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Intergenerational persistence of health: Evidence from India

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  • Kumar, Santosh
  • Nahlen, Bernard

Abstract

Using nationally representative data, we estimate intergenerational mobility in health in India. Results from the instrumental variable method show that children of anemic mothers are more likely to be anemic, with an intergenerational health correlation of 0.26. Results are robust to the inclusion of confounding factors including the mother’s height. We find that the correlation between mothers’ anemic status and children’s anemic status differs by wealth quintile, indicating that economic status may play a role in the persistence of poor health across generations in developing countries.

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  • Kumar, Santosh & Nahlen, Bernard, 2023. "Intergenerational persistence of health: Evidence from India," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:224:y:2023:i:c:s0165176523000484
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2023.111023
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    Cited by:

    1. Koomson, Isaac & Zhang, Quanda & Prakash, Kushneel, 2024. "Entrepreneurship and subjective wellbeing in China: Exploring linkages and potential channels," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 21(C).
    2. Hervé, Justine & Mani, Subha & Behrman, Jere R. & Laxminarayan, Ramanan & Nandi, Arindam, 2025. "Intergenerational Mobility in Depression and Anxiety in India," IZA Discussion Papers 17647, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Intergenerational mobility; Health; Anemia; India;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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