Document Type
Article
Peer Reviewed
1
Publication Date
12-31-2011
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Forum for Health Economics & Policy
Volume
14
NLM Title Abbreviation
Forum Health Econ Policy
DOI
DOI: 10.2202/1558-9544.1237
Abstract
This paper assesses the effects of household investments through child educating activities on child neurodevelopment between the ages of 3 and 24 months, and evaluates whether investments explain racial and socioeconomic developmental gaps in South America. Quantile regression is used to evaluate the heterogeneity in investment effects by unobserved developmental endowments. The study finds large positive investment effects on early child neurodevelopment, with generally larger effects among children with low developmental endowments (children at the left margin of the development distribution). Investments explain part of the observed racial gaps and the whole socioeconomic developmental gap. Investments may compensate for low endowments and policy interventions to increase investments may reduce early development gaps and result in high social and economic returns.
Keywords
child development; neurodevelopment; child health; health investment; quantile regression
Rights
Copyright 2011, De Gruyter
URL
http://ir.uiowa.edu/nursing_pubs/1727
