INCOME, ECONOMIC SHOCKS, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND CHILD GROWTH

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This study will examine the economic determinants of child growth in height and weight using a unique database drawn from recently collected household and community level panel data from the Cte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Pakistan. Within the context of a dynamic reduced form child growth function, we will focus on both household and community level determinants. At the household level, we will measure the impact of long run characteristics (in particular, parental education and permanent income) as well as income shocks, permitting the impacts to vary by gender of the child. We will use auxiliary time series and regional data on determinants of income to estimate permanent and transitory income. If part of income is transitory, then there is scope for catch up in growth after a negative income shock. We will measure the extent of catch-up allowing it to depend on household resources, parental education, gender of the child and the size of the shock. At the community level, we will analyze the effect of the availability and price of infrastructure and health services on child growth. In addition, special survey data from the Cte d'Ivoire and Ghana provide detailed information on the quality of health services; thus, we will distinguish the relative impacts on child growth of the availability and quality of health care and nutrition programs. We will also permit interactions between community characteristics and household characteristics to identify those children who are likely to gain most from investments in community services. The Ivorian and Ghanian data were collected by the World Bank over four years with each household being visited twice (one year apart). The Pakistani survey, collected by the International Food Policy Research Institute, is a panel covering three years with each household visited four times per year.