We use unique data to estimate the determinants of cognitive ability among 14 to 17 year olds in Senegal. Unlike standard school-based samples, tests were administered to current students as well as to children no longer - or never - enrolled. Years of schooling strongly affects cognitive...

We use the natural experiment of twins at first birth to estimate the effects of unplanned fertility on the nutritional status and school enrollment of children in Romania, a country with a unique fertility history. A first birth twins shock has negative impacts on children's human capital...

It is widely recognized that women in developing countries have dual roles as generators of household income and as primary caregivers to their children. Many policies directed at reducing poverty or malnutrition involve one or the other of these roles. Programs to reduce child malnutrition, for...

This paper reviews several decades of empirical research on the effects of women's work on investments in children's human capital - their nutrition and schooling - in developing countries. No clear relationship between women's work and nutrition emerges from a large body of studies examining...

This paper examines the relationship between maternal employment and infant health in the context of a large workfare program that explicitly prioritizes female participation, India’s National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Using multiple estimation strategies including a triple difference...

We use unique data to estimate the determinants of cognitive ability among 14-17 year-olds in Senegal. Unlike standard school-based samples, tests were administered to current students as well as to children no longer - or never - enrolled. Years of schooling strongly affects cognitive skills,...