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Sibling death clustering in India : genuine scarring vs unobserved heterogeneity

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Arulampalam, Wiji and Bhalotra, Sonia (2003) Sibling death clustering in India : genuine scarring vs unobserved heterogeneity. Discussion Paper. [Bristol]: [Department of Economics, University of Bristol]. Discussion paper (Department of Economics, University of Bristol) (03/552).

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Abstract

Data from a range of environments indicate that the incidence of death is not randomly distributed across families but, rather, that there is a clustering of death among siblings. A natural explanation of this would be that there are (observed or unobserved) differences across families, e.g. in genetic frailty, education or living standards. Another hypothesis that is 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). The paper investigates the extent of state dependence in India, distinguishing this from family level risk factors that are common to siblings. It offers some methodological innovations on 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 who are born after the first child) by 9.8% in the state of Uttar Pradesh, 6.0% in West Bengal and 5.9% in Kerala.

Item Type:

Working or Discussion Paper (Discussion Paper)

Subjects:

H Social Sciences > HA Statistics
R Medicine > RJ Pediatrics > RJ101 Child Health. Child health services

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):

Infants -- Mortality -- India, Mortality -- Statistics -- India

Series Name:

Discussion paper (Department of Economics, University of Bristol)

Journal or Publication Title:

Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society),

Publisher:

[Department of Economics, University of Bristol]

Place of Publication:

[Bristol]

ISSN:

0964-1998

Official Date:

June 2003

Dates:

Date	Event
June 2003	Published

Number:

03/552

Number of Pages:

Page Range:

829-848(20)

Institution:

University of Warwick

Status:

Not Peer Reviewed

Access rights to Published version:

Open Access (Creative Commons)

Description:

Version accepted by publisher (post-print, after peer review, before copy-editing).

Publisher statement: the definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.com.

Version or Related Resource:

Arulampalam, W. and Bhalotra, S. (2006). Sibling death clustering in India: state dependence versus unobserved heterogeneity. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society), 169(4), pp.829-848.

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