The Impact of Body Mass Index on Growth, Schooling, Productivity, and Savings: A Cross-Country Study

71 Pages Posted: 8 Oct 2021 Last revised: 19 May 2022

See all articles by Aysit Tansel

Aysit Tansel

Middle East Technical University (METU) - Department of Economics; IZA Institute of Labor Economics; Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Ceyhan Öztürk

Middle East Technical University

Erkan Erdil

Middle East Technical University (METU) - Department of Economics

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Abstract

We examine the relationship between wealth and health through prominent growth indicators and cognitive ability. Cognitive ability is represented by nutritional status. The proxy variable for nutritional status is BMI. We use the reduced form equation in the cubic specification of time preference rate, strongly related to cognitive ability, to estimate this relationship. The growth indicators utilized are GDP per capita, schooling, overall and manufacturing productivities, and savings. We estimate our models using the FE, GMM estimators, and long difference OLS and IV estimation through balanced panel data for the 1980-2009 period. We conclude that the relationship between all prominent growth indicators and BMI is inverse U-shaped. In other words, cognitive ability has a significant potential to progress growth and economic development only in a healthy status.

Keywords: cognitive ability, time preference rate, BMI, productivity, health, schooling, growth, economic development

JEL Classification: E21, I15, I25, J24, O11, Q18

Suggested Citation

Tansel, Aysit and Öztürk, Ceyhan and Erdil, Erkan, The Impact of Body Mass Index on Growth, Schooling, Productivity, and Savings: A Cross-Country Study. IZA Discussion Paper No. 14727, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3934744

Aysit Tansel (Contact Author)

Middle East Technical University (METU) - Department of Economics ( email )

Inonu Bulvari
Ankara 06800
Turkey
90 312 210 2073 (Phone)
90 312 210 7964 (Fax)

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

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

Economic Research Forum (ERF) ( email )

21 Al-Sad Al-Aaly St.
(P.O. Box: 12311)
Dokki, Cairo
Egypt

Ceyhan Öztürk

Middle East Technical University

Universiteler Mahallesi
Cankaya
Ankara, 06531
Turkey

Erkan Erdil

Middle East Technical University (METU) - Department of Economics ( email )

Inonu Bulvari
Ankara
Turkey

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