Older and Wiser? Birth Order and IQ of Young Men

29 Pages Posted: 10 Sep 2007

See all articles by Sandra E. Black

Sandra E. Black

Columbia University; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); IZA Institute of Labor Economics; Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) - Department of Economics

Paul J. Devereux

University College Dublin - Department of Economics; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Kjell G. Salvanes

Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) - Department of Economics; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Multiple version iconThere are 3 versions of this paper

Date Written: August 2007

Abstract

While recent research finds strong evidence that birth order affects children's outcomes such as education and earnings, the evidence on the effects of birth order on IQ is decidedly mixed. This paper uses a large dataset on the population of Norway and focuses on the effect of birth order and family size on IQ, an outcome not previously available in datasets of this magnitude. Importantly, we find a strong and significant effect of birth order on IQ, and our results suggest that earlier born children have higher IQs.

Keywords: birth order, IQ

JEL Classification: I2, J1

Suggested Citation

Black, Sandra E. and Devereux, Paul J. and Salvanes, Kjell G., Older and Wiser? Birth Order and IQ of Young Men (August 2007). IZA Discussion Paper No. 3007, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1012789 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1012789

Sandra E. Black

Columbia University ( email )

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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

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IZA Institute of Labor Economics

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Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) - Department of Economics

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Norway

Paul J. Devereux

University College Dublin - Department of Economics ( email )

Belfield
Dublin 4, 4
Ireland

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Kjell G. Salvanes (Contact Author)

Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) - Department of Economics ( email )

Helleveien 30
N-5035 Bergen
Norway
+47 5 595 9315 (Phone)
+47 5 595 9543 (Fax)

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

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