TY  - JOUR
AU  - Haveman,Robert
AU  - Wolfe,Barbara
AU  - Huang,Fung Mey
TI  - Disability Status as an Unobservable: Estimates From a Structural Model
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 2831
PY  - 1989
Y2  - 1989
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w2831
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w2831.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Robert Haveman
Department of Economics 7454 Social Sciences Build
1180 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI   53706
Tel: 608-263-7398

Barbara L. Wolfe
1225 Observatory Dr
University of Wisconsin
Madison, WI 53706
Tel: 608/263-2029
Fax: 608/265-3119
E-Mail: BWolfe@wisc.edu
AB  - We propose an index of "true disability" by treating disability status as an unobservable phenomenon which is both causally related to a number of exogenous characteristics of an individual and correlated with a number of observed indicators of health, impairment and qualifications for employment. First, we define true disability and distinguish it from related concepts. We then discuss the importance of an objective and reliable measure of disability for research on the determinants of behavior. Next, we present the specification of our structural model for estimating true disability as a latent variable. Finally, we report the results of our estimation in a simple model of Labor force participation, and compare the effect of using the constructed index and a self-reported disability measure on understanding the determinants of behavior and choice.
ER  -