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  3. American Economic Review
  4. May 2012
  5. War and Stature: Growing Up during the Nigerian Civil War

American Economic Review

ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)

War and Stature: Growing Up during the Nigerian Civil War

  • Richard Akresh
  • Sonia Bhalotra
  • Marinella Leone
  • Una Okonkwo Osili
American Economic Review
vol. 102, no. 3, May 2012
(pp. 273–77)
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Abstract

The Nigerian civil war of 1967-70 was precipitated by secession of the Igbo-dominated south-eastern region to create the state of Biafra. It was the first civil war in Africa, the predecessor of many. We investigate the legacies of this war four decades later. Using variation across ethnicity and cohort, we identify significant long-run impacts on human health capital. Individuals exposed to the war at all ages between birth and adolescence exhibit reduced adult stature and these impacts are largest in adolescence. Adult stature is portentous of reduced life expectancy and lower earnings.

Citation

Akresh, Richard, Sonia Bhalotra, Marinella Leone, and Una Okonkwo Osili. 2012. "War and Stature: Growing Up during the Nigerian Civil War." American Economic Review, 102 (3): 273–77. DOI: 10.1257/aer.102.3.273

JEL Classification

  • D74 Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances
  • O17 Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
  • J11 Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts
  • O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration