Date of Graduation

Spring 5-18-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in International and Development Economics (MSIDEC)

College/School

College of Arts and Sciences

Department/Program

Economics

First Advisor

Andrew Hobbs

Abstract

Nutrition obtained during the growth period of childhood significantly influences long-term well-being and overall productivity, ultimately contributing to the economy of a society. However, weather shocks can wreak havoc by damaging crops, changing yields of important crops and disrupting market access, which directly impacts the food intake of both adults and children. When these adverse events occur during childhood, short term and long term inadequacy in nutrition as well as disease incidence can cause malnutrition leading to stunted growth and cognitive impairment that may persist into adulthood, affecting the labor market and increasing health expenditure. To address this issue, we derive causal relationships between temperature changes and weight-to-height z score in the three ecological regions of Nepal; Mountains, Hills, and Terai (flatland). We find that there is a positive and significant impact of temperature on children’s weight-to-height z score in the Terai region. An increase of 20 percent in the average growing degree days leads to 1 standard deviation growth in weight-to-height z score. This relation remains consistent in households where the head of households are involved in agriculture or salaried employment in the Terai region of Nepal.

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