Understanding the Effects of Siblings on Child Mortality: Evidence from India

Gerald Makepeace and Sarmistha Pal

No 2390, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Given the intrinsically sequential nature of child birth, timing of a child’s birth has consequences not only for itself, but also for its older and younger siblings. The paper argues that prior and posterior spacing between consecutive siblings are thus important measures of intensity of sibling competition for limited parental resources. While the available estimates of child mortality tend to ignore the endogeneity of sibling composition, we use a correlated recursive model of prior and posterior spacing and child mortality to correct it. There is evidence that uncorrected estimates underestimate the effects of prior and posterior spacing on child mortality.

Keywords: endogeneity bias; birth spacing; sibling rivalry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D13 I12 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 39 pages
Date: 2006-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cwa, nep-dev and nep-hea
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Published - published in: Journal of Population Economics, 2008, 21 (4), 877-902

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Related works:
Journal Article: Understanding the effects of siblings on child mortality: evidence from India (2008)
Working Paper: Understanding the Effects of Siblings on Child Mortality: Evidence from India (2006)
Working Paper: Understanding the Effects of Siblings on Child Mortality: Evidence from India (2005)
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