Working Paper: NBER ID: w25377
Authors: C. Justin Cook; Jason M. Fletcher; Angela Forgues
Abstract: A large literature has documented links between harmful early life exposures and later life health and socioeconomic deficits. These studies, however, are typically unable to examine the possibility that these shocks are transmitted to the next generation. Our study traces the impacts of in utero exposure to the 1918 influenza pandemic on the outcomes of the children and grandchildren of those affected using representative survey data from the US. We find evidence of multigenerational effects on educational, economic, and health outcomes.
Keywords: multigenerational effects; early life health shocks; influenza pandemic; educational outcomes; economic outcomes; health outcomes
JEL Codes: I10; I14; J24
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| in utero exposure to the 1918 influenza pandemic (I12) | educational attainment (I21) |
| maternal exposure to the 1918 influenza pandemic (J13) | economic outcomes (F61) |
| maternal exposure to the 1918 influenza pandemic (J13) | self-reported health (I10) |
| maternal exposure to the 1918 influenza pandemic (J13) | BMI (I12) |