Wells, Water, and Welfare: The Impact of Access to Groundwater on Rural Poverty and Conflict
- (pp. 76-102)
Abstract
This paper evaluates the impact of access to groundwater on poverty using data from rural India. The estimation exploits the fact that the technology required to access groundwater changes exogenously due to constraints imposed by laws of physics at a depth of eight meters. I find that rural poverty in areas where depth from surface is below the cutoff is 9 to 10 percent higher. Using survey data for a subsample of villages, I also show that disputes over irrigation water increase by 25 percent around the cutoff. Historical endowments of groundwater facilitate adoption of yield enhancing technologies over the long-run.Citation
Sekhri, Sheetal. 2014. "Wells, Water, and Welfare: The Impact of Access to Groundwater on Rural Poverty and Conflict." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 6 (3): 76-102. DOI: 10.1257/app.6.3.76Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D74 Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances
- I32 Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
- O13 Economic Development: Agriculture; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Other Primary Products
- O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
- O18 Economic Development: Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
- Q15 Land Ownership and Tenure; Land Reform; Land Use; Irrigation; Agriculture and Environment
- Q16 Agricultural R&D; Agricultural Technology; Biofuels; Agricultural Extension Services
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