Investigating children welfare inequalities in Western Africa : natural shocks, family structure and unequal access to household ressources

This doctoral thesis analyzes children welfare in Western African where societies are characterized by a large economic instability and an unequal access to resources among members of a same household. Exposure to high downside risk to income and livelihoods generates inter-generational poverty traps mechanisms for the most exposed individuals. Shocks intensity, life periods and the strategies implemented both ex ante and ex post to cope with risk are many potential channels for enhanced vulnerability. The first essay exploits a natural shock i.e. locust plague, to investigate the long-term impact of income shocks on the well-being of children, estimated by educational outcomes. The second essay focus on the consequences of early marriage, a marital practice still very widespread in West Africa, on child mortality in Senegal. Finally, the third essay studies the consequences of out-of-wedlock births, a rising phenomenon contrasting with the overall fertility decline observed in the region, on women and children’s welfare.