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Three Essays in Development Economics

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Abstract:
This dissertation is composed of three essays in development economics. The first investigates the effect of rural economic growth brought about by migration and remittances on Nepal's Himalayan forests. A unique village-panel data set combining remote sensing data on land use and forest cover change with multiple rounds of living standards survey is assembled to test various inter-relationships between population, economic growth and forest cover. Our results suggest that rural economic growth spurred by remittances has had a positive impact on forests. Although remittances also have a significant effect on local wages and land prices, the primary channel through which it seems to affect forests is through income.<br/> The second essay examines the income elasticity of micronutrients and their changes during periods of sharp increase in food prices using data from two household surveys in Indonesia conducted before (1996) and after (1999) the Asian financial crisis. The primary finding is that the income elasticity of some key micronutrients, such as iron, calcium and vitamin B1 are significantly higher in a crisis year than in a normal year while those for for some others – such as vitamin C – remain close to zero. These results suggest that cash transfer programs might be even more effective during crises to ensure the consumption of essential micronutrients.<br/> The third essay investigates the relationship between rainfall shocks and child health using three most recent rounds of Demographic and Health Surveys in Nepal. Precipitation data from an expansive network of stations is used to interpolate rainfall in each survey cluster using exact geo-coordinates. The findings reveal that rainfall shocks have robust impact on child health in the short run. Particularly, point estimates suggest that 10% deviation in a completed monsoon rainfall from its long-term historical normal causes a 0.17 standard deviation change in weight-for-height, or 21% of the median weight-for-height in our sample. Finally, the short run impacts do not seem to transmit to the medium or long term, suggesting the possibility that children catch up by the time they turn three.
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Thesis (Ph.D. -- Brown University (2013)

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Citation

Tiwari, Sailesh, "Three Essays in Development Economics" (2013). Economics Theses and Dissertations. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library. https://doi.org/10.7301/Z0CN727N

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