Prenatal Temperature Shocks Reduce Cooperation: Evidence from Public Goods Games in Uganda

Abstract

Climate change has not only led to a sustained rise in mean global temperature over the past decades, but also increased the frequency of extreme weather events. This paper explores the effect of temperature shocks in utero on later-life taste for cooperation. Using historical climate data combined with data on child and adult behavior in public goods games, I show that abnormally high ambient temperatures during gestation are associated with decreased individual contributions to the public good in a statistically and economically significant way. A 1 standard deviation rise in mean ambient temperature during gestation is associated with a 10% point decrease in children's cooperation rate in a dichotomous public goods game, and the reduced taste for cooperation lasts into adulthood.

Associations between high temperatures in pregnancy and risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, and stillbirths: systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Lastly, it is important to note that in utero exposure to heat has been linked with a range of childhood and adult conditions, and even long term economic prospects. 8 9 10 98 99 Each of these topics warrants closer study.…”

“…Group B streptococcus colonisation of the vagina and cervix of pregnant women could increase at higher ambient temperatures,97 raising risks for newborn sepsis. Lastly, it is important to note that in utero exposure to heat has been linked with a range of childhood and adult conditions, and even long term economic prospects 89109899. Each of these topics warrants closer study.…”

“…This complexity is heightened by the lag times between heat exposure in pregnancy and adverse outcomes, which can be several months with congenital anomalies, for example, as these anomalies might become apparent only at birth. Additionally, lag times can even be decades, with outcomes that manifest in adulthood 8910. Much of the research on climate change and health in low and middle income countries has centred on infectious diseases such as malaria, and in high income countries, the focus has been on heat related mortality among groups such as elderly people or those with chronic conditions.…”

Increasing global temperatures threaten gains in maternal and newborn health in Africa: A review of impacts and an adaptation framework

“…7,9 Studies in Ethiopia, South Africa, and Uganda have documented heat impacts on pregnancy outcomes. [13][14][15] Many women in Africa have little or no protection against exposure to extreme heat events during pregnancy. Rapid urbanization on the continent means that increasing numbers of pregnant women reside in informal housing in urban heat islands, where temperatures can be several degrees higher than in surrounding areas.…”

Do Pandemics Change Healthcare? Evidence from the Great Influenza

“…First, we examine how external shocks may alter preferences for the provision of healthcare in the short-and longer-run, a topic that has thus far received little attention. The empirical literature on local public goods has suggested that large external shocks, such as pandemics, can alter the provision of local public goods through three mechanisms: changed preferences (Foster and Rosenzweig 1995;Gustafsson, Biel, and Garling 2000;Banerjee and Somanathan 2007;Cárdenas et al 2017;Duchoslav 2017;Cecchi and Duchoslav 2018), collective action (Alesina, Baqir, and Easterly 1999;de Janvry, Dequiedt, and Sadoulet 2014), and budget constraints (Feler and Senses 2017;Jerch, Kahn, and Lin 2020). This literature suggests that the expected effects of a large public health shock are ex ante unclear.…”