Children of Drought: Rainfall Shocks and Early Child Health in Rural India

Santosh Kumar (), Ramona Molitor () and Sebastian Vollmer
Additional contact information
Santosh Kumar: http://hsph.harvard.edu/population-development/
Ramona Molitor: University of Passau
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Santosh Kumar Gautam

PGDA Working Papers from Program on the Global Demography of Aging

Abstract: Barker’s fetal origins hypothesis suggests a strong relationship between in utero conditions, health and overall child development after birth. Using nationally representative population survey, this paper analyzes the impact of rainfall on early child health in rural India. We find that drought experienced in utero has detrimental effects on nutritional status of children. Effects appear to be stronger for boys, low caste children, and children exposed to drought in the first trimester. Results are robust to alternative definitions of drought. Our estimates speculate that policies aimed at reducing vulnerability to negative rainfall shock may result into improved health and higher human capital accumulation in rain-dependent agrarian countries. JEL Codes: I25; J1; O12

Keywords: Fetal origins hypothesis; undernutrition; rainfall; India (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev and nep-hea
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Children of Drought: Rainfall Shocks and Early Child Health in Rural India (2014)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gdm:wpaper:11614

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