Are returns to mothers' human capital realized in the next generation? The impact of mothers' intellectual human capital and long-run nutritional status on children's human capital in Guatemala

Many prior studies find significant cross-sectional positive ordinary least squares (OLS) associations between maternal human capital (usually maternal schooling attainment) and children's human capital (usually children's schooling, but in some cases children's nutritional status). This paper uses...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Behrman, Jere R., Murphy, Alexis, Quisumbing, Agnes R., Yount, Kathryn M.
Format: Artículo preliminar
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/161826
_version_ 1855541342283759616
author Behrman, Jere R.
Murphy, Alexis
Quisumbing, Agnes R.
Yount, Kathryn M.
author_browse Behrman, Jere R.
Murphy, Alexis
Quisumbing, Agnes R.
Yount, Kathryn M.
author_facet Behrman, Jere R.
Murphy, Alexis
Quisumbing, Agnes R.
Yount, Kathryn M.
author_sort Behrman, Jere R.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Many prior studies find significant cross-sectional positive ordinary least squares (OLS) associations between maternal human capital (usually maternal schooling attainment) and children's human capital (usually children's schooling, but in some cases children's nutritional status). This paper uses rich Guatemalan longitudinal data collected over 35 years to explore several limitations of these standard" estimates. The preferred estimates developed herein suggest that (1) maternal human capital is more important than suggested by the standard estimates; (2) maternal cognitive skills have a greater impact than maternal schooling attainment on children's biological human capital; and (3) for some important indicators of children's human capital, maternal biological capital has larger effect sizes than maternal intellectual capital (schooling and cognitive skills). These results imply that breaking the intergenerational transmission of poverty, malnutrition, and intellectual deprivation through investments in women's human capital may be more effective than previously suggested, but it will require approaches that account for dimensions of women's human capital beyond just their schooling. Effective interventions to improve women's biological and intellectual human capital often begin in utero or in early childhood; thus, their realization will take longer than if more schooling were the only relevant channel."
format Artículo preliminar
id CGSpace161826
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2009
publishDateRange 2009
publishDateSort 2009
publisher International Food Policy Research Institute
publisherStr International Food Policy Research Institute
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1618262025-11-06T07:24:07Z Are returns to mothers' human capital realized in the next generation? The impact of mothers' intellectual human capital and long-run nutritional status on children's human capital in Guatemala Behrman, Jere R. Murphy, Alexis Quisumbing, Agnes R. Yount, Kathryn M. nutritional status poverty women inheritance anthropometry mental ability human capital Many prior studies find significant cross-sectional positive ordinary least squares (OLS) associations between maternal human capital (usually maternal schooling attainment) and children's human capital (usually children's schooling, but in some cases children's nutritional status). This paper uses rich Guatemalan longitudinal data collected over 35 years to explore several limitations of these standard" estimates. The preferred estimates developed herein suggest that (1) maternal human capital is more important than suggested by the standard estimates; (2) maternal cognitive skills have a greater impact than maternal schooling attainment on children's biological human capital; and (3) for some important indicators of children's human capital, maternal biological capital has larger effect sizes than maternal intellectual capital (schooling and cognitive skills). These results imply that breaking the intergenerational transmission of poverty, malnutrition, and intellectual deprivation through investments in women's human capital may be more effective than previously suggested, but it will require approaches that account for dimensions of women's human capital beyond just their schooling. Effective interventions to improve women's biological and intellectual human capital often begin in utero or in early childhood; thus, their realization will take longer than if more schooling were the only relevant channel." 2009 2024-11-21T09:58:35Z 2024-11-21T09:58:35Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/161826 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Behrman, Jere R.; Murphy, Alexis; Quisumbing, Agnes R.; Yount, Kathryn M. 2009. Are returns to mothers' human capital realized in the next generation? The impact of mothers' intellectual human capital and long-run nutritional status on children's human capital in Guatemala. IFPRI Discussion Paper 850. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/161826
spellingShingle nutritional status
poverty
women
inheritance
anthropometry
mental ability
human capital
Behrman, Jere R.
Murphy, Alexis
Quisumbing, Agnes R.
Yount, Kathryn M.
Are returns to mothers' human capital realized in the next generation? The impact of mothers' intellectual human capital and long-run nutritional status on children's human capital in Guatemala
title Are returns to mothers' human capital realized in the next generation? The impact of mothers' intellectual human capital and long-run nutritional status on children's human capital in Guatemala
title_full Are returns to mothers' human capital realized in the next generation? The impact of mothers' intellectual human capital and long-run nutritional status on children's human capital in Guatemala
title_fullStr Are returns to mothers' human capital realized in the next generation? The impact of mothers' intellectual human capital and long-run nutritional status on children's human capital in Guatemala
title_full_unstemmed Are returns to mothers' human capital realized in the next generation? The impact of mothers' intellectual human capital and long-run nutritional status on children's human capital in Guatemala
title_short Are returns to mothers' human capital realized in the next generation? The impact of mothers' intellectual human capital and long-run nutritional status on children's human capital in Guatemala
title_sort are returns to mothers human capital realized in the next generation the impact of mothers intellectual human capital and long run nutritional status on children s human capital in guatemala
topic nutritional status
poverty
women
inheritance
anthropometry
mental ability
human capital
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/161826
work_keys_str_mv AT behrmanjerer arereturnstomothershumancapitalrealizedinthenextgenerationtheimpactofmothersintellectualhumancapitalandlongrunnutritionalstatusonchildrenshumancapitalinguatemala
AT murphyalexis arereturnstomothershumancapitalrealizedinthenextgenerationtheimpactofmothersintellectualhumancapitalandlongrunnutritionalstatusonchildrenshumancapitalinguatemala
AT quisumbingagnesr arereturnstomothershumancapitalrealizedinthenextgenerationtheimpactofmothersintellectualhumancapitalandlongrunnutritionalstatusonchildrenshumancapitalinguatemala
AT yountkathrynm arereturnstomothershumancapitalrealizedinthenextgenerationtheimpactofmothersintellectualhumancapitalandlongrunnutritionalstatusonchildrenshumancapitalinguatemala