A dose-response model of road development and child nutrition in Nepal

Transportation development accompanies economic development, both as a driver of growth and as an outcome of economy-wide investments made possible by growth. Evidence of the effects of roads and road quality on human well-being is limited. This paper studies the association between district-level transportation infrastructure and district-average child nutrition outcomes in Nepal. The authors combine two rounds of nationally representative data on child growth from the 2006 and 2011 Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys with district-level information on roads and road quality. The authors estimate a dose-response function for height-for-age and weight-for-height z-scores. Results suggest that roads and road quality matter for short- and long-term nutrition outcomes for children under five years of age. Using a spatial econometric model the authors also observe statistically significant geographic spillovers from roads, suggesting broad and beneficial health and nutrition payoffs from transportation development.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.retrec.2018.11.002
• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0739885917302603
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/07398859
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2018 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Thapa, Ganesh
  • Shively, Gerald
• Publication Date: 2018-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 112-124
• Serial:
  • Research in Transportation Economics
  • Volume: 70
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0739-8859
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/07398859

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Children; Demographics; Development; Econometrics; Health; Infants; Preschool children; Road construction; Social impacts
• Uncontrolled Terms: Nutrition
• Geographic Terms: Nepal
• Subject Areas: Construction; Environment; Highways; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01687738
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 5 2018 9:43AM