Does Early Life Exposure to Cigarette Smoke Permanently Harm Childhood Welfare? Evidence from Cigarette Tax Hikes
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
vol. 8,
no. 4, October 2016
(pp. 128-59)
(Complimentary)
Abstract
Evidence suggests that excise taxes on tobacco improve fetal health. However, it remains unknown if smoke exposure in early life causes lasting harm to children. I find that in utero exposure to a dollar increase in the state cigarette tax causes a 10 percent decrease in sick days from school and a 4.7 percent decrease in having two or more doctor visits. I present additional evidence for decreases in hospitalizations and asthma. This supports the hypothesis that exposure to cigarette smoke in utero and infancy carries significant medium-term costs, and that excise taxes can lead to lasting intergenerational improvements in well-being.Citation
Simon, David. 2016. "Does Early Life Exposure to Cigarette Smoke Permanently Harm Childhood Welfare? Evidence from Cigarette Tax Hikes." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 8 (4): 128-59. DOI: 10.1257/app.20150476Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- H25 Business Taxes and Subsidies including sales and value-added (VAT)
- H71 State and Local Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
- I12 Health Behavior
- J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
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