Height, skills, and labor market outcomes in Mexico

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Vogl, Tom S.
• 署名单位: Princeton University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-3878
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2013.11.007
• 发表日期: 2014
• 页码: 84-96
• 关键词: health; Development; height; labor productivity

摘要

Taller workers are paid higher wages. A prominent explanation for this pattern is that physical growth and cognitive development share childhood inputs, inducing a correlation between adult height and two productive skills: strength and intelligence. This paper explores the relative roles of strength and intelligence in explaining the labor market height premium among Mexican men. While cognitive test scores account for a limited share of the height premium, roughly half of the premium can be attributed to the educational and occupational choices of taller workers. Taller workers obtain more education and sort into occupations with greater intelligence requirements and lower strength requirements, suggesting a possible role for cognitive skill. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.