Abstract: Agricultural marketing in India has been regulated by state governments to facilitate the centralized auction of agricultural produce. In 2006, Bihar, one of the largest states in India, decided to step away from government intervention in agricultural trade, such as through regulated marketplaces, to promote private investment. Using the two-way fixed-effects estimation model, we find evidence that post-reform average prices of main crops fell significantly, reducing the farm income. Consequently, reduced demand for unskilled labor led to lower wages for field laborers. We discuss policy imperatives in light of new evidence on farmers' responses to market liberalization in the agricultural sector.

Abstract:  Afforestation is a popular strategy to mitigate climate change. When successful, afforestation programs can produce important co-benefits beyond carbon sequestration, which have significant implications for the net social benefit of carbon abatement through afforestation. In 2003, one of the largest afforestation programs in India was implemented in Rajasthan state. Using a yearly, district-level panel from 1997 to 2017, we estimate the effects of this program on the agricultural sector using two-way fixed effects and synthetic difference-in-differences approaches. Our findings suggest that the afforestation program led to robust, statistically significant increases in rainfall and agricultural production, area, and yield. We discuss the implications of our findings for afforestation as a climate mitigation strategy.

Abstract: Floods often displace people and exacerbate their access to finance, affecting the livelihood of daily wage workers in least-developed countries. In August 2017, Nepal experienced the heaviest rainfall in more than 60 years, severely flooding about 80 percent of the land in the southern part of the country. Using the TWFE approach and an event study design, we evaluate the impact of severe flooding on the wages of agricultural workers. We show that the 2017 floods resulted in a 10-11 percent decrease in cash wages among agricultural households while in-kind wages of agricultural laborers increased significantly after the floods, implying that in-kind wages helped mitigate the adverse effects of floods on cash wages. We investigate changes in assistance, loan-seeking behavior, loan repayment, and collection behavior as a mechanism leading to the risk-mitigating behavior by farmers.

Abstract: In 2011, the Supreme Court of India banned iron ore mining in three districts of Karnataka state to curb illegal mining. This decision had unintended consequences on the market for unskilled labor as displaced miners shifted to other fields such as agriculture. In districts where mining was banned, we find that male agricultural field labor wages declined by 24%, household consumption declined by about 20%, and demand for guaranteed government work programs increased by about five percentage points. These findings have important implications for sunset industries in transitioning economies that are experiencing structural transformation.

Abstract: In 2011, the Supreme Court of India banned mining for over 150 iron ore mines due to environmental concerns.  We study the impact of this mining ban on pregnancy outcomes, finding improvements in infant and maternal outcomes for births in regions subject to the ban relative to control regions.  The ban reduced the likelihood of still births, medically terminated pregnancies, and maternal anemia at delivery while birth weights increased. As mechanisms, we show that the ban on mining reduced household consumption but improved air quality, suggesting that the environmental benefits outweighed the local economic costs of the ban.

Abstract: Coming soon...

Abstract: Pollution negatively affects the health of an individual forcing them to reduce labor force participation. This effect is amplified for married individuals when they are subjected to illness due to pollution. It is because a married individual has the added responsibility of spending time on caregiving for their spouse. In a country like India, where wage differences between women and men are very high, both men and women respond differently to their respective spouse's illnesses. Due to the dominant income effect both end up working more in case of their spouse is sick compared to unmarried individuals. However, the effect is 3 times higher in the case of women compared to men.