Deworming as Human Capital Investment

Deworming as human capital investment is the source’s health-education example in Piles of cash and a town of solutions in Kenya, Nigeria (Summer School). Ted Miguel evaluated free medicine for parasitic worms among schoolchildren near [[BusiaKenya|Busia]], and the episode says treated children attended school more often.

The longer-run claim is that early health treatment can affect later work and income. In the source, a follow-up study linked deworming to better jobs and higher incomes, making the intervention part of Human Capital Development rather than only disease control.

Key Claims

• Health can be an education intervention when illness keeps children from school.
• Randomized evidence can make low-cost health interventions visible to governments.
• Follow-up studies matter because human-capital returns can appear years after treatment.
• Deworming also illustrates Positive Externality because reducing infections can benefit untreated people nearby.

Connections

• Kenya, Ted Miguel, and Randomized Controlled Trials - source setting, researcher, and method.
• Evidence-Based Development Policy - policy-uptake frame.
• Remedial Education Targeting - adjacent Busia education-policy lesson.