Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/215374 
Year of Publication: 
2020
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 12978
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Nonmedical exemptions from school-entry vaccine mandates are receiving increased policy and public health scrutiny. This paper examines how expanding the availability of exemptions influences vaccination rates in early childhood and academic achievement in middle school. We leverage 2003 legislation that granted personal belief exemptions (PBE) in Texas and Arkansas, two states the previously allowed exemptions only for medical or religious regions. We find that PBE decreased vaccination coverage among black and low-income preschoolers by 16.1% and 8.3%, respectively. Furthermore, we find that those cohorts affected by the policy change in early childhood performed less well on standardized tests of academic achievement in middle school. Estimated effects on mathematics and English Language Arts test scores were largest for black students, especially those residing in economically disadvantaged counties.
Subjects: 
vaccination
state mandates
nonmedical exemptions
test scores
JEL: 
H75
I12
I18
I21
I24
I28
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.