期刊-NBER美国国民经济研究局-2016number4_25页_1mb

NBER Reporter Summary - December 2016

Core Content

The NBER Reporter (No. 4, December 2016) provides a quarterly summary of research conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). It highlights key studies from the Program on Children, which focuses on the economic and social factors influencing children's well-being and long-term outcomes. The report includes various research findings, policy impacts, and insights into child development and health.

Main Topics and Findings

1. Agglomeration and Dispersion Forces

• Researchers explore how economic and social conditions in early life affect long-term outcomes.
• Key studies include:
  • Douglas Almond, Bhashkar Mazumder, and Reyn Van Ewijk find that Ramadan fasting-induced nutritional restriction is associated with lower test scores at age seven.
  • Jens Ludwig, Greg Duncan, Lisa Gennetian, Lawrence Katz, Ronald Kessler, Jeffrey Kling, and Lisa Sanbonmatsu summarize the long-term effects of the Moving to Opportunity experiment, showing relatively little effect on children in the families who moved, but Raj Chetty, Nathaniel Hendren, and Lawrence Katz find that younger children in these families benefited from higher future incomes.
  • Chetty, Hendren, Patrick Kline, and Emmanuel Saez argue that neighborhood features like low residential segregation, less income inequality, better schools, and more social capital are linked to higher social mobility.

2. Parental Unemployment and Children's Health

• Michael Baker, Jonathan Gruber, and Kevin Milligan find that a Quebec universal child care program had negative effects on children's non-cognitive skills, emphasizing the importance of program quality.
• Hilary Hoynes, Diane Schanzenbach, and Douglas Almond show that childhood participation in the Food Stamp Program has positive effects on future adult health, including reduced rates of high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes.
• Gabriella Conti, James Heckman, and Rodrigo Pinto find that preschool programs improve adult health, with effects operating through changes in personality traits.

3. Environmental Policy and Child Health

• Karen Clay, Joshua Lewis, and Edson Severnini show that emissions from coal-fired plants were responsible for 3,500 infant deaths per year in the early 1960s.
• Currie and Reed Walker find that the implementation of E-ZPass improved birth outcomes by reducing automobile pollution.
• Adam Isen, Rossin-Slater, and Walker examine the impact of the 1970 Clean Air Act and find that lower pollution levels are associated with better employment and earnings outcomes at age 30.
• Aizer, Currie, Peter Simon, and Patrick Vivier show that lead-safe certificate programs in Rhode Island significantly reduced preschool blood lead levels and improved test scores.
• Currie, Greenstone, and Moretti find that Superfund site cleanups improved birth outcomes for infants born near these sites.
• Claudia Persico, Figlio, and Roth show that prenatal exposure to Superfund sites is linked to lower test scores and more school problems compared to siblings who benefited from later cleanups.

4. Policy Impacts on Children

• Hoynes, Miller, and Simon find that expansions of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) reduced low birth weight, especially for African-American mothers.
• Bitler, Hoynes, and Domina estimate quantile treatment effects of the Head Start program, showing the largest and most persistent effects on the most disadvantaged children.
• Markowitz, Adams, Dietz, Kanna, and Van Tong find that state cigarette tax increases and indoor smoking bans reduced premature births.
• Schanzenbach and Zaki examine the School Breakfast Program and find some evidence of improved health and behavior in subgroups.
• Hoynes, Page, and Stevens show that the initial rollout of the WIC program had positive effects on infant health.
• John Cawley, David Frisvold, and Chad Meyerhoefer find that physical education mandates reduce body mass index and obesity among fifth graders.
• Patricia Anderson, Kristin Butcher, and Schanzenbach find that the "No Child Left Behind" policy led to reduced physical education, increasing the fraction of overweight children.

5. Fertility and Parental Behaviors

• Lisa Dettling and Melissa Kearney show that increases in housing prices encourage childbearing among homeowners but discourage it among renters.
• Martha Bailey discusses the impact of federally funded family planning programs on fertility, linking them to delays in childbearing and fewer children per woman.
• Michael Lovenheim, Randall Reback, and Leigh Wedenoja find that school-based health centers can reduce teen fertility.
• Kasey Buckles and Daniel Hungerman show that condom distribution programs are effective in reducing teen fertility.
• Jason Lindo and Analisa Packham find that long-acting reversible contraceptives for teenagers reduced the teen birth rate by five percent.
• Mireille Jacobson and Heather Royer note that violence against abortion providers increases fertility.
• Kearney and Levine suggest that the decline in teen childbearing since 1981 is due to demand factors, including lower teen employment rates and TV shows depicting the realities of teen motherhood.

6. Adolescent Behavior and Outcomes

• Miguel Sarzosa and Sergio Urzua estimate significant long-term costs of bullying.
• Aizer and Doyle find that incarceration in adolescence increases the probability of incarceration in adulthood.
• Anderson, Cesur, and Tekin show that adolescent depression predicts future property crime.
• Fletcher finds that adolescent depression is also linked to lower employment probabilities.
• Cuellar and Dave find that intensive mental health treatments can help keep youths in school.
• Anderson, Hansen, and Rees find little impact of medical marijuana laws on teen smoking.
• Hansen, Sabia, and Rees argue that the impact of cigarette taxes on youth smoking has declined over time.
• Cook, Dodge, Farkas, Fryer, Guryan, Ludwig, Mayer, Pollack, and Steinbert discuss an intervention in Chicago that combined social-cognitive coaching with academic remediation, showing promising results for school performance.
• Heller, Shah, Guryan, Ludwig, Mullainathan, and Pollack find that interventions aimed at reducing violence and improving school engagement can be effective.

Key Information

• The Program on Children has 134 affiliated researchers and has produced about 600 NBER Working Papers since 2008.
• Research spans various areas, including health, education, economic conditions, and environmental policy, with a focus on long-term and immediate impacts of policies on children.
• Studies emphasize the importance of early life conditions, neighborhood effects, parental behavior, and program quality on child development and well-being.
• The NBER is a private, nonprofit research organization that relies on funding from individuals, corporations, and private foundations to maintain its independence and flexibility.

NBER Structure

• Directors at Large: Includes notable economists such as Peter Aldrich, Elizabeth E. Bailey, John H. Biggs, and others.
• Directors by University Appointment: Includes Timothy Bresnahan (Stanford), Pierre-André Chiappori (Columbia), and others.
• Directors by Appointment of Other Organizations: Includes Jean-Paul Chavas (Agricultural and Applied Economics Association), Martin Gruber (American Finance Association), and others.

Conclusion

The NBER Reporter highlights the complex and multifaceted factors influencing children's development and outcomes. It underscores the importance of early interventions, environmental conditions, parental behaviors, and policy design in shaping the future of children. The research contributes to a broader understanding of human capital formation and the long-term effects of social and economic policies on child well-being.