Working Paper: NBER ID: w17210
Authors: Michael Greenstone; Rema Hanna
Abstract: Using the most comprehensive data file ever compiled on air pollution, water pollution, environmental regulations, and infant mortality from a developing country, the paper examines the effectiveness of India's environmental regulations. The air pollution regulations were effective at reducing ambient concentrations of particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. The most successful air pollution regulation is associated with a modest and statistically insignificant decline in infant mortality. However, the water pollution regulations had no observable effect. Overall, these results contradict the conventional wisdom that environmental quality is a deterministic function of income and underscore the role of institutions and politics.
Keywords: Environmental Regulations; Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Infant Mortality; India
JEL Codes: H23; Q25; Q53; R53
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Water pollution regulations (Q53) | no observable effect on water quality measures (Q25) |
| Catalytic converter policy (Q58) | decline in infant mortality rates (J11) |
| Environmental regulations (Q52) | reductions in air pollution levels (Q52) |
| Catalytic converter mandate (Q58) | reductions in air pollution levels (Q52) |