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American Economic Review Vol. 106 No. 5 2016

Birth Timing and Neonatal Health

Cristina Borra1; Libertad González2; Almudena Sevilla3

1 Department of Economics and Economic History, University of Seville, Ramon y Cajal 1, Seville 4018, Spain (e-mail: ) · 2 Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Ramon Trias Fargas, 25-27, Barcelona, 08005, Spain, and Barcelona GSE (e-mail: ) · 3 School of Business and Management, Queen Mary, University of London, Francis Bancroft Building, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS (e-mail: )

open access

Abstract

We take advantage of a new natural experiment to evaluate the health effects of scheduling birth early for non-medical reasons on infant health. In 2010, the cancellation of a generous child benefit in Spain led may families to schedule birth early in order to remain eligible for the subsidy. We document that the affected cohort of children did not suffer any increase in birth complications or medical conditions right at birth, but were significantly more likely to be admitted to hospital during their second and third weeks of life, suggesting potentially persistent negative health effects.

DOI
10.1257/aer.p20161123
Volume
106
Issue
5
Pages
329-332
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

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