There has been considerable attention placed on increasing schooling to improve health in developing countries. However, there is also an important mechanism through which health can affect education. Health can indirectly impact the demand for education: Poor health conditions in utero can biologically constrain cognitive development. Using a more scientifically credible research design than has been used in previous research, we outline a proposal to examine how reductions in micronutrient deficiency (specifically for folic acid, B6, and B12) in utero affect child schooling attainment in Tanzania. To execute this strategy, we follow up on data from a previous medical randomized trial of nutritional supplements offered to HIV-negative pregnant women in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The project expands our understanding of the role of demand-side physiological determinants of schooling on subsequent cross-country differences in human capital investment. While general human micronutrient deficiencies are likely to be resolved with improvements in economic outcomes by way of rising caloric intake, deficiency in utero for four nutrients in particular (B6, B9, B12, and iodine) has been biologically linked to irreversible and continuous damage to a person's cognitive development. Because of this persistent effect on learning over the lifespan of individuals, we focus only on these nutrients' impact on their subsequent effect on economic outcomes. Of particular interest is the possible role of micronutrient deficiency in explaining gender differences in schooling outcomes.

Contact Information:
Plamen Nikolov, plamen_nikolov@harvard.edu, Harvard University and National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)