2024 North American Winter Meeting, San Antonio, Texas: January, 2024
Education and Later-life Mortality: Evidence from a School Reform in Japan
Kazuya Masuda, Hitoshi Shigeoka
We examine the mortality effects of a 1947 school reform in Japan that extended compulsory education from primary to secondary school by up to 3 years and eliminated secondary school fees. The children affected by the reform were mainly from disadvantaged families, and would likely have benefited from additional schooling. Even in this favorable environment, we fail to find that the reform improved later life mortality up to age 87, even though
it significantly increased years of schooling. Furthermore, there is little effect on hospitalization. These findings suggest limited health returns to schooling at the lower levels of educational attainment.
it significantly increased years of schooling. Furthermore, there is little effect on hospitalization. These findings suggest limited health returns to schooling at the lower levels of educational attainment.
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