Estimating the Effects of Milk Inspections on Infant and Child Mortality, 1880−1910
AEA Papers and Proceedings
vol. 112,
May 2022
(pp. 188-92)
Abstract
In the mid-nineteenth century, the urban milk supply in the United States was regularly skimmed or diluted with water, reducing its nutritional value. At the urging of public health experts, cities across the country hired milk inspectors, who were tasked with collecting and analyzing milk samples with the goal of preventing adulteration and skimming. Using city-level data for the period 1880−1910, we explore the effects of milk inspections on infant mortality and mortality among children under the age of five. Event study estimates are small and statistically insignificant, providing little evidence of post-treatment reductions in either infant or child mortality.Citation
Anderson, D. Mark, Kerwin Kofi Charles, Michael McKelligott, and Daniel I. Rees. 2022. "Estimating the Effects of Milk Inspections on Infant and Child Mortality, 1880−1910." AEA Papers and Proceedings, 112: 188-92. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20221066Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D18 Consumer Protection
- H75 State and Local Government: Health; Education; Welfare; Public Pensions
- I12 Health Behavior
- J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
- N31 Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy: U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913
- N41 Economic History: Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation: U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913
- N91 Regional and Urban History: U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913