Dr. Ruffini’s paper examines how cash transfers that are not conditional on contemporaneous employment affect infant health. Leveraging variation in the amount of pandemic-era stimulus and child tax credit payments that families were eligible to receive based on household composition, she found that an additional $1,000 in transfers during pregnancy reduces the prevalence of low birthweight by 1-2 percent and the prevalence of preterm births by at least 1.3 percent. The resources that families received improved the reported affordability of care and increased prenatal care, consistent with families using the payments to make investments in children’s health.

Co-sponsored with Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics and the Division of Health Policy.

Please note: In-person attendance at this event is preferred. Virtual access will be provided to registrants who are unable to be on campus.

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Speaker

Krista Ruffini, PhD, MPA is an Assistant Professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. Her research examines how government policies affect education, labor market, and health outcomes, with a focus on programs targeted to disadvantaged populations. Krista holds a PhD in Public Policy and an MA in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley; an MPA from the London School of Economics; and a BA in Economics, International Relations, and Political Science from Boston University.