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Height in mid childhood and psychosocial competencies in late childhood: Evidence from four developing countries

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  • Dercon, Stefan
  • Sánchez, Alan

Abstract

We use longitudinal data from children growing up in four developing countries (Peru, India, Vietnam, Ethiopia) to study the relationship between height at the age of 7–8 and a set of psychosocial competencies measured at the age of 11–12 that are known to be correlated with earnings during adulthood: self-efficacy, self-esteem and aspirations. Results show that a one standard deviation increase in height-for-age tends to increase self-efficacy, self-esteem and aspirations by 10.4%, 6.4% and 5.1%, respectively. We argue that these findings are likely to be informing of an underlying relationship between undernutrition and the formation of non-cognitive skills.

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  • Dercon, Stefan & Sánchez, Alan, 2013. "Height in mid childhood and psychosocial competencies in late childhood: Evidence from four developing countries," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 426-432.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:11:y:2013:i:4:p:426-432
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2013.04.001
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    Cited by:

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    2. Liyousew Gebremedhin Borga, 2019. "Children’s Own Time Use and its Effect on Skill Formation," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(5), pages 876-893, May.
    3. Caroline Krafft, 2022. "The determinants of inequality in child nutrition status: Evidence from Jordan," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(1), pages 112-132, February.
    4. Mohammad Mainul Hoque & Elizabeth M. King & Claudio E. Montenegro & Peter F. Orazem, 2019. "Revisiting the relationship between longevity and lifetime education: global evidence from 919 surveys," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 32(2), pages 551-589, April.
    5. Justine Herve & Subha Mani & Jere Behrman & Arindam Nandi & Anjana Sankhil Lamkang & Ramanan Laxminarayan, 2021. "Gender Gaps in Cognitive and Noncognitive Skills: Roles of SES and Gender Attitudes," PIER Working Paper Archive 21-007, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania.
    6. Aurino, Elisabetta, 2017. "Do boys eat better than girls in India? Longitudinal evidence on dietary diversity and food consumption disparities among children and adolescents," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 99-111.
    7. Hervé, Justine & Mani, Subha & Behrman, Jere R. & Nandi, Arindam & Lamkang, Anjana Sankhil & Laxminarayan, Ramanan, 2022. "Gender gaps in cognitive and noncognitive skills among adolescents in India," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 66-97.
    8. Tran, Tam Ngo Minh, 2022. "Skills and educational aspirations as predictors of secondary school dropout in Vietnam: A dynamic approach," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    9. Mariapia Mendola & Mengesha Yayo Negasi, 2019. "Nutritional and Schooling Impact of a Cash Transfer Program in Ethiopia: A Retrospective Analysis of Childhood Experience," Development Working Papers 451, Centro Studi Luca d'Agliano, University of Milano.
    10. Marphatia, Akanksha A. & Reid, Alice M. & Yajnik, Chittaranjan S., 2019. "Developmental origins of secondary school dropout in rural India and its differential consequences by sex: A biosocial life-course analysis," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 8-23.
    11. Mookerjee, Mehreen & Ojha, Manini & Roy, Sanket, 2023. "Family planning practices: Examining the link between contraception and child health," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    12. Wuepper, David & Sauer, Johannes, 2016. "Explaining the performance of contract farming in Ghana: The role of self-efficacy and social capital," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 11-27.
    13. Toshiaki Aizawa, 2020. "Trajectory of inequality of opportunity in child height growth: Evidence from the Young Lives study," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 42(7), pages 165-202.
    14. Cheng, Zhiming & Tani, Massimiliano & Wang, Haining, 2021. "Energy poverty and entrepreneurship," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    15. Himaz, Rozana, 2018. "Stunting later in childhood and outcomes as a young adult: Evidence from India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 344-357.
    16. Arapa, Briyit & Sánchez, Eduardo & Hurtado-Mazeyra, Alejandra & Sánchez, Alan, 2021. "The relationship between access to pre-school education and the development of social-emotional competencies: Longitudinal evidence from Peru," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    17. Chandra, Anjali & Mani, Subha & Dolphin, Heather & Dyson, Meredith & Marah, Yembeh, 2021. "Experimental Evidence from an Integrated Early Childhood Parenting Program in Sierra Leone," IZA Discussion Papers 14054, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Bethelhem Debela & Gerald Shively & Stein Holden, 2015. "Does Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program improve child nutrition?," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 7(6), pages 1273-1289, December.
    19. Elisabetta Aurino & Francesco Burchi, 2017. "Children’s Multidimensional Health and Medium-Term Cognitive Skills in Low- and Middle-Income Countries," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 29(2), pages 289-311, April.
    20. Alan Sánchez, 2013. "The Structural Relationship between Nutrition, Cognitive and Non-cognitive Skills Evidence from four developing countries (Documento de trabajo 111 – La relación estructural entre nutrición, habilidad," Documentos de Trabajo (Niños del Milenio-GRADE) ninosm111, Niños del Milenio (Young Lives).
    21. Yang, Xiao & Gao, Jian & Liu, Jin-Hu & Zhou, Tao, 2018. "Height conditions salary expectations: Evidence from large-scale data in China," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 501(C), pages 86-97.
    22. Katie Wright, 2016. "Intergenerational Transfers over the Life Course: Addressing Temporal and Gendered Complexities via a Human Well-being Approach," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 16(3), pages 278-288, July.
    23. Caroline Krafft, 2015. "The Determinants of Child Health Disparities in Jordan," Working Papers 950, Economic Research Forum, revised Sep 2015.

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