Learning and Behavioral Spillovers of Nutritional Information

Prakarsh Singh

No 10085, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper provides evidence for informational spillovers within urban slums in Chandigarh, India. I identify three groups, a treatment group, a neighboring spillover group, and a non-adjacent pure control group. Mothers of children (aged 3-6 years) enrolled in government day-care centers are given recipe books in the treatment group to reduce malnutrition in their children. Spillovers to neighboring (untreated) mothers can be through social learning or imitation. Results from a difference-in-differences analysis show that nutritional knowledge measured through a quiz increases among neighboring untreated mothers relative to a control group. Neighboring mothers exhibit learning spillovers, changes in dietary behavior and a reduction in food expenditure regardless of their level of literacy. Spillovers not only raise the cost effectiveness of health information programs but are important to consider when designing an experiment as causal effects of treatments can be attenuated if the spillover group is used as a control group.

Keywords: malnutrition; spillovers; India (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D62 D83 I15 I18 I38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 28 pages
Date: 2016-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse and nep-dev
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Published - published in: Journal of Development Studies, 2017, 53 (6), 911 - 931

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