The impact of alcohol consumption on occupational attainment in England

Ziggy Macdonald, Michael A. Shields

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

77 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In this study we provide evidence on the effect of alcohol consumption on occupational attainment in England. To do this we use samples of employees from the Health Survey for England between 1992 and 1996. We find that, owing to the endogenous nature of alcohol consumption, OLS estimates may provide a biased picture of the impact of alcohol consumption on occupational attainment. Using various sets of instrumental variables, we find positive and significant returns to moderate levels of drinking for male and female employees which drop off rapidly as consumption increases.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)427-453
Number of pages27
JournalEconomica
Volume68
Issue number271
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2001
Externally publishedYes

Cite this