December 13, 2023
Gaulke presents at National Bureau of Economic Research meeting
Amanda Gaulke, associate professor of economics, presented "Childhood Health Shocks and the Intergenerational Transmission of Inequality" at the National Bureau of Economic Research: Economics of Health fall meeting.
The National Bureau of Economic Research is a prestigious group focused on "conducting and disseminating nonpartisan economic research." Economists across the globe can apply to present, and Gaulke's paper was one of only 13 papers chosen to be part of the program.
Gaulke's research is joint with Tine Eriksen, VIVE — The Danish Center for Social Science Research; Jannet Svensson, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen; Niels Skipper, Aarhus University; and Peter Thingholm, Aarhus University.
Gaulke and her co-authors document a clear socioeconomic gradient in labor market penalties stemming from the same health shock, even in the context of universal access to health care. In other words, children who were more disadvantaged to begin with experience even larger labor market penalties in adulthood than more advantaged children. This further exacerbates economic inequality.
Gaulke and her co-authors recently received funding for a follow-up project that examines the role of technological advancements in creating socioeconomic health disparities.