Orphans at risk in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence on educational and health outcomes

Katja Coneus and Andrea Mühlenweg

No 11-008, ZEW Discussion Papers from ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research

Abstract: In this paper, we examine how orphanhood affects children's educational and health outcomes in eleven sub-Saharan African countries. Our analysis is based on a comparison of orphans and non-orphaned children living under the same conditions. We also examine the impacts of various family structures and compare social orphans (non-orphaned children not living with a biological parent) to orphans. Using household fixed-effects estimation, we provide evidence that children not living with a biological parent lag behind in education and are more often malnourished and stunted. Educational gaps are particularly evident among orphans and social orphans not living with a mother. The effect of paternal death or absence is rather modest in most countries.

Keywords: Orphans; family structure; human capital; sub-Saharan Africa; fixed-effects (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 I21 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr and nep-hea
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https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/44460/1/654039011.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Orphans at risk in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence on educational and health outcomes (2014)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:zewdip:11008

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