Water Means Life: The Effect of Access to Clean Water on Education and Literacy Rates in Developing Countries
Open Access
Author:
Weiss, David
Area of Honors:
Economics
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Jadrian Wooten, Thesis Supervisor James R. Tybout, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Poverty Water Access Education Development Economics Propensity Score Matching
Abstract:
Poverty is a worldwide problem that has many potential solutions. Two of them are access to clean water and education rates. Prior studies have generally looked at them as separate solutions, but this paper attempts to show that access to clean water has a direct impact on education and literacy rates. Clean water can have direct impacts through multiple causal channels including time spent collecting water, health, and access at school. Propensity score matching was used on household/individual level data from Uganda to show that this relationship is most significant for the youngest children, ages 5-10. As climate change escalates and water becomes a scarcer resource, it is important clean water is targeted at those who need it most. Policy makers and NGOs should focus on providing the youngest with clean water as they may be most likely to re-enroll in school or spend time focusing on learning how to read and write.
