Data for Manuscript Title "Hunting Militias at All Cost: Urban Military Operation and Birth Outcomes"
Description
This dataset contains the replication files for the study "Hunting Militias at All Cost: Urban Military Operation and Birth Outcomes." Research Description This study hypothesizes that Operation Orion, a state-led military intervention in Medellín, Colombia, had unintended consequences on newborn health in the affected urban neighborhoods. Specifically, the study posits that exposure to the violence and stress generated by the operation during the first trimester of pregnancy could negatively impact birth outcomes. The study finds that infants exposed to Operation Orion in utero, particularly during their mothers' first trimester of pregnancy, experienced significant reductions in key health indicators: Birth weight decreased by an average of 116 grams, height at birth dropped by an average of 0.51 centimeters, and there was a 3% lower probability of having an APGAR score above 7. Data Overview and Interpretation The provided data was sourced from the Vital Statistics Reports (VSR) for Medellín, collected by the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE), covering the years 2000-2005. Data includes information on birth outcomes (e.g., birth weight, height, APGAR score) and relevant maternal characteristics such as marital status, education, and access to healthcare. The Vital Statistics Reports (VSR) provide administrative data that can be used to track and analyze health outcomes at birth. This study focused on the period between 2002 and 2003, aligning with the timeline of Operation Orion. The data includes detailed birth records, allowing the researchers to employ a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) methodology to isolate the causal effect of the operation by comparing birth outcomes in affected neighborhoods to unaffected areas before and after the intervention. Stata .dta Files: The datasets provided in .dta format (Stata format) are ready to be used in any Stata-based analysis. Key variables such as birth weight, height, gestational length, and maternal characteristics are included, enabling replication of the analysis or further exploration of different aspects of the birth outcomes. Do-Files: The folder contains Stata .do files that are pre-configured to replicate the tables and figures in the study. Figures: Pre-generated figures and plots are available in .png and .pdf formats for visualizing the key results, such as the heterogeneous effects on birth outcomes and permutation test results. See the file README.pdf for further details.