Curriculum Reforms and Infant Health
利用美国各州高中毕业核心课程要求的差异变化，研究发现课程改革显著降低了黑人母亲的低出生体重和早产发生率，但对白人母亲影响很小，并计算了婴儿健康改善带来的巨大社会收益。
Abstract This paper examines the effects of high school curriculum reforms on infant health by exploiting sharp and staggered changes across states in core course requirements for graduation. Our results suggest that curriculum reforms significantly reduced the incidence of low birthweight and prematurity for black mothers. For white mothers, the estimated effects are small and generally insignificant. We also explore the mechanisms for observed effects and provide evidence consistent with our explanations. Finally, we calculate a large social gain induced by favorable infant health outcomes. Several robustness checks and different placebo tests support our findings.