Disease Eradication, Infant Mortality, and Fertility Response: Evidence from Malaria Eradication in India
利用1950年代印度大规模疟疾根除计划作为自然实验，研究发现该计划显著降低了高疟疾流行地区的婴儿和新生儿死亡率，并增加了青少年时期生育的概率，主要源于母亲初育年龄的下降。
Using a massive malaria eradication program in India during the 1950s as a natural experiment, we examine the effects of disease environment on child health outcomes and fertility. We harmonise a rich dataset on malaria endemicity with fertility histories of women to exploit the cohort level variation in exposure to the program. We find that the program leads to a significant decline in infant and neonatal mortality and leads to a significant increase in the probability of birth during adolescent years in high malaria endemic regions. We confirm that a fall in the mother’s age at first birth in the post-eradication period drives the fertility response.