Physical height is an important economic variable reflecting health and human capital. Puzzlingly, however, differences in average height across developing countries are not well explained by differences in wealth. In particular, children in India are shorter, on average, than children in Africa...

Early life health and net nutrition shape childhood and adult cognitive skills and human capital. In poor countries-and especially in South Asia-widespread open defecation without making use of a toilet or latrine is an important source of childhood disease. This paper studies the effects on...