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Journal of Economic Perspectives: Vol. 25 No. 4 (Fall 2011)
JEP Volume. 25, Issue 4 | 
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Genes, Eyeglasses, and Social Policy
Article Citation
Manski, Charles F. 2011. "Genes, Eyeglasses, and Social Policy."
Journal of Economic Perspectives,
25(4): 83-94.
DOI: 10.1257/jep.25.4.83
DOI: 10.1257/jep.25.4.83
Abstract
Someone reading empirical research relating human genetics to personal outcomes must be careful to distinguish two types of work: An old literature on heritability attempts to decompose cross-sectional variation in observed outcomes into unobservable genetic and environmental components. A new literature measures specific genes and uses them as observed covariates when predicting outcomes. I will discuss these two types of work in terms of how they may inform social policy. I will argue that research on heritability is fundamentally uninformative for policy analysis, but make a cautious argument that research using genes as covariates is potentially informative.
Article Full-Text Access
Full-text Article (Complimentary)
Authors
Manski, Charles F. (Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern U)
JEL Classifications
D78: Positive Analysis of Policy-Making and Implementation
A12: Relation of Economics to Other Disciplines
A12: Relation of Economics to Other Disciplines
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