Abstract:

Enhancing the health of middle-aged and elderly people and stimulating an effective labor supply while harnessing the potential of "silver-hair power" are key initiatives to actively address population aging. This paper uses the Healthy City pilot policy as an exogenous shock and combines data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) to theoretically and empirically examine the impact of Healthy City construction on the labor supply of middle-aged and elderly individuals. The study finds that Healthy City construction significantly increases the supply of labor time among local middle-aged and elderly individuals, with a more pronounced effect observed among men, low-educated individuals, older middle–aged and elderly individuals, and those residing in cities with severe air pollution and abundant medical resources. Mechanism analysis reveals that Healthy City construction promotes labor supply by improving physical and mental health, as well as enhancing social integration. Further analysis suggests that Healthy City construction significantly increases the willingness of middle-aged and elderly individuals to delay retirement. This study provides novel policy insights for actively promoting the Healthy China initiative and addressing the challenges of an aging population.

Key words:

healthy city pilot policy, labor time supply, health effects, social integration; middle-aged and elderly labor market