Environmental Regulations, Air and Water Pollution, and Infant Mortality in India
Michael Greenstone, Rema Hanna
American Economic Review · 2014 · Volume 104 · Issue 10
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.
Keywords
Health Production, Fertility, Family Planning, Child Care, Children, Youth, Economic Development: Agriculture, Natural Resources, Energy, Environment, Other Primary Products, Air Pollution, Water Pollution, Noise, Hazardous Waste, Solid Waste, Recycling, Environmental Economics: Government Policy
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