Showing papers by "Elizabeth Frankenberg published in 2002"

Health, nutrition and prosperity: a microeconomic perspective

Abstract: A positive correlation between health and economic prosperity has been widely documented, but the extent to which this reflects a causal effect of health on economic outcomes is very controversial. Two classes of evidence are examined. First, carefully designed random assignment studies in the laboratory and field provide compelling evidence that nutritional deficiency - particularly iron deficiency - reduces work capacity and, in some cases, work output. Confidence in these results is bolstered by a good understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms. Some random assignment studies indicate an improved yield from health services in the labour market. Second, observational studies suggest that general markers of nutritional status, such as height and body mass index (BMI), are significant predictors of economic success although their interpretation is confounded by the fact that they reflect influences from early childhood and family background. Energy intake and possibly the quality of the diet have also been found to be predictive of economic success in observational studies. However, the identification of causal pathways in these studies is difficult and involves statistical assumptions about unobserved heterogeneity that are difficult to test. Illustrations using survey data demonstrate the practical importance of this concern. Furthermore, failure to take into account the dynamic interplay between changes in health and economic status has led to limited progress being reported in the literature. A broadening of random assignment studies to measure the effects of an intervention on economic prosperity, investment in population-based longitudinal socioeconomic surveys, and application of emerging technologies for a better measure of health in these surveys will yield very high returns in improving our understanding of how health influences economic prosperity.

Patterns of Intergenerational Transfers in Southeast Asia

Abstract: This article explores motivations for intergenerational exchanges of time and money using data from Indonesia. The extent of exchange and underlying motivations differ across families but substantial evidence supports the theory that transfers within families serve as insurance for family members. The results also suggest that between some parents and children money is exchanged for time. Additionally, some evidence is consistent with the idea that parents pay for their children's education partly as a loan that is later repaid. The authors compare their results to those that they obtained previously for Malaysia using similar data and methods. The findings regarding motivations for transfers are remarkably similar across the two countries.

Wages, Employment and Economic Shocks: Evidence from Indonesia

Abstract: After over a quarter century of sustained economic growth, Indonesia was struck by a large and unanticipated crisis at the end of the 20th Century. Real GDP declined by about 12% in 1998. Using 13 years of annual labor force data in conjunction with two waves of a household panel, the Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS), this paper examines the impact of the crisis on labor market outcomes.

Stability and change in living arrangements in Indonesia, Singapore, and Taiwan, 1993-99

Abstract: We use longitudinal data from Indonesia, Singapore, and Taiwan to examine stability and change in the co-residence of older adults and their children. Longitudinal data support the analysis of transitions in living arrangements. We focus on how life-cycle characteristics of older adults and their children are related to co-residence at a point in time, to maintaining co-residence over time, and to transitions into and out of co-residence. We find that many of the characteristics found to be associated with co-residence at baseline interviews exhibit an even stronger association with continued co-residence over time. While some of the results support the interpretation that co-residence provides support for parents as they age, the needs of children also play an important role in the decision to co-reside.

Health, nutrition and economic prosperity: A micro-economic perspective

Abstract: The positive correlation between health and economic prosperity has been widely documented. The extent to which this reflects a causal effect of health on economic outcomes is very controversial. Two classes of evidence are examined. Carefully designed random assignment laboratory and field studies provide compelling evidence that nutrient deficiency -- particularly iron -- reduces work capacity and, in some cases, work output. Confidence in these results is bolstered by a good understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms. Some random assignment studies indicate improved health services yield returns in the labor market. Observational studies suggest that general dimensions of nutritional status, such as height and body mass index, are significant predictors of economic success although their interpretation is confounded because they reflect influences of early childhood investments and family background. Energy intake and possibly diet quality have also been found to be predictive of economic success in observational studies. However, identification of causal pathways in observational studies is difficult and involves statistical assumptions about unobserved heterogeneity that are difficult to test. Illustrations using survey data demonstrate the practical importance of this concern. Furthermore, failure to take into account the dynamic interplay between changes in health and economic status has limited progress in this literature. Broadening random assignment studies to measure effects of an intervention on economic prosperity, investing in population-based longitudinal socio-economic surveys, and exploiting emerging technologies to better measure health in those surveys will yield very high returns in developing a better understanding of how health influence economic prosperity.