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How Much Would Reducing Lead Exposure Improve Children’s Learning in the Developing World?

Author

Listed:
  • Lee Crawfurd

    (Center for Global Development)

  • Rory Todd

    (Center for Global Development)

  • Susannah Hares

    (Center for Global Development)

  • Justin Sandefur

    (Center for Global Development)

  • Rachel Silverman Bonnifield

    (Center for Global Development)

Abstract
Around half of children in low-income countries have elevated blood lead levels. What role does lead play in explaining low educational outcomes in these settings? We conduct a new systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies on the relationship between lead exposure and learning outcomes. Adjusting for observable confounds and publication bias yields a benchmark estimate of a 0.12 standard deviation reduction in learning per natural log unit of blood lead. As all estimates are non-experimental, we present evidence on the likely magnitude of unobserved confounding, and summarize results from a smaller set of natural experiments. Our benchmark estimate accounts for over a fifth of the gap in learning outcomes between rich and poor countries, and implies moderate learning gains from targeted interventions for highly exposed groups (≈ 0.1 standard deviations) and modest learning gains (< 0.05 standard deviations) from broader public health campaigns.

Suggested Citation

  • Lee Crawfurd & Rory Todd & Susannah Hares & Justin Sandefur & Rachel Silverman Bonnifield, 2023. "How Much Would Reducing Lead Exposure Improve Children’s Learning in the Developing World?," Working Papers 650, Center for Global Development.
    • Handle: RePEc:cgd:wpaper:650
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