MEASURE DHS - Journal Details

Understanding the effects of siblings on child mortality: Evidence from India
Authors:	Makepeace G \| Pal S
Source:	Journal of Population Economics, 2008 Oct;21(4):877-902
Topic(s):	Birth interval Childhood mortality Infant mortality
Country:	Asia India
Published:	OCT 2008
Abstract:	Given the intrinsically sequential nature of childbirth, timing of a child's birth has consequences not only for itself but also for its older and younger siblings. The paper argues that prior spacing and posterior spacing between consecutive siblings are thus important measures of intensity of sibling competition for limited parental resources. While the available estimates of child mortality tend to ignore the endogeneity of sibling composition, we use a correlated recursive model of prior and posterior spacing and child mortality to correct it. There is evidence that uncorrected estimates under-estimate the effects of prior and posterior spacing on child mortality.