Carlson, Kyle (2014): Fear itself: The effects of distressing economic news on birth outcomes.
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Abstract
I use new administrative data on mass layoffs and plant closings to study the effects of distressing economic news. Exposure to stressful events during pregnancy can impair fetal development. I find that announcement of impending job losses leads to a transient decrease in the mean birth weight within the firm’s county 1–4 months before the job losses. A loss of 500 jobs corresponds roughly to a decrease of 15–20 grams and 16 percent greater risk of low birth weight. Further analyses show that the initial effect results from curtailment of gestation, while slower intrauterine growth plays a later role.
Item Type: | MPRA Paper |
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Original Title: | Fear itself: The effects of distressing economic news on birth outcomes |
Language: | English |
Keywords: | health; birth weight; gestation; layoffs; warn; stress; prenatal |
Subjects: | I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I1 - Health > I10 - General I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I1 - Health > I12 - Health Behavior J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J0 - General > J00 - General J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J0 - General > J01 - Labor Economics: General J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J0 - General > J08 - Labor Economics Policies |
Item ID: | 56560 |
Depositing User: | Kyle Carlson |
Date Deposited: | 13 Jun 2014 08:19 |
Last Modified: | 30 Sep 2019 17:45 |
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URI: | https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/id/eprint/56560 |