Human Capital Development and Parental Investment in India

Orazio Attanasio, Costas Meghir and Emily Nix
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Orazio Attanasio: University College London, IFS, NBER
Emily Nix: Dept. of Economics, UCL

No 2026R2, Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers from Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University

Abstract: We estimate production functions for cognition and health for children aged 1-12 in India, based on the Young Lives Survey. India has over 70 million children aged 0-5 who are at risk of developmental deficits. The inputs into the production functions include parental background, prior child cognition and health, and child investments, which are taken as endogenous. Estimation is based on a nonlinear factor model, based on multiple measurements for both inputs and child outcomes. Our results show an important effect of early health on child cognitive development, which then becomes persistent. Parental investments affect cognitive development at all ages, but more so for younger children. Investments also have an impact on health at early ages only.

Keywords: Early childhood development; Human capital; India; Nonlinear factor models; Young lives survey; Health; Cognition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I14 I15 I25 I32 J13 J24 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 64 pages
Date: 2015-12, Revised 2019-04
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Human Capital Development and Parental Investment in India (2017)
Working Paper: Human Capital Development and Parental Investment in India (2017)
Working Paper: Human Capital Development and Parental Investment in India (2015)
Working Paper: Human Capital Development and Parental Investment in India (2015)
Working Paper: Human Capital Development and Parental Investment in India (2015)
Working Paper: Human Capital Development and Parental Investment in India (2015)
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