Environmental Regulations, Air and Water Pollution, and Infant Mortality in India
American Economic Review
vol. 104,
no. 10, October 2014
(pp. 3038-72)
Abstract
Using the most comprehensive developing country dataset ever compiled on air and water pollution and environmental regulations, the paper assesses India's environmental regulations with a difference-in-differences design. The air pollution regulations are associated with substantial improvements in air quality. The most successful air regulation resulted in a modest but statistically insignificant decline in infant mortality. In contrast, the water regulations had no measurable benefits. The available evidence leads us to cautiously conclude that higher demand for air quality prompted the effective enforcement of air pollution regulations, indicating that strong public support allows environmental regulations to succeed in weak institutional settings.Citation
Greenstone, Michael, and Rema Hanna. 2014. "Environmental Regulations, Air and Water Pollution, and Infant Mortality in India." American Economic Review, 104 (10): 3038-72. DOI: 10.1257/aer.104.10.3038Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- I12 Health Production
- J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
- O13 Economic Development: Agriculture; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Other Primary Products
- Q53 Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
- Q58 Environmental Economics: Government Policy