With the Help of One's Neighbors : Externalities in the Production of Nutrition in Peru
Both public, and private resources contribute to children's nutritional status. And investments by one household may improve health in other neighborhood households, by improving the sanitation environment, and increasing shared knowledge. The...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2014
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2001/06/1551926/help-ones-neighbors-externalities-production-nutrition-peru http://hdl.handle.net/10986/19603 |
| Summary: | Both public, and private resources
contribute to children's nutritional status. And
investments by one household may improve health in other
neighborhood households, by improving the sanitation
environment, and increasing shared knowledge. The authors
measure the externalities of investments in nutrition, by
indicating the impact of women's education in Peruvian
neighborhoods, on children's nutrition in other
households, after controlling for those households'
education, and income. They find that in rural areas this
shared knowledge has a significant impact on nutrition. The
coefficient of an increase in the average education in the
neighborhood is appreciably larger than the coefficient of
education in isolation. That is, educating women in rural
areas, improves all children's nutritional status, even
for those whose caregivers are themselves not educated. In
both urban, and rural areas, they observe externalities from
investments in sanitation made by neighboring households.
They do not find the same externalities in the case of
investments, only in the household water supply. There is a
direct link between the caregivers' education, and
their children's health status. Education transmits
information about health, and nutrition. It teaches
numeracy, and literacy, which help caregivers read labels,
and instructions. Bu exposing caregivers to new
environments, it makes them receptive to modern medical
treatment. It gives women the confidence to participate in
decision-making within a household, and it gives men, and
women the confidence to interact with health care professionals. |
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