Does schooling improve cognitive functioning at older ages?

Arbeitspapier

We study the relationship between education and cognitive functioning at older ages by exploiting compulsory schooling reforms, implemented in six European countries during the 1950s and 1960s. Using data of individuals aged 50+ from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we assess the causal effect of education on old-age memory, fluency, numeracy, orientation and dementia. We find a positive impact of schooling on memory. One year of education increases the delayed memory score by about 0.3, which amounts to 16% of the standard deviation. Furthermore, for women, we find that more education reduces the risk of dementia.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 6958

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Analysis of Education ; Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-labor Market Discrimination
• Subject: compulsory schooling ; instrumental variables ; education ; cognitive functioning ; memory ; aging ; dementia ; Kognition ; Alte Menschen ; Schulbesuch ; Bildungsniveau ; Schätzung ; Europa

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Schneeweis, Nicole ; Skirbekk, Vegard ; Winter-Ebmer, Rudolf
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2012

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/67196
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET