Maternal Investments in Children: The Role of Expected Effort and Returns
研究巴基斯坦农村母亲对母乳喂养和刺激投资的预期努力成本与回报差异，发现这解释了投资异质性，并模拟政策影响，强调干预需同时关注母亲抑郁和疲劳。
Abstract We investigate the importance of subjective expectations of returns to and effort costs of the two principal investments that mothers make in newborns: breastfeeding and stimulation. We find heterogeneity across mothers in rural Pakistan in expected effort costs and expected returns for outcomes in the cognitive, socio-emotional and health domains, and that this contributes to explaining heterogeneity in investments. We find no significant differences across women in preferences for child developmental outcomes. We simulate the impact of alternative policies on investments. Our findings highlight the relevance of interventions designed to address maternal depression and reduce perinatal fatigue alongside interventions that increase perceived returns to investments.