The effects of birth weight: Does fetal origin really matter for long-run outcomes?

Makiko Nakamuro, Yuka Uzuki, Tomohiko Inui

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper investigates whether birth weight itself causes individuals' future life chances. By using a sample of twins in Japan and controlling for the potential effects of genes and family backgrounds, we examine the effect of birth weight on later educational and economic outcomes. The most important finding is that birth weight has a causal effect on academic achievement around the age of 15, but not on the highest years of schooling and earnings.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)53-58
Number of pages6
JournalEconomics Letters
Volume121
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2013 Oct

Keywords

  • Birth weight
  • Endogeneity
  • Identical twins
  • Nutritional intake

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Finance
  • Economics and Econometrics

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