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Mortality and immortality : the Nobel Prize as an experiment into the effect of status upon longevity

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Rablen, Matthew D. and Oswald, Andrew J. (2008) Mortality and immortality : the Nobel Prize as an experiment into the effect of status upon longevity. Journal of Health Economics , Vol.27 (No.6). pp. 1462-1471. doi:10.1016/j.jhealeco.2008.06.001

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2008.06.001 ...

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Abstract

It has been known for centuries that the rich and famous have longer lives than the poor and ordinary. Causality, however, remains trenchantly debated. The ideal experiment
would be one in which extra status could somehow be dropped upon a sub-sample of individuals while those in a control group of comparable individuals received none. This
paper attempts to formulate a test in that spirit. It collects 19th-century birth data on science Nobel Prize winners. Correcting for potential biases, we estimate that winning the Prize, compared to merely being nominated, is associated with between 1 and 2 years of extra longevity.

Item Type:

Journal Article

Subjects:

H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare

Divisions:

Faculty of Social Sciences > Economics

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):

Social status -- Health aspects, Mortality, Nobel Prize winners

Journal or Publication Title:

Journal of Health Economics

Publisher:

Elsevier