Full Citation

Title: Height, Skills, and Labor Market Outcomes in Mexico

Citation Type: Working Paper

Publication Year: 2012

ISBN:

ISSN:

DOI: 10.3386/w18318

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Abstract: 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 in Mexico. 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 that the height premium partly reflects a return to cognitive skill.

Url: http://www.nber.org/papers/w18318.pdf

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Authors: Vogl, Tom

Series Title: NBER Working Paper Series

Publication Number: 18318

Institution: National Bureau of Economic Research

Pages:

Publisher Location: Cambridge, MA

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Health, Labor Force and Occupational Structure

Countries: