This paper provides estimates of the economic impact of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in China and India for the period 2012-2030. Our estimates are derived using WHO's EPIC model of economic growth, which focuses on the negative effects of NCDs on labor supply and capital accumulation. We...

Many scholars have argued that once basic needs have been met, higher income is no longer associated with higher in subjective well-being. We assess the validity of this claim in comparisons of both rich and poor countries, and also of rich and poor people within a country. Analyzing multiple...

In recent decades economists have turned their attention to data that asks people how happy or satisfied they are with their lives. Much of the early research concluded that the role of income in determining well-being was limited, and that only income relative to others was related to...

The "Easterlin paradox" suggests that there is no link between a society's economic development and its average level of happiness. We re-assess this paradox analyzing multiple rich datasets spanning many decades. Using recent data on a broader array of countries, we establish a clear positive...

We investigate whether a causal interpretation of the robust association between cognitive skills and economic growth is appropriate and whether cross-country evidence supports a case for the economic benefits of effective school policy. We develop a new common metric that allows tracking...

Economic development in Latin America has trailed most other world regions over the past four decades despite its relatively high initial development and school attainment levels. This puzzle can be resolved by considering the actual learning as expressed in tests of cognitive skills, on which...

Im ifo Schnelldienst 23/2010 wurde über erste Ergebnisse einer neuen wirtschaftshistorischen Forschungsagenda, die historische Entwicklungsprozesse mit mikroökonometrischen Methoden untersucht, berichtet. Sie greift auf einmaliges Datenmaterial preußischer Volkszählungen zurück, das auf...

Im 19. Jahrhundert nahm Deutschland und insbesondere Preußen eine international führende Stellung in der Entwicklung seines Bildungssystems ein. Wenngleich diese Rolle deskriptiv gut dokumentiert ist, konnten ihre Ursachen sowie ihre Bedeutung für den wirtschaftlichen Entwicklungsprozess...