Self-Assessed Health, Caring and Labour Market Outcomes in Taiwan

This thesis explores the relationship between self-assessed health (SAH), caring and labour market outcomes based on three empirical studies, for which the existing studies for Taiwan were limited. Our results may help in identifying priorities in terms of the most important individual characteristics for determining health, well-being and the impact of caring on the labour force. In the first empirical study, we use panel data from the Panel Study of Family Dynamics (PSFD) to explore the determinants of self-assessed health. In contrast to the existing studies for Taiwan, we use the generalized ordered probit (GOP) model. We find that, although both family background and a shared living environment play important roles in explaining health status, the effect of a common living environment is stronger than the effect of family characteristics on health. There is also evidence that suggests that reporting bias in the SAH measure is prevalent in the PSFD. In the second empirical study, we explore the determinants of well-being, with a particular focus on job characteristics, which has attracted little attention in the literature on Taiwan. We use data from the 2005 PSFD and explore potential sample selection issues when analysing employees only. Our results suggest that, while socio-economic characteristics are a significant determinant of well-being, there is no evidence to suggest that long working hours are associated with a lower level of well-being. The final empirical study investigates the relationship between caring and labour market outcomes. We use panel data from the Health and Living Status of the Middle Aged and Elderly. Our results suggest that informal care has an adverse effect on the labour force participation of women, but not of men. However, for males, a positive association between the provision of financial support and employment is found.