| Abstract |
A large fraction of people in East Asia are incapable of digesting alcohol because of a genetic deficiency of aldehyde dehydrogenase. In this study, we examine whether the genetic variation in alcohol tolerance contributes to inequality in the labor market. We conducted our original surveys in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea with about 2,000, 1,000, and 500 prime-age working men in each country, respectively. We measured the respondents' genetic degree of alcohol tolerance by a bio-marker test. The data reveal that alcohol-tolerant men consume more alcohol in all three countries, but their earnings and hours worked are not systematically different from their alcohol-intolerant counterparts. Our results suggest that there is no universal mechanism in which drinking, a cultural behavior, influences labor-market outcomes.
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