TY  - JOUR
AU  - Corman,Hope
AU  - Grossman,Michael
AU  - Joyce,Theodore J.
TI  - Demographic Analysis of Birthweight-Specific Neonatal Mortality
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 2804
PY  - 1988
Y2  - December 1988
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w2804
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w2804.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Hope Corman
Department of Economics
Rider University
2083 Lawrenceville Road
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Tel: 609/895-5559
Fax: 609/896-5387
E-Mail: corman@rider.edu

Michael Grossman
Ph.D. Program in Economics
City University of New York Graduate Center
365 Fifth Avenue, 5th Floor
New York, NY  10016-4309
Tel: 212/817-7959
Fax: 212/817-1597
E-Mail: mgrossman@gc.cuny.edu

Theodore J. Joyce
Baruch College & Graduate Center, CUNY
365 Fifth Ave, 5th Fl
New York, NY 10016-4309
Tel: 212/817-7960
Fax: 212/817-1597
E-Mail: theodore.joyce@baruch.cuny.edu
AB  - This paper explores the determinants of birthweight-specific neonatal mortality rates across States in the U.S. in 1980. We are able to explore the interactions between the determinants and birthweight because of the new data available through the National Infant Mortality Surveillance (NIMS). The NIMS links birth and death certificates for each state, resulting in a data base with race-specific neonatal mortality rates by birthweight, and other characteristics. Using a reduced-form model, we find abortion and neonatal intensive care availability to be the most important determinants of overall neonatal mortality. For whites, the two factors are of approximately equal importance in determining neonatal mortality. For blacks, abortion availability has twice the impact of neonatal inexpensive care. Moreover, our results suggest that neonatal mortality rates could be lowered by policies that reduce the inequality in these health resources across states.
ER  -