Baby Bonus, Fertility, and Missing Women

Wookun Kim ()
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Wookun Kim: Southern Methodist University

No 2308, Departmental Working Papers from Southern Methodist University, Department of Economics

Abstract: I present novel causal evidence on the effects of pro-natalist cash transfers in South Korea on fertility, the sex ratio at birth, and infant health. I exploit rich spatial and temporal variation in pro-natalist cash transfers and the universe of birth, death, and migrant registry records. The total fertility rate in 2015 would have been 4.7% lower without the cash transfers. Surprisingly, the cash transfers had the unintended consequence of correcting the unnaturally male-skewed sex ratio and lowering gestational age and birth weight. Negative selection into childbearing may explain these effects.

Keywords: pro-natalist policies; cash transfer; fertility; neonatal health; missing women; son preference. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H40 H75 J13 J16 J18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023-08
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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