Child-Adoption Matching: Preferences for Gender and Race

57 Pages Posted: 12 Oct 2010 Last revised: 8 Jun 2023

See all articles by Mariagiovanna Baccara

Mariagiovanna Baccara

Washington University in St. Louis

Allan Collard-Wexler

Duke University

Leonardo Felli

University of Cambridge, Faculty of Economics; CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Leeat Yariv

Princeton University; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: October 2010

Abstract

This paper uses a new data set on child-adoption matching to estimate the preferences of potential adoptive parents over U.S.-born and unborn children relinquished for adoption. We identify significant preferences favoring girls and unborn children close to birth, and against African-American children put up for adoption. These attitudes vary in magnitudes across different adoptive parents - heterosexual, same-sex couples, and single women. We also consider the effects of excluding single women and same-sex couples from the adoption process. In our data, such policies would substantially reduce the overall number of adopted children and have a disproportionate effect on African-American ones.

Suggested Citation

Baccara, Mariagiovanna and Collard-Wexler, Allan and Felli, Leonardo and Yariv, Leeat, Child-Adoption Matching: Preferences for Gender and Race (October 2010). NBER Working Paper No. w16444, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1689375

Mariagiovanna Baccara (Contact Author)

Washington University in St. Louis ( email )

One Brookings Drive
Campus Box 1208
Saint Louis, MO MO 63130-4899
United States

Allan Collard-Wexler

Duke University ( email )

100 Fuqua Drive
Durham, NC 27708-0204
United States

Leonardo Felli

University of Cambridge, Faculty of Economics ( email )

Austin Robinson Building
Sidgwick Avenue
Cambridge, CB3 9DD
United Kingdom
+44 1223 335221 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.felli.info

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Poschinger Str. 5
Munich, DE-81679
Germany

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

Leeat Yariv

Princeton University ( email )

Princeton, NJ 08544-1021
United States

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
67
Abstract Views
1,055
Rank
608,061
PlumX Metrics