The grandkids aren't alright: the intergenerational effects of prenatal pollution exposure
Using newly linked survey and administrative data we provide early evidence that regulation- induced improvements in prenatal air quality have intergenerational effects on human capital accumulation in the United States. Supporting evidence suggests that intergenerational trans-mission arises more from greater parental resources and investments than heritable channels. Overall, our findings suggest that within-generation analyses of marginal damages could substantially underestimate the total benefits of improving environmental quality and highlight the importance of directly evaluating intergenerational effects.
Jonathan Colmer and John Voorheis
2 December 2020 Paper Number CEPDP1733
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This CEP discussion paper is published under the centre's Urban programme.