Maternal Investments in Children: The Role of Expected Effort and Returns

Sonia Bhalotra, Adeline Delavande, Paulino Font-Gilabert and Joanna Maselko
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Sonia Bhalotra: University of Warwick
Adeline Delavande: University of Technology Sydney
Paulino Font-Gilabert: King’s College London
Joanna Maselko: University of North Carolina

The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) from University of Warwick, Department of Economics

Abstract: We investigate the importance of subjective expectations of returns to and effort costs of the two principal investments that mothers make in newborns: breastfeeding and stimulation. We find heterogeneity across mothers in expected effort costs and expected returns for outcomes in the cognitive, socio-emotional and health domains, and that this contributes to explaining heterogeneity in investments. We find no significant differences across women in preferences for child developmental outcomes. We simulate the impact of alternative policies on investments. Our findings highlight the relevance of interventions designed to address maternal depression and reduce perinatal fatigue alongside interventions that increase perceived returns to investments. JEL Codes: I12 ; I15 ; J24

Date: 2022
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wrk:warwec:1423

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