Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/65977 
Year of Publication: 
2011
Series/Report no.: 
ISER Working Paper Series No. 2011-16
Publisher: 
University of Essex, Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER), Colchester
Abstract: 
This paper provides a general formulation of the regression discontinuity (RD) design and applies this method to analyse the effects of the 1995 UK pill scare. We show that in the five months following a health warning on the third generation pill, conception rates rose by more than 7%, abortion rates shot up by more than 9%, and birth rates increased by 6-7%. By contrast, no or small effects were found on the resulting babies' general health, with the exception of a reduction in the incidence of congenital anomalies. Heterogeneity by mother's age and social class was very pronounced, with most of the effects being experienced by women aged less than 25 and of lower socioeconomic status.
Subjects: 
regression discontinuity
contraception
fertility
birth weight
health warnings
effect of the media
JEL: 
C21
D8
I12
J13
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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