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Kazibwe, Douglas, 2019. Early life economic shocks and child health outcomes : evidence from Kenya. Second cycle, A2E. Uppsala: SLU, Dept. of Economics

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Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between commodity price shocks experienced in the early period of life and child health outcomes. The study uses a nationally representative household survey data from the Demographic and Health Surveys in Kenya matched with a time series of real producer prices of tea in estimating the effect of price shock on child health outcomes. The identification strategy of the paper relies on exogenous variations in the real producer price of tea and timing of child birth. The findings show that household income shocks induced by variations in tea prices are key drivers of child health outcomes. A one percentage increase in tea price in the early life stage improves child nutrition with a 32.67 standard deviation increase in height-for-age Z scores and reduces under-five mortality rate by 1.74 percentage points among children born in tea producing zones relative to those born in non-tea growing zones in Kenya.

These study findings have much policy relevance to African economies where a considerable share of the population depends on the agriculture sector as a source of livelihood, and directly suffers from export commodity price fluctuations. Changes in the commodity price of exports are a constraint that weigh on agricultural households’ ability to make necessary investment in children thus impacting health and human capital formation.

Main title:Early life economic shocks and child health outcomes
Subtitle:evidence from Kenya
Authors:Kazibwe, Douglas
Supervisor:Tei Mensah, Justice
Examiner:Hart, Robert
Series:Examensarbete / SLU, Institutionen för ekonomi
Volume/Sequential designation:1198
Year of Publication:2019
Level and depth descriptor:Second cycle, A2E
Student's programme affiliation:NM005 Environmental Economics and Management - Master's Programme 120 HEC
Supervising department:(NL, NJ) > Dept. of Economics
Keywords:height-for-age, under-five mortality, early life, commodity pPrices, human capital, Kenya
URN:NBN:urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-s-10324
Permanent URL:
http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-s-10324
Subject. Use of subject categories until 2023-04-30.:Rural sociology and social security
Language:English
Deposited On:27 Mar 2019 14:26
Metadata Last Modified:04 Jun 2020 12:17

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