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Cash‐based maternal health interventions can improve childhood vaccination—Evidence from India
Author(s) -
De Prabal K.,
Timilsina Laxman
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
health economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.55
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1099-1050
pISSN - 1057-9230
DOI - 10.1002/hec.4129
Subject(s) - conditional cash transfer , vaccination , medicine , tetanus , cash transfers , measles , immunization , environmental health , diphtheria , psychological intervention , pediatrics , infant mortality , health facility , developing country , poverty , population , economic growth , nursing , immunology , antigen , economics , health services
Childhood vaccination has lagged in countries like India, despite its demonstrated positive effects on health outcomes like infant mortality. At the same time, many conditional cash transfer programs have been effective in improving health outcomes. We estimate the effect of the world's largest maternal health program, Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY, maternal protection scheme), on childhood vaccination in India. We exploit exogenous variations in the expansion of the policy around the country and the fact that some key vaccines are given at or near birth to identify the effects of cash‐based maternal health policy on infant immunization. We find that JSY increased the probability of Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) and diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus toxoid (DPT) vaccination among newborns and infants. However, we find almost no significant effects on the measles vaccine, which is administered several months after birth.