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Air Pollution and Time Use: Evidence from India

Author

Listed:
  • Jafarov, Jafar

    (Georgia State University)

  • Singh, Tejendra P.

    (Georgia State University)

  • Sahoo, Soham

    (Loughborough University)

Abstract

We investigate how air pollution impacts outdoor activity avoidance, leveraging changes in local wind direction in an instrumental variable setup for causal identification. Our findings reveal a substantial reduction in time spent outdoors during polluted days, mainly driven by decreased engagement in employment-related activities. This effect varies significantly across age, education level, usual principal activity status, consumption expenditure, and residential location. Moreover, reduced outdoor time due to air pollution can potentially promote a more equitable allocation of unpaid caregiving responsibilities within households via increased male involvement. Our results rule out information provision as the primary mechanism and remain robust under various sensitivity tests.

Suggested Citation

  • Jafarov, Jafar & Singh, Tejendra P. & Sahoo, Soham, 2023. "Air Pollution and Time Use: Evidence from India," IZA Discussion Papers 16552, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16552
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tatyana Deryugina & Garth Heutel & Nolan H. Miller & David Molitor & Julian Reif, 2019. "The Mortality and Medical Costs of Air Pollution: Evidence from Changes in Wind Direction," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 109(12), pages 4178-4219, December.
    2. Marie Connolly, 2008. "Here Comes the Rain Again: Weather and the Intertemporal Substitution of Leisure," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 26(1), pages 73-100.
    3. Field, Erica & Pande, Rohini & Rigol, Natalia & Schaner, Simone & Stacy, Elena & Moore, Charity Troyer, 2023. "Measuring time use in rural India: Design and validation of a low-cost survey module," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    4. Ashwini Deshpande & Naila Kabeer, 2021. "Norms that matter: Exploring the distribution of women's work between income generation, expenditure-saving, and unpaid domestic responsibilities in India," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2021-130, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    air pollution; time-use; labor supply; intrahousehold bargaining; avoidance behavior; India;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth

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