This paper investigates the effects of prenatal exposure to extreme temperatures on birth outcomes - specifically, the log of birth weight and an indicator for low birth weight - using a nationally representative dataset in rural China. During the span of our data (i.e., 1991-2000), indoor...

We examine the role of early childhood health in human capital accumulation. Using a unique data set from Ghana with comprehensive information on individual, family, community, school quality characteristics and a direct measure of intelligence together with test scores, we examine the long term...

The importance of (early) parental investments in children's cognitive and noncognitive outcomes is a question of deep policy significance. However, because parental investments are arguably endogenous, it is a great challenge to empirically estimate their importance. This paper exploits a rich...

The effect of early exposure to malnutrition on the next generation’s cognitive abilities has rarely been studied in human beings in large part due to lack of data. A natural experiment, the Great Chinese Famine, and a novel dataset are employed to study this effect. The paper finds that the...