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Extreme Weather Events and Child Height: Evidence from Mongolia

Author

Listed:
  • Valeria Groppo
  • Kati Schindler
Abstract
We provide new evidence on the impact of one severe weather shock on child height in Mongolia. Our focus is on the extremely harsh winter – locally referred to as dzud – of 2009/10, which caused more than 23 percent of the national livestock to perish. This resulted in a food insecurity situation for many Mongolian households. Our analysis identifies causal effects by exploiting exogenous variation in the intensity of the shock across time and space. Results reveal that the shock significantly slowed the growth trajectory of exposed children from herding households. This negative effect is still observable three years after the shock and, hence, likely to persist. Moreover, we explore the role of socioeconomic characteristics and mitigation channels to cushion the impact of the weather shock. Wealthier households and households led by a more experienced head are better able to protect their children from the negative consequences of the 2009/10 winter shock. There are also gender-specific effects, with boys more strongly affected than girls. There is indicative evidence showing that the provision of emergency aid mitigates the negative consequences of the dzud. Moreover, child height has a significant and positive association with households’ receipt of informal help. Our findings are robust to alternative measures of shock intensity.

Suggested Citation

  • Valeria Groppo & Kati Schindler, 2014. "Extreme Weather Events and Child Height: Evidence from Mongolia," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1403, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwwpp:dp1403
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Aid; anthropometrics; children; health; Mongolia; weather shocks;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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