The Economics of Grief

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: van den Berg, Gerard J.; Lundborg, Petter; Vikstrom, Johan
• 署名单位: University of Bristol; Lund University
• 刊物名称: ECONOMIC JOURNAL
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0013-0133
• DOI: 10.1111/ecoj.12399
• 发表日期: 2017
• 页码: 1794-1832
• 关键词: labor-force participation; birth-order; gender-differences; psychological distress; cancer incidence; mortality-rates; neonatal death; family-size; child; parents

摘要

We study the short-run and long-run economic impact of one of the largest losses that an individual can face; the death of a child. We utilise unique registers on the entire Swedish population, combining information on the date and cause of death with parental outcomes. We exploit the longitudinal dimension of the data and deal with several selection issues. Losing a child has adverse effects on labour income, employment status, marital status and hospitalisation. The value of policy measures aimed at preventing mortal accidents of children is underestimated if it does not take bereavement effects on parents into account.