title: WIC in Your Neighborhood: New Evidence on the Impacts of Geographic Access to Clinics.
abstract: A large body of evidence indicates that conditionsin-uteroand health at birth matter for individuals' long-run outcomes, suggesting potential value in programs aimed at pregnant women and young children. This paper uses a novel identification strategy and data from birth and administrative records over 2005-2009 to provide causal estimates of the effects of geographic access to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). My empirical approach uses within-ZIP-code variation in WIC clinic presence together with maternal fixed effects, and accounts for the potential endogeneity of mobility, gestational-age bias, and measurement error in gestation. I find that access to WIC increases food benefit take-up, pregnancy weight gain, birth weight, and the probability of breastfeeding initiation at the time of hospital discharge. The estimated effects are strongest for mothers with a high school education or less, who are most likely eligible for WIC services.
authors.affiliation: Columbia University, Department of Economics. 1022 International Affairs Building, 420 West 118th Street, New York, NY 10027.
authors.forename: Maya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rossin-Slater
keywords: WIC; health at birth; low-income women and children; pregnancy; public programs
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