Seminar: The Persistent Health Effect of Defoliating Vietnam
National Economics University
E-PhD Program Seminar Series
The Persistent Health Effect of Defoliating Vietnam
by
Nguyen Vuong
PhD Candidate, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
Universiry of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
Time and Venue
Time: 4.00PM – 5.00PM
Date: Friday, July 14th, 2023
Venue: Room 15.01, Building A1, National Economics University
207 Giai Phong Road, Hanoi, Vietnam
Abstract
In 1961-1971, the US military dropped 19.5 million gallons of herbicides on South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Even though it has been five decades since the last spray mission, the effect remains intact because of the persistence of dioxin, a compound in these herbicides. Since dioxin is harmful to humans, the spray missions would have a long-term effect on the health of those living in exposed areas. This study aims to quantify the impact of defoliant exposure on disability prevalence in Vietnam by using the records on spraying missions and census data. The challenge to this project is the endogeneity issue arising from the spatial correlation between the exposure to the War and the outcome variable. To address this issue, I simulate the spray mission and use it to purge the confounding factor. The results show a higher level of disability prevalence in exposed areas than in unexposed ones.
Keywords: Vietnam War, Agent Orange, health
About presenter
Nguyen Vuong is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. His research focuses on the economic impact of environmental issues and the legacy of conflicts in Vietnam.
About series
This seminar series is part of the E-PhD Program at National Economics University. It targets PhD students, early-career researchers, and senior faculty who find interested in doing research in the areas of economics, business, management, and other inter-disciplinary fields of social science. The series is a platform for the wider research community to exchange ideas, networks and collaborations.
Contact details
Bach Ngoc Thang
Seminar series coordinator
Room 15.04, Building A1
Institute for Sustainable Development
National Economics University
207 Giai Phong Road, Hanoi, Vietnam
M: +84 35 443 1750
E: bnthang@gmail.com, or thangbn@neu.edu.vn
