Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP18361
Authors: Victor Lavy; Analia Schlosser; Adi Shany
Abstract: This paper investigates the effects of immigration from a developing country to a developed country during pregnancy on offspring outcomes. We focus on intermediate and long-term outcomes, using quasi-experimental variation created by the immigration of Ethiopian Jews to Israel in May 1991. Individuals conceived before immigration experienced dramatic changes in their environmental conditions at different stages of prenatal development depending on their gestational age at migration. We find that females whose mothers immigrated at an earlier gestational age perform better in high school and higher post-secondary schooling. They also tend to work more as adults. In contrast, we do not find any effect among males.
Keywords: Prenatal exposure
JEL Codes: J15; I24; I15
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Timing of immigration during pregnancy (K37) | prenatal environment changes (J13) |
| Gestational age at immigration (J11) | offspring educational outcomes (I24) |
| Earlier gestational age at immigration (J11) | higher postsecondary schooling rates for females (I23) |
| Each additional week in utero (J19) | decrease in grade repetition likelihood (I21) |
| Immigration during pregnancy (K37) | differential impact on female vs male offspring (J16) |