Essays on food consumption, child malnutrition and school achievement in developing countries.

Summary This thesis contributes to the literature on food consumption, child malnutrition and school achievement in developing countries. The first chapter aims to estimate the causal relationship between malnutrition and school achievement among a sample of Malagasy children enrolled in primary school. Rainfall shocks experienced in early childhood are used as exogenous instruments to explain long-term nutritional status. Results indicate that stunting is a significant barrier to school learning. The second chapter examines the effect of food distribution cycles on food consumption in refugee households. The results suggest that average grain consumption decreases the further away from the day of the food distribution. This effect is large enough to have an impact on the short-term nutritional status of children in our sample. The third chapter exploits panel data on a cohort of Malagasy young adults to estimate a production function of cognitive abilities through the use of a value-added model. The results highlight the essential role of schooling in the acquisition of cognitive abilities.