Effect of Health on Changing Labor Outcomes in Transition China — China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS)

Citation:

Yi, Deokhee. (2005). Effect of Health on Changing Labor Outcomes in Transition China. Master's thesis / Doctoral dissertation, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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Abstract:

This dissertation investigates the effect of health on changing labor outcomes during the economic development and transition in China in the late 20th century. The returns to health were explored by testing the hypothesis that labor market gains during China's economic transition were significantly smaller for people who were in worse health. Data were drawn from the 1989-1997 waves of the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). The longitudinal survey enabled estimation of individual-level panel data models of changing labor force participation as a function of a rich set of baseline health indicators, thus ameliorating the central problems of health measurement and endogeneity. Health measured in various ways---self-rated general health status (GHS), body mass index (BMI), height, mobility, and hypertension---had complex effects on the labor force participation among Chinese adults even after adjustment for per capita assets, education, marital status, and region. Results showed that people with better health were more likely to be in the labor force, and that the effects of health on labor force participation differed by factors such as age, marital status, education, and living in rural farming households. One of the notable findings was that people with low body mass index were more likely to work than people with higher BMI, contrary to the literature. Evidence of returns from health can provide the justification for social and health policies to invest in human capital. This dissertation contributes to the existing evidence by assessing the causality of health effects on labor force participation and measuring the magnitude of the health effects.

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Reference Type:
THES

Secondary Title:

Series Title:

Author(s):
Yi, Deokhee

Editor(s):

Series Author(s):
Stearns, Sally C.

Year Published:
2005

Date Published:

Journal Name:

Volume Number:
3190337

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Start Page Number:
112-112 p.

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Publisher:
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

City of Publication:
Ann Arbor

ISSN/ISBN:
9780542341175; 0542341174

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Reference ID:
1897

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