Working Paper: NBER ID: w25753
Authors: Eric Chyn; Samantha Gold; Justine S. Hastings
Abstract: We use comprehensive administrative data from Rhode Island to measure the impact of early-life interventions for low birth weight newborns on later-life outcomes. We use a regression discontinuity design based on the 1,500-gram threshold for Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) status. We show that threshold crossing causes more intense in-hospital care, in line with prior studies. Threshold crossing also causes a 0.34 standard deviation increase in test scores in elementary and middle school, a 17.1 percentage point increase in the probability of college enrollment, and $66,997 decrease in social program expenditures by age 14. We explore potential mechanisms driving these impacts.
Keywords: early-life interventions; low birth weight; education outcomes; social program expenditures
JEL Codes: H53; I1; I12; I14; I21; I24; J13
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Crossing the 1500-gram threshold for VLBW status (I38) | Increase in test scores in elementary and middle school (I21) |
| Crossing the 1500-gram threshold for VLBW status (I38) | Probability of college enrollment by age 22 (I21) |
| Being born just under the 1500-gram threshold for VLBW status (I38) | Social program expenditures by age 14 (H53) |