We analyze whether the amount of schooling influences intelligence as measured by IQ tests. By use of a novel longitudinal dataset we are able to condition on early cognitive ability to account for selection into non-compulsory schooling when estimating the effect on cognitive ability at age 20....

This paper studies how students’ prior academic ability, gender, and family background affect performance in upper secondary schools in terms of lack of progression and dropout probability. The link between dropout and lack of progression in post-compulsory schooling is important as graduating...

We study the impact of a natural resource boom on structural change and real exchange rate dynamics, taking into account the indirect effect via relative sectoral productivity changes. Our contribution relative to the Dutch disease literature is threefold. First, the productivity specification...

Empirical models of inflation often incorporate equilibrium correction effects based upon levels of prices and input costs. Such models assume that the steady-state price-cost markup is constant, but recent research suggests that this may not be true for the Euro area economy, which has...

Natural resource abundant countries constitute both growth losers and growth winners, and the main difference between the success cases and the cases of failure lays in the quality of institutions. With grabber friendly institutions more natural resources push aggregate income down, while with...

Wild animals can represent both value and nuisance. We consider the moose (Alces alces), which due to seasonal migration causes browsing damage in some areas while creating hunting value in other areas. We first explore a situation when harvesting, following today’s practice in Norway, only...

The theory of livestock as a buffer stock predicts that agropastoralists facing substantial risks typically will use liquid assets, such as livestock, for self-insurance to smooth consumption. This paper examines this hypothesis for reindeer herders in Norway where the herders, in contrast to...

Health is linked to income in various ways. In this study we try to quantify the effects of differences in health and appearances on annual income. Starting with a classical Mincer-equation for income we include health and anthropometric characteristics in order to assess the hypothesis. We also...

The relationship between health and income among adults is well established. Adolescent health and parental income has not received the same attention. In this study we look at household income both as a direct determinant of adolescent health and as an important factor in relation to...

The existence of agglomeration economies is well established. We study dynamic agglomeration effects and expect regional income divergence when people move from the periphery to cities. We use distribution analysis, Kernel density functions and first order Markov chains, to investigate whether...