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The Effect of Paid Vacation on Health: Evidence from Sweden

Hofmarcher, Thomas LU (2017) In Working Papers
Abstract
This study estimates the causal effect of receiving additional paid vacation days on health. Using register data on the universe of central government employees in Sweden, I exploit an age-based rule stipulated in the collective agreement covering these employees. Identification is achieved by combining a regression discontinuity with a difference-in-differences design to control for time-invariant differences between consecutive birth cohorts and isolate the true effect at two separate discontinuities at ages 30 and 40. The main results indicate no statistically significant changes in health (as proxied by specialized outpatient care visits, inpatient care admissions, and long-term sick leaves) induced by an extension of three paid... (More)
This study estimates the causal effect of receiving additional paid vacation days on health. Using register data on the universe of central government employees in Sweden, I exploit an age-based rule stipulated in the collective agreement covering these employees. Identification is achieved by combining a regression discontinuity with a difference-in-differences design to control for time-invariant differences between consecutive birth cohorts and isolate the true effect at two separate discontinuities at ages 30 and 40. The main results indicate no statistically significant changes in health (as proxied by specialized outpatient care visits, inpatient care admissions, and long-term sick leaves) induced by an extension of three paid vacation days at age 30 and four days at age 40. There is no evidence of significant effects by sex, being a (lone) parent, education level, or broad group of diagnoses. These findings challenge the historically grown health argument for additional paid vacation days. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Working paper/Preprint
publication status
published
subject
keywords
vacation, holiday, working time, health, I18, J22, J81, M52
in
Working Papers
issue
2017:13
pages
40 pages
publisher
Department of Economics, Lund University
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
7b62bfce-cab2-45c4-ab59-83d2a92d9cb5
date added to LUP
2017-11-11 09:28:27
date last changed
2020-12-04 11:11:31
@misc{7b62bfce-cab2-45c4-ab59-83d2a92d9cb5,
  abstract     = {{This study estimates the causal effect of receiving additional paid vacation days on health. Using register data on the universe of central government employees in Sweden, I exploit an age-based rule stipulated in the collective agreement covering these employees. Identification is achieved by combining a regression discontinuity with a difference-in-differences design to control for time-invariant differences between consecutive birth cohorts and isolate the true effect at two separate discontinuities at ages 30 and 40. The main results indicate no statistically significant changes in health (as proxied by specialized outpatient care visits, inpatient care admissions, and long-term sick leaves) induced by an extension of three paid vacation days at age 30 and four days at age 40. There is no evidence of significant effects by sex, being a (lone) parent, education level, or broad group of diagnoses. These findings challenge the historically grown health argument for additional paid vacation days.}},
  author       = {{Hofmarcher, Thomas}},
  keywords     = {{vacation; holiday; working time; health; I18; J22; J81; M52}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Working Paper}},
  number       = {{2017:13}},
  publisher    = {{Department of Economics, Lund University}},
  series       = {{Working Papers}},
  title        = {{The Effect of Paid Vacation on Health: Evidence from Sweden}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/34656090/wp17_13.pdf}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}