically significant changes in health are induced by an increase of three paid vacation days at age 30 and four days at age 40. These findings challenge the anecdotal view of additional paid vacation days as an adequate means to improve workers' health.The second paper, The Effect of Education on Poverty: A European Perspective, studies the causal relationship between education and poverty. I construct a novel database comprising compulsory schooling reforms in 32 European countries and use them as instruments for education. I find economically large poverty-reducing effects of education among people aged 30 to 80. This holds true for both objective and subjective measures of poverty. An additional year of education thus reduces not only the likelihood of being classified as poor but also the likelihood of feeling poor.The third paper, Is There Less Household Specialization in Gay and Lesbian Couples?, examines intra-couple differences in earnings potential as a source of specialization in same-sex and different-sex couples. We find that spouses with a higher earnings potential spend significantly more time on market work and less time on household work than spouses with a lower earnings potential. We observe this pattern in gay, lesbian, and different-sex couples. The effect of intra-couple differences in earnings potential on household specialization does mostly not differ statistically in gay and lesbian couples relative to different-sex couples.

KW - health

KW - vacation

KW - holiday

KW - working time

KW - poverty

KW - education

KW - compulsory schooling

KW - social exclusion

KW - household specialization

KW - sexual orientation

KW - same-sex couples

M3 - Doctoral Thesis (compilation)

SN - 978-91-7895-058-4

T3 - Lund Economic Studies

PB - Department of Economics, Lund University

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Essays in Empirical Labor Economics: Evidence on Health, Education and Migration

• DOI: 10.11588/heidok.00028272
• URL: http://www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/archiv/28272

This dissertation empirically investigates forces that shape the human capital base in the German labor market. Its three essays provide evidence on governmental interventions that promote or change the supply of human capital and impact health, education and migration, respectively.

Doctoral Dissertations Department of Economics

• Department of Economics

Doctoral dissertations 2020-2025

04.09.2023 Pablo Ignacio Soto Mota Essays on Unethical Behaviour Supervisor: Mathias P. Ekström Placement: Assistant Professor, El Colegio de México

29.08.2023 Alessandro Pizzigolotto The Impact of Banking Crises and Natural Disasters on Households Supervisor:  Katrine V. Løken Placement: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Copenhagen

02.06.2023 René Karadakic Causes and Consequences of Economic Inequality Supervisors:  Aline Bütikofer  and  Alexander L. P. Willén Placement: Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard T. H Chan School of Public Health

30.05.2023 Kjetil Røiseland Madland Three Chapters on Fairness Preferences   Supervisor:  Bertil Tungodden Placement: Analyst, The Norwegian Tax Administration

24.05.2023 Sara Abrahamsson Essays on Empirical Labor and Health Economics Supervisors:  Aline Bütikofer  and  Kjell G. Salvanes Placement: Postdoctoral Researcher, Centre for Fertility and Health (CeFH), Norwegian Institute of Public Health

10.01.2023 Oda K. Storstad Sund Essays on Inequality Acceptance and Meritocracy Supervisor:  Bertil Tungodden Placement: Postdoctoral Researcher, CREED, University of Amsterdam

15.12.2021 Mirjam Wentzel Three Economic Essays on Victimization and Social Policies from Childhood to Retirement Supervisor: Katrine V. Løken Placement: Researcher, Institute for Social Research (ISF)

25.10.2021 Charlotte Evensen Three chapters in industrial organization Supervisor: Hans Jarle Kind Placement: Economist, Oslo Economics

17.09.2021 Olav Syrstad Essays in international finance Placement: Norges Bank

03.09.2021 Thor Andreas Aursland Essays on Business Cycles and Macroeconomic Policy Supervisor: Gernot Doppelhofer Placement: Researcher, SSB

26.04.2021 Fehime Ceren Ay Essays on Information Preferences and Morality Supervisor: Erik Ø. Sørensen Placement: Researcher, Telenor Research

19.03.2021 Stefan Meissner Essays on Information and Fairness Supervisor: Alexander W. Cappelen Placement: Analyst, Factworks GmbH

05.06.2020 Sandra Halvorsen Essays on household decision-making and women’s labor supply in Ethiopia Supervisor: Kjetil Bjorvatn

17.04.2020 Timothy Wyndham Essays on Industrial Organisation Supervisor:  Hans Jarle Kind Placement: Teacher of Economics and Business at King Edward's School, Birmingham

11.05.2020 Ole-Andreas E. Næss Essays in Political Economy Supervisor: Eirik G. Kristiansen Placement: Post-doc, Centre for Applied Research (SNF)

Doctoral dissertations 2015-2019

04.12.2019 Erling Risa Essays on Intergenerational Mobility Supervisor: Kjell Gunnar Salvanes

24.09.2019 Ranveig Falch Essays on Inequality Acceptance Supervisor: Kjell Gunnar Salvanes Placement: Post-doc, NHH

30.09.2019 Xiaogeng Xu Decision making on behalf of others Supervisor: Erik Ø. Sørensen Placement: Post-doc researcher, Hanken School of Economics

12.06.2019 Ingar Kyrkjebø Haaland Essay on Beliefs and Political Behavior Supervisor: Alexander Cappelen Placement (first position): University of Bergen

26.11.2018 Charlotte Ringdal Essays on Women´s bargaining Power and Household decision-making Supervisor: Bertil Tungodden Placement (first position): University of Amsterdam

02.11.2018 Oddmund Berg Empirical essays on the dynamics of consumption and savings Supervisor: Gernot Doppelhofer Placement (first position): Statistics Norway (SSB)

25 06.2018 Serhat Ugurlu Essays in Economic Measurement and Consumer Behavior Supervisor: Ingvild Almås Placement (first position): University of Essex

15.06.2018 Luca Picariello Essays on Talent Discovery and Allocation Supervisor: Eirik Gaard Kristiansen Placement (first position): University of Naples Federico II, Naples

05.06.2018 Ingrid Hoem Sjursen Essays on Behavioral Development Economics Supervisor:   Bertil Tungodden Placement (first position): Centre for Applied Research at NHH (SNF)

04.06.2018 Øivind Schøyen Legitimacy under Dual Moralities Supervisor:  Bertil Tungodden Placement (first position): Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo

16.03.2018 Antonio Dalla Zuanna Essays in Empirical Labor Economics Supervisor:  Kjell G. Salvanes Placement (first position): Centre for Applied Research at NHH (SNF)

31.08.2017 Kristina Maria Persson Essays on behavioural change Supervisor: Erik Ø. Sørensen Placement (first position): Oslo Economics

23.02.2017 Arild Sæther ( Dr. Philos defense) Samuel Pufendorf: The Grandfather of Modern Political Economy? Professor Emeritus University of Agder

20.01.2017 Ole-Petter Moe Hansen Essays in Empirical Economics Supervisor: Gernot Doppelhofer Placement (first position): NHH

09.09.2016 Sebastian Fest Choice and Attitudes towards Inequality Supervisor: Alexander W. Cappelen Placement (first position): University of Stavanger

01.09.2016 Simen Aardal Ulsaker On vertical restraints: Essays in Industrial Organization Supervisor: Lars Sørgard Placement (first position): NHH

09.06.2016 Jan Erik Meidell Occupational structure in England and Wales during the industrial revolution Supervisor:  Liam Brunt Placement (first position): SmartSeal, Switzerland

02.06.2016 Julia Tropina Bakke Essays on Multinational Firms and Profit-shifting Supervisors: Jarle Møen (Principal supervisor) and Ragnhild Balsvik Placement (first position): The Norwegian Tax Administration

25.04.2016 Helge Sandvig Thorsen Essays on production of knowledge capital Supervisor:  Kjell G. Salvanes Placement (first position): Norwegian Petroleum Directorate

17.03.2016 Susanna Sten Gahmberg Essays on Human Capital Accumulation Supervisor: Kjell G. Salvanes Placement (first position): NHH

17.12.2015 Grant McDermott Water. Energy. Climate. Essays in Empirical Environmental Economics Supervisor: Øivind Anti Nilsen Placement (first position): University of California, Santa Barbara

25.11.2015 Tunç Durmaz Essays in Energy, Environment and Technology Supervisor: Fred Schroyen  Placement (first position): City University of Hong Kong

28.09.2015 Darina P. Steskal Essays on Urban Wage Premium, Returns to Internal Migration and Migrants' Selection in Norway Supervisor: Kjell G. Salvanes Placement (first position): Uni Research Rokkan Centre

2 5.09.2015 Ágnes Kovács Essays on Households' Intertemporal Resource Allocation Supervisor: Krisztina Molnár Placement (first position): Nuffield College at the University of Oxford

16.06.2015 Elias Braunfels Political Institutions, Economic Institutions, and Economic Growth Supervisor: Gernot Doppelhofer Placement (first position): NHH

04.05.2015 Magne K. Asphjell Irreversibility, uncertainty and inaction of firms and individuals Supervisor: Øivind Anti Nilsen Placement (first position): Oslo Economics

16.01.2015 Morten Sæthre On Input Markets and Incentives: Essays in Empirical Industrial Organization Supervisor: Lars Sørgard Placement (first position): NHH

Doctoral Dissertations 2010-2014

17.12.2014 Lars Christian Bruno Essays on technological progress in East Asia Supervisor: Stig Tenold Placement (first position): BI (Norwegian Business School)

12.12.2014 Katrine Holm Reiso Young unemployed, single mothers and their children Supervisor: Øivind Anti Nilsen Placement (first position): Norwegian Competition Authority

10.10.2014 Eirin Mølland Teen Fertility and Family Planning Supervisor: Kjell G. Salvanes Placement (first position): NHH

27.06.2014 Alief A. Rezza Essays on Trade and Environmental Regulations Supervisor: Øivind Anti Nilsen Placement (first position): Statoil

24.03.2014 Lukas Laffers Essays in Partial Identification Supervisor: Gernot Doppelhofer Placement (first position): Matej Bel University (Banska Bystrica, Slovakia)

29.11.2013 Hege Medin Sunk export costs: How they influence firms' export decisions and international trade Supervisor: Ragnhild Balsvik Placement (first position): NUPI

06.06.2013 Bjørn-Atle Reme Essays in strategic interaction Supervisor:  Lars Sørgard and Bertil Tungodden Placement (first position): Telenor Research

04.06.2013 Kartika Sari Juniwaty Essays in Development Economics Supervisor: Kjetil Bjorvatn Placement (first position): Statistics Indonesia

31.05.2013 Trond U. Halvorsen Moral motivation in dictator games Supervisor: Alexander W. Cappelen Placement (first position): Sintef

03.05.2013 Harald Nygård Bergh Four essays on Media and Entertainment Economics Supervisor: Hans Jarle Kind Placement (first position): Oslo Economics

19.08.2011 Knut Nygaard Essays on investment decisions Supervisor: Bertil Tungodden Placement (first position): BI (Norwegian School of Management)

21.06.2011 Lars Ivar Oppedal Berge Entrepreneurship in development: Four essays on microfinance and business training Supervisor: Kjetil Bjorvatn Placement (first position): NHH

20.06.2011 Sigbjørn Birkeland Essays on behavioural game theory. Supervisor: Bertil Tungodden Placement (first position): Storebrand

25.03.2011 Georg Fredrik L. Rabl Three essays on nonlinearities in monetary policy Supervisor: Jan Tore Klovland Placement (first position): Nærings- og fiskeridepartementet (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries)

22.11.2010 Monica Værholm Essays on Norwegian economic and trade policy 1912-1939: the consequence of war and crisis on state and policy. Supervisor: Stig Tenold Placement (first position): Forsvarets forskningsinstitutt (Norwegian Defence Research)

18.11.2010 Karl Ove Aarbu Empirical essays on risk taking and insurance Supervisor: Fred Schroyen Placement (first position): Tryg

01.10.2010 Anna Birgitte Milford Cooperatives and competition in local coffee markets: the case of Chiapas, Mexico Supervisor: Kjetil Bjorvatn Placement (first position): NILF (Norsk Institutt for landbruksøkonomisk forskning)

21.05.2010 Eva Benedicte Norman Essays on agglomerations and economic policy Supervisor: Jan I. Haaland Placement (first position): SNF (Centre for Applied Research at NHH)

26.03.2010 Sturla F. Kvamsdal Spatial analysis in Fisheries Economics Supervisor: Rögnvaldur Hannesson Placement (first position): NHH

05.02.2010 Tor Hugo Hauge An empirical analysis of a discriminatory, closed, simultaneous, multi-object auction Supervisor:   Rögnvaldur Hannesson Placement (first position): 

Doctoral Dissertations 2005-2009

30.10.2009 Jørn Inge Halvorsen Essays on economic fluctuations in an open economy Supervisor: Øivind Anti Nilsen Placement (first position): BI (Norwegian School of Management)

16.01.2009 Nils-Arne Ekerhovd Essays on the Economics of Shared Fishery Resources Supervisor: Rögnvaldur Hannesson Placement (first position): SNF (Centre for Applied Research at NHH)

26.06.2008 Ingvild Almås Essays on Economic Inequality Supervisor: Bertil Tungodden Placement (first position): NHH

13.06.2008 Jan Gaute Sannarnes Essays on Common Agency and on Regulation of a Natural Network Monopoly Supervisor: Kåre P. Hagen Placement (first position): SNF (Centre for Applied Research at NHH)

25.04.2008 Christian Venneslan Industrial development in Norway 1896-1939 - In view of Historical National Accounts Supervisor:   Ola H. Grytten Placement (first position):

01.02.2008 Lars Fredrik Øksendal Essays in Norwegian Monetary History, 1869-1914 Supervisor: Ola H. Grytten Placement (first position): NHH

25.01.2008 Kristin Linnerud Essays on optimal regulation: information asymmetry, adverse selection and screening Supervisor: Rögnvaldur Hannesson Placement (first position):

27.09.2007 Dag Rønningen Essays on technological changes and older workers labor force participation, social assistance transfers to individuals, and capital meaurement Supervisor: Kjell G. Salvanes Placement (first position):

27.09.2007 Karin Monstad Essays on the economics of health and fertility Supervisors: Fred Schroyen and Kjell G. Salvanes Placement (first position): University of Bergen

17.08.2007 Astri Drange Hole Responsibility and justice: An experimental approach Supervisor: Bertil Tungodden Placement (first position): Bergen University College

15.06.2007 Christian Andersen Essays on electricity networks and regulation Supervisor: Einar Hope Placement (first position): SNF (Centre for Applied Research at NHH)

14.06.2007 Gorm Andreas Grønnevet Essays on empirical industrial organization Supervisor: Frode Steen Placement (first position): Telenor Research

01.06.2007 Wenche Iren Sterkeby Essays on social security: risk sharing, early retirement and redistribution Supervisor: Agnar Sandmo Placement (first position):

26.03.2007 Ragnhild Balsvik Foreign direct investment and host-country effects Supervisor: Jan I. Haaland Placement (first position): NHH

12.03.2007 Arngrim Hunnes Essays on wage structure and worker mobility within firms Supervisor: Kjell G. Salvanes Placement (first position): NHH

24.11.2006 Odd Helge Fjeldstad Tax evasion and fiscal corruption. Essays on compliance and tax administrative practices in East and South Africa Supervisor: Karl Rolf Pedersen Placement (first position): CMI 

12.06.2006 Tina Søreide Business corruption: incidence, mechanisms, and consequences Supervisor: Kjetil Bjorvatn Placement (first position): CMI

13.01.2006 Per Sandberg Some economic aspects of relevance for harvest rules for marine fish stocks - A perspective from the Northeast Atlantic Supervisor: Rögnvaldur Hannesson Placement (first position): Institute of Marine Research

12.01.2006 Erik Ø. Sørensen Essays on the production of Human Capital Supervisor: Kjell G. Salvanes Placement (first position): University of Mannheim

08.10.2005 Linda Nøstbakken Essays on the economics of fisheries management Supervisor: Trond Bjørndal Placement (first position): SNF (Centre for Applied Research at NHH)

29.01.2005 Elisabeth Bjørsvik Offentlige tjenester i Norge 1830-1865 innenfor rammen av historiske nasjonalregnskaper Supervisor: Ola H. Grytten Placement (first position):

Doctoral Dissertations 2000-2004

29.10.2004 Annette Alstadsæter Tax effects on educational and organizational choice Supervisor: Agnar Sandmo Placement (first position): Statistics Norway

26.08.2004 Jostein Skaar Market power and storage in electricity markets Supervisor:  Einar Hope Placement (first position): SNF (Centre for Applied Research at NHH)

05.03.2004 Anne Wenche Emblem Compensation if ill: in cash and in kind.  Essays on Health Insurance Supervisor:  Agnar Sandmo Placement (first position): University of Agder

Doctoral Dissertations 1994-1999

Empirical Essays in Health Economics

Publication or External Link

Chapter 1: The Economic Effects of Medical Innovations: Vioxx and Labor Supply

Despite dramatic improvements in medical technology over time, comparatively little attention has been paid to the effect of these innovations on economic outcomes. This study uses seven overlapping panels of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to estimate the labor supply effects of Vioxx--a selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug intended for individuals with chronic pain. Fixed effect estimates analyzing the effect of individuals choosing to start and stop taking Vioxx indicates that use of the drug is associated with greater labor force participation. This paper also exploits the removal of Vioxx from the market in 2004 as an exogenous source of variation in utilization. Both methods show that Vioxx use is associated with statistically and economically significant increases in the labor supply of near elderly individuals with joint conditions. An effect is also found for usual weekly hours worked. There is no labor supply effect for other expensive medications used for chronic conditions, suggesting that a desire to work in order to obtain employer-provided health insurance is not driving the estimated effect of Vioxx. These results suggest a role for improving medical technology in explaining recent increases in the labor force participation rate of older workers.

Chapter 2: The Effect of In-Utero Conditions on Long Term Health: Evidence from the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic

The fetal origins hypothesis posits that in-utero stress increases the incidence of chronic conditions later in life. Utilizing 21 years of National Health Interview Survey data, this study estimates the health effect of in-utero exposure to the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. Exploiting the fact that people were exposed to the flu at different points during fetal development, the model tests precise predictions from the medical literature about when exposure to in utero insults should damage organs later in life. The pattern of results demonstrates the necessity of using a short duration event as a source of variation in fetal conditions and helps explain previously mixed evidence regarding the fetal origins hypothesis.

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