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

Sonia Bhalotra, Adeline Delavande, Paulino Font-Gilabert and Joanna Maselko

The Economic Journal, 2025, vol. 135, issue 667, 712-747

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 rural Pakistan 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.

Date: 2025
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