Sibling Death Clustering in India: State Dependence vs. Unobserved Heterogeneity
45 Pages Posted: 7 Sep 2006
Date Written: August 2006
Abstract
Data from a range of different environments indicate that the incidence of death is not randomly distributed across families but, rather, that there is a clustering of death amongst siblings. A natural explanation of this would be that there are (observed or unobserved) differences across families, for example in genetic frailty, education or living standards. Another hypothesis of considerable interest for both theory and policy is that there is a causal process whereby the death of a child influences the risk of death of the succeeding child in the family. Drawing language from the literature on the economics of unemployment, the causal effect is referred to here as state dependence (or scarring). This paper investigates the extent of state dependence in India, distinguishing this from family-level risk factors common to siblings. It offers a number of methodological innovations upon previous research. Estimates are obtained for each of three Indian states, which exhibit dramatic differences in socio-economic and demographic variables. The results suggest a significant degree of state dependence in each of the three regions. Eliminating scarring, it is estimated, would reduce the incidence of infant mortality (among children born after the first child) by 9.8% in the state of Uttar Pradesh, 6.0% in West Bengal and 5.9% in Kerala.
Keywords: death clustering, infant mortality, state dependence, scarring, unobserved
JEL Classification: J1, C1, I1, O1
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?
Recommended Papers
-
Birth Spacing, Fertility and Neonatal Mortality in India: Dynamics, Frailty and Fecundity
-
Birth Spacing and Neonatal Mortality in India: Dynamics, Frailty and Fecundity
-
Gradients of the Intergenerational Transmission of Health in Developing Countries
-
Spending to Save? State Health Expenditure and Infant Mortality in India
-
The Puzzle of Muslim Advantage in Child Survival in India
By Sonia R. Bhalotra, Christine Valente, ...
-
The Puzzle of Muslim Advantage in Child Survival in India
By Sonia R. Bhalotra, Christine Valente, ...
-
Fertility, Parental Education and Development in India: Evidence from NSS and NFHS in 1992-2006
-
Infant Mortality in Rural Bangladesh: State Dependence vs. Unobserved Heterogeneity
By Unnati Saha and Arthur van Soest
-
Birth Spacing, Child Survival and Fertility Decisions: Analysis Of Causal Mechanisms
By Arthur van Soest and Unnati Saha