TY - JOUR T1 - Effects of Early-Life Exposure to Sanitation on Childhood Cognitive Skills: Evidence from India’s Total Sanitation Campaign JF - Journal of Human Resources JO - J Hum Resour DO - 10.3368/jhr.51.2.0712-5051R1 AU - Dean Spears AU - Sneha Lamba Y1 - 2015/11/30 UR - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2015/11/20/jhr.51.2.0712-5051R1.abstract N2 - Early life health shapes cognitive skills and human capital. In India, widespread open defecation without using a toilet is an important source of childhood disease. We study the effects on childhood cognitive achievement of early life exposure to India’s Total Sanitation Campaign, a large government program that encouraged local governments to build latrines and promote their use. We find that the TSC caused six-year-olds exposed to it in their first year of life to be more likely to recognize letters and simple numbers. Our results suggest that open defecation is an important threat to human capital in India. ER -