APL (Ajiken Power Lunch)

APL (Ajiken Power Lunch) is a lunchtime workshop open to public, including IDE staffs, visiting research fellows, IDEAS students, outside researchers and graduate students. This workshop provides a platform for presentation of any work in progress where we can discuss in either English or Japanese.

Those who would attend a seminar are asked to announce yourself to receptionists on your arrival at the IDE and to obtain APL Organizers' signature on your admission card after the seminar.

February 18, 2016. (Thursday) 12：30-14：00

Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization C23 Meeting Room 　

Impact of Rural Electrification on Children's Nutrition Status in Bangladesh

We study the impact of electrification in the nutrition status of children under five in rural Bangladesh. Using four rounds Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey data at individual level, adoption of electricity is found to positively affect children's nutritional status as measured by their height-for-age z-score, the results are robust after controlling for variables that are proxy of the household wealth status. The results are further supported by pseudo-panel analysis using two sets of synthetic data after taking the location specific effect and mother cohort specific effect into consideration. Our estimation results show that access to electricity helps improve the height-for-age of children by around 0.2 standard deviation. Another way to address the potential endogeneity problem is to use the indicators for quality of electricity service delivery and infrastructure development as instrumental variables for electrification status at household level. The positive and significant effect still holds with instrumental variable approach. We also discuss about the possible channels to achieve such an impact.

Tomoki Fujii (Singapore Management University (SMU))

Abu SHONCHOY

English