The Other Asian Enigma: Explaining the Rapid Reduction of Undernutrition in Bangladesh

B-Tier
Journal: World Development
Year: 2015
Volume: 66
Issue: C
Pages: 749-761

Score contribution per author:

0.402 = (α=2.01 / 5 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Although South Asia has long been synonymous with persistent and unusually high rates of child undernutrition – the so called Asian Enigma – Bangladesh has managed to sustain a surprisingly rapid reduction in the rate of child undernutrition for at least two decades. We investigate this unheralded success through a regression and decomposition analysis of changes in child growth outcomes across five rounds of DHS surveys from 1997 to 2011. We find that rapid wealth accumulation and large gains in parental education are the two largest drivers of change, though health, sanitation, and demographic factors have played significant secondary roles.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:wdevel:v:66:y:2015:i:c:p:749-761
Journal Field
Development
Author Count
5
Added to Database
2026-01-25