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Barriers to Prosperity: Parasitic and Infectious Diseases, IQ, and Economic Development

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  • Madsen, Jakob B.

Abstract

IQ scores differ substantially across nations. This study argues that cross-country variations in IQ scores, to a large extent, reflect the burden of parasitic and infectious diseases (PIDs) and iron and iodine deficiency (IID) in infancy and in utero. Furthermore, it is shown that the prevalence of health insults, through the channel of cognitive ability, is influential for the level as well as the growth in productivity across the world. Using data for 181 countries and an instrumental variable approach, regressions reveal that the prevalence of PID–IIDs is influential for growth and income inequalities globally.

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  • Madsen, Jakob B., 2016. "Barriers to Prosperity: Parasitic and Infectious Diseases, IQ, and Economic Development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 172-187.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:78:y:2016:i:c:p:172-187
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2015.10.032
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    1. Madsen, Jakob B., 2016. "Barriers to Prosperity: Parasitic and Infectious Diseases, IQ, and Economic Development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 172-187.
    2. Gevrek, Deniz & Guven, Cahit & Gevrek, Z. Eylem, 2022. "The relationship between early-life conditions in the home country and adult outcomes among child immigrants in the United States," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
    3. Burhan, Nik Ahmad Sufian & Che Razak, Razli & Rosli, Muhamad Ridhwan & Selamat, Muhamad Rosli, 2017. "The Bell Curve of Intelligence, Economic Growth and Technological Achievement: How Robust is the Cross-Country Evidence?," MPRA Paper 77469, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Youhong Lin, 2020. "Unleash the Pandora's Box: Political Turmoil and Malaria Outbreak During China's Cultural Revolution," Australian Economic History Review, Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 60(2), pages 220-249, July.
    5. Collin F. Payne & Iliana V. Kohler & Chiwoza Bandawe & Kathy Lawler & Hans-Peter Kohler, 2018. "Cognition, Health, and Well-Being in a Rural Sub-Saharan African Population," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 34(4), pages 637-662, October.
    6. Thiago Christiano Silva & Fabiano José Muniz & Benjamin Miranda Tabak, 2023. "The Impact of Government Disaster Surveillance and Alerts on Local Economic and Financial Conditions," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 84(2), pages 559-591, February.
    7. Tafesse, Wiktoria, 2022. "The effect of Universal Salt Iodization on cognitive test scores in rural India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    cross-country income inequality; parasitic and infectious diseases; cognitive ability;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development
    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights
    • O4 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity

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