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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
A Theory Of Socioeconomic Disparities In Health Over The Life Cycle, Titus Galama, Hans Van Kippersluis
A Theory Of Socioeconomic Disparities In Health Over The Life Cycle, Titus Galama, Hans Van Kippersluis
Titus Galama
Understanding of the substantial disparity in health between low and high socioeconomic status (SES) groups is hampered by the lack of a sufficiently comprehensive theoretical framework to interpret empirical facts and to predict yet untested relations. We present a life-cycle model that incorporates multiple mechanisms explaining (jointly) a large part of the observed disparities in health by SES. In our model, lifestyle factors, working conditions, retirement, living conditions and curative care are mechanisms through which SES, health and mortality are related. Our model predicts a widening and possibly a subsequent narrowing with age of the gradient in health by SES.
Diversification Across Time, Ian Ayres, Barry Nalebuff
Diversification Across Time, Ian Ayres, Barry Nalebuff
Ian Ayres
By employing leverage to gain more exposure to stocks when young, individuals can achieve better diversification across time. Using stock data going back to 1871, we show that early leverage combined with reduced equity exposure when older can reduce lifetime portfolio risk. For example, an initially-leveraged portfolio can produce the same mean accumulation as a constant 75% stock allocation with a 21% smaller standard deviation. Since the mean accumulation is the same, the reduction in volatility does not depend on the equity premium. A leveraged lifecycle strategy can also allow investors to come closer to their utility-maximizing allocation. If risk …