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Enhancing Cognitive Functioning: Medium-Term Effects of a Health and Family Planning Program in Matlab

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  • Tania Barham

Abstract

It is believed that early life circumstances are crucial to success later in life. Yet causal evidence that the impacts of early childhood health interventions continue into late childhood and adolescence is sparse. This paper exploits a quasi-random placement of the Matlab Maternal and Child Health and Family Planning Program in Bangladesh to determine whether children eligible for child health interventions in early childhood had better cognitive functioning at ages 8-14. I find a program effect of 0.39 standard deviations on cognitive functioning and similar effects for height and educational attainment (JEL I15, I18, J13, J18, O15).

Suggested Citation

  • Tania Barham, 2012. "Enhancing Cognitive Functioning: Medium-Term Effects of a Health and Family Planning Program in Matlab," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 4(1), pages 245-273, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:4:y:2012:i:1:p:245-73
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/app.4.1.245
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    1. John A. Maluccio & John Hoddinott & Jere R. Behrman & Reynaldo Martorell & Agnes R. Quisumbing & Aryeh D. Stein, 2009. "The Impact of Improving Nutrition During Early Childhood on Education among Guatemalan Adults," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 119(537), pages 734-763, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Fitzsimons, Emla & Malde, Bansi & Mesnard, Alice & Vera-Hernández, Marcos, 2016. "Nutrition, information and household behavior: Experimental evidence from Malawi," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 113-126.
    2. Bos, Johannes M. & Shonchoy, Abu S. & Ravindran, Saravana & Khan, Akib, 2024. "Early childhood human capital formation at scale," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    3. Bancalari, Antonella & Bernal, Pedro & Celhay, Pablo & Martinez, Sebastian & Sánchez, María Deni, 2024. "An Ounce of Prevention for a Pound of Cure: Basic Health Care and Efficiency in Health Systems," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 13433, Inter-American Development Bank.
    4. Emla Fitzsimons & Marcos Vera-Hernandez, 2013. "Food for Thought? Breastfeeding and Child Development," IFS Working Papers W13/31, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    5. Bhashkar Mazumder & Maria Fernanda Rosales-Rueda & Margaret Triyana, 2023. "Social Interventions, Health, and Well-Being: The Long-Term and Intergenerational Effects of a School Construction Program," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 58(4), pages 1097-1140.
    6. Herrera-Almanza, Catalina & Rosales-Rueda, Maria F., 2020. "Reducing the Cost of Remoteness: Community-Based Health Interventions and Fertility Choices," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    7. Dean Spears & Sneha Lamba, 2016. "Effects of Early-Life Exposure to Sanitation on Childhood Cognitive Skills: Evidence from India’s Total Sanitation Campaign," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 51(2), pages 298-327.
    8. Richard Akresh & Emilie Bagby & Damien de Walque & Harounan Kazianga, "undated". "Child Labor, Schooling, and Child Ability (Presentation)," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 3a260bbbddf24704a8a35fce7, Mathematica Policy Research.
    9. Andrew Foster & Sveta Milusheva, 2015. "Household Recombination, Retrospective Evaluation, and the Effects of a Health and Family Planning Intervention," Working Papers id:7183, eSocialSciences.
    10. Ruthbah, Ummul, 2020. "Does lower fertility empower women? Evidence from rural Bangladesh," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 36(C).
    11. Olga Popova, 2016. "Suffer for the Faith? Parental Religiosity and Children’s Health," Working Papers 356, Leibniz Institut für Ost- und Südosteuropaforschung (Institute for East and Southeast European Studies).
    12. Emla Fitzsimons & Bansi Malde & Alice Mesnard & Marcos Vera-Hernandez, 2012. "Household responses to information on child nutrition: experimental evidence from Malawi," IFS Working Papers W12/07, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    13. Herrera-Almanza, Catalina & Rosales-Rueda, Maria F., 2023. "Community-based health programs and child vaccinations: Evidence from Madagascar," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    14. Tania Barham & Randall Kuhn, 2014. "Staying for Benefits: The Effect of a Health and Family Planning Program on Out-Migration Patterns in Bangladesh," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 49(4), pages 982-1013.
    15. Stefanie Mollborn, 2016. "Young Children’s Developmental Ecologies and Kindergarten Readiness," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 53(6), pages 1853-1882, December.
    16. Richard Akresh & Emilie Bagby & Damien de Walque & Harounan Kazianga, "undated". "Child Labor, Schooling, and Child Ability (Professional Paper)," Mathematica Policy Research Reports bac9373fb1b34111a24aa3147, Mathematica Policy Research.
    17. Spears, Dean & Lamba, Sneha, 2013. "Effects of early-life exposure to sanitation on childhood cognitive skills : evidence from India's total sanitation campaign," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6659, The World Bank.
    18. Akresh, Richard & Bagby, Emilie & de Walque, Damien & Kazianga, Harounan, 2012. "Child labor, schooling, and child ability," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5965, The World Bank.
    19. Orgill-Meyer, Jennifer & Pattanayak, Subhrendu K., 2020. "Improved sanitation increases long-term cognitive test scores," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    20. Gunes, Pinar Mine & Tsaneva, Magda, 2022. "The Effect of Brazil's Family Health Program on Cognitive Skills," IZA Discussion Papers 15784, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    21. Bancalari, Antonella & Bernal, Pedro & Celhay, Pablo & Martinez, Sebastian & Sánchez, Maria Deni, 2023. "An Ounce of Prevention for a Pound of Cure: Efficiency of Community-Based Healthcare," IZA Discussion Papers 16350, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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