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The educational impact of shocks in utero: Evidence from Rwanda

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  • Bundervoet, Tom
  • Fransen, Sonja

Abstract

Research on the impact of violence and conflict on education typically focuses on exposure among a cohort of school-aged children. In line with the fetal origins hypothesis, this paper studies the long-run effect of exposure to adverse maternal health shocks while still in the womb. Exploiting the sudden and discrete nature of the Rwandan genocide and an identification strategy based on temporal and spatial variation, we find that the cohort in utero during the genocide reported on average 0.3 fewer years of schooling in the 2012 Rwanda. Population and Housing Census and was 8% points less likely to finish primary school relative to the cohort in utero just a couple of months later.

Suggested Citation

  • Bundervoet, Tom & Fransen, Sonja, 2018. "The educational impact of shocks in utero: Evidence from Rwanda," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 88-101.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:29:y:2018:i:c:p:88-101
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2018.01.005
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    2. Chang, Grace & Favara, Marta & Novella, Rafael, 2022. "The origins of cognitive skills and non-cognitive skills: The long-term effect of in-utero rainfall shocks in India," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 44(C).
    3. Serratos-Sotelo, L.;, 2019. "Were there long-term economic effects of exposure to Polio Vaccination?: An analysis of migrants to Sweden 1946-2003," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 19/19, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    4. Serratos-Sotelo, Luis & Bengtsson, Tommy & Nilsson, Anton, 2019. "The long-term economic effects of polio: Evidence from the introduction of the polio vaccine to Sweden in 1957," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 32-41.
    5. Fitz, Dylan & League, Riley, 2020. "The impact of early-life shocks on adult welfare in Brazil: Questions of measurement and timing," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
    6. Berthelon, Matias & Kruger, Diana & Sanchez, Rafael, 2021. "Maternal stress during pregnancy and early childhood development," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    7. Hirvonen, Kalle & Sohnesen, Thomas Pave & Bundervoet, Tom, 2020. "Impact of Ethiopia’s 2015 drought on child undernutrition," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    8. Vincenzo Atella & Edoardo Di Porto & Joanna Kopinska & Maarten Lindeboom, 2024. "Traumatic Experiences Adversely Affect Life Cycle Labor Market Outcomes of the Next Generation—Evidence from Wwii Nazi Raids," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 22(2), pages 963-1009.
    9. Lee, Ines, 2024. "Co-benefits from health and health systems to education," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    10. Frederik Wild & David Stadelmann, 2024. "Heterogeneous Effects of Women's Schooling on Fertility, Literacy and Work: Evidence from Burundi's Free Primary Education Policy," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 33(1), pages 67-91.
    11. Abeliansky, Ana Lucia & Strulik, Holger, 2020. "Season of birth, health and aging," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 36(C).
    12. Clark, Andrew E. & D’Ambrosio, Conchita & Rohde, Nicholas, 2021. "Prenatal economic shocks and birth outcomes in UK cohort data," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    13. Ogasawara, Kota, 2018. "The long-run effects of pandemic influenza on the development of children from elite backgrounds: Evidence from industrializing Japan," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 125-137.

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