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The Impact of Early Childhood Rainfall Shocks on the Evolution of Cognitive and Non-cognitive Skills

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Abstract
This paper is the first to estimate the extent to which early childhood climatic shocks affect both cognitive and non-cognitive skills as measured at multiple points in childhood and adolescence. We assess the impact of rainfall observed in utero and during the first two years of life by analyzing a rich longitudinal study of rural youth in a poor province in China. Our empirical strategy entails estimating the impact of rainfall on various measures of cognitive and non-cognitive skills utilizing a reduced form strategy, conditional on county and year-of-birth fixed effects. The results indicate that there is a significant impact of early shocks, particularly shocks in utero and in the first year of life, on cognitive skills, but that this impact may be declining over time. There is little evidence of any impact on non-cognitive skills. We also present evidence that the declining salience of early shocks is consistent with compensatory strategies employed by parents.

Suggested Citation

  • Jessica Leight & Paul Glewwe & Albert Park, 2015. "The Impact of Early Childhood Rainfall Shocks on the Evolution of Cognitive and Non-cognitive Skills," Department of Economics Working Papers 2016-14, Department of Economics, Williams College, revised Oct 2016.
    • Handle: RePEc:wil:wileco:2016-14
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    2. Mochamad Pasha & Marc Rockmore & Chih Ming Tan, 2019. "Positive Early Life Rainfall Shocks and Adult Mental Health," Working Paper series 19-09, Rimini Centre for Economic Analysis.
    3. Acosta,Pablo Ariel & Baez Ramirez,Javier Eduardo & Caruso,German Daniel & Carcach,Carlos, 2020. "The Scars of Civil War: The Long-Term Welfare Effects of the Salvadoran Armed Conflict," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9430, The World Bank.
    4. Rachid Laaja & Karen Macours, 2021. "Measuring Skills in Developing Countries," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 56(4), pages 1254-1295.
    5. Farris, Jarrad G. & Jin, Songqing & Maredia, Mywish K. & Porter, Maria, 2018. "Assessing Heterogeneity in the Child Growth Impacts of In-Utero Rainfall Shocks in Rural Rwanda," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 274230, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    6. Chih Ming Tan & Xiao Wang & Xiaobo Zhang, 2024. "It's all in the stars: The Chinese zodiac and the effects of parental investments on offspring's cognitive and noncognitive skill development," Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(3), pages 877-920, July.
    7. Perkins, Jessica M. & Kim, Rockli & Krishna, Aditi & McGovern, Mark & Aguayo, Victor M. & Subramanian, S.V., 2017. "Understanding the association between stunting and child development in low- and middle-income countries: Next steps for research and intervention," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 101-109.
    8. Mochamad Pasha & Marc Rockmore & Chih Ming Tan & Dhanushka Thamarapani, 2023. "Early Life Exposure to Above Average Rainfall and Adult Mental Health," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 85(4), pages 692-717, August.
    9. Caroline Krafft, 2015. "The Determinants of Child Health Disparities in Jordan," Working Papers 950, Economic Research Forum, revised Sep 2015.

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