Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP13061
Authors: Aline Butikofer; Kjell G. Salvanes
Abstract: This paper examines the economic impact of a tuberculosis control program launched in Norway in 1948. In the 1940s, Norway had one of the highest tuberculosis infection rates in Europe, affecting about 85 percent of the inhabitants. To lower the disease burden, the Norwegiangovernment launched a large-scale tuberculosis testing and vaccination campaign that substantially reduced tuberculosis infection rates among children. We find that cohorts in school during and after the campaign in municipalities with high tuberculosis prevalence gained more in terms of education, earnings, longevity, and height following this public health intervention. Furthermore, the gains from the disease control program are not limited to the initially treated cohorts but also affect their children. The results also suggest that individuals from a low socioeconomicbackground benefited more from the intervention and we present new evidence that a narrowing of the gap in childhood health can lead to a reduction in socioeconomic inequalities in adulthood.
Keywords: health programs; tuberculosis; education; inequality
JEL Codes: I14; I18; I24
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| high tuberculosis prevalence (I32) | educational attainment (I21) |
| high tuberculosis prevalence (I32) | earnings (J31) |
| tuberculosis control program (H87) | educational attainment (I21) |
| tuberculosis control program (H87) | earnings (J31) |
| tuberculosis control program (H87) | children of treated cohorts (I12) |
| tuberculosis control program (H87) | socioeconomic inequalities (I14) |