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Keep your friends close: The effect of local social networks on child human capital outcomes

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  • Adelman, Sarah

Abstract

Social networks can affect demand for human capital investments by relaxing household time or budget constraints or by defining and reinforcing human capital preferences. However, empirically identifying the effect of social networks on human capital investment is usually problematic because households self-select their networks in ways that may be correlated with their abilities to make these investments. In Northern Ugandan Internally Displaced Persons Camps, networks were not entirely self-selected. Rebel activity, which forced households into camps in 2002, disrupted pre-existing social networks in ways that were exogenous to household human capital preferences. This paper uses the exogenous variation in network disruption to identify a positive impact of networks on children's long-term nutritional outcomes.

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  • Adelman, Sarah, 2013. "Keep your friends close: The effect of local social networks on child human capital outcomes," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 284-298.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:deveco:v:103:y:2013:i:c:p:284-298
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2013.03.007
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    Cited by:

    1. Mugizi, Francisco M.P. & Matsumoto, Tomoya, 2021. "From conflict to conflicts: War-induced displacement, land conflicts, and agricultural productivity in post-war Northern Uganda," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    2. O’Reilly, Colin, 2015. "Household Recovery from Internal Displacement in Northern Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 203-215.
    3. Adelman, Sarah & Peterman, Amber, 2014. "Resettlement and Gender Dimensions of Land Rights in Post-Conflict Northern Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 583-596.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Nutrition; Health; Social networks; Uganda;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • O10 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - General
    • Z10 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - General

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