Estimating the Effects of Milk Inspections on Infant and Child Mortality, 1880-1910

D. Mark Anderson (), Kerwin Kofi Charles (), Michael McKelligott () and Daniel I. Rees ()
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D. Mark Anderson: Montana State University
Kerwin Kofi Charles: Yale University
Michael McKelligott: University of Chicago
Daniel I. Rees: Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

No 14975, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: In the mid-19th century, the urban milk supply in the United States was regularly skimmed or diluted with water, reducing its nutritional value. At the urging of public health experts, cities across the country hired milk inspectors, who were tasked with collecting and analyzing milk samples with the goal of preventing adulteration and skimming. Using city-level data for the period 1880-1910, we explore the effects of milk inspections on infant mortality and mortality among children under the age of 5. Event-study estimates are small and statistically insignificant, providing little evidence of post-treatment reductions in either infant or child mortality.

Keywords: mortality transition; milk inspections; infant mortality; child mortality; public health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I18 J1 N31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 30 pages
Date: 2021-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea and nep-his
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Published - published in: American Economic Association Papers and Proceedings, 2022, 112, 188-192.

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