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How does religion affect health in the gold mining industry? Evidence from Nigeria

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  • Dongqin Wang

Abstract

This study investigates the interaction effects of the environmental factors of mining and religion on health. Using data from the Demographic and Health Survey and gold mine geolocation data in Nigeria, the difference‐in‐differences estimation reveals that artisanal and small‐scale gold mining in Nigeria has an adverse health effect on Muslim women's fertility. In particular, living near gold mines increases Muslim women's (i.e., the treated group) probability of infecundity or premature menopause by about 12 percentage points compared to Christian women (i.e., the untreated group), and the effects are stronger in northern Nigeria than in southern Nigeria. By eliminating other possible channels, the results show that the main mechanism appears to be Muslim women being more likely to work in gold mines in their family compounds. The results are robust to the alternative distance cutoffs, other measures of health outcomes, and triple‐difference approach. Understanding the impact of religion on the health of women in the mining industry may help effectively reduce infertility in developing countries.

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  • Dongqin Wang, 2022. "How does religion affect health in the gold mining industry? Evidence from Nigeria," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(4), pages 2218-2250, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:rdevec:v:26:y:2022:i:4:p:2218-2250
    DOI: 10.1111/rode.12913
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