Bureaucrat incentives reduce crop burning and child mortality in South Asia

Air pollution in South Asia is a major health crisis, with crop residue burning contributing significantly to winter pollution. This study investigates whether bureaucratic incentives can mitigate crop burning. Using satellite and survey data from India and Pakistan, the researchers found that fires increase when wind directs pollution to neighboring jurisdictions and decrease when pollution affects the bureaucrats' own districts. These effects intensify with stronger bureaucratic incentives and capacity. Bureaucratic action also deters future burning. An atmospheric model estimates that increased in utero pollution exposure from burning significantly raises child mortality, highlighting the importance of incentivized bureaucratic action.

Gemma Dipoppa, Saad Gulzar