Civil War, Crop Failure, and Child Stunting in Rwanda

Akresh, Richard; Verwimp, Philip; Bundervoet, Tom

Civil War, Crop Failure, and Child Stunting in Rwanda

Autores

Akresh, Richard

Verwimp, Philip

Bundervoet, Tom

Editor

World Bank, Washington, DC

Descripción

Economic shocks at birth have lasting effects on children's health several years after the shock. The authors calculate height for age z-scores for children under age five using data from a Rwandan nationally representative household survey conducted in 1992. They exploit district and time variation in crop failure and civil conflict to measure the impact of exogenous shocks that children experience at birth on their height several years later. They find that boys and girls born after the shock in regions experiencing civil conflict are both negatively affected with height for age z-scores 0.30 and 0.72 standard deviations lower, respectively. Conversely, only girls are negatively affected by crop failure, with these girls exhibiting 0.41 standard deviation lower height for age z-scores and the impact is worse for girls in poor households. Results are robust to using sibling difference estimators, household level production, and rainfall shocks as alternative measures of crop failure.

Palabras clave

ADULT MORTALITY, ADULTHOOD, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY, ARMED CONFLICT, ASSET HOLDINGS, CASH CROP, CHALLENGES OF POPULATION, CHILD HEALTH, CHILD SURVIVAL, CHRONIC MALNUTRITION, CIVIL CONFLICT, CIVIL WAR, CONSUMPTION SMOOTHING, CROPS, CULTURAL CHANGE, DEMOGRAPHIC GROWTH, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DISABILITY, EARLY CHILDHOOD, ECONOMIC SHOCKS, EDUCATION, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, ETHNIC GROUPS, FAMILY RESOURCES, FAMINE, FARM HOUSEHOLDS, FARM INCOME, FARM OUTPUT, FARM SIZE, FARMERS, FEMALE MORTALITY, FERTILITY, FOOD, FOOD CROP, FOOD CROP PRODUCTION, FOOD PRODUCTION, FOOD SECURITY, FOOD STAPLES, GENDER BIAS, GENDER DIFFERENCES, GENOCIDE, GIRLS, GRASS-ROOTS, HEALTH, HEALTH TRENDS, HOUSEHOLD HEAD, HOUSEHOLD HEADS, HOUSEHOLD INCOME, HOUSEHOLD LEVEL, HOUSEHOLD LEVEL DATA, HOUSEHOLD SURVEY, HUMAN CAPITAL, HUMAN CAPITAL FORMATION, HUMAN RIGHTS, HUSBANDS, IMPACT ON CHILDREN, INEQUALITY, INFANT, INFANT MORTALITY, INFORMATION SYSTEMS, INVESTIGATION, LAND DEGRADATION, LAND SIZE, LANDHOLDINGS, LIVING CONDITIONS, MACROECONOMIC CONDITIONS, MEDICAL CARE, MIGRATION, MOTHER, NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS, NUMBER OF DEATHS, NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS, NUTRITION, NUTRITIONAL STATUS, OLD-AGE, PANDEMIC, PARENTS, PEACE, PENSIONS, PHYSICAL DISABILITY, POLICY IMPLICATIONS, POLICY MAKERS, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POLITICAL ECONOMY, POOR, POOR HOUSEHOLD, POOR HOUSEHOLDS, POPULATION GROWTH, POPULATION PRESSURE, POVERTY DYNAMICS, POVERTY REDUCTION, PRACTITIONERS, PRENATAL CARE, PROGRESS, REFUGEE, REFUGEES, RESOURCE ALLOCATION, RESPECT, RISK SHARING, RURAL, RURAL AREAS, RURAL HOUSEHOLD, RURAL HOUSEHOLDS, SEX, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, STATE UNIVERSITY, SUICIDE, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, VICTIMS, WARS, YOUNG CHILDREN