Education and Later-Life Mortality: Evidence from a School Reform in Japan

Arbeitspapier

We examine the mortality effects of a 1947 school reform in Japan, which extended compulsory schooling from primary to secondary school by as much as 3 years. The abolition of secondary school fees also indicates that those affected by the reform likely came from disadvantaged families who could have benefited the most from schooling. Even in this relatively favorable setting, we fail to find that the reform improved later-life mortality up to the age of 87 years, although it significantly increased years of schooling. This finding suggests limited health returns to schooling at the lower level of educational attainment.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 16310

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; National Government Expenditures and Education ; Health Behavior ; Analysis of Education ; Education: Government Policy
• Subject: education ; later-life mortality ; secondary school ; Japan ; regression discontinuity design

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Masuda, Kazuya ; Shigeoka, Hitoshi
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2023

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/279008
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:45 AM CET