Contributor : Profile
Santosh Kumar is an applied microeconomist whose research focuses on the economics of global health and economic development in low- and middle-income countries. His research examines the causal association between child and maternal health, human capital, and poverty.
Kumar is currently working on research projects related to the effects of prenatal conditions on birth outcomes and human capital accumulation; the effects of birth endowment, postnatal investments, and micronutrient deficiencies on human capital, and the effects of access to physical infrastructures (road, electricity, sanitation) and microfinance on human well-being. Kumar’s work uses experimental and quasi-experimental research methods and he has extensive experience collecting survey data in India, Bhutan, and Albania. His research has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, and he is an associate editor of Economic Modelling.
Posts by Santosh Kumar
Did Covid-19 pandemic increase incidence of low-birth-weight among newborns?
Globally, one in four babies are born with low birth weight, with long-term impacts on health and economic outcomes. This article uses Indian data from 2019-2021 to analyse the impact of the Covid-19 ...
- Tim Halliday Santosh Kumar
- 09 August, 2024
- Articles
How birth weight affects test scores during mid-childhood years
Besides lack of schooling resources, a possible reason why children grapple with low learning outcomes may be poor health at birth. Analysing data from Andhra Pradesh, this article finds that a 10% i...
- Santosh Kumar Utkarsh Singh
- 18 August, 2020
- Articles
Can double-fortified salt in school mid-day meals help reduce anaemia?
Micronutrient malnutrition is a major risk factor for more than half of the daily under-five deaths in India. It leads to iron-deficiency anaemia, which especially affects pregnant women, and young an...
- Marion Kraemer Santosh Kumar Abhijeet Kumar Sebastian Vollmer
- 27 June, 2018
- Articles
Political decentralisation, female leadership, and health in rural Bihar
Political decentralisation and female representation in governance are known to improve social welfare by influencing policy decisions in favour of women and children. Analysing data from rural Bihar,...
- Santosh Kumar Nishith Prakash
- 23 August, 2017
- Articles
The less the merrier? Family size and education in India
In the face of financial constraints, children from larger families are expected to have relatively less education and poor health. This column explores the empirical relevance this ‘quantity-qualit...
- Adriana Kugler Santosh Kumar
- 01 April, 2016
- Articles
Droughts and child health
Research has pointed towards the importance of foetal health in child development. Assessing the impact of rainfall variability on child health, this column finds that exposure to drought in the womb...
- Santosh Kumar Ramona Molitor Sebastian Vollmer
- 27 January, 2015
- Articles
Distance and institutional deliveries in rural India
India has the highest rate of maternal deaths in the world. A major cause is that a significant proportion of women continue to deliver babies at home without the presence of a skilled attendant. This...
- Emily Dansereau Santosh Kumar Christopher Murray
- 19 April, 2013
- Articles
Women's Reservations in Bihar and Children's Health Outcomes
This project investigates the impact of political decentralization and gender quota in local governance on different measures of health outcomes and behaviors. The findings of the prioject are consist...
- Santosh Kumar Nishith Prakash
- 01 June, 2012
- IGC Research on India