Parental Assortative Mating and the Intergenerational Transmission of Human Capital

in Labour Economics (2022), 77

We study the contribution of parental educational assortative mating to the intergenerational transmission of educational attainment. We develop an empirical model for educational correlations within the ... [more ▼]

We study the contribution of parental educational assortative mating to the intergenerational transmission of educational attainment. We develop an empirical model for educational correlations within the family in which parental educational sorting can translate into intergenerational transmission jointly by both parents, or transmission can originate from each parent independently. Estimating the model using educational attainment from Danish population-based administrative data for over 400,000 families, we find that on aver- age 75 percent of the intergenerational correlation in education is driven by the joint contribution of the par- ents. We also document a 38 percent decline of assortative mating in education for parents born between the early 1920s and the early 1950s. While the raw correlations also show decreases in father- and mother- specific intergenerational transmissions of educational attainment, our model shows that once we decompose all factors of intergenerational mobility, the share of intergenerational transmission accounted for by parent-specific factors increased from 7 to 27 percent; an increase compensated by a corresponding fall in joint intergenerational transmission from both parents, leaving total intergenerational persistence un- changed. The mechanisms of intergenerational transmission have changed, with an increased importance of one-to-one parent-child relationships. [less ▲]

Estimating worldwide effects of non‐pharmaceutical interventions on COVID‐19 incidence and population mobility patterns using a multiple‐event study

in Scientific Reports (2021), 11(1972 (2021)), 1-13

Various non‐pharmaceutical interventions were adopted by countries worldwide in the fight against the COVID‐19 pandemic with adverse socioeconomic side effects, which raises the question about their ... [more ▼]

Various non‐pharmaceutical interventions were adopted by countries worldwide in the fight against the COVID‐19 pandemic with adverse socioeconomic side effects, which raises the question about their differential effectiveness. We estimate the average dynamic effect of each intervention on the incidence of COVID‐19 and on people’s whereabouts by developing a statistical model that accounts for the contemporaneous adoption of multiple interventions. Using daily data from 175 countries, we show that, even after controlling for other concurrent lockdown policies, cancelling public events, imposing restrictions on private gatherings and closing schools and workplaces had significant effects on reducing COVID‐19 infections. Restrictions on internal movement and public transport had no effects because the aforementioned policies, imposed earlier on average, had already de facto reduced human mobility. International travel restrictions, although imposed early, had a short‐lived effect failing to prevent the epidemic from turning into a pandemic because they were less stringent. We interpret the impact of each intervention on containing the pandemic using a conceptual framework which relies on their effects on human mobility behaviors in a manner consistent with time‐use and epidemiological factors. [less ▲]

Family, Community and Long-Term Socioeconomic Inequality: Evidence from Siblings and Youth Peers

in Economic Journal (2020)

Using administrative data for the population of Danish men and women, we develop an empirical model which accounts for the joint earnings dynamics of siblings and youth community peers. We provide the ... [more ▼]

Using administrative data for the population of Danish men and women, we develop an empirical model which accounts for the joint earnings dynamics of siblings and youth community peers. We provide the first decomposition of the sibling correlation of permanent earnings into family and community effects allowing for life-cycle dynamics, and extend the analysis to consider other outcomes. We find that family is the most important factor influencing sibling correlations of earnings, education and unemployment. Community background matters for shaping the sibling correlation of earnings and unemployment early in the working life, but its importance quickly diminishes. [less ▲]

Change at Home, in the Labor Market, and on the Job

Book published by Emerald (2020)

Health and Labor Markets

Book published by Emerald (2019)

Family, Community and Life-Cycle Earnings: Evidence from Siblings and Youth Peers

E-print/Working paper (2017)

Income Inequality Around the World

Book published by Emerald (2016)

With a Little Help from My Friends? Quality of Social Networks, Job Finding and Job Match Quality

in European Economic Review (2015), 78

Safety Nets and Benefit Dependence

Book published by Emerald (2014)

Benefit Duration, Unemployment Duration and Job Match Quality: A Regression-Discontinuity Approach

in Journal of Applied Econometrics (2013), 28(4), 604-627