This document summarizes a paper that examines the impacts of mining on health and education outcomes using cross-country empirical analysis. The modeling framework and analytical methods are clearly presented. While the paper contributes to development and investment policy literature, the issues with causality inferences from the long time intervals and choice of some variables could be explained further. Suggestions for improving the paper include providing more explanation on the identification strategy, mechanisms of impact, and choice of instrumental variables.

1. Mining, deaths, and dropouts
Paper by Ryan Edwards
Discussant: Kimlong Chheng
Crawford PhD Conference
04, November, 2013
Crawford School
The Australian National University

2. General comments
• The paper examines impacts of mining on
health and education outcomes using crosscountry empirical analysis.
• Key issues, policy relevant, scope-bound.
• The modelling framework and analytical
methods applied are clear and well-balanced.

3. • The study contributes to development and
investment policy literature.
• One last point, the paper incorporates some
test methods in an attempt to validate the
significance of the test results.
• However, the issues with causality inferences
remain to be treated with some caution.

4. The model

5. Strengths of the paper
• Large sample size and a long period of time
• Variation in specifications and functional
forms, i.e., log-log, log-level, cross-sectional,
and differing panels of data
• Treatment of the omitted variable bias issues
and attempt for robustness checks
• Treatment of endogeneity issues
• Attempt to external validity

6. Some minor points on shortcomings
• The paper has yet to explain the mechanisms
through which or why mining impacts the
health and education outcomes and the
choice of some variables of interest.
• It appears 20-year differences is quite long the
interval, due multiplicity of unobservable
effects and heterogeneity in outcome
variables.

7. Suggestions
More explanation on:
1. Identification strategy
2. The mechanisms through which mining
affects health and education outcomes based
on the test results
3. The variable instrumentation, i.e., how the
instrumental variable is chosen, and choice
of the institutional variables