Working Paper: NBER ID: w23971
Authors: Martha J. Bailey; Olga Malkova; Zo M. McLaren
Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between parents’ access to family planning and the economic resources of their children. Using the county-level introduction of U.S. family planning programs between 1964 and 1973, we find that children born after programs began had 2.8% higher household incomes. They were also 7% less likely to live in poverty and 12% less likely to live in households receiving public assistance. A bounding exercise suggests that the direct effects of family planning programs on parents’ resources account for roughly two thirds of these gains.
Keywords: Family Planning; Child Poverty; Economic Resources
JEL Codes: I3; J13; J18
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Family Planning Programs (J13) | Household Income (D19) |
| Household Income (D19) | Economic Disadvantage (R11) |
| Family Planning Programs (J13) | Economic Disadvantage (R11) |
| Family Planning Programs (J13) | Parents' Economic Resources (D19) |