Lisa C. Smith

Bio: Lisa C. Smith is an academic researcher from International Food Policy Research Institute. The author has contributed to research in topics: Food security & Malnutrition. The author has an hindex of 24, co-authored 49 publications receiving 4285 citations. Previous affiliations of Lisa C. Smith include CGIAR.

Explaining Child Malnutrition in Developing Countries: A Cross-Country Analysis

Abstract: "One in three pre-school children in the developing world is undernourished. As a consequence, their human rights are violated. In addition, they are more likely to have impaired immune systems, poorer cognitive development, lower productivity as adults, and greater susceptibility to diet-related chronic diseases such as hypertension and coronary heart disease later in life. Undernourished female preschoolers are likely to grow into undernourished young women who are more likely to give birth to babies who are undernourished even before they are born, thus perpetuating the inter-generational transmission of deprivation. Reducing these unacceptably high numbers remains a tremendous challenge to public policy. As a guide to the direction of future efforts, this research report examines the success of the efforts of the past 25 years to reduce preschooler undernutrition. The report uses an econometric model to identify the factors associated with the reduction in undernutrition. The formulation of the econometric model is guided by the widely accepted food-care-health conceptual model of child growth. The contributions of both underlying and basic determinants to reductions in undernutrition are assessed using the model. The potential of these factors to further reduce undernutrition is evaluated in a region-by-region priority-setting exercise. In addition, projections of child nutrition are made under various scenarios to the year 2020. What will it take to dramatically reduce undernutrition in the next 20 years? The report attempts some broad answers to these questions..." (Forward by Per Pinstrup-Andersen)

Why is Child Malnutrition Lower In Urban Than In Rural Areas? Evidence From 36 Developing Countries

Abstract: Summary This study asks whether key socioeconomic determinants of child nutritional status differ across urban and rural areas to investigate why urban malnutrition rates are lower. Little evidence of urban–rural differences in the nature of the determinants or the strength of their associations with nutritional status is found. However, marked differences in the levels of the determinants and in caring practices for children and women in favor of urban areas are documented. The study results suggest that lower urban malnutrition is due to a series of more favorable socioeconomic conditions, in turn leading to better caring practices for children and their mothers.

Reducing Child Undernutrition: Past Drivers and Priorities for the Post-MDG Era

Abstract: Summary As the post-MDG era approaches in 2016, reducing child undernutrition is gaining high priority on the international development agenda, both as a maker and marker of development. Revisiting Smith and Haddad (2000), we use data from 1970 to 2012 for 116 countries, finding that safe water access, sanitation, women’s education, gender equality, and the quantity and quality of food available in countries have been key drivers of past reductions in stunting. Income growth and governance played essential facilitating roles. Complementary to nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programs and policies, accelerating reductions in undernutrition in the future will require increased investment in these priority areas.

Can FAO's measure of chronic undernourishment be strengthened?

Abstract: In its Sixth World Food Survey released at the 1996 World Food Summit, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported that 841 million people in developing countries are chronically undernourished. This number and its country and regional-level disaggregations have proved tremendously useful to countless development aid agencies and researchers. In the context of a recent wave of new nationally-representative household food consumption and expenditure surveys, this paper examines the estimation methodology underlying the food insecurity measure, which relies on national aggregate measures of food availability and distribution. The paper finds that the measure largely reflects national food availabilities and does not adequately capture people's ability to gain access to food – the ultimate key to food security. The implications for the indicator's use by policy makers in geographical targeting and tracking changes in food insecurity over time are drawn out. The paper concludes by arguing that the time has come to review the potential for employing the new household survey data, along with new methods, to strengthen the empirical foundations of FAO's measure.

The Importance Of Women's Status For Child Nutrition In Developing Countries:

Abstract: The study sets out to answer three main questions: First is women’s status an important determinant of child nutritional status in the three study regions? Second if so what are the pathways through which it operates? And finally why is South Asia’s child malnutrition rate so much higher than SSA’s? To answer these questions this report brings together Demographic and Health Survey data on 117242 children under three years of age from 36 developing countries. It uses two measures of women’s status: women’s decision-making power relative to that of their male partners and the degree of equality between women and men in their communities. The empirical results leave no doubt that higher women’s status has a significant positive effect on children’s nutritional status in all three regions. Further they confirm that women’s status impacts child nutrition because women with higher status have better nutritional status themselves are better cared for and provide higher quality care to their children. However the strength of influence of women’s status and the pathways through which it influences child nutrition differ considerably across regions. (excerpt)

Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health

Abstract: The Commission on Social Determinants of Health, created to marshal the evidence on what can be done to promote health equity and to foster a global movement to achieve it, is a global collaboration of policy makers, researchers, and civil society, led by commissioners with a unique blend of political, academic, and advocacy experience. The focus of attention is on countries at all levels of income and development. The commission launched its final report on August 28, 2008. This paper summarises the key findings and recommendations; the full list is in the final report.

Estimation and Inference in Econometrics

Abstract: Offering a unifying theoretical perspective not readily available in any other text, this innovative guide to econometrics uses simple geometrical arguments to develop students' intuitive understanding of basic and advanced topics, emphasizing throughout the practical applications of modern theory and nonlinear techniques of estimation. One theme of the text is the use of artificial regressions for estimation, reference, and specification testing of nonlinear models, including diagnostic tests for parameter constancy, serial correlation, heteroscedasticity, and other types of mis-specification. Explaining how estimates can be obtained and tests can be carried out, the authors go beyond a mere algebraic description to one that can be easily translated into the commands of a standard econometric software package. Covering an unprecedented range of problems with a consistent emphasis on those that arise in applied work, this accessible and coherent guide to the most vital topics in econometrics today is indispensable for advanced students of econometrics and students of statistics interested in regression and related topics. It will also suit practising econometricians who want to update their skills. Flexibly designed to accommodate a variety of course levels, it offers both complete coverage of the basic material and separate chapters on areas of specialized interest.

World Agriculture: Towards 2015/2030: An Fao Perspective

Abstract: This report is FAO's latest assessment of the long-term outlook for the world's food supplies, nutrition and agriculture. It presents the projections and the main messages. The projections cover supply and demand for the major agricultural commodities and sectors, including fisheries and forestry. This analysis forms the basis for a more detailed examination of other factors, such as nutrition and undernourishment, and the implications for international trade. The report also investigates the implications of future supply and demand for the natural resource base and discusses how technology can contribute to more sustainable development. One of the report's main findings is that, if no corrective action is taken, the target set by the World Food Summit in 1996 (that of halving the number of undernourished people by 2015) is not going to be met. Nothing short of a massive effort at improving the overall development performance will free the developing world of its most pressing food insecurity problems. The progress made towards this target depends on many factors, not least of which are political will and the mobilization of additional resources. Past experience underlines the crucial role of agriculture in the development process, particularly where the majority of the population still depends on this sector for employment and income.