Economic conditions and the health of newborns: Evidence from comprehensive register data

Gerard J. van den Berg; Alexander Paul; Steffen Reinhold

doi:10.1016/j.labeco.2020.101795

Economic conditions and the health of newborns: Evidence from comprehensive register data

Gerard J. van den Berg
, Alexander Paul^*
, Steffen Reinhold

^*Corresponding author for this work

Economics

Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

81 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

We examine whether economic downturns are beneficial to health outcomes of newborn infants in developed countries. For this we use merged population-wide registers on health and economic and demographic variables, including the national medical birth register and intergenerational link registers from Sweden covering 1992–2004. We take a rigorous econometric approach that exploits regional variation in unemployment and compares babies born to the same parents so as to deal with possible selective fertility based on labour market conditions. We find that downturns are beneficial; an increase in the unemployment rate during pregnancy reduces the probability of having a birth weight less than 1500 grams or of dying within 28 days of birth. Effects are larger in low socio-economic status households. Health improvements cannot be attributed to the parents’ own employment status. Instead, the results suggest other pathways triggered by the economic cycle.

Original language	English
Article number	101795
Number of pages	16
Journal	Labour Economics
Volume	63
Early online date	7 Jan 2020
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2020.101795
Publication status	Published - Apr 2020

Funding

We thank the Editor Michele Pellizzari, two anonymous Referees, Anna Sjögren and participants at a seminar at the University of Aarhus and at EEA/ESEM and EALE conferences for useful comments and suggestions. Also, we thank Statistics Sweden and Socialstyrelsen for the use of the micro data registers and Hans-Martin von Gaudecker and Mårten Palme for their efforts in making these data accessible. We thank IFAU Uppsala, in particular Linus Liljeberg and Olof Åslund, for the data on unemployment rates. Financial support from the German Science Foundation DFG Grant RE 3086/1-1 and the European Research Council through Starting Grant No. 313719 is acknowledged. This paper was previously titled: “Economic Conditions, Parental Employment and Health of Newborns”.

Funders	Funder number
Aarhus Universitet
IFAU Uppsala
European Commission
European Research Council
Seventh Framework Programme	313719
German Science Foundation DFG	RE 3086/1-1

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth

Access to Document

10.1016/j.labeco.2020.101795

Economic conditions and the health of newbornsFinal published version, 898 KBLicence: Article 25fa Dutch Copyright Act

Persistent URL (handle)

Persistent link

Cite this

@article{38929bf822334c42a27f6157a30e3f16,

title = "Economic conditions and the health of newborns: Evidence from comprehensive register data",

abstract = "We examine whether economic downturns are beneficial to health outcomes of newborn infants in developed countries. For this we use merged population-wide registers on health and economic and demographic variables, including the national medical birth register and intergenerational link registers from Sweden covering 1992–2004. We take a rigorous econometric approach that exploits regional variation in unemployment and compares babies born to the same parents so as to deal with possible selective fertility based on labour market conditions. We find that downturns are beneficial; an increase in the unemployment rate during pregnancy reduces the probability of having a birth weight less than 1500 grams or of dying within 28 days of birth. Effects are larger in low socio-economic status households. Health improvements cannot be attributed to the parents{\textquoteright} own employment status. Instead, the results suggest other pathways triggered by the economic cycle.",

author = "\{van den Berg\}, \{Gerard J.\} and Alexander Paul and Steffen Reinhold",

year = "2020",

month = apr,

doi = "10.1016/j.labeco.2020.101795",

language = "English",

volume = "63",

journal = "Labour Economics",

issn = "0927-5371",

publisher = "Elsevier B.V.",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Economic conditions and the health of newborns

T2 - Evidence from comprehensive register data

AU - van den Berg, Gerard J.

AU - Paul, Alexander

AU - Reinhold, Steffen

PY - 2020/4

Y1 - 2020/4

N2 - We examine whether economic downturns are beneficial to health outcomes of newborn infants in developed countries. For this we use merged population-wide registers on health and economic and demographic variables, including the national medical birth register and intergenerational link registers from Sweden covering 1992–2004. We take a rigorous econometric approach that exploits regional variation in unemployment and compares babies born to the same parents so as to deal with possible selective fertility based on labour market conditions. We find that downturns are beneficial; an increase in the unemployment rate during pregnancy reduces the probability of having a birth weight less than 1500 grams or of dying within 28 days of birth. Effects are larger in low socio-economic status households. Health improvements cannot be attributed to the parents’ own employment status. Instead, the results suggest other pathways triggered by the economic cycle.

AB - We examine whether economic downturns are beneficial to health outcomes of newborn infants in developed countries. For this we use merged population-wide registers on health and economic and demographic variables, including the national medical birth register and intergenerational link registers from Sweden covering 1992–2004. We take a rigorous econometric approach that exploits regional variation in unemployment and compares babies born to the same parents so as to deal with possible selective fertility based on labour market conditions. We find that downturns are beneficial; an increase in the unemployment rate during pregnancy reduces the probability of having a birth weight less than 1500 grams or of dying within 28 days of birth. Effects are larger in low socio-economic status households. Health improvements cannot be attributed to the parents’ own employment status. Instead, the results suggest other pathways triggered by the economic cycle.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85078115876

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85078115876#tab=citedBy

U2 - 10.1016/j.labeco.2020.101795

DO - 10.1016/j.labeco.2020.101795

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85078115876

SN - 0927-5371

VL - 63

JO - Labour Economics

JF - Labour Economics

M1 - 101795

ER -

Economic conditions and the health of newborns: Evidence from comprehensive register data

Abstract

Funding

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Persistent URL (handle)

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this