The Effects of Housing and Neighborhood Conditions on Child Mortality

30 Pages Posted: 30 Aug 2011 Last revised: 18 Jun 2023

See all articles by Brian A. Jacob

Brian A. Jacob

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor

Jens Ludwig

Georgetown University - Public Policy Institute (GPPI); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Douglas L. Miller

University of California, Davis - Department of Economics

Date Written: August 2011

Abstract

In this paper we estimate the causal effects on child mortality from moving into less distressed neighborhood environments. We match mortality data to information on every child in public housing that applied for a housing voucher in Chicago in 1997 (N=11,848). Families were randomly assigned to the voucher wait list, and only some families were offered vouchers. The odds ratio for the effects of being offered a housing voucher on overall mortality rates is equal to 1.11 for all children (95% CI 0.54 to 2.10), 1.50 for boys (95% CI 0.72 to 2.89) and 0.00 for girls - that is, the voucher offer is perfectly protective for mortality for girls (95% CI 0 to 0.79). Our paper also addresses a methodological issue that may arise in studies of low-probability outcomes - perfect prediction by key explanatory variables.

Suggested Citation

Jacob, Brian A. and Ludwig, Jens and Miller, Douglas L., The Effects of Housing and Neighborhood Conditions on Child Mortality (August 2011). NBER Working Paper No. w17369, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1919443

Brian A. Jacob (Contact Author)

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor ( email )

500 S. State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
United States

Jens Ludwig

Georgetown University - Public Policy Institute (GPPI) ( email )

3600 N Street, NW Suite 200
Washington, DC 20057
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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IZA Institute of Labor Economics

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Germany

Douglas L. Miller

University of California, Davis - Department of Economics ( email )

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Davis, CA 95616-8578
United States
530-752-8490 (Phone)

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