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Research ArticleArticle
Open Access

The Long-Run Effects of Cesarean Sections

Ana Costa-Ramón, Mika Kortelainen, Ana Rodríguez-González and Lauri Sääksvuori
Published online before print October 20, 2020, 0719-10334R1; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.58.2.0719-10334R1
Ana Costa-Ramón
Costa-Ramón is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich and at the Jacobs Center for Productive Youth DevelopmentKortelainen is a Professor of Health Economics at the University of Turku and Chief Researcher at the VATT Institute for Economic ResearchRodríguez-González is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Economics at Lund UniversitySääksvuori is an Academy of Finland Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare and Professor of Practice at the University of Turku.
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Mika Kortelainen
Costa-Ramón is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich and at the Jacobs Center for Productive Youth DevelopmentKortelainen is a Professor of Health Economics at the University of Turku and Chief Researcher at the VATT Institute for Economic ResearchRodríguez-González is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Economics at Lund UniversitySääksvuori is an Academy of Finland Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare and Professor of Practice at the University of Turku.
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Ana Rodríguez-González
Costa-Ramón is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich and at the Jacobs Center for Productive Youth DevelopmentKortelainen is a Professor of Health Economics at the University of Turku and Chief Researcher at the VATT Institute for Economic ResearchRodríguez-González is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Economics at Lund UniversitySääksvuori is an Academy of Finland Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare and Professor of Practice at the University of Turku.
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  • For correspondence: [email protected]
Lauri Sääksvuori
Costa-Ramón is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich and at the Jacobs Center for Productive Youth DevelopmentKortelainen is a Professor of Health Economics at the University of Turku and Chief Researcher at the VATT Institute for Economic ResearchRodríguez-González is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Economics at Lund UniversitySääksvuori is an Academy of Finland Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare and Professor of Practice at the University of Turku.
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Abstract

This paper analyzes the long-term effects of potentially avoidable cesarean sections on children’s health. Using Finnish administrative data, we document that physicians perform more unplanned C-sections during their regular working hours on days that precede a weekend or public holiday and use this exogenous variation as an instrument for C-sections. We supplement our instrumental variables results with a differences-in-differences estimation strategy that exploits variation in birth mode within sibling pairs and across families. Our results suggest that avoidable unplanned C-sections increase the risk of asthma, but do not affect other immune-mediated disorders previously associated with C-sections.

This open access article is distributed under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) and is freely available online at: http://jhr.uwpress.org

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Journal of Human Resources: 60 (3)
Journal of Human Resources
Vol. 60, Issue 3
1 May 2025
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The Long-Run Effects of Cesarean Sections
Ana Costa-Ramón, Mika Kortelainen, Ana Rodríguez-González, Lauri Sääksvuori
Journal of Human Resources Oct 2020, 0719-10334R1; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.58.2.0719-10334R1

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The Long-Run Effects of Cesarean Sections
Ana Costa-Ramón, Mika Kortelainen, Ana Rodríguez-González, Lauri Sääksvuori
Journal of Human Resources Oct 2020, 0719-10334R1; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.58.2.0719-10334R1
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