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on Health Economics |
| By: | Nicholas Bloom; Gordon B. Dahl; Dan-Olof Rooth |
| Abstract: | There has been a dramatic rise in disability employment since the pandemic. At the same time, work from home (WFH) has risen four-fold. This paper asks whether the two are causally related. Controlling for compositional changes and labor market tightness, a 1 percentage point increase in WFH increases full-time employment by 1.0% for individuals with a physical disability. The postpandemic increase in working from home explains 68%-85% of the rise in full-time employment. Wage data suggests that WFH increased the supply of workers with a physical disability, likely by reducing commuting costs and enabling better control of working conditions. |
| Keywords: | Disability Employment, Work from Home |
| JEL: | J14 J42 |
| Date: | 2026–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crm:wpaper:26112 |
| By: | Alex Chan; Ayush Gupta; Yetong Xu |
| Abstract: | Cadaveric organ shortages leave thousands without life-saving transplants each year. Countries differ in using opt-in (informed consent) or opt-out (presumed consent) systems for donor registration. Using newly assembled cross-country panel data and an event-study design, this paper provides evidence that presumed-consent laws increase organ donation only when strictly enforced and family veto power is limited; weak opt-out regimes show negligible or even negative effects. A theoretical signaling model provides a plausible mechanism when opt-in or opt-out yields more donations, emphasizing the roles of donation propensity, signaling costs, and the family’s ability to overturn defaults. A large laboratory experiment further tests these mechanisms, showing that opt-in generally produces equal or higher donation rates unless signaling is costly and family veto power is minimal. The results underscore that defaults alone rarely increase donations unless paired with strong institutional enforcement. |
| JEL: | C91 C92 D47 D64 H00 I11 I18 |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:35169 |
| By: | Gabriella Conti; Sarah Cattan; Christine Farquharson |
| Abstract: | Early childhood programmes frequently lose effectiveness at scale, yet the role of the workforce remains poorly understood. We document substantial heterogeneity in workforce effectiveness in England's national home-visiting programme for first-time teenage mothers, despite a highly-structured curriculum and well-qualified staff. Exploiting quasi-random assignment of mothers to family nurses, we estimate that a one standard deviation increase in workforce effectiveness raises children's cognitive and socio-emotional development by 0.20-0.23 SD. Structural quality - observable worker characteristics - does not predict effectiveness, but process quality - how visits are delivered - does. Greater effectiveness is linked with improvements in maternal mental health and risk behaviours. |
| Keywords: | early childhood development; home visiting; workforce quality; process quality; scaling; Family Nurse Partnership |
| JEL: | I18 I38 J13 J24 |
| Date: | 2026–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crm:wpaper:26124 |
| By: | Jialu (Gloria) Dou; Rania Gihleb; Osea Giuntella; Jakub Lonsky |
| Abstract: | We examine the impact of California’s Senate Bill 328 (SB 328), the first statewide mandate requiring later school start times for middle and high schools, on adolescent sleep, mental health, and academic outcomes. Using difference-in-differences and eventstudy designs across five data sources, we find that SB 328 increased the share of students sleeping at least 8 hours per night by 13%, meeting the CDC-recommended minimum for this age group. Average mental health effects are imprecisely estimated, but boys show significant reductions in sadness, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation, and Hispanic students, who experienced the largest sleep-timing shifts, show parallel reductions in difficulty concentrating; together these patterns are consistent with a dose-response relationship between sleep improvement and mental well-being. Math and English scores in grade 8 improved by approximately 0.08–0.10 standard deviations, with the largest gains among Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students. A within-state analysis using teachers’ commute arrival times as a proxy for pre-policy school start times corroborates these findings, and shows academic gains accumulating over 2023–2025 alongside a suggestive decline in high school dropout rates. The absence of effects on chronic absenteeism rules out an attendance-driven mechanism, pointing instead to the direct cognitive benefits of aligning school schedules with adolescents’ biological rhythms. |
| JEL: | I0 I1 I20 J0 |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:35184 |
| By: | Miller, Sarah (University of Michigan Ross School of Business); Persson, Petra (Stanford University); Rossin-Slater, Maya (Stanford University); Wherry, Laura (New York University) |
| Abstract: | We study an intervention that reduced cesarean deliveries among low-risk first-time mothers, using California birth records linked to earnings data. Exposed mothers were 8% less likely to have a c-section, with no adverse health effects. We find suggestive evidence that they were more likely to return to their pre-birth employerandhadhigherwithin-firmearningsrankingsinthequarterpostbirth. These labor market gains fade over time. However, mothers who had a second child were less likely to have a c-section or preterm delivery, suggesting our estimated effects from avoiding a first c-section may be lower bounds on total gains. |
| Keywords: | c-section, maternal health, child penalty |
| JEL: | I14 I15 J13 |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18629 |
| By: | Evelina Linnros; J. Peter Nilsson |
| Abstract: | We estimate the long-term mental health impact of an alcohol policy experiment on individuals exposed to the policy in utero. The policy lasted for 8.5 months and significantly expanded access to alcohol, especially for those under age 21. Armed with administrative data on healthcare visits, drug prescriptions, and psychological assessments and applying a tripple-differences strategy, we show that prenatal policy exposure had a substantial, early, and persistent impact on the mental health of the children of young mothers. The exposed cohorts conceived just before the policy started are 16% more likely to be diagnosed with a mental condition in midlife. We find effects on common midlife conditions such as depression and anxiety, on the ability to cope with psychologically stressful situations at age 18, and on neurodevelopmental disorders that manifest in early childhood. Among individuals with predicted mental health care needs, the impact of the policy on midlife earnings is significantly lower when they reside in areas with lower barriers to accessing mental health care, with a one–standard-deviation increase in local treatment intensity reducing the negative earnings effect by about one-third. Our findings indicate that policies increasing access to mental health treatments could substantially improve labor market outcomes, even for conditions with early-life origins. |
| Keywords: | ADHD, depression, earnings, treatment barriers, prenatal alcohol, boys, FASD |
| JEL: | I12 I14 J24 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12654 |
| By: | Marion Aouad; Liam Rose; Todd Wagner |
| Abstract: | We examine how Medicare affects health care utilization for those who age in with a more narrow health insurance network by studying veterans enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration (VA). Given the limited geographic density of VA hospitals, we posit that Medicare expands the insurance network for VA enrollees. Using regression discontinuity methods, we find that veterans' inpatient hospitalization rate increases by approximately 3.3 percent at 65. Further, there are large reallocations across health insurance payers. Individuals increasingly use Medicare for hospitalizations once it becomes available, while VA, commercial, and other federal insurance programs are used less. We also find substantial reallocations among individuals that gain access to hospitals closer to their homes and among those who visit the hospital for more postponeable medical procedures. However, we do not find evidence that the average quality rating of the hospital selected at 65 changes nor do we find evidence that VA hospital wait times affect the move to Medicare; rather, individuals choose hospitals that are relatively closer. Lastly, our results suggest that Medicare may compete with other federal programs to provide health care for select populations, such as veterans. |
| JEL: | I10 I12 J14 |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:35173 |
| By: | Hadah, Hussain (Tulane University); Compta, Gael (Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University,); Saffouri, Ali (. T. Bauer College of Business, Department of Finance, University of Houston,) |
| Abstract: | In this paper, we analyze the causal effect of mandatory firearm waiting periods on suicide rates using difference-in-differences methodology. We find waiting periods reduce overall firearm suicides by 12% (0.92 deaths per 100, 000), with steeper declines among white individuals (37%) and adults over 55 (40%). We find no evidence of substitution toward non-firearm methods; conversely, repealing these laws increases firearm suicides. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that waiting periods prevent approximately 3, 000 deaths annually, generating $41 billion in social benefits. These findings demonstrate that "cooling-off periods" effectively disrupt the transition from suicidal ideation to action by delaying access to lethal means. |
| Keywords: | firearm waiting periods, suicide prevention, gun policy, public health, difference-in-differences, event-study design |
| JEL: | I18 I12 K32 J17 H75 |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18624 |
| By: | Chiara Canta; Leonardo Madio; Andrea Mantovani; Carlo Reggiani |
| Abstract: | Online platforms connecting physicians and patients are increasingly common and often operate in heavily regulated contexts. We consider a platform that provides cost-reducing services for physicians and quality-enhancing services for patients. The platform also improves the matching between patients and physicians, thereby increasing competition among the latter. When prices are unregulated, physicians charge different prices online and offline, yet not all join the platform, which is suboptimal in terms of social welfare. The platform may also under- or over-invest in the quality level offered to patients, making their participation suboptimal as well. We then analyze price regulation. Under a single regulated price for medical visits, regardless of the booking channel, all physicians join the platform. However, the first-best allocation cannot be implemented: patient participation remains inefficiently low because patients do not internalize the platform’s cost-reducing effect. In contrast, allowing two regulated prices, one for offline visits and one for platform bookings, restores the first best. Overall, our findings suggest that an optimal pricing or reimbursement mechanism should differentiate across booking channels. |
| Keywords: | healthcare online platforms, price regulation, patient-physician matching |
| JEL: | I11 I18 L51 H75 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12646 |
| By: | Davide Cipullo; Massimiliano Gaetano Onorato; Gianmario Pelleschi |
| Abstract: | We study the long-run health effects of illegal toxic waste disposal conducted by organized crime in Italy. We exploit quasi-random variation in historical wind direction around contaminated sites combined with a difference-in-differences design. Using administrative data on cancer deaths spanning four decades, we find that wind exposure to pollutants increases the number of cancer deaths substantially. The effects emerge after long latencies and grow over time. In later years, wind exposure implies roughly two additional cancer deaths per municipality-year relative to unexposed municipalities equally proximate to contaminated sites. Our findings reveal a previously unmeasured health externality of organized crime. |
| Keywords: | organized crime, environmental externalities, pollution and health, state capacity, cancer mortality |
| JEL: | K42 Q53 I18 D62 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12644 |
| By: | Nicolò Russo; Rory McGee; Mariacristina De Nardi; Margherita Borella; Ross Abram |
| Abstract: | Health shapes a broad set of later-life outcomes that are central to macroeconomics and public policy, including disability receipt, retirement, long-term care use, and survival. Yet we know little about how much differences in midlife health contribute to disparities in these outcomes later in life by race, ethnicity, and gender. Using the Health and Retirement Study, we construct a measure of health based on frailty and document large disparities at midlife. Black men and women have frailty levels at age 55 comparable to those of White men and women who are 13 and 20 years older, respectively, while the corresponding gaps for Hispanic men and women are 8 and 12 years. We then estimate a dynamic system linking health at age 55 to subsequent outcomes. Equalizing the distribution of health at age 55 across groups substantially reduces disparities in time spent in poor health, disability benefit receipt, and nursing home residence. Importantly, midlife health can account for later-life disparities more than education, health insurance coverage, and marital status jointly. |
| Keywords: | Health inequality, economic outcomes, economic inequality |
| JEL: | I10 D10 D13 |
| Date: | 2026–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crm:wpaper:26127 |
| By: | Pieter Bakx (Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management, Rotterdam, The Netherlands); Flavia Cavallini (Istituto di economia politica (IdEP), Facoltà di scienze economiche, Università della Svizzera italiana, Svizzera); Karin Hek (Nivel, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands); Fabrizio Mazzonna (Istituto di economia politica (IdEP), Facoltà di scienze economiche, Università della Svizzera italiana, Svizzera) |
| Abstract: | We investigate the role of primary care physicians' prescribing style in the transmission of health shocks to the labor market. Using administrative data from the Netherlands (2009–2020), we exploit the Dutch gatekeeping system and geographic constraints on GP choice to identify the causal effect of prescribing style on post-hospitalization recovery. We characterize GP style by a composite index of prescribing propensity for benzodiazepines, opioids, antidepressants, and antibiotics. Comparing patients in practices above versus below the median of this distribution, we find that while hospitalization leads to persistent earnings losses for all, the "economic penalty'" is 70% steeper for those in high-prescribing practices. Six years post-hospitalization, these patients earn Euro 750 less annually, a gap that widens to Euro 1, 500 for those under 45. We identify persistent, potentially addictive benzodiazepine use as the primary mechanism, finding no systematic differences in mortality or rehospitalization rates that might otherwise explain the observed labor market trajectories. |
| Keywords: | Prescribing style, hospitalization, labor market recovery, event study |
| JEL: | I12 J22 J31 |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:lug:wpidep:2601 |
| By: | Sushmita Kumari; Siddharth Gavhale |
| Abstract: | This paper develops a two-period dynastic overlapping-generations (OLG) model in which parents simultaneously choose consumption, savings, fertility, and three distinct dimensions of child quality-education, physical health, and mental health-under a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) pension system. The central innovation is modelling mental health as an independent productivity-enhancing input with its own elasticity $\theta$ in a Cobb-Douglas human-capital technology. This yields simple proportional allocation rules and shows how pension policy affects not only the overall level but also the composition of human capital investments. In steady state, higher PAYG contribution rates raise fertility through the Yakita effect but crowd out per-child investments in all quality dimensions, including mental health. An increase in the mental-health elasticity $\theta$ shifts resources toward non-cognitive skill development while reducing fertility. These results reveal a fundamental policy tension for developing economies: pension systems that rely on children for old-age support simultaneously increase birth rates while reducing long-term human capital formation, with disproportionate effects on non-cognitive skills. The framework provides theoretical guidance for complementary policies that protect mental-health investments, with particular relevance for countries such as India where children remain a primary source of retirement security and mental-health services are underfunded. |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2605.07377 |
| By: | Giovanna D'Adda; Simone Ferro; Tommaso Frattini; Alessio Romarri |
| Abstract: | Using large-scale high-granularity data from a food delivery platform and granular pollution and weather information, we study how PM2.5 fluctuations affect riders’ absenteeism, productivity, and accidents. Exploiting exogenous pollution variation from inverse boundary layer height, we find that higher pollution increases absenteeism for all workers and raises delivery times and accident rates only among (e-)bike riders, who must exert physical effort while working. Affected workers compensate productivity losses by working longer hours. Monetary incentives mitigate the effects on absenteeism but do not offset the decline in productivity and appear to exacerbate accident risk. |
| Keywords: | Air Pollution; Food Delivery Riders; Absenteeism; Labor Productivity; Workplace Safety |
| JEL: | H4 J28 Q52 |
| Date: | 2026–11–16 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:csl:devewp:506 |
| By: | Marchesi, Daniele (University of Groningen); Angelini, Viola (University of Groningen); Nikolova, Milena (University of Groningen); Popova, Olga (Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (IOS)) |
| Abstract: | We are the first to examine how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) influence the support for redistribution in adulthood. Using data from the 2022-2024 wave of the Global Flourishing Study on over 160, 000 individuals from 22 countries, we construct measures of ACEs based on retrospective information on parental relationships, abuse, health, and household finances while growing up. We document cross-country variation in both ACE prevalence and redistributive preferences between high-income and low- and middle-income countries. Specifically, exposure to ACEs is associated with stronger support for redistribution only in high-income countries, suggesting that the relationship between early-life adversity and economic preferences is context-dependent. We explore several mechanisms that underpin our relationship. We find evidence for a material self-interest channel, whereby childhood adversity lowers adult income and increases demand for government support. Yet, this mechanism explains only a small part of the total association, suggesting that alternative pathways drive the relationship. Overall, the results show that early-life adversity is a previously overlooked and context-dependent determinant of redistributive preferences. |
| Keywords: | preferences for redistribution, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), early-life conditions, inequality attitudes, Global Flourishing Study |
| JEL: | D31 D72 H23 J12 |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18622 |
| By: | Andreas, Marike; Frevert, Alice; Brune, Florian; Busalt, Sophie; Soares, Vera Araujo; Mezger, Nikolaus; Zangerl, Kathrin; Matthies-Wiesler, Franziska; Mahanani, Melanie; Sniehotta, Falko |
| Abstract: | Background As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of extreme heat, effective interventions are needed to reduce heat-related mortality, morbidity, and demand for emergency services. We systematically reviewed the effectiveness of interventions to reduce adverse health outcomes during periods of high temperature. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar from inception to 09.02.2026, and grey literature. Randomised and nonrandomised intervention studies assessing the effect of heat-protection interventions on mortality, morbidity and emergency demand in the general population or in heat-vulnerable groups were included. Risk of bias was assessed with the JBI checklist. Following a pre-registered protocol which was co-produced with an international expert panel (CRD420251020849), we conducted a systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis where studies were sufficiently comparable; otherwise, findings were synthesised narratively. Findings Of 32, 149 records screened, 49 studies were included. Most studies evaluated complex interventions, particularly heat-health action plans (HHAP; n=18) and heat warning systems (HWS=12). Fewer studies assessed urban and building planning measures, education and awareness campaigns, community interventions, occupational interventions, and emergency preparedness measures. Mortality was the most frequently reported outcome. In meta-analysis of pre–post studies, HHAP implementation was associated with reduced mortality risk (RR=0·93 [95% CI 0·89; 0·99], p < 0 ·05). Evidence for HWS alone was inconsistent. Three studies suggested that air conditioning in public institutions was associated with lower mortality risk than no air conditioning. Evidence for other interventions was limited or inconsistent. Interpretation Comprehensive heat–health action plans appear to reduce heat-related mortality, but evidence for warning systems alone and other intervention types remains limited or inconsistent. More rigorous evaluations are needed, particularly for morbidity, emergency service demand, and implementation in low-resource settings. |
| Date: | 2026–05–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:6djpz_v1 |
| By: | Mahmood, Rafat (Monash University); Maitra, Pushkar (Monash University) |
| Abstract: | Natural disasters are a growing global threat, yet their consequences for gender-based violence (GBV) in high-income countries with strong institutional protections remain largely unknown. We address this gap using administrative crime records linked to disaster declarations at the Local Government Area level in Australia. Applying staggered difference-in-differences estimation techniques, we find that disasters cause short-run increase family, domestic, and sexual violence with effects concentrated in the first one to three months following a disaster. Strikingly, these effects are larger in urban and affluent areas, an outcome that is difficult to reconcile with a pure economic-stress mechanism, and is more consistent with institutional strain and differential reporting environments. To probe the underlying pathway, we draw on complementary household survey evidence, which points to mental health deterioration and increased intra-household conflict as individual-level mechanisms. Together, our findings suggest that even well-resourced institutional settings offer only incomplete protection against disaster-induced violence against women. |
| Keywords: | natural disasters, gender based violence, event study, Australia |
| JEL: | Q54 J12 J16 I18 K42 |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18616 |
| By: | Jun Chen; Song Ma; Feng Zhang |
| Abstract: | This paper examines how anti-harassment legal reforms that weaken non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in cases of workplace sexual harassment affect startups' hiring and organizational decisions. Using a staggered difference-in-differences design and LinkedIn data on over 50, 000 U.S. venture-capital-backed startups from 2014–2022, we find that NDA reforms, although intended for employee protection, reduce female hiring by about 8%, with effects concentrated among junior women, who are statistically more prone to sexual harassment, and in small or male-dominated startups. The results apply to both the intensive and extensive margins of female hiring. Treated entrepreneurial firms also witness more departures of male managers, promote more women, and receive less VC funding. These results suggest that while NDA-weakening laws increase firms’ perceived legal risk and reduce female hiring, they also trigger internal restructuring that promotes women's advancement into leadership and may, over time, foster more accountable and inclusive organizational cultures. |
| JEL: | G0 J0 K0 M14 M5 |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:35187 |
| By: | Jana-Valencia, Nicolás; Castro, Macarena; Ayis, Salma; Walbaum, Magdalena; Jin, Huajie |
| Abstract: | Healthcare systems are increasingly seeking cost-effective strategies to optimise value for money. Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) presents a promising approach by aligning financial incentives with service value. By reducing out-of-pocket payments (OOP) for high-value care, VBID aims to improve efficiency, but its cost-effectiveness remains uncertain. Given the rising economic burden of cardiometabolic diseases, this systematic review evaluates VBID’s cost-effectiveness from multiple perspectives. The analysis included a qualitative assessment of effectiveness and costs, as well as a descriptive evaluation of adherence elasticity to explore how variations in copayment levels influenced patient behaviour. Thirty studies met the inclusion criteria: nine focused on high-value services, others targeted specific populations or diseases, and 12 evaluated VBID initiatives in combination with disease management programmes. Findings indicate that whilst VBID generally improves patient adherence and reduces financial burdens, adherence sensitivity to price variations remains modest. Although insurers often incur additional pharmaceutical expenditures in anticipation of clinical cost-offsets, these trade-offs do not always materialise, resulting in uncertainty regarding the intervention’s fiscal impact. Although these initiatives improve patient adherence, these gains do not consistently translate into better clinical outcomes, which are the key drivers through which VBID achieves substantial cost reductions. |
| Keywords: | cardiometabolic disease; cost-effectiveness; value for money; value-based insurance design |
| JEL: | J1 |
| Date: | 2026–04–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:138091 |
| By: | Pega, Frank; Momen, Natalie C.; Agyemang, Samuel A.; Bojke, Laura; Costa-Font, Joan; de Preux, Laure; Fenichel, Eli P.; Gordon, Bruce; Hensher, Martin C.; Johnston, Richard; Krishnamoorthy, Yuvaraj; Kolimenakis, Antonios; Malik, Ashar Muhammad; Matsuura, Hiroaki; Nghiem, Nhung; O’Hare, Bernadette; Rathi, Megha; Robinson, Lisa A.; Campbell-Lendrum, Diarmid |
| Abstract: | Economic evaluation is key for efficient allocation of resources in health and related sectors. Actions addressing environmental risk factors and climate change can avert millions of deaths annually, yet valuing reductions in the risk of dying is challenging in benefit–cost analyses. We developed an interim statistical protocol to estimate the value per statistical life for World Health Organization (WHO) Member States, building on the 2019 benefit–cost analysis reference case and latest evidence. Using gross national income per capita based on purchasing power parity, we calculated national estimates for 2024 and projected values to 2100. We aggregated these estimates to produce global, regional and country income group averages, and additional sets for sensitivity and scenario analyses, including for alternative climate change scenarios. Our estimates cover 93.8% (182/194) of Member States, representing 98.4% (7.99 billion/8.12 billion) of the global population. The global average value per statistical life in 2024 was 3.76 million international dollars. By 2100, the global average is projected to increase by 159.8% to 9.77 million international dollars. These estimates provide a basis for valuing expected deaths averted by environment- and climate-health interventions, promoting comparability across analyses. Limitations include reliance on extrapolated values and uncertainty in income projections. More research, especially in low- and middle-income countries, is needed. Because value per statistical life estimates depend on income, analysts must supplement benefit–cost analysis with distributional analyses of benefits and costs across populations. Until WHO updates its recommended methods, these interim estimates offer a pragmatic tool for policy analysis. |
| JEL: | J1 |
| Date: | 2026–04–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:137149 |
| By: | Ahmed, Musa Hasen; Nigus, Halefom Yigzaw; Mesfin, Hiwot Mekonnen; Gebremariam, Gebrelibanos |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the effects of drought shocks on unintended pregnancies across 18 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The results show that drought exposure increases the likelihood of unintended pregnancy by one to two percentage points (about 3 to 6 percent), depending on the specification. The analysis further finds that children born from unintended pregnancies are less likely to receive antenatal care, less likely to be delivered in health facilities, and more vulnerable to illness. The findings also show that unintended pregnancies have implications for women’s labor market outcomes. Overall, the findings indicate that drought shocks intensify women’s economic and reproductive vulnerabilities. Given the wide-ranging consequences of unintended births for both mothers and children, the results high-light the importance of integrating reproductive health interventions into climate adaptation policies. |
| Date: | 2026–04–27 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:11364 |