A Shot at Economic Prosperity: Long-Term Effects of India's Childhood Immunization Program on Earnings and Consumption Expenditure

34 Pages Posted: 27 Jun 2022 Last revised: 11 Dec 2024

See all articles by Amit Summan

Amit Summan

Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy

Arindam Nandi

The Population Council

David E. Bloom

Harvard University - T.H. Chan School of Public Health; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Date Written: June 2022

Abstract

Routine childhood vaccinations are among the most cost-effective child health interventions. In recent years, the broader benefits of vaccines, which include improved cognitive and schooling outcomes, have also been established. This paper evaluates the long-term economic benefits of India’s national program of childhood vaccinations, known as the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP). We combine individual-level data from the 68th round of the National Sample Survey of India (2011–2012) with district-wise data on the rollout of UIP from 1985 to1990. We employ age-district fixed effects regression models to compare the earnings and per capita household consumer spending of 21- to 26-year-old adults who were born in UIP-covered districts vis-à-vis non-UIP districts between 1985 and 1990. We find that exposure to UIP in infancy increases weekly wages by 13.8% (95% CI: 7.6% to 20.3%, p<0.01) and monthly per capita household consumption expenditure by 2.9% (95% CI: 0.7% to 5.0%, p<0.01). Program exposure also reduces the probability that an individual’s household relies on agriculture as the main source of income by 1.9% (95% CI: 0.0% to 3.5%, p<0.01). The findings are robust to several specifications including varying study duration and accounting for potential migration. The effects vary by sex, location, and caste group.

Suggested Citation

Summan, Amit and Nandi, Arindam and Bloom, David E., A Shot at Economic Prosperity: Long-Term Effects of India's Childhood Immunization Program on Earnings and Consumption Expenditure (June 2022). NBER Working Paper No. w30173, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4147244

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Arindam Nandi

The Population Council ( email )

David E. Bloom

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