Publication Type
Master Thesis
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
5-2025
Abstract
An individual’s health at birth is an important component in human capital accumulation, posing significant implications both in the short- and long-run. I investigate how infant health outcomes were impacted during a period of successive positive and negative economic shocks led by the coal industry between the 1970s to 1990s. Using exogenous variation within counties’ pre-existing coal reserves, I instrument for the changes in economic opportunities during the coal boom and bust. I find some limited evidence that an increase in income improves infant health outcomes. The incidence of low birthweight is decreasing in earnings growth, and effects are stronger during the bust period relative to the boom. Analyses of potential transmission mechanisms find some suggestive evidence of changes in maternal characteristics in response to economic conditions, which lead to improved infant health outcomes.
Keywords
Health Economics, Household Income, Infant Health Outcomes
Degree Awarded
Master of Philosophy in Econ
Discipline
Health Economics
Supervisor(s)
HO CHAN FOONG, Marie Christine
First Page
1
Last Page
48
Publisher
Singapore Management University
City or Country
Singapore
Citation
CHEW, Chu Gek.
The effects of income on infant health: Evidence from the coal boom and bust. (2025). 1-48.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/etd_coll/708
Copyright Owner and License
Author
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.