Do minimum wages improve self-rated health?

Abstract

"In this paper we analyze whether the introduction of the general minimum wage in Germany in 2015 had an effect on workers' self-rated health. To study this question, we use survey-data linked to administrative employment records and apply difference-in-difference regressions combined with propensity score matching. This approach enables us to control for a vast set of possibly confounding variables. We find on average significant improvements of self-rated health for individuals who are affected by the reform. Our results indicate, that a significant reduction of weekly working hours potentially drives this result." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Hafner, L. & Lochner, B. (2019): Do minimum wages improve self-rated health? Evidence from a natural experiment. (IAB-Discussion Paper 17/2019), Nürnberg, 30 p.