Working Paper: NBER ID: w24870
Authors: Michael Geruso; Dean Spears
Abstract: We study how extreme temperature exposure impacts infant survival in the developing world. Our analysis overcomes the absence of vital registration systems in many poor countries, which has been a limiting factor in the temperature-mortality literature, by extracting birth histories from household surveys. Studying 53 developing countries that span the globe, we find impacts of hot days on infant mortality that are an order of magnitude larger than estimates from rich country studies, with humidity playing an important role. The size and implied geographic distribution of harms documented here have the potential to significantly alter assessments of optimal climate policy.
Keywords: infant mortality; temperature exposure; humidity; climate policy; developing countries
JEL Codes: H23; I1; J1; O1; Q5; Q56
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| mean wet bulb temperature above 85°F (J81) | neonatal mortality (J13) |
| extreme temperature exposure (J28) | neonatal mortality (J13) |
| temperature and humidity (Q54) | neonatal mortality (J13) |
| extreme temperature-humidity combinations (Q54) | neonatal mortality (J13) |