Place-based policies, structural change and female labor: Evidence from India's Special Economic Zones

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Galle, Johannes; Overbeck, Daniel; Riedel, Nadine; Seidel, Tobias
• 署名单位: Ruhr University Bochum; University of Mannheim; Leibniz Association; Ifo Institut; University of Munster; University of Oxford; Leibniz Association; Ifo Institut; University of Duisburg Essen
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2727
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2024.105259
• 发表日期: 2024
• 关键词: Economic development; Female labor; Place-based policy; spillovers; structural change; Special Economic Zones

摘要

This paper quantifies the local economic impact of special economic zones (SEZs) established in India between 2005 and 2013. Using a novel dataset that combines census information on the universe of Indian firms with geo-referenced data on SEZs, we find that the establishment of SEZs increased local manufacturing and service employment, with positive spillovers up to 10 km from the SEZ area. The analysis shows that the gains in manufacturing and service employment were accompanied by a decline in agricultural labor, especially for women, suggesting that the policy contributed to structural change. In further analysis, we document that significant local employment effects occur across different types of SEZs: privately and publicly run zones, and SEZs with different industry designations.