Empirical essays on health economics

Essay 1 - The Hidden Costs of Overcrowding Maternity Wards: Health and Education Consequences for Children We study the impacts of childbirth in maternity wards operating beyond their capacity on both children’s health and educational outcomes. We use high-frequency hospital admissions data, containing detailed information on more than six million daily admissions from Brazilian public maternity wards during the years 2006 and 2014. Our main findings indicate that children born under these conditions present a higher probability of infant mortality, primarily due to birth asphyxia and infectious diseases. Furthermore, they are more susceptible to developing hearing disabilities and also exhibit negative effects on educational outcomes during early school years. This educational evidence is supported by two educational outcomes: (i) a lower likelihood of child school enrollment, and (ii) a higher likelihood of delayed school progression. Further investigations reveal that reduced medical attention at birth and a decline in cesarean sections for relatively higher-risk pregnancies are some of the primary driving mechanisms behind the negative impacts of overcrowding impacts. Essay 2 - There’s Something in the Water: Illegal Mining, Mercury Pollution, and Infant Health in the Amazon Rainforest We document the impacts of an unprecedented environmental pollution event caused by a substantial increase in small-scale gold mining in the Madre de Dios region of Peru and Bolivia on riverside Brazilian municipalities closer to the border. Starting in 2004, this surge in mining directly impacted a major Brazilian river, causing severe environmental pollution in the Madeira River Basin, primarily due to mercury contamination. Our results reveal that this water pollution event led to a sudden increase in infant mortality rates in municipalities along the Brazilian border. This evidence is supported by two main mortality outcomes: (i) fetal mortality and (ii) neonatal mortality, primarily from circulatory and congenital ...