Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/216368 
Year of Publication: 
2020
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 13056
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We investigate the importance of subjective expectations of returns to and effort costs of the two main investments that mothers make in newborns: breastfeeding and stimulation. We find heterogeneity across mothers in expected effort costs and expected returns for outcomes in the cognitive, socio-emotional and health domains, and we show that this contributes to explaining heterogeneity in investments. We find no significant heterogeneity in preferences for child developmental outcomes. We simulate the impact of various policies on investments. Our findings highlight the relevance of interventions designed to reduce perinatal fatigue alongside interventions that increase perceived returns to investments.
Subjects: 
beliefs
subjective expectations
maternal investment
child development
early life
maternal depression
effort costs
psychic costs
JEL: 
I12
I15
J24
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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