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Neonatal Death in India: Birth Order in a Context of Maternal Undernutrition

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  • Diane Coffey
  • Dean Spears

Abstract

We document a novel fact about neonatal death, or death in the first month of life. Globally, neonatal mortality is disproportionately concentrated in India. We identify a large effect of birth order on neonatal mortality that is unique to India: later-born siblings have a steep survival advantage relative to the birth-order gradient in other developing countries. We show that India’s high prevalence of maternal undernutrition and its correlation with age and childbearing can explain this pattern. We find that Indian mothers exit the underweight body mass range at an internationally comparatively high rate as they progress through childbearing careers.

Suggested Citation

  • Diane Coffey & Dean Spears, 2021. "Neonatal Death in India: Birth Order in a Context of Maternal Undernutrition," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 131(638), pages 2478-2507.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:econjl:v:131:y:2021:i:638:p:2478-2507.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/ej/ueab028
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    Cited by:

    1. Spears, Dean & Coffey, Diane & Behrman, Jere R., 2022. "Endogenous inclusion in the Demographic and Health Survey anthropometric sample: Implications for studying height within households," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    2. Aparajita Dasgupta & Anahita Karandikar & Devvrat Raghav, 2024. "Road Access, Fertility, and Child Health in Rural India," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 50(1), pages 117-147, March.
    3. Kekre, Aishwarya & Mahajan, Kanika, 2023. "Maternity support and child health: Unintended gendered effects," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 880-898.
    4. Kim, Jun Hyung & Wang, Shaoda, 2021. "Birth Order Effects, Parenting Style, and Son Preference," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1007, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    5. Mendolia, Silvia & Stavrunova, Olena & Vidal-Fernandez, Marian, 2024. "Birth Order Effects on Education: Insights from Low- And Middle-Income Countries," IZA Discussion Papers 17131, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Hamid Noghanibehambari & Jason Fletcher, 2023. "The Early Bird Catches the Worm: The Effect of Birth Order on Old‐Age Mortality," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 49(3), pages 531-560, September.
    7. Abhishek Dureja & Digvijay S. Negi, 2024. "Birth Order Effects in Maternal Health-Seeking Behavior: Evidence from India," Working Papers 118, Ashoka University, Department of Economics.
    8. Aishwarya Kekre & Kanika Mahajan, 2022. "Maternity Support, Child Health and Unintended Gendered Effects," Working Papers 84, Ashoka University, Department of Economics.

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