Effects of the Minimum Wage on Infant Health / George Wehby, Dhaval Dave, Robert Kaestner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wehby, George.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Dave, Dhaval.

Kaestner, Robert.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w22373.

NBER working paper series no. w22373

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2016.

Summary:

The minimum wage has increased in multiple states over the past three decades. We examine the impact of the state minimum wage on infant health. Using data on the universe of births in the US over 24 years, we find that an increase in the minimum wage is associated with an increase in birth weight driven by increased gestational length and fetal growth rate. The effect size is meaningful and plausible. We also find an increase in prenatal care use and a decline in smoking during pregnancy, which are some channels through which minimum wage can affect infant health.

Notes:

Print version record

June 2016.