Unconditional Cash Assistance During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Infant Health

This paper examines how cash transfers that are not conditional on contemporaneous employment and are distributed during an economic downturn affect infant health. Leveraging variation in four pandemic-era payments, I find that eligibility for an additional $1,000 before birth reduces the prevalence of low birthweight by 1.6-3.5% and preterm births by at least 1.4%. Effects are larger for births that were conceived before the pandemic and vulnerable populations, indicating that additional resources can mitigate some of the adverse effects of an unanticipated negative shock. The payments decreased maternal smoking and increased prenatal care, consistent with families investing in children’s health.

本文研究了非以当期就业为条件的现金转移支付（cash transfers）在经济下行阶段发放时，对婴儿健康的影响。本文借助四次疫情期间现金补贴的政策异质性展开实证分析，研究发现：产前可额外获得1000美元补贴的新生儿，其低出生体重（low birthweight）发生率降低1.6%-3.5%，早产（preterm births）发生率至少降低1.4%。针对疫情前受孕的新生儿及弱势人群的效应更为显著，这表明额外的资源能够缓解未预期负面冲击带来的部分不利影响。此外，此次补贴降低了孕产妇吸烟率，同时提升了产前保健服务的利用率，这与家庭为子女健康进行投入的理论预期相一致。