Mortality Risk and Human Capital Investment: The Impact of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa
Fortson, Jane G. / 2008

Over the past several decades, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has dramatically altered patterns of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, with consequences for human capital investment and economic growth. Previous studies of orphans in Africa have established that losing a parent is associated with worse educational outcomes; however, HIV/AIDS could influence human capital investment more broadly. Using data from Demographic and Health Surveys for sixteen countries in sub-Saharan Africa, I estimate the effect of regional HIV prevalence on individual human capital investment. I find that the HIV/AIDS epidemic has indeed affected human capital investment quite broadly: living in an area with higher HIV prevalence is associated with lower levels of completed schooling and slower progress through school, even among non-orphans.