Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/229687 
Year of Publication: 
2020
Series/Report no.: 
Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper No. TI 2020-067/V
Publisher: 
Tinbergen Institute, Amsterdam and Rotterdam
Abstract: 
This paper examines the effects of a massive salt iodization program on human capital formation of school-aged children in China. Exploiting province and time variation, we find a strong positive impact on cognition for girls and no effects for boys. For non-cognitive skills, we find the opposite. We show in a simple model of parental investment that gender preferences can explain our findings. Analyses exploiting within the province, village-level variation in gender attitudes confirm the importance of parental gender preferences. Consequently, large scale programs can have positive (and possibly) unintended effects on gender equality in societies with son preference.
Subjects: 
Iodine
parental investments
gender attitudes
cognitive skills
non-cognitive skills
JEL: 
I15
J16
J24
O15
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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