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Nature's Call: Impacts of Sanitation Choices in Orissa, India

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  • Katherine L. Dickinson
  • Sumeet R. Patil
  • Subhrendu K. Pattanayak
  • Christine Poulos
  • Jui-Hen Yang

Abstract

Worldwide, over 2.5 billion people lack access to basic sanitation, a situation that contributes to 2 million annual diarrhea-related child deaths and substantial morbidity. Yet rigorous evaluations of sanitation behaviors and their health and welfare impacts are rare. This article uses a randomized sanitation promotion campaign in Orissa, India, to evaluate child health and household welfare outcomes. The sanitation campaign increased households' ownership and use of latrines and improved children's mid-upper-arm circumference, height, and weight z-scores. Switching from open defecation to latrine use also saved time and increased satisfaction in sanitation conditions. We use our results to illustrate the cost-benefit calculus underlying this seemingly unglamorous and mundane household choice with potentially large environmental externalities.

Suggested Citation

  • Katherine L. Dickinson & Sumeet R. Patil & Subhrendu K. Pattanayak & Christine Poulos & Jui-Hen Yang, 2015. "Nature's Call: Impacts of Sanitation Choices in Orissa, India," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 64(1), pages 1-29.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:ecdecc:doi:10.1086/682958
    DOI: 10.1086/682958
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alix Peterson Zwane & Michael Kremer, 2007. "What Works in Fighting Diarrheal Diseases in Developing Countries? A Critical Review," CID Working Papers 140, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
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    Cited by:

    1. Vani Kant Borooah, 2022. "Development, Sanitation and Personal Hygiene in India," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(1), pages 103-123, February.
    2. Augsburg, Britta & Rodríguez-Lesmes, Paul Andrés, 2018. "Sanitation and child health in India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 22-39.
    3. Orgill-Meyer, Jennifer & Pattanayak, Subhrendu K., 2020. "Improved sanitation increases long-term cognitive test scores," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    4. Augsburg, Britta & Caeyers, Bet & Giunti, Sara & Malde, Bansi & Smets, Susanna, 2023. "Labeled loans and human capital investments," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    5. Stopnitzky, Yaniv, 2017. "No toilet no bride? Intrahousehold bargaining in male-skewed marriage markets in India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 269-282.
    6. Pakhtigian, Emily L. & Dickinson, Katherine L. & Orgill-Meyer, Jennifer & Pattanayak, Subhrendu K., 2022. "Sustaining latrine use: Peers, policies, and sanitation behaviors," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 223-242.
    7. Hutton, Guy & Patil, Sumeet & Kumar, Avni & Osbert, Nicolas & Odhiambo, Francis, 2020. "Comparison of the costs and benefits of the Clean India Mission," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    8. Adam Biran & Rosie Sanderson & Diana Gonzalez & Hugo Bugoro & Mohammad Kadir & David Gegeo & Jamesford Keboy & Clement Lifoia & Sheilla Funubo & Hellenda Honimae & Lanique Naolina Pitasua & Joanna Tat, 2022. "Formative Research Using Settings and Motives to Explore Child Faeces Disposal and Management in Rural Solomon Islands," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-15, August.
    9. Brown, Joe & Hamoudi, Amar & Jeuland, Marc & Turrini, Gina, 2017. "Seeing, believing, and behaving: Heterogeneous effects of an information intervention on household water treatment," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 141-159.
    10. Pakhtigian, Emily L. & Pattanayak, Subhrendu K., 2024. "Social setting, gender, and preferences for improved sanitation: Evidence from experimental games in rural India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    11. Yokoo, Hide-Fumi & Harada, Tetsuya, 2023. "What makes green persuasion effective? Evidence from a community-financed sanitation program in Indonesia," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    12. Jesse D. Contreras & Joseph N.S. Eisenberg, 2019. "Does Basic Sanitation Prevent Diarrhea? Contextualizing Recent Intervention Trials through a Historical Lens," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-35, December.
    13. Cook, Joseph & Kabubo-Mariara, Jane & Kimuyu, Peter, 2021. "The Short-Run Impacts of Reducing Water Collection Times on Time Use, Well-Being and Education in Rural Kenya," EfD Discussion Paper 21-9, Environment for Development, University of Gothenburg.
    14. Artwell Kanda & Esper Jacobeth Ncube & Kuku Voyi, 2021. "Effect of Sanitation Interventions on Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review of Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trials in Rural Communities of Low- and Middle-Income Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-16, August.

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