RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Birth Weight in the Long Run
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 0715-7235R
DO 10.3368/jhr.53.1.0715-7235R
A1 Bharadwaj, Prashant
A1 Lundborg, Petter
A1 Rooth, Dan-Olof
YR 2017
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2017/01/03/jhr.53.1.0715-7235R.abstract
AB We study the effect of birth weight on long-run outcomes using data on Swedish twins born between 1926–1958 linked to administrative records spanning entire life-time labor market histories. We find that birth weight positively affects permanent income and income across large parts of the lifecycle; the timing of the birth weight-income relationship is in line with the role of birth weight in determining take-up of sickness benefits and morbidity. The effect of birth weight on labor market outcomes even for cohorts born 30 years apart are similar; for short run health outcomes, birth weight plays a decreasing role over time.