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The effects of school desegregation on infant health

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  • Shen, Menghan

Abstract

This paper examines the effects of school desegregation on infant health using birth certificate data from 1970 to 2002 and a multiple difference-in-differences approach that exploits variation in the timing of desegregation across counties. Using cohort fixed effects and county fixed effects, I find that among black mothers in Southern regions, school desegregation reduces preterm births by 1.7 percentage points. These results are robust to county-specific cohort trends, county-specific year trends, and state-specific cohort fixed effects. In addition, school desegregation increases maternal education and prenatal care in the first trimester and decreases the likelihood of the child having a teenage father. These may be important pathways to improved infant health. This paper adds to the growing literature on the importance of school desegregation in areas beyond academic achievement.

Suggested Citation

  • Shen, Menghan, 2018. "The effects of school desegregation on infant health," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 104-118.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:30:y:2018:i:c:p:104-118
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2018.06.002
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    2. Wojciech Gryzbowski & Aleksandra Adamicz & Hanna Wysocki, 2021. "The Social Externality of Health Insurance: Evidence from Unemployment Insurance Generosity and Children Mortality," Economic Alternatives, University of National and World Economy, Sofia, Bulgaria, issue 2, pages 262-279, July.
    3. Menghan Shen, 2018. "The association between the end of court-ordered school desegregation and preterm births among Black women," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(8), pages 1-12, August.
    4. Noghanibehambari, Hamid, 2022. "Intergenerational health effects of Medicaid," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).

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