Seminar Series: Snaebjorn Gunnsteinsson, Agriculture and Resource Economics
When |
Feb 16, 2015
from 12:00 PM to 01:00 PM |
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Where | 1101 Morrill Hall |
Contact Name | Tiffany Pittman |
Contact Phone | 301-405-6403 |
Attendees |
Liz Fein Karberg Jaein Lee Ken Leonard Zhiyong Lin Xiaoxiao Lu Jean McGloin Sara Mosher Ashley Munger Tyler Myroniuk Rachel Shattuck Andrew Williams Riley Wilson |
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About the Talk
Recent studies have documented the immediate and lasting effects of trauma in early life, but little is understood about how to protect children from these negative impacts. Protective effects are difficult to identify empirically because both preventative and corrective investments are endogenous choices. We leverage a unique combination of events, in which a tornado struck an area of northwest Bangladesh involved in a double-blind cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) of maternal and newborn vitamin A supplementation, along with detailed birth and mortality records and anthropometric measurements at 0-6 months, to test whether vitamin A supplementation mitigates the deleterious effects of experiencing a natural disaster in early life. Exposure to the tornado at 0-3 months had a negative impact on infants’ anthropometric outcomes, and increased the frequency of severe fevers. However, infants treated with vitamin A at birth through the RCT were largely protected from these effects. Maternal supplementation did not exhibit a similar protective capacity. Our results suggest that simple health interventions at birth can protect effectively against trauma in early life.
About the Speaker
Professor Gunnsteinsson’s work focuses on microeconomics in developing countries with an emphasis on empirical contract theory, risk, insurance, property rights and agriculture. I also work on human capital formation, behavioral economics and global public health.
Visit Professor Gunnsteinsson's webpage
Please note that, at the present time, Morrill Hall is not accessible for handicapped individuals.