Monique de Haan

Birth Order, Family Size and Educational Attainment.

This paper investigates the effect of family size and birth order on educational attainment. An instrumental variables approach is used to identify the effect of family size. Instruments for the number of children are twins at last birth and the sex mix of the first two children. The effect of birth order is identified, by examining the relation with years of education for different family sizes separately. No significant effect of family size on educational attainment of the oldest child is found. Birth order has a significant negative effect. Potential mechanisms behind the birth order effects are investigated. The results show that birth order effects are not affected by the average age gap between children. Information on financial transfers shows that earlier born children have a higher probability of receiving money from their parents than later born children, also the amount they receive is higher. These results indicate that the allocation of parental resources is a potential mechanism behind the birth order effects.

Birth Order and Human Capital Development: Evidence from Ecuador

In this paper we examine the effect of birth order on human capital development in Ecuador. Using family fixed effects models we find positive and persistent birth order effects; earlier-born children stay behind in their human capital development from infancy to adolescence. Turning to potential mechanisms, we find that earlier-born children receive less quality time from their mothers. Additionally, they are breastfed shorter. Poverty plays a key role in explaining these birth order patterns; we observe the largest birth order effects in poor and low-educated families, accompanied with reversed birth order effects in rich and high-educated families.

The Effect of Parents' Schooling on Child's Schooling: A Nonparametric Bounds Analysis

A positive relation between parents’ schooling and child’s schooling does not necessarily reflect a causal relation. This article uses a new approach to identify intergenerational schooling effects: a nonparametric bounds analysis. By relying on relatively weak and in part testable assumptions, this article obtains informative bounds on the average causal impact of parents’ schooling. The tightest bounds, using monotone instrumental variables, show that increasing mother’s or father’s schooling to a college degree has a positive effect on child’s schooling that is significantly different from zero but substantially lower than the ordinary least squares estimates.A positive relation between parents’ schooling and child’s schooling does not necessarily reflect a causal relation. This article uses a new approach to identify intergenerational schooling effects: a nonparametric bounds analysis. By relying on relatively weak and in part testable assumptions, this article obtains informative bounds on the average causal impact of parents’ schooling. The tightest bounds, using monotone instrumental variables, show that increasing mother’s or father’s schooling to a college degree has a positive effect on child’s schooling that is significantly different from zero but substantially lower than the ordinary least squares estimates.

Follow-up of pregnancies, infants, and families after multifetal pregnancy reduction

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the course of multifetal pregnancies and also the long-term pediatric and psychosocial follow-up of surviving offspring and their parents after selective reduction. DESIGN Follow-up study. SETTING University hospital and subjects homes. PATIENTS Twenty-one couples with high-order multiple pregnancies resulting from infertility treatment were referred from all over the Netherlands. A total of 36 infants (15 twins and 2 triplets) were included in the follow-up. INTERVENTION Pregnancy reduction by transabdominal approach at a median of 11 (9 to 13) weeks gestation. One assessment took place between the age of 9 months and 6 years after delivery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Pregnancy outcome, health of the infants, and psychosocial impact upon their parents after infertility treatment and the multifetal pregnancy reduction. RESULTS Abortion within 4 weeks after pregnancy reduction did not occur in this series. Six infants (13.7%) died perinatally. Two infants (4.4%) died at the ages of 12 days and 3 months, respectively. Early preterm delivery was the cause of death in all cases. The development of the infants was appropriate to gestational age and birth weight. At follow-up, 14 couples disclosed at the time they were unaware of the risks and the consequences of infertility treatment. Nine couples indicated they had feelings of guilt after pregnancy reduction. These feelings, however, were not disclosed at the time of the interviews, during which none of the families showed either regret or distress about their decision. Two couples only occasionally experienced some grief and mourning reactions for the reduced fetuses. CONCLUSIONS Pregnancy reduction is an acceptable option in the case of excessive multifetal conceptions after infertility treatment regimes. There are no adverse effects on either the infants and their families provided that the procedure is carefully planned and performed and the couples are given full support both before and after the procedure.

The Effect of Additional Funds for Low-Ability Pupils - A Nonparametric Bounds Analysis

This article investigates the effect of a policy measure that gives secondary schools additional resources for low‐ability pupils. Schools are free in deciding how to spend the additional money. I use a non‐parametric bounds analysis to estimate upper and lower bounds on the effect of additional funds on examination results of pupils. First, I investigate what can be concluded without imposing assumptions; next I layer weak non‐parametric assumptions to tighten the bounds. The tightest bounds show that the additional school funds significantly increase the probability that a pupil passes the examination at the end of secondary education.