Terrorism and Fertility: Evidence From Boko Haram in Nigeria

Valentina Rotondi , Bocconi University
Michele Rocca, Università Cattolica, Milan

In this paper we combine panel data from Nigeria and geolocalized information of terrorist attacks to study the effect of Boko Haram on demographic outcomes. More specifically, we study how exposure to terrorism affects fertility choices of women in reproductive age and the anthropometric measures of children below the age of 5 in a framework where parents decide not only how many (the quantity) children do they want to have, but also how much do they want to invest on them (the quality). Empirically, we employ both individual panel fixed- effects and difference-in-difference regression models. As a further analysis, we employ also GMM models and instrumental variables techniques to deal with the possibly endogenous nature of terrorist attacks.

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 Presented in Session 93. Family Planning and Sexual and Reproductive Health in Conflict and Emergency Settings