This paper is based on an ongoing joint work with David Sahn and Xiaobo Zhang.

Replaced with revised version of paper 07/28/11. Former title: Indirect Effects of Microfinance: A Field Experiment on Formal Savings Expansion and Informal Safety Nets of the Ultra-Poor

Indoor air pollution due to solid fuels is among the ten most important risk factors in global burden of disease leading to respiratory diseases, anaemia, blindness and other disorders. This study examines the correlations between fuel choice and the nutritional status of children. We also...

Using a unique dataset of 703,287 farm operators from the Taiwanese Census of Agriculture merged to administrative records from the National Farmers' Health Insurance (FHI) program, we examine the effects of the enrollment in the FHI program on farmers’ on- and off-farm labor supply and the...

This study makes use of linear programming methodology to design a minimum cost diet for the Central Ugandan region. We used a set of constraints on recommended levels of daily nutrient intake, recommended proportions of groups of foods, as well as preferences and food availability in Central...

The Food Stamp Program (FSP) administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the cornerstone of the U.S. federal income and food safety net policy. The FSP has subsidized the food budget for millions of American households for over forty years, spending more than $60 billion per...

Growing attention on the developing world’s potential for export led growth has naturally flowed into the agricultural sector. I examine the effects of Malawian crop adoption on childhood health to determine the effects of transitioning to cash crops in risky food markets. Preliminary results...

In operation for more than 40 years and now in all 50 states and 6 territories, the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program has become a cornerstone in US nutrition education. The aim of the program is to assist limited resource audiences to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and...

Maternal nutrition during pregnancy can have significant implications for a child’s prenatal growth and development, and undernutrition experienced during the prenatal period increases the risk of early childhood morbidity and mortality and can permanently impair a child’s physical growth...

We extend the existing literature on food taxes targeting obesity. First, we incorporate the implicit substitution between sugar and fat nutrients implied by a complete food demand system and by conditioning on how food taxes affect total calorie intake. Second, we propose a methodology that...