Climate shocks and human capital
Evidence from Uganda
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21691010 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Osaretin Olurotimi (0009-0007-8692-0076, University of Arizona, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 421-441 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environment and Development Economics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1355-770X • E-ISSN: 1469-4395 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s1355770x25000105 |
| OpenAlex | W4408771607 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 39 |
This research examines whether high temperatures and exposure to childhood rainfall and heat shocks are a cognitive drag on children in Uganda. First, it asks whether students perform worse on a test on hotter days. Second, it examines whether previous longer-term exposure to high temperatures and unusual rainfall influences current test scores and educational outcomes. The analysis shows that high temperatures on test dates harm test performance, especially for girls and children younger than ten, implying additional temperature control considerations for particular demographics. The analysis of childhood climate shocks, which employs within-parish distributions of rainfall and heat, shows that children who experience rain or heat above the $80^{th}$ percentile of the parish distribution from birth until age 4 have worse learning outcomes in math, English, or local language literacy
Biology · Climate change · Economic growth · Economics · Human capital · Natural resource economics · Agricultural risk and resilience · Energy and Environment Impacts · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare · Ecology
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| Highly cited | No |
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