Working Paper: NBER ID: w31564
Authors: Michelle M. Marcus
Abstract: This paper provides the first estimates of the contemporaneous effect of drinking water quality violations on students’ academic achievement. Using student-level test score data with residential addresses, geographic information on water systems, and drinking water violations from North Carolina, I estimate the within-student impacts of poor water quality on student test scores. Exposure to a bacteria violation during the school year decreases math scores by about 0.037 standard deviations when the public is uninformed. Results suggest that poor water quality may impact retention or comprehension of material throughout the school year.
Keywords: drinking water quality; academic achievement; test scores; environmental regulation
JEL Codes: I18; I24; Q51; Q53
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| exposure to drinking water quality violation (Q25) | decreased math scores (C12) |
| lack of timely public notification (G14) | exacerbated negative outcomes (I14) |
| exposure to coliform bacteria violations (I19) | decreased test scores (I24) |
| decreased test scores (I24) | reduced retention or comprehension (D29) |