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Exploring the Racial Gap in Infant Mortality Rates, 1920-1970

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Author Info
William J. Collins () (Department of Economics, Vanderbilt University, NBER)
Melissa A. Thomasson (NBER)

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Abstract

This paper examines the racial gap in infant mortality rates from 1920 to 1970. Using state-level panel data with information on income, urbanization, women's education, and physicians per capita, we can account for a large portion of the racial gap in infant mortality rates between 1920 and 1945, but a smaller portion thereafter. We then re-examine the post-war period in light of trends in birth weight, maternal characteristics, smoking, air pollution, breast-feeding, insurance, and hospital births.

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File URL: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/Econ/wparchive/workpaper/vu02-w01.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function: First version, 2002
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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Department of Economics, Vanderbilt University in its series Working Papers with number 0201.

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Date of creation: Feb 2002
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Handle: RePEc:van:wpaper:0201

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Related research
Keywords: infant mortality; health; race;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Production
J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities and Races; Non-labor Discrimination
N32 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Income, and Wealth - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Joseph P. Ferrie, 2001. "The Poor and the Dead: Socioeconomic Status and Mortality in the U.S., 1850-1860," NBER Historical Working Papers 0135, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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    Other versions:
  4. Grossman, Michael, 1972. "On the Concept of Health Capital and the Demand for Health," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 80(2), pages 223-55, March-Apr. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Dora L. Costa, 1999. "Unequal at Birth: A Long-Term Comparison of Income and Birth Weight," NBER Working Papers 6313, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  6. John J. Donohue III & James Heckman, 1991. "Continuous Versus Episodic Change: The Impact of Civil Rights Policy on the Economic Status of Blacks," NBER Working Papers 3894, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  7. Thomasson, Melissa A., 2002. "From Sickness to Health: The Twentieth-Century Development of U.S. Health Insurance," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 233-253, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  11. David M. Cutler & Edward L. Glaeser & Jacob L. Vigdor, 1999. "The Rise and Decline of the American Ghetto," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 107(3), pages 455-506, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
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    Other versions:
  15. Dana Goldman & Darius Lakdawalla, 2001. "Understanding Health Disparities Across Education Groups," NBER Working Papers 8328, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. Subbarao, K & Raney, Laura, 1995. "Social Gains from Female Education: A Cross-National Study," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 44(1), pages 105-28, October.
  17. Michael Grossman, 1973. "The Correlation Between Health and Schooling," NBER Working Papers 0022, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  18. Smith, James P & Welch, Finis R, 1989. "Black Economic Progress after Myrdal," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 27(2), pages 519-64, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. Kenkel, Donald S, 1991. "Health Behavior, Health Knowledge, and Schooling," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 99(2), pages 287-305, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  20. Kenneth Y. Chay & Michael Greenstone, 1999. "The Impact of Air Pollution on Infant Mortality: Evidence from Geographic Variation in Pollution Shocks Induced by a Recession," NBER Working Papers 7442, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  21. David McBride, 1994. "Public policy and the black hospital: From slavery to segregation to integration," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 123-125, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  22. Smith, James P, 1984. "Race and Human Capital," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 74(4), pages 685-98, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Ivaschenko, Oleksiy, 2004. "Longevity in Russia's Regions: Do Poverty and Low Public Health Spending Kill?," Working Papers UNU-WIDER Research Paper , World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER). [Downloadable!]
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