Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics

Working Paper Series,
Research Institute of Industrial Economics

No 835: Height and Leadership

Erik Lindqvist
Additional contact information
Erik Lindqvist: Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN), Postal: P.O. Box 55665, SE-102 15 Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract: This paper studies the relationship between height and leadership. Using data from a representative sample of Swedish men, I document that tall men are significantly more likely to attain managerial positions. An increase in height by 10 centimeters (3.94 inches) is associated with a 2.2 percentage point increase in the probability of holding a managerial position. Selection into managerial positions explains about 15 percent of the unconditional height wage premium. However, at least half of the height-leadership correlation is due to a positive correlation between height and cognitive and noncognitive ability.

Keywords: Height; Beauty; Leadership; Discrimination

JEL-codes: J24; J71

Language: English

16 pages, May 28, 2010

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Erik Lindqvist, 'Height and Leadership', Review of Economics and Statistics

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