Abstract
India launched the Safe Motherhood Scheme (Janani Suraksha Yojana or JSY) in 2005 in response to persistently high maternal and child mortality rates. JSY provides a cash incentive to socioeconomically disadvantaged women for childbirth at health facilities. This study explores some unintended consequences of JSY. Using data from two large household surveys, we examine a policy variation that exploits the differential incentive structure under JSY across states and population subgroups. We find that JSY may have resulted in a 2.5–3.5 percentage point rise in the probability of childbirth or pregnancy over a 3-year period in states already experiencing high population growth.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 457-491 |
Number of pages | 35 |
Journal | Journal of Population Economics |
Volume | 29 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 1 2016 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Demography
- Economics and Econometrics
Keywords
- Conditional cash transfer
- Fertility
- India
- Janani Suraksha Yojana
- JSY