Research

Published Papers

Time for clean energy? cleaner fuels and women’s time in home production (with Farzana Afridi, Taryn Dinkelman and Sisir Debnath). The World Bank Economic Review, 37(2), 283-304. https://doi.org/10.1093/wber/lhac031

Abstract: In much of the developing world, cooking accounts for the largest share of women’s time in home production. Does relying on solid fuels drive this time burden? This study revisits a clean energy information experiment in rural India to assess the time savings’ potential of cleaner cooking technologies. Treatment villages were randomly assigned to receive information about negative health effects of cooking with solid fuels and about public subsidies for cleaner liquid petroleum gas (LPG). Time-use data indicate that primary cooks spend almost 24 hours cooking each week. Cleaner fuel use is correlated with about 140 minutes less cooking time each week. Yet households only reduce their weekly cooking time by about 35 minutes in response to the randomized clean energy information nudge. Factors limiting the impact of clean energy nudges on the choice of home production technologies and time use are discussed and an avenue for future research is suggested.

Working Papers

Supplier-Induced Demand for Tertiary Healthcare: Evidence from a Public Health Insurance Program in India (with Sisir Debnath and Sourabh B. Paul). (Link)

Abstract: This paper explores the potential adverse consequences of publicly-financed health insurance programs by investigating their impact on unnecessary medical procedures. Using nationally representative data from India, we focus on a state-sponsored cashless health insurance program providing tertiary care coverage in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Our findings show a significant rise in the number of hysterectomies following the implementation of the program in the state. We further find that a majority of these procedures were performed in private hospitals, raising concerns about possible financial incentives for over-treatment and inflated claims under the program. We conduct several robustness checks to support our findings. Our study motivates the need for clinical auditing and monitoring of health insurance programs without co-payments, especially for private medical facilities. 

Alcohol Abuse and Abusive Husbands: Impact of a State-wide Alcohol Ban on Intimate Partner Violence  (with Sisir Debnath and Sourabh B. Paul) (Link)

Abstract: This paper examines the effect of a complete state-wide ban on the manufacture, sale, storage, and consumption of alcohol in Bihar, India, on the incidence of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women. Using three waves of the National Family Health Survey (2005-06, 2015-16, and 2019-21) and a difference-in-difference strategy, we estimate that after the ban in 2016, a woman in Bihar reported that her husband was 8.6 percentage points less likely to consume alcohol. We further find a decrease in the likelihood of a woman experiencing domestic violence. However, this decline could be attributed to several other pro-female measures implemented in Bihar around the same time. To address such concerns, we use geospatial pre-ban survey data to estimate alcohol consumption intensities across sub-district administrative units (or blocks) within Bihar and compare the effects of the ban on IPV between low and high-alcohol use areas. Our findings show that in areas where the pre-ban intensity of alcohol consumption was higher than the median value, women were less likely to report physical and emotional violence in the post-ban period by 4.2-12 and 7.4 percentage points, respectively. Additionally, we find that the prohibition had no impact on male and female attitudes toward IPV. We test for parallel trends and perform placebo checks to support our results. Although liquor taxes contribute significantly to state finances, our results highlight the importance of such prohibitions on domestic violence.