Labor Supply Responses to Health Shocks: Evidence from High-Frequency Labor Market Data from Urban Ghana

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Human Resources
Year: 2022
Volume: 57
Issue: 1

Authors (3)

Rachel Heath (not in RePEc) Ghazala Mansuri (not in RePEc) Bob Rijkers (World Bank Group)

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Workers in developing countries are subject to frequent health shocks. Using ten weeks of high-frequency labor market data that were collected in urban Ghana, we document that men are nine percentage points more likely to work in weeks in which another worker in the household is unexpectedly ill. The paper provides suggestive evidence that these effects are strongest among very risk-averse men, men in poorer households, and men who are the highest earners in their household. By contrast, women display a net zero response to another worker’s illness, even women who are the highest earners in their household.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:uwp:jhriss:v:57:y:2022:i:1:p:143-177
Journal Field
Labor
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-29