Delayed Primary School Enrollment and Childhood Malnutrition in Ghana · an Economic Analysis

Education is one of the cornerstones of economic development. Similarly, improving child health is a critical objective of development. Yet there are relatively few studies which examine the interaction between education and health. This paper investigates why children in low income countries often delay primary school enrollment, despite the prediction of human capital theory that schooling will begin at the earliest possible age. The authors explore a number of explanations for delayed enrollment, but focus on the hypothesis that delays are rational responses to early childhood malnutrition. They test these alternative hypotheses using recent data from Ghana. Their estimates, which address a number of previously ignored econometric issues, strongly support the notion that childhood malnutrition causes delayed enrollment. The authors find no support for alternative explanations based on borrowing constraints and the rationing of places in school.