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The Long Run Health and Economic Consequences of Famine on Survivors: Evidence from China’s Great Famine

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Author Info
Xin Meng () (Australian National University and IZA Bonn)
Nancy Qian () (Brown University)

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Abstract

In the past century, more people have perished from famine than from the two World Wars combined. Many more were exposed to famine and survived. Yet we know almost nothing about the long run impact of famine on these survivors. This paper addresses this question by estimating the effect of childhood exposure to China’s Great Famine on adult health and labor market outcomes of survivors. It resolves two major empirical difficulties: 1) data limitation in measures of famine intensity; and 2) the potential joint determination of famine occurrences and survivors’ outcomes. As a measure of famine intensity, we use regional cohort size of the surviving population in a place and time when there is little migration. We then exploit a novel source of plausibly exogenous variation in famine intensity to estimate the causal effect of childhood exposure to famine on adult health, educational attainment and labor supply. The results show that exposure to famine had significant adverse effects on adult health and work capacity. The magnitude of the effect is negatively correlated with age at the onset of the famine. For example, for those who were one year old at the onset of the famine, exposure on average reduced height by 2.08% (3.34cm), weight by 6.03% (3.38kg), weight-for-height by 4% (0.01 kg/cm), upper arm circumference by 3.95% (0.99cm) and labor supply by 6.93% (3.28 hrs/week). The results also suggest that famine exposure decreased educational attainment by 3% (0.19 years); and that selection for survival decreased withinregion inequality in famine stricken regions.

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Paper provided by Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in its series IZA Discussion Papers with number 2471.

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Length: 67 pages
Date of creation: Nov 2006
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Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp2471

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Related research
Keywords: health education famine China

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education
J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. David M. Cutler & Adriana Lleras-Muney & Tom Vogl, 2008. "Socioeconomic Status and Health: Dimensions and Mechanisms," NBER Working Papers 14333, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Baez, Javier E., 2008. "Civil Wars beyond their Borders: The Human Capital and Health Consequences of Hosting Refugees," IZA Discussion Papers 3468, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  3. Tom Bundervoet & Philip Verwimp & Richard Akresh, 2007. "Health and Civil War in Rural Burundi," IZA Discussion Papers 2951, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Gerard J. van den Berg & Maarten Lindeboom & France Portrait, 2007. "Long-Run Longevity Effects of a Nutritional Shock Early in Life: The Dutch Potato Famine of 1846-1847," IZA Discussion Papers 3123, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
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