Aggregate Effects from Public Works: Evidence from India

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Cook, C. Justin; Shah, Manisha
• 署名单位: University of California System; University of California Merced; University of California System; University of California Los Angeles; National Bureau of Economic Research
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0034-6535
• DOI: 10.1162/rest_a_00993
• 发表日期: 2022-07
• 页码: 797-806
• 关键词: programs evidence; ECONOMIC-GROWTH; institutions

摘要

This paper explores the aggregate economic effects from India's National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), which provides up to 100 days of labor to rural laborers at the mandated minimum wage. We examine the within-district change to nighttime lights, a proxy for economic development, and banking deposits using the staggered program rollout for identification. We find consistent and robust evidence that NREGS increased aggregate economic output by 1% to 2% per capita measured by nighttime lights. This effect, however, is not equal across districts. We observe no positive effect of the program in poorer districts, illuminating an important source of heterogeneity.