Using nationally representative data from PNG, this seminar explains that access to improved water and sanitation plays a critical role in reducing diarrhea among young children.
Diarrhea remains a leading cause of death among children under five in Papua New Guinea (PNG). This paper examined the impact of the improved water and sanitation on diarrhea outcomes among 7,670 children under five using nationally representative data from the 2016-2018 PNG Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). The paper employs propensity score matching (PSM) technique, using the nearest neighbor algorithm to estimate the causal effect of household improved water and improved sanitation facilities. The results show that access to improved water reduces the probability of diarrhea by 3.8 percentage points, while improved sanitation yields an 8.6 percentage points reduction. When households have access to both services, the combined effect remains at 8.2 percentage points reduction. These effects are statistically significant at five percent level. Robustness checks were conducted using radius and kernel matching, both of which support the main findings. There is strong empirical evidence supporting expanded access to clean water and sanitation in PNG, particularly to rural areas.
The monthly ANU-UPNG seminar series is part of the partnership between the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy and the UPNG, supported by the PNG-Aus Partnership.
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Event Speakers
Kingtau Mambon
Kingtau Mambon is an economics lecturer at the University of Papua New Guinea. He was awarded an ANU-UPNG partnership Scholarship and completed a Master of International and Development Economics degree at the Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU in 2023.