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Sanitation and child health in India

Author

Listed:
  • Britta Augsburg

    (Institute for Fiscal Studies and Institute for Fiscal Studies)

  • Paul Rodríguez-Lesmes

    (Institute for Fiscal Studies)

Abstract

Our study contributes to the understanding of key drivers of stunted growth, a factor widely recognized as major impediment to human capital development. Speci cally, we examine the e ffects of sanitation coverage and usage on child height for age in a semi-urban setting in Northern India. We use instrumental variables to control for endogeneity of sanitation usage coverage. We fi nd that sanitation coverage plays a signi cant and positive role in height growth during the fi rst years of life.

Suggested Citation

  • Britta Augsburg & Paul Rodríguez-Lesmes, 2015. "Sanitation and child health in India," IFS Working Papers W15/32, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    • Handle: RePEc:ifs:ifsewp:15/32
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    Cited by:

    1. Rahman, Mohammad Hifz Ur & Malik, Manzoor Ahmad & Chauhan, Shekhar & Patel, Ratna & Singh, Ashish & Mittal, Anshu, 2020. "Examining the linkage between open defecation and child malnutrition in India," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    2. Augsburg, Britta & Malde, Bansi & Olorenshaw, Harriet & Wahhaj, Zaki, 2023. "To invest or not to invest in sanitation: The role of intra-household gender differences in perceptions and bargaining power," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    3. Bao, Yanxi & Liao, Tingxuan, 2024. "Multidimensional poverty and growth: Evidence from India 1998–2021," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    4. Abramovsky, Laura & Augsburg, Britta & Lührmann, Melanie & Oteiza, Francisco & Rud, Juan Pablo, 2023. "Community matters: Heterogeneous impacts of a sanitation intervention," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    5. Vani Kant Borooah, 2022. "Development, Sanitation and Personal Hygiene in India," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(1), pages 103-123, February.
    6. Saraswat, Deepak, 2024. "Gender composition of children and sanitation behavior in India," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    7. Aneesh M.R., 2021. "Quality of Drinking Water and Sanitation in India," Indian Journal of Human Development, , vol. 15(1), pages 138-152, April.
    8. Augsburg, Britta & Caeyers, Bet & Giunti, Sara & Malde, Bansi & Smets, Susanna, 2023. "Labeled loans and human capital investments," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    9. Revilla, Ma. Laarni D. & Qu, Fangqi & Seetharam, K E & Rao, Bhanoji, 2021. "“Sanitation” in the Top Development Journals: A Review," ADBI Working Papers 1253, Asian Development Bank Institute.
    10. Bakhtiar, M. Mehrab & Guiteras, Raymond P. & Levinsohn, James & Mobarak, Ahmed Mushfiq, 2023. "Social and financial incentives for overcoming a collective action problem," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    11. Kresch, Evan Plous & Walker, Mark & Best, Michael Carlos & Gerard, François & Naritomi, Joana, 2023. "Sanitation and property tax compliance: Analyzing the social contract in Brazil," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    12. Junpeng Li & Puneet Vatsa & Wanglin Ma, 2024. "Flush toilet use and its impact on health and non‐health expenditures," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(4), pages 2022-2046, May.
    13. Augsburg,Britta & Caeyers,Bet & Malde,Bansi Khimji, 2019. "Can Micro-Credit Support Public Health Subsidy Programs ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 8846, The World Bank.
    14. Augsburg,Britta & Caeyers,Bet & Giunti,Sara & Malde,Bansi Khimji & Smets,Susanna, 2019. "Labelled Loans, Credit Constraints and Sanitation Investments," Policy Research Working Paper Series 8845, The World Bank.
    15. Acheampong, Alex O. & Opoku, Eric Evans Osei & Tetteh, Godsway Korku, 2024. "Unveiling the effect of income inequality on safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH): Does financial inclusion matter?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    16. Pakhtigian, Emily L. & Pattanayak, Subhrendu K., 2024. "Social setting, gender, and preferences for improved sanitation: Evidence from experimental games in rural India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    17. Alex Armand & Britta Augsburg & Antonella Bancalari, 2021. "Coordination and the poor maintenance trap: an experiment on public infrastructure in India," NOVAFRICA Working Paper Series wp2110, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Nova School of Business and Economics, NOVAFRICA.
    18. Evan Plous Kresch & Molly Lipscomb & Laura Schechter, 2020. "Externalities and Spillovers from Sanitation and Waste Management in Urban and Rural Neighborhoods," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 42(3), pages 395-420, September.
    19. Anna Lunn, 2020. "Urban family ties and household latrines in rural India: A cross-sectional analysis of national data," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(7), pages 1-19, July.
    20. Gautam, Sanghmitra, 2023. "Quantifying welfare effects in the presence of externalities: An ex-ante evaluation of sanitation interventions," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    21. Wang, Dongqin & Shen, Yanni, 2022. "Sanitation and work time: Evidence from the toilet revolution in rural China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    22. Antonella Bancalari, 2020. "Can white elephants kill? Unintended consequences of infrastructure development in Peru," IFS Working Papers W20/32, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    23. Cameron, Lisa & Santos, Paulo & Thomas, Milan & Albert, Jeff, 2021. "Sanitation, financial incentives and health spillovers: A cluster randomised trial," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    24. Dossè Mawussi DJAHINI-AFAWOUBO, 2017. "Working Paper 267 - Does Access to Basic Services Matter for Child Health? Evidence From Togo," Working Paper Series 2384, African Development Bank.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    child health; sanitation coverage; open defecation; India;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure

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