Male Twin Live Births Following Unconditional Cash Transfers in Alaska: A Time-Series Analysis

By: Parvati Singh, Nicholas Mark, and Sarah K. Cowan

Published in: Twin Research and Human Genetics, 1-8

Prior studies report a decline in male twin live births during economically stressful periods, presumably owing to higher selection in utero against frail male gestations, yet no study has examined the natural corollary: whether provision of economic support increases rates of male twin births. We examined whether male twin live births increase following income gains from the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD)—the longest running unconditional cash transfer program in the US. We obtained the monthly volume of male (and female) twin and singleton live births, from January 1980 to December 2019, from Alaska’s Department of Health. Data on PFD timing and payment amounts came from Alaska’s Department of Revenue. We used time-series analyses to gauge whether the odds of male twin live births increase within 2−6 months following PFD receipt, controlling for autocorrelation. Results suggest that for every $1000 increase in PFD payments, the odds of male twin live births increase by 0.002 (p < .05) three months following PFD disbursement. This corresponds with 50 additional (individual) male twin live births statistically attributable to the cumulative PFD amount disbursed over our study period. Income gains through the PFD may correspond with reduced male-specific selection in utero in Alaska.

The Heterogeneous Associations of Universal Cash-Payouts with Breastfeeding Initiation and Continuation

By: Mariana Amorim, Erica Hobby, Anna Zamora-Kapoor, Katherine A. Perham-Hester, & Sarah K. Cowan

Published in: SSM-Population Health 22, June 2023, 101362

Existing health literature documents the benefits of breastfeeding for the first six months of life. Prior research on barriers to breastfeeding has focused on the role of hospital initiatives, return to work, and individual mothers' characteristics. This study uses data from Alaska's Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System and the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend, to investigate whether universal income support shapes mothers' breastfeeding behaviors. We find that payouts are associated with increases in breastfeeding initiation and short-term continuation (three months) among a sample of urban Alaskan mothers. These associations differ across mothers' socioeconomic and demographic characteristics (i.e., education, economic status, race, marital status). We contend that this type of income intervention may complement existing efforts to promote breastfeeding by removing financial barriers to breastfeeding.

Examining the Effects of a Universal Cash Transfer on Fertility

By: Sarah K. Cowan and Kiara Wyndham Douds*

Published in Social Forces 101 (2), 1003-1030

Childbearing is at once deeply personal and shaped by social structure. It is also a site of profound inequality in the United States. Income inequality is an upstream cause of childbearing inequality, yet the evidence of the effect of income on reproduction is inconclusive. Previously, scholars primarily examined the introduction of means-tested relief to families with children. This limits analysis to families in poverty and provides insight only into the presence or absence of a policy. We analyze the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend, which has provided all Alaskan residents with a substantial annual cash payment since 1982. The amount of the payment varies annually and is exogenous to individual Alaskans’ behavior and the state’s economy. We examine the effect of the cash transfers on fertility and abortion among a large and diverse population that has received varying amounts of money over time. We find the payments increase short-term fertility rates 1 and 2 years after disbursement, particularly among socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Standardized to the 2010 household size distribution, two average payments relative to two minimum payments would result in a predicted fertility rate increase from 80.03 to 86.53 per 1,000 women age 15–44. The effect is largest for first births. The payments have no effect on the abortion rate. These results indicate the additional income removes economic constraints to reproductive health and autonomy and reduces reproductive inequality.

This research was covered in New York Times and KCBS.