Thesis
Essays on inequality in education, labor market, and health
- Creator
- Rights statement
- Awarding institution
- University of Strathclyde
- Date of award
- 2024
- Thesis identifier
- T17119
- Person Identifier (Local)
- 202187712
- Qualification Level
- Qualification Name
- Department, School or Faculty
- Abstract
- This thesis examines the unintended consequences of social and political factors – namely income inequality, gender beliefs, and family planning policies – on educational outcomes, labor market dynamics, and health across generations. The thesis is structured into three distinct but interconnected essays, offering empirical evidence on how these factors shape individual and group behaviors. The first essay (Chapter 2) investigates the long-run effects of income inequality within school peer compositions on educational attainment. I and my co-authors show that an increase in the share of low-income peers within school cohorts benefits low income students by increasing their probability of graduating from the university, while at the same time disadvantaging high-income students. We propose a novel theoretical framework based on reference-dependent preferences and social comparison to explain these patterns, emphasizing the role of frustration or motivation depending on students’ relative positions in the income distribution. This chapter also highlights that better social connections within schools can mitigate these unintended consequences of income inequality. In the second essay (Chapter 3), I joined with another set of co-authors to examine gendered beliefs about the effects of mothers working long hours relative to fathers on children’s skill development. Using a novel survey design linked to an experiment conducted among parents in England, this chapter elicits initial beliefs and tests the effect of an information treatment on these beliefs. The results show that parents, especially men and conservative voters, believe that mothers working longer hours negatively affect children’s future outcomes. However, providing accurate information about children’s outcomes when mothers work full time leads to more positive and accurate beliefs, especially among those who initially hold more positive but uncertain views about maternal work. This chapter highlights the potential of targeted information to update gendered beliefs and reduce labor market inequalities. In the third essay (Chapter 4), I worked with a fellow PhD student studying the spillover effects of China’s one-child policy on the health outcomes of the next generation. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies and employing a regression discontinuity design, we find that children born to parents directly affected by the policy show significant improvements in both physical and mental health. These results are attributed to increased parental investment and improved parental health, contributing to the literature on the quantity-quality trade-off and the intergenerational transmission of health. The results provide valuable insights into how family planning policies can have profound and lasting effects on population health. Taken together, this thesis provides a comprehensive analysis of how income inequality, gender perceptions, and policy interventions interact with individual behavior to produce complex outcomes in education, labor markets, and health. The research highlights the importance of considering these dynamics in the design and implementation of policies aimed at promoting equity and well-being across generations.
- Advisor / supervisor
- Norris, Jonathan
- Romiti, Agnese
- Resource Type
- DOI
Relations
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PDF of thesis T17119 | 2024-12-11 | Public | Download |