Sources of Generational Persistence in the Effects of Early-Life Health Interventions

We document that the long-run economic benefits of a low-cost early-life health intervention transmit to later generations, but only for children of exposed mothers. We provide novel evidence that the program improved mothers' marriage outcomes but had limited effects on fathers' partnering decisions. Changes in assortative mating patterns may, therefore, be an important mechanism behind program-induced intergenerational spillovers. We also show that the intervention significantly increased economic mobility across three generations, suggesting that early health interventions may be important candidates for reducing the cycle of poverty.