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The Economic Rationale for Investing in Stunting Reduction
This paper, published in September 2013, outlines the economic rationale for investments that reduce stunting. The authors present a framework that illustrates the functional consequences of stunting in the 1000 days after conception throughout the life cycle: from childhood through to old age. The paper…
January 6, 2014 - Last update: February 10, 2023
This paper, published in September 2013, outlines the economic rationale for investments that reduce stunting. The authors present a framework that illustrates the functional consequences of stunting in the 1000 days after conception throughout the life cycle: from childhood through to old age. The paper constructs credible estimates of benefit-cost ratios for a plausible set of nutritional interventions to reduce stunting. The country-specific benefits estimated as cost ratios for investments that reduce stunting in 17 high-burden countries range from 3.6 (DRC) to 48 (Indonesia) with a median value of 18(Bangladesh). Mindful that these results hinge on a number of assumptions, they compare favourably with other investments for which public funds compete.
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