Planning Better: Unplanned Pregnancies, Parental Investment, and Newborn Outcomes
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Series
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Speaker(s)Joaquín Paseyro Mayol (Erasmus University of Rotterdam and University of Siena, Italy)
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FieldEmpirical Microeconomics
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LocationErasmus University Rotterdam, E building, Kitchen/Lounge E1
Rotterdam -
Date and time
June 29, 2023
12:00 - 13:00
Abstract:
Development
begins before birth, yet socioeconomic policies often overlook the long-term
repercussions of reproductive decisions. In this paper, we leverage the
staggered adoption of a contraceptive policy in Uruguay to study the effect of
better contraceptive accessibility on unplanned births, parental investment, and
newborn health outcomes. Our findings reveal a significant 14% reduction
in the number of births, leading to shifts in birth characteristics and a
noteworthy 4%-6% increase in measures of parental investment. Additionally, we
find suggestive evidence of improvements in neonatal outcomes.