The effect of prenatal exposure to Ramadan on human capital: evidence from Turkey
利用土耳其家庭结构调查数据，研究产前斋月暴露（即胎儿期经历斋戒）对个体教育和就业的影响，发现男性在孕早期或晚期暴露会减少0.53年教育年限并降低获得中学、高中和大学学位的概率，夏季效应更强。
Abstract This study aims to analyze the effect of prenatal exposure to certain nutritional disruptions in utero on human capital formation. In order to resolve the endogeneity driven by maternal dietary deficiencies, we use the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, during which observers abstain from eating and drinking entirely from sunrise to sunset, as a natural experiment to assess the effects of fetal malnourishment on educational and labor market outcomes. We compare schooling and employment measures of individuals who are prenatally exposed to Ramadan with those who are not using the 2016 round of the Turkish Family Structure Survey dataset. Our results indicate that men who are exposed to Ramadan in utero in the first or third trimester complete 0.53 fewer years of schooling and are less likely to obtain middle school, high school, and college degrees. These effects are stronger when Ramadan coincides with summer.