Economic Development and Changing Socioeconomic Differences in Health: Evidence from South Korea, 1946-1977

• 발행기관: 서울대학교 경제연구소
• 저자명: Chulhee Lee
• 간행물 정보: 『Seoul Journal of Economics』Volume 38 No.1, 85~118쪽, 전체 34쪽
• 주제분류: 경제경영 > 경제학
• 파일형태: PDF
• 발행일자: 2025.02.28

국문 초록

This study examines how socioeconomic differences in health change with improvements in economic and environmental conditions in South Korea. Using a newly collected 0.5% random sample of military records for all males born from 1946 to 1957, I found that socioeconomic disparity in health increased across birth cohorts. A possible hypothesis is that health shocks (such as exposure to war-caused disruptions, natural disasters, and infectious diseases) could weaken the effects of different parental investments. Such shocks were more prevalent prior the end of the Korean War. In support of the hypothesis, I found that socioeconomic disparity in adult height among the cohorts born before 1952 was less pronounced among conscripts from the central region, which was more severely affected by the Korean War, than those from the south region.

목차

I. Introduction

II. Backgrounds

III. Data

IV. Methods

V. Father’s Occupation and Heights: Regression Results

VI. Changing Socioeconomic Differences in Height: Possible Mechanisms

VII. Conclusion

References

키워드

Economic development Height Disparity in health The Korean War Military records