Social Interventions, Health and Wellbeing: The Long-Term and Intergenerational Effects of a School Construction Program

Authors: Bhashkar Mazumder, Maria Rosales-Rueda, Margaret (Maggie) Triyana

Publication info: Kellogg Institute, December 2020

Full text: Read this paper at kellogg.nd.edu

Abstract

We analyze the long-run and intergenerational effects of a large-scale school building project (INPRES) that took place in Indonesia between 1974 and 1979. Specifically, we link the geographic rollout of INPRES to longitudinal data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey covering two generations. We find that individuals exposed to the program have better health later in life along multiple measures. We also find that the children of those exposed experience improved health and educational outcomes and that these effects are generally stronger for maternal exposure than paternal exposure. We find some evidence that household resources, neighborhood quality, and assortative mating may explain a portion of our results. Our findings highlight the importance of considering the long-run and multigenerational benefits when evaluating the costs and benefits of social interventions in a middle-income country.

Recommended citation

Mazumder, Bhashkar, Maria Rosales-Rueda, and Margaret Triyana. Social Interventions, Health and
Wellbeing: The Long-Term and Intergenerational Effects of a School Construction Program. Kellogg
Working Paper 439. Notre Dame, IN: Kellogg Institute for International
Studies, 2020.