Working Paper: NBER ID: w27509
Authors: Gordon Dahl; Claus Thustrup Kreiner; Torben Heien Nielsen; Benjamin Ly Serena
Abstract: We decompose changing gaps in life expectancy between rich and poor into differential changes in age-specific mortality rates and differences in “survivability”. Declining age-specific mortality rates increases life expectancy, but the gain is small if the likelihood of living to this age is small (ex ante survivability) or if the expected remaining lifetime is short (ex post survivability). Lower survivability of the poor explains half of the recent rise in life expectancy inequality in the US and the entire rise in Denmark. Cardiovascular mortality declines favored the poor, but differences in lifestyle-related survivability led inequality to rise.
Keywords: life expectancy; mortality; inequality; survivability; socioeconomic status
JEL Codes: H51; I14; J11
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| lower survivability of the poor (I32) | increase in life expectancy inequality in the U.S. (I14) |
| lower survivability of the poor (I32) | increase in life expectancy inequality in Denmark (I14) |
| declining age-specific mortality rates (J11) | increase in life expectancy (I14) |
| ex ante survivability (C41) | effect of declining age-specific mortality rates on life expectancy (J11) |
| ex post survivability (C41) | effect of declining age-specific mortality rates on life expectancy (J11) |
| larger reductions in mortality rates for the rich (I14) | increase in life expectancy inequality in U.S. males (I14) |
| higher survivability of the rich (D14) | increase in life expectancy inequality in Denmark (I14) |
| survivability differences (C41) | increase in life expectancy inequality (I14) |
| mortality rate changes (J11) | impact survivability (C41) |
| existing mortality inequality (I14) | impact survivability (C41) |