Self-Selection, Prenatal Care, and Birthweight among Blacks, Whites, and Hispanics in New York City

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Human Resources
Year: 1994
Volume: 29
Issue: 3

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

The paper tests whether the impact of prenatal care on birthweight is contaminated by selection bias, and if so, whether adverse or favorable selection dominates. A two-stage selectivity correction model with an ordered criterion function is applied to race- and ethnic-specific data from 1984 New York City birth certificates. We find that ordinary least squares underestimates the effects of prenatal care on birthweight by at least 80 percent for whites and Hispanics. The results point to adverse selection in the demand for prenatal care.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:uwp:jhriss:v:29:y:1994:iii:1:p:762-794
Journal Field
Labor
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-25