This paper studies whether poor health at birth contributes to the persistence of economic inequality across generations. Using linked Canadian administrative data covering two birth cohorts, we document the intergenerational transmission of low birth weight and examine how health at birth shapes the probability of moving above parental income rank. Sibling comparisons indicate that low birth weight reduces upward mobility, while subsequent childhood health shocks explain part, but not all, of this relationship.

This project examines whether armed conflicts in immigrants' countries of origin affect birth outcomes among mothers living in Canada. We link Canadian administrative birth records with immigration data and monthly information on armed conflicts in mothers' countries of origin. Focusing on immigrant women who arrived in Canada before conception, we exploit the timing of new conflict onsets following periods of peace relative to pregnancy. We find that the onset of armed conflict during pregnancy increases the probability of preterm birth, with the largest effects when conflict begins earlier in pregnancy. The results are robust to alternative definitions of conflict onset, temporal placebo tests, comparisons with immigrants from countries unaffected at the same time, and the exclusion of major conflict episodes. In contrast, broader measures of exposure to ongoing conflict yield substantially smaller effects, suggesting that the emergence of a new conflict, rather than conflict exposure per se, may constitute a particularly salient shock for immigrant families. These findings provide evidence that the health consequences of armed conflicts can extend beyond national borders, affecting immigrant populations living far from the violence.