The costs of consumption smoothing: less schooling and less nutrition

Leandro de Magalhaes, Dongya Koh and Raul Santaeulalia-Llopis ()

Journal of Demographic Economics, 2019, vol. 85, issue 3, 181-208

Abstract: Using novel microdata, we explore lifecycle consumption in Sub-Saharan Africa. We find that households' ability to smooth consumption over the lifecycle is large, particularly, in rural areas. Consumption in old age is sustained by shifting to self-farmed staple food, as opposed to traditional savings mechanisms or food gifts. This smoothing strategy indicates two important costs. The first cost is a loss of human capital as children seem to be diverted away from school and into producing self-farmed food. Second, a diet largely concentrated in staple food (e.g., maize in Malawi) in old age results in a loss of nutritional quality for households headed by the elderly.

Date: 2019
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Journal Article: The Cost of Consumption Smoothing: Less Schooling and less Nutrition (2019)
Working Paper: The Costs of Consumption Smoothing: Less Schooling and Less Nutrition (2016)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cup:demeco:v:85:y:2019:i:3:p:181-208_1

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