Disease and Human Capital Accumulation: Evidence from the Roll Back Malaria Partnership in Africa*

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Kuecken ◽  
Josselin Thuilliez ◽  
Marie-Anne Valfort

Abstract We estimate the effects of a large-scale anti-malaria campaign on a rich set of human capital outcomes in 27 Sub-Saharan African countries. Using pre-campaign malaria risk as treatment probability, we exploit quasi-experimental variation in period and cohort exposure to anti-malaria campaigns. A conservative interpretation of our results shows a globally positive impact malaria aid: campaigns reduced the probability of infant mortality (1 percentage point) and birth (0.4 p.p.) and increased educational attainment (0.4 years) and the likelihood of adult paid employment (6 p.p.). These findings demonstrate how the effects of sweeping disease reduction efforts extend beyond health outcomes.

2020 ◽  
pp. 901-933
Author(s):  
Sarah Fidler ◽  
Timothy E.A. Peto ◽  
Philip Goulder ◽  
Christopher P. Conlon

Since its discovery in 1983, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been associated with a global pandemic that has affected more than 78 million people and caused more than 39 million deaths. Globally, 36.9 million (34.3–41.4 million) people were living with HIV at the end of 2013. An estimated 0.8% of adults aged 15–49 years worldwide are living with HIV, although the burden of the epidemic continues to vary considerably between countries and regions. Sub-Saharan Africa remains most severely affected, with nearly 1 in every 20 adults living with HIV and accounting for nearly 71% of the people living with HIV worldwide. The impact of HIV in some African countries has been sufficient to reverse population growth and reduce life expectancy into the mid-30s, although HIV incidence has declined in some of these high-prevalence countries. However, there are large-scale HIV epidemics elsewhere (e.g. India, the Russian Federation, and Eastern Europe).


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-80
Author(s):  
Boris Alekhin

This study examines the contribution of human capital accumulation to regional economic growth using panel data for 82 subjects of the Russian Federation over 2002–2019. This paper aims to test the hypothesis that in the long-run equilibrium there exists a connection between economic growth and human capital accumulation in the regions of Russia. From the point of view of econometrics, it would mean that we should refute the hypothesis that there is no cointegration of time series describing the aforementioned variables. General theoretical framework was drawn from the neoclassical growth theory, and panel data econometrics suggested the appropriate empirical methodology. Pooled mean group and fully modified least squares estimators were applied to an autoregressive distributed lags model based on the Solow model. The results indicate that accumulation of human capital has a positive and statistically significant long-term impact on the rate of growth of per capita income and that these variables are cointegrated. Such calculations allow us to make the following conclusions: per capita GRP is cointegrated with physical and human capital on the regional level. The cointegrating equation ‘explained’ more than 90% of per capita GRP variance. Human capital accumulation had a significant positive impact on per capita GRP growth in the long run; such impact exceeded the impact of physical capital accumulation. The positive impact of human capital accumulation on per capita GRP growth surpassed the negative elasticity of growth GRP by the amount of resource excluded from the real sector to provide support to students and maintain the regional education system. The paces at which regional economies were heading towards the steady state differed which is an evidence that there exist an incredible manifold of ways and means for regions to adjust to disbalancies


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
AISHA AHMAD SAJOH

Purpose: This research looked into debate on the possible impact of human capital on economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and considers two alternative measures of human capital: health and education. Methodology: The research used a dynamic model based on the system generalized method of moments (SGMM) and analysed a balanced panel data covering 35 countries from 1986–2018. The research used Microsoft excel to record all the data gotten from the world indicator data base from world bank, penn world table data base and CANA database. The analysis was presented in a tabular form. Findings: This study found that human capital has an overall positive and statistically significant impact on economic growth in the SSA region, although, democracy has a negative and statistically significant impact on economic growth in the region. This finding shows the importance of both measures of human capital and aligns with the argument in the literature that neither education nor health is a perfect substitute for the other as a measure of human capital. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy:Generally, the finding emphasised that both education and health measures of human capital are important, and that policymakers must consider the level of economic development while formulating policies that can enhance the impact of human capital on economic growth in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.


Author(s):  
Emad Adnan Matyori Emad Adnan Matyori

This study aims to estimates the effect of government spending on education and its policies on the accumulation of human capital and then economic growth, for this purpose, we use the econometric method, and employed the simultaneous equations model, for a sample of fourteen countries from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) For the period (1980- 2019); The study concluded, in the first estimates stage of the model, that most of the government spending policies on education used in the study positively affect the accumulation of human capital, except, government spending policy on education at basic educational levels, which had a negative impact. And in the second estimates stage of the model, The study concluded, a positive impact of the accumulated human capital due to government spending on education and its policies on economic growth; Consequently, government spending policies on education positively affect economic growth through the channel of human capital accumulation, expressed in the composite index based on the Barrow- Lee database of average years of schooling for the working- age population, adjusted for the quality and return of education. The study made the following recommendations: interest to international education indicators data, as it is the basis for managing the educational system. Study more government spending policies on education to reveal its role in human capital accumulation and economic growth.: interest to human capital when formulating government policies, targeting its development, and increasing its contribution to GDP.


2017 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Smith-Greenaway

Human capital theory suggests that education benefits individuals’ and their children’s health through the educational skills people acquire in school. This perspective may also be relevant at the community level: the greater presence of adults with educational skills in a community may be a reason why living in a more highly educated setting benefits health. I use Demographic and Health Survey data for 30 sub-Saharan African countries to investigate whether the percentage of literate adults—specifically women—in a community is associated with children’s likelihood of survival. I characterize 13,785 African communities according to the prevalence of women who are literate. Multilevel discrete-time hazard models ( N = 536,781 children) confirm that living in a community where more women are literate is positively associated with child survival. The study supports the conceptualization of literacy, and potentially other educational skills, as forms of human capital that can spill over to benefit others.


2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Percoco

The role of wealth inequality for local development has long been neglected, although some literature has pointed out its relevance in explaining entrepreneurial and education investment. Among the typologies of assets composing individuals’ wealth, land is of paramount importance in underdeveloped economies specialised in agriculture. Land reforms in terms of redistribution of land ownership are hence expected to boost development through an increase in entrepreneurship rate and human capital stock. In this paper, we consider land reform in Italy, which took place in the 1950s in specific areas across the country. By adopting an Oaxaca-Blinder regression method and using data at a city level on the implementation of the reform for Puglia–Basilicata–Molise in the South of Italy and, as robustness checks, for Maremma in the Centre and Delta del Po in the North of Italy, we have found a positive impact of land redistribution on human capital accumulation and a less significant impact on employment and firm location.


Parasitology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 136 (13) ◽  
pp. 1789-1799 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. WEBSTER ◽  
A. KOUKOUNARI ◽  
P. H. L. LAMBERTON ◽  
J. R. STOTHARD ◽  
A. FENWICK

SUMMARYA primary objective of schistosomiasis control programmes is to achieve, and hence also demonstrate, a quantifiable reduction in schistosome-associated morbidity as a consequence of chemotherapeutic intervention. Inherent within such an objective, it is necessary to define and validate direct and indirect indicators of schistosome-related morbidity. However, to define and thereby document such morbidity, and its reduction following treatment, may not be straightforward, particularly for intestinal schistosomiasis-induced morbidity, which is often not apparent in all but the most severe or chronic cases. Within all ‘Schistosomiasis Control Initiative’ activities, across selected sub-Saharan African countries since 2002, a range of standard and novel potential morbidity markers have been monitored and evaluated. Parasitological intensity measures, combined with haemoglobin/anaemia counts and ultrasonography, proved valuable schistosomiasis-related morbidity indicators, being both logistically practical and informative. Additional measures tested, such as albumin excretion profiles, were promising, and are subject to ongoing research, whilst some measures, such as distended stomach/umbilical circumference, anthropometrics and health questionnaires proved less reliable. These results serve to both illustrate the success of current control activities in reducing schistosome-induced morbidity, and to highlight key tools and techniques for continued application within ongoing and future mass drug administration programmes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-371

The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between foreign financial flows (i.e., FDI inflows and remittances), human capital, and its effects on economic growth in 4 North African countries. Annual panel data from 2000 to 2018 are examined using the system GMM. First, we found strong evidence of a positive link between FDI and economic growth. Moreover, the results indicate that the complementarity between FDI and human capital positively influences economic growth. Second, the remittances are found to be positive factors for economic growth. In fact, higher human capital accumulation of receiving countries increases these positive impacts. Overall, the results indicate that foreign financial flows are positively correlated with human capital in influencing economic growth in the North African countries. Therefore, it becomes pertinent for policymakers to pursue a human capital policy to improve their absorptive capacities to exploit full benefits of foreign financial flows.


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