The School of Economics and Management of the University of Minho (EEG) is proud to announce that Emmanuel Temene Ngoy, a PhD student in Economics, presented her doctoral thesis entitled "Essays on Health and Education in Developing Countries" on October, 8th 2024.

The research includes three essays on health and education in the context of developing countries, with Peru as the empirical reference. As the author explains, "The first essay documents the magnitude of socioeconomic-related inequality in language skills in preschool and school-age children in Peru. The results indicate the existence of socioeconomic-related inequality in language skills that manifests itself from an early age, even before the start of formal schooling. Parental socioeconomic status is the main factor explaining the observed socioeconomic-related inequality. These findings highlight the importance of intervening early as these policies can narrow socioeconomic inequality in children’s cognitive outcomes at the start of school.

The second essay investigates the relationship between exposure to armed conflict during childhood and schooling outcomes in adulthood. The results indicate no statistically significant relationship between exposure to conflict during childhood and the likelihood of completing primary and lower secondary education. This finding suggests communities’ resilience to conflict, particularly in the context of protracted armed conflict.

Finally, the third essay studies the impact of prenatal exposure to drought on children’s health. The results reveal a detrimental effect of prenatal exposure to drought in child health, particularly regarding child height. The effects are stronger during the first and final trimesters of pregnancy. Lower crop yields emerge as the key channel for this negative effect. Prenatal care appears to be a protective factor against climate risks. These findings shed light on the importance of investment in adaptation as a buffer against weather shocks, particularly in low-income settings."

The doctoral thesis was supervised by Carla Angélica Silva Pinto Sá and Paula Alexandra Correia Veloso Veiga Benesch, Assistant Professors in the Economics Department of the School of Economics and Management at the University of Minho.

EEG congratulates Emmanuel Temene Ngoy on her defence and wishes her every professional and personal success!