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The Political Economy of Saving Mothers and Babies: The Politics of State Participation in the Sheppard-Towner Program

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  • MOEHLING, CAROLYN M.
  • THOMASSON, MELISSA A.

Abstract

Enacted in 1922 and repealed in 1929, the Sheppard-Towner program gave federal matching money to states to provide public health education to mothers. We examine variation in state participation in the program, and find that the timing of women's suffrage had an important impact. However, we find that the effect of suffrage was short-lived and did not influence public health spending after the program's repeal. We also find no evidence of a “demonstration effect.†On average, the states that continued activities after Sheppard-Towner ended were those that had sizable public health budgets before the program had even begun.

Suggested Citation

  • Moehling, Carolyn M. & Thomasson, Melissa A., 2012. "The Political Economy of Saving Mothers and Babies: The Politics of State Participation in the Sheppard-Towner Program," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 72(1), pages 75-103, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:72:y:2012:i:01:p:75-103_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Celeste K. Carruthers & Marianne H. Wanamaker, 2015. "Municipal Housekeeping: The Impact of Women's Suffrage on Public Education," NBER Working Papers 20864, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Jonathan Fox & Mikko Myrskylä, 2015. "Urban fertility responses to local government programs: Evidence from the 1923-1932 U.S," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 32(16), pages 487-532.
    3. Stefania Albanesi & Claudia Olivetti, 2014. "Maternal health and the baby boom," Quantitative Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 5, pages 225-269, July.
    4. Jonathan F. Fox, 2011. "Public health, poor relief and improving urban child mortality outcomes in the decade prior to the New Deal," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2011-005, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    5. Carolyn Moehling & Melissa A. Thomasson, 2020. "Votes For Women: An Economic Perspective on Women’s Enfranchisement," NBER Working Papers 26781, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Hoehn-Velasco, Lauren, 2018. "Explaining declines in US rural mortality, 1910–1933: The role of county health departments," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 42-72.
    7. repec:hka:wpaper:2013-03 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Wells, Rebecca & Cilenti, Dorothy & Issel, L. Michele, 2015. "The political economy of a public health case management program's transition into medical homes," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 98-106.
    9. Anderson, D. Mark & Brown, Ryan & Charles, Kerwin Kofi & Rees, Daniel I., 2016. "The Effect of Occupational Licensing on Consumer Welfare: Early Midwifery Laws and Maternal Mortality," IZA Discussion Papers 10074, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Carolyn Moehling & Melissa Thomasson, 2014. "Saving Babies: The Impact of Public Education Programs on Infant Mortality," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(2), pages 367-386, April.
    11. Carolyn M. Moehling & Melissa A. Thomasson, 2012. "Saving Babies: The Contribution of Sheppard-Towner to the Decline in Infant Mortality in the 1920s," NBER Working Papers 17996, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. Kose, Esra & Kuka, Elira & Shenhav, Na'ama, 2016. "Women's Enfranchisement and Children's Education: The Long-Run Impact of the U.S. Suffrage Movement," IZA Discussion Papers 10148, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. Carolyn M. Moehling & Melissa A. Thomasson, 2020. "Votes for Women: An Economic Perspective on Women's Enfranchisement," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 34(2), pages 3-23, Spring.
    14. Hamid Noghanibehambari & Farzaneh Noghani & Nahid Tavassoli, 2023. "Social externalities of women empowerment: Evidence from suffrage movements of late nineteenth and early twentieth century United States," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 70(3), pages 268-284, July.
    15. Lauren Hoehn‐Velasco & Elizabeth Wrigley‐Field, 2022. "City health departments, public health expenditures, and urban mortality over 1910–1940," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 60(2), pages 929-953, April.
    16. Wüst, Miriam, 2012. "Early interventions and infant health: Evidence from the Danish home visiting program," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 484-495.
    17. Elizabeth U. Cascio & Na'ama Shenhav, 2020. "A Century of the American Woman Voter: Sex Gaps in Political Participation, Preferences, and Partisanship since Women's Enfranchisement," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 34(2), pages 24-48, Spring.
    18. Andreas Kotsadam & Jo Thori Lind & Jørgen Modalsli, 2022. "Call the midwife. Health personnel and mortality in Norway 1887–1920," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 16(2), pages 243-276, May.
    19. Hamid Noghanibehambari & Farzaneh Noghani, 2023. "Long‐run intergenerational health benefits of women empowerment: Evidence from suffrage movements in the US," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(11), pages 2583-2631, November.

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