Work

Variations in Infant Mortality Rates among Counties in the United States: The Roles of Social Policies and Programs

Year: 1981

Type: report

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the causes of the rapid decline in the infant mortality rate in the United States in the period after 1963. The roles of four public policies are considered: Medicaid, subsidized family planning services for low-income women, maternal and infant care projects, and the legalization of abortion. The most striking finding is that the increase in the legal abortion rate is the single most important factor in reductions in both white and nonwhite neonatal mortality rates. Not only does the growth in abortion dominate the other public policies, but it also dominates schooling and poverty.

Source: National Bureau of Economic Research

DOI: 10.3386/w0615

Authors: Michael Grossman, Steven Jacobowitz

Language: English

Topic: Reproductive Health and Contraception

Subfield: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W2889831928

Cites:

Cited by: 2

Related to: 10