Estimating the Effects of Milk Inspections on Infant and Child Mortality, 1880-1910 / D. Mark Anderson, Kerwin Kofi Charles, Michael McKelligott, Daniel I. Rees.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Anderson, D. Mark.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Charles, Kerwin Kofi.

McKelligott, Michael.

Rees, Daniel I.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w29620.

NBER working paper series no. w29620

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2021.

Summary:

In the mid-19th century, the urban milk supply in the United States was regularly skimmed or diluted with water, reducing its nutritional value. At the urging of public health experts, cities across the country hired milk inspectors, who were tasked with collecting and analyzing milk samples with the goal of preventing adulteration and skimming. Using city-level data for the period 1880-1910, we explore the effects of milk inspections on infant mortality and mortality among children under the age of 5. Event-study estimates are small and statistically insignificant, providing little evidence of post-treatment reductions in either infant or child mortality.

Notes:

Print version record

December 2021.