The Effects of Spousal Health on the Decision to Smoke: Evidence on Consumption Externalities, Altruism and Learning Within the Household

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Risk and Uncertainty
Year: 2006
Volume: 32
Issue: 1
Pages: 17-35

Authors (3)

Ahmed Khwaja (not in RePEc) Frank Sloan (Duke University) Sukyung Chung (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

0.670 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

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

Abstract

Married individuals are healthier than single individuals though the reasons are not well understood. Individuals with spouses/or partners are less likely to smoke. We explore the relationship between health and marital status by analyzing three potential channels through which marriage affects smoking, i.e., consumption externalities (one spouse's smoking affects the other spouse's welfare), altruism (one spouse reduces smoking in response to the other spouse's bad health), and learning about risks of smoking from the health experience of one's spouse. We find spousal health does not affect smoking due to altruism or learning within the household but do find evidence for consumption externalities. Copyright Springer Science + Business Media, Inc. 2006

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:kap:jrisku:v:32:y:2006:i:1:p:17-35
Journal Field
Theory
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-29