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The Impact Of Micronutrients On Labor Productivity: Evidence From Rural India

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  • Weinberger, Katinka

Abstract

Micronutrient malnutrition, particularly of iron, is widespread on the South Asian subcontinent and economic losses due to reduced productivity of afflicted population groups are believed to be substantial. This paper examines the impact of micronutrient intake on productivity of house-hold engaged in agricultural labor in India by applying a two-stage least squares (2SLS) estimation technique. The micronutrient under investigation is iron. The results indicate that productivity, measured in wages is indeed affected through insufficient intake, and that wages would on average be 5 to 17.3 percent higher, if households would achieve recommended intake levels of the micronutrient discussed here. The results demonstrate that policy interventions that aim at enhancing micronutrient intake can be regarded as investments in improved productivity and higher household incomes. Enhancing micronutrient intake will contribute significantly to overall economic growth and development.

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  • Weinberger, Katinka, 2003. "The Impact Of Micronutrients On Labor Productivity: Evidence From Rural India," 2003 Annual Meeting, August 16-22, 2003, Durban, South Africa 25897, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:iaae03:25897
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.25897
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    Cited by:

    1. Guaracyane Lima Campelo & João Mário Santos De França & Emerson Luís Lemos Marinho, 2016. "Impacts Of Malnutrition On Labor Productivity: Empirical Evidences In Rural Brazil," Anais do XLII Encontro Nacional de Economia [Proceedings of the 42nd Brazilian Economics Meeting] 236, ANPEC - Associação Nacional dos Centros de Pós-Graduação em Economia [Brazilian Association of Graduate Programs in Economics].
    2. Jha, Raghbendra & Gaiha, Raghav & Sharma, Anurag, 2009. "Calorie and Micronutrient Deprivation and Poverty Nutrition Traps in Rural India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(5), pages 982-991, May.
    3. Ito, Takahiro, 2009. "Caste discrimination and transaction costs in the labor market: Evidence from rural North India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(2), pages 292-300, March.
    4. Raghbendra Jha & Katsushi S. Imai & Raghav Gaiha, 2014. "Poverty nutrition traps," Chapters, in: Raghbendra Jha & Raghav Gaiha & Anil B. Deolalikar (ed.), Handbook on Food, chapter 10, pages 246-259, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    5. Katsushi S. Imai & Samuel Kobina Annim & Veena S. Kulkarni & Raghav Gaiha, 2012. "Nutrition, Activity Intensity and Wage Linkages: Evidence from India," Discussion Paper Series DP2012-10, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University, revised May 2014.
    6. Ahsan, Henna & Idrees, Dr Muhammad, 2014. "Impact of Health on Earnings: Individual and District Level Analysis for Pakistan," MPRA Paper 56769, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 20 Jun 2014.

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    Keywords

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