The nutritional cost of beef bans in India

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Dasgupta, Aparajita; Majid, Farhan; Orman, Wafa Hakim
• 署名单位: Ashoka University; American Institutes for Research; University of Alabama System; University of Alabama Huntsville
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-3878
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2023.103104
• 发表日期: 2023
• 关键词: Beef bans; anemia; INDIA

摘要

We study the impact of beef sale and possession bans in India on women's anemia by leveraging a natural experiment arising from the state-level rollout of beef bans. We hypothesize that these bans differentially affect groups that traditionally eat beef - Muslims, Christians, and Scheduled-Caste Hindus. We compile rich data on beef-ban legislation by states over time and harmonize them with household and individual level data on biomarkers and consumption. Estimating a triple difference-in-differences model, we find that bans reduce women's hemoglobin levels in beef-eating communities by 1.2 g/L and increase severe anemia by 27 percent of the mean level.