Intrafamily Resource Allocations: A Dynamic Model of Birth Weight

John Ermisch, Marco Francesconi and Emilia Del Bono

No 6970, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: This paper estimates a model of dynamic intrahousehold investment behavior which incorporates family fixed effects and child endowment heterogeneity. This framework is applied to large American and British survey data on birth outcomes, with focus on the effects of antenatal parental smoking and maternal labor supply net of other maternal behavior and child characteristics. We find that maternal smoking during pregnancy reduces birth weight and fetal growth, while paternal smoking has virtually no effect. Mothers' work interruptions of up to two months before birth have a positive effect on birth outcomes, especially among British children. Parental behavior appears to respond to permanent family-specific unobservables and to child idiosyncratic endowments in a way that suggests that parents have equal concerns, rather than efficiency motives, in allocating their prenatal inputs across children. Evidence of equal concerns emerges also from the analysis of breastfeeding decisions, although the effects in this case are weaker.

Keywords: Birth outcomes; Child health production functions; Instrumental variables; Mother's work; Sibling estimators; Smoking (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C33 D13 I12 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea and nep-lab
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Intrafamily resource allocations: a dynamic model of birth weight (2008)
Working Paper: Intrafamily Resource Allocations: A Dynamic Model of Birth Weight (2008)
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