Drought and Early Child Health in Rural India

Population and Development Review, 2016, 42(2), 397-397

35 Pages Posted: 10 Aug 2014 Last revised: 10 Feb 2022

See all articles by Santosh Kumar

Santosh Kumar

University of Notre Dame; IZA Institute of Labor Economics ; Global Labor Organization

Ramona Molitor

University of Passau

Sebastian Vollmer

University of Goettingen (Göttingen)

Date Written: August 8, 2014

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.

Keywords: Fetal origins hypothesis, undernutrition, rainfall, India

JEL Classification: I15; I18; O12; O15

Suggested Citation

Kumar, Santosh and Molitor, Ramona and Vollmer, Sebastian, Drought and Early Child Health in Rural India (August 8, 2014). Population and Development Review, 2016, 42(2), 397-397, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2478107 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2478107

Santosh Kumar (Contact Author)

University of Notre Dame ( email )

Keough School of Global Affairs
JNH 4139
Notre Dame, IN 46556
United States

HOME PAGE: http://https://keough.nd.edu/profile/santosh-kumar/

IZA Institute of Labor Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Global Labor Organization ( email )

Collogne
Germany

Ramona Molitor

University of Passau ( email )

Innstrasse 27
Passau, 94032
Germany

Sebastian Vollmer

University of Goettingen (Göttingen) ( email )

Platz der Göttinger Sieben 3
Göttingen, 37073
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://sebastianvollmer.wordpress.com/

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