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The benefits of intervention: birth weights in Basle 1912-1920

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Listed:
  • Joël Floris
  • Kaspar Staub
  • Ulrich Woitek

Abstract

To assess the impact of interventions on well-being during war time, we analyze data from the birth records at the university maternity hospital of Basle in the period 1912-1920. Birth weight of children from medium SEP families decreased during the crisis years 1918 and 1919, but not for low and high SEP families. A potential explanation is access to food: while high SEP families could compensate for high prices, low SEP families received support, for which medium SEP families were not eligible.

Suggested Citation

  • Joël Floris & Kaspar Staub & Ulrich Woitek, 2016. "The benefits of intervention: birth weights in Basle 1912-1920," ECON - Working Papers 236, Department of Economics - University of Zurich.
    • Handle: RePEc:zur:econwp:236
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    File URL: https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/126887/1/econwp236.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Birth weight; World War 1; Switzerland;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N14 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - Europe: 1913-
    • N34 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Europe: 1913-
    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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