Pamphlet
An Economic Interpretation of Suicide Cycles in Japan (Research Department Working Paper 0603)
Koo J~~Cox W M
This study revises the standard economic model of suicide to accommodate Japan’s experience, focussing on the change in human capital for the unemployed. The authors then use the new model & de-trended data to investigate empirically the relationship between the suicide cycle & the unemployment cycle. Unlike previous aggregate time series studies, it was found that the relationship between the suicide rate & the unemployment rate is significantly & robustly positive for males & females even after controlling for several social variables. (34 refs.) JA