Sanitation, Disease Externalities, and Anemia: Evidence From Nepal

Diane Coffey, Michael Geruso and Dean Spears

No 22940, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Anemia impairs physical and cognitive development in children and reduces human capital accumulation. The prior economics literature has focused on the role of inadequate nutrition in causing anemia. This paper is the first to show that sanitation, a public good, significantly contributes to preventing anemia. We identify effects by exploiting rapid and differential improvement in sanitation across regions of Nepal between 2006 and 2011. Within regions over time, cohorts of children exposed to better community sanitation developed higher hemoglobin levels. Our results highlight a previously undocumented externality of open defecation, which is today practiced by over a billion people worldwide.

JEL-codes: I15 J1 O1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev and nep-hea
Note: CH DEV EH PE
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Published as Diane Coffey & Michael Geruso & Dean Spears, 2018. "Sanitation, Disease Externalities and Anaemia: Evidence From Nepal," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 128(611), pages 1395-1432, June.

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Journal Article: Sanitation, Disease Externalities and Anaemia: Evidence From Nepal (2018)
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