Consumption Inequality Among Children: Evidence from Child Fostering in Malawi

Abstract The share of household resources devoted to a child may depend on their gender, birth order, or relationship to the household head. However, it is challenging to determine whether parents favour certain children over others as consumption data are collected at the household level and goods are shared among family members. I develop a new methodology using the collective household framework to identify consumption inequality between different types of children. I apply this method to child fostering in Malawi. I find little evidence of inequality between foster and non-foster children.