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The effects of weather shocks on early childhood development: Evidence from 25 years of tropical storms in Jamaica

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  • Beuermann, Diether W.
  • Pecha, Camilo J.

Abstract

This study analyses the effects of exposure to tropical storms and hurricanes during pregnancy on children’s anthropometric measures taken within the first five years of life. We merge destruction indexes calculated at the district level with 13 yearly rounds of household level surveys from Jamaica. The empirical strategy exploits variation arising from the storms’ timing and intensity across different cohorts within the same district. The findings rule out medium-to-large overall adverse effects of tropical storms. However, when expectant mothers living in coastal-rural areas are affected by the cumulative destruction of two hurricanes, their children experience negative impacts on both weight-for-age and weight-for-height measures.

Suggested Citation

  • Beuermann, Diether W. & Pecha, Camilo J., 2020. "The effects of weather shocks on early childhood development: Evidence from 25 years of tropical storms in Jamaica," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:37:y:2020:i:c:s1570677x19300474
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2020.100851
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    Cited by:

    1. Wu, Wenjie & Zhe, Yang & Kim, Jun Hyung & Yue, Ai, 2023. "Effects of Early Childhood Climate on Cognitive Development and Home Environment," IZA Discussion Papers 16017, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Pazos, Nicolás & Favara, Marta & Sánchez, Alan & Scott, Douglas & Behrman, Jere, 2024. "Long-term effects of early life rainfall shocks on foundational cognitive skills: Evidence from Peru," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    3. Aimable Nsabimana & Justice Tei Mensah, 2020. "Weather shocks and child nutrition: Evidence from Tanzania," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2020-57, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    4. Tamás Hajdu & Gábor Hajdu, 2020. "Temperature, climate change and birth weight: Evidence from Hungary," CERS-IE WORKING PAPERS 2032, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Health shock; Anthropometric measurements; Tropical storms;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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