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Early life human-capital investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

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  • Behrman, Jere R.
  • Vazquez, Claudia

Abstract

This article focuses on three general dimensions of support for human-capital development of Sub-Saharan African children under five years old: nurturing care, nutrition, and preprimary programs. We simulate the Costs of Inaction of under-investments in these three dimensions of early life human capital. For preprimary programs we also simulate the long-run economic losses due to program closures during the Covid-19 pandemic. Our results suggest that: (i) the Costs of Inaction of not implementing nutritional programs for all stunted children 0–2 years of age is close to 3 % of GDP in some countries with high prevalences of stunting; (ii) the Costs of Inaction of not reaching universal coverage in preprimary is 1.6 % of GDP on average for the region; (iii) the Costs of Inaction as a share of GDP of not expanding home-visits programs to children 3–5 years considered developmentally not on track is 2.6 % of GDP, on average for the region; and (iv) the costs of reducing preprimary school participation due to COVID-19 ranges from 0.1 % of GDP to 6.0 % of GDP depending on pre-pandemic preprimary participation rates.

Suggested Citation

  • Behrman, Jere R. & Vazquez, Claudia, 2025. "Early life human-capital investments in Sub-Saharan Africa," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:injoed:v:114:y:2025:i:c:s0738059325000689
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103270
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    1. Flavio Cunha & James J. Heckman & Susanne M. Schennach, 2010. "Estimating the Technology of Cognitive and Noncognitive Skill Formation," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 78(3), pages 883-931, May.
    2. Patrick Kline & Christopher R. Walters, 2016. "Evaluating Public Programs with Close Substitutes: The Case of HeadStart," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 131(4), pages 1795-1848.
    3. Jorge Luis García & James J. Heckman & Duncan Ermini Leaf & María José Prados, 2020. "Quantifying the Life-Cycle Benefits of an Influential Early-Childhood Program," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 128(7), pages 2502-2541.
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