Is Biology Destiny? Birth Weight and Differential Parental Treatment

Hsin, Amy

doi:10.1007/s13524-012-0123-y

Cited by 121 publications

(109 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…The OLS coefficient on log birth weight is 0.277 for siblings and 0.285 for singletons, and the coefficient on log birth weight conditional on gestation in the overlapping sample is 0.403 versus 0.421 for all singletons. We suspect that the modest differences between the twin fixed effects models and sibling fixed effects models are due to factors such as differential parental investments in siblings (Bharadwaj, Eberhard, and Neilson 2013;Hsin 2012) or direct spillovers between siblings (as we find in Black et al 2014). …”

Section: Parallel Results For Singletonsmentioning

confidence: 59%

The Effects of Poor Neonatal Health on Children's Cognitive Development

Figlio

Guryan

Karbownik

et al. 2014

American Economic Review

320

277

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We make use of a new data resource-merged birth and school records for all children born in Florida from 1992 to 2002-to study the relationship between birth weight and cognitive development. Using singletons as well as twin and sibling fixed effects models, we find that the effects of early health on cognitive development are essentially constant through the school career; that these effects are similar across a wide range of family backgrounds; and that they are invariant to measures of school quality. We conclude that the effects of early health on adult outcomes are therefore set very early. (JEL I12, J13, J24) A large literature documents the effects of neonatal health (commonly proxied by birth weight) on a wide range of adult outcomes such as wages, disability, adult chronic conditions, and human capital accumulation. A series of studies, conducted in a variety of countries including Canada, Chile, China, Norway, and the United States, have made use of twin comparisons to show that the heavier twin of the pair is more likely to have better adult outcomes measured in various ways. 1

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Section: Parallel Results For Singletonsmentioning

confidence: 59%

The Effects of Poor Neonatal Health on Children's Cognitive Development

Figlio

Guryan

Karbownik

et al. 2014

American Economic Review

320

277

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Studies that directly investigate parental investment responses to initial differences in children's endowments also show heterogeneity Bernardi 77 by families' socioeconomic standing (Hsin 2012;Restrepo 2012). Parental investments in upperclass families tend to compensate for an early disadvantage, whereas disadvantages are reinforced in lower-class families.…”

Section: Previous Studies Of Compensatory Advantage and Educational Imentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Parental investments in upperclass families tend to compensate for an early disadvantage, whereas disadvantages are reinforced in lower-class families. For instance, Hsin (2012), who used Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) data, finds that highly educated mothers devote more total time and educationally oriented time to children with lower birth weight. Less educated mothers, on the other hand, invest more time to higher birth weight children.…”

Section: Previous Studies Of Compensatory Advantage and Educational Imentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Second, other studies tackle the endogeneity bias by using a simultaneous estimation approach, either within a latent variable framework or with a Heckman two-stage selection model (Bernardi 2012;Breen and Jonsson 2000). Third, some studies turn to sibling fixed-effect models to partial out time-invariant, family-specific unobserved factors that might correlate with both failure at time t and success at time t 1 1 (Hsin 2012;Restrepo 2012). Finally, other studies exploit sources of exogenous assignment on the state of failure F at time t, via natural experiments or a regression discontinuity design (Almond et al 2009).…”

Section: Previous Studies Of Compensatory Advantage and Educational Imentioning

confidence: 99%

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Compensatory Advantage as a Mechanism of Educational Inequality

2014

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Compensatory advantage is a mechanism of social stratification that complements cumulative advantage and path dependence. In this article, I first discuss the theoretical foundations of the compensatory advantage and path dependence mechanisms and the methodological challenges that complicate identification of their effects. Next, I present a practical demonstration of the use of the compensatory advantage theoretical framework, with a regression discontinuity design estimating the probability of being continuously promoted throughout primary education in France. Results indicate that students born just before the cutoff date for primary school entry, who are consequently the youngest in the class when starting school, face a larger risk of grade repetition. In line with theoretical predictions of the compensatory advantage model, the risk is much smaller for students born to highly educated parents compared to students whose parents have lower educational attainment.

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“…Further, child-parent interactions, such as those outlined above, may be more productive for children born healthier. In other words, prenatal and postpartum investments may be complementary in producing better child outcomes (Bono et al 2012 ;Hsin 2012 ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Gates, Gaps, and Intergenerational Mobility: The Importance of an Even Start

Smeeding

2016

The Dynamics of Opportunity in America

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This chapter focuses on how intergenerational mobility is affected by children's earliest life experiences from conception through preschool. These experiences are important because of their effects on outcomes later in life. One consequence is that intervening early is the most cost-effective way to put a child on course to pass through the gates that determine adult success and thereby reduce differences in mobility among children born in different circumstances. Using a life-cycle model, we examine the evidence on trends in factors that affect child development. The evidence we assess leads to the conclusion that opportunity and mobility are declining for lower and even middle class children as changes in family life, parenting practices, economic inequality, unresponsive social institutions, and increasingly economically homogeneous neighborhoods all point to a serious decline in the factors that are associated with greater mobility. We conclude that the decline in opportunity and mobility for current generations of American children is likely the biggest negative effect of the continuing U.S. inequality boom in income, wealth, and consumption. The paper ends by outlining a series of policies that would help restore opportunity in America by intervening early in the life course.

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Is Biology Destiny? Birth Weight and Differential Parental Treatment

Cited by 121 publications

References 24 publications

The Effects of Poor Neonatal Health on Children's Cognitive Development

The Effects of Poor Neonatal Health on Children's Cognitive Development

Compensatory Advantage as a Mechanism of Educational Inequality

Gates, Gaps, and Intergenerational Mobility: The Importance of an Even Start

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