This paper studies how land reform and population growth affect land inequality, incorporating indirect effects owing to their influence on household divisions and land market transactions. An intra-household model of joint production explains how divisions and land transactions emerge to avoid inefficient free-riding, and how they are affected by land reform and growth in household size. These...

This paper examines how robust economic, political, and demographic variables are related to water and air pollution. Employing Bayesian Averaging of Classical Estimates (BACE) for a cross section of up to 74 countries, 33 variables and 3 proxies for air and water pollution over a period from 1980 to 1995 we confirm the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis, highlight the relevance of efficien...

Traders are often blamed for high prices, prompting government regulation. We study the effects of a ban layer financing intermediaries in edible oil supply chain Bangladesh during 2011–2012. Contrary to predictions standard model an oligopolistic chain, caused downstream wholesale and retail prices rise, pass-through changes imported crude price fall. These results can be explained by extensio...

Can targeting information to network-central farmers induce more adoption of a new agricultural technology? By combining social network data and field experiment in 200 villages Malawi, we find that central is important spur the diffusion process. We also provide evidence one explanation for why centrality matters: process governed by complex contagion. Our results are consistent with model whi...

We study a simple savings scheme that allows workers to defer receipt of part their wages for three months at zero interest. The significantly increases during the deferral period, leading higher postdisbursement spending on lumpy goods. Two years later, after two additional rounds scheme, we find treated have made permanent improvements homes. popularity implies lack good alternative options. ...

Factor market failures can limit adoption of profitable technologies. We leverage a plot-level spatial regression discontinuity design in the context irrigation use by farmers provided free access to water. Using boosts profits 43–62 percent. Yet, only irrigate 30 percent plots because labor costs. demonstrate inefficient use, showing irrigating one plot reduce their on other plots. This ineffi...

Historically, improvements in municipal water quality led to substantial mortality decline today’s wealthy countries. However, disinfection has not consistently produced large benefits lower-income We study this issue by analyzing a large-scale program Mexico that increased chlorination coverage urban areas from 58 percent over 90 within 18 months. estimate the reduced childhood diarrheal disea...

Farmers often buy water using fixed fees—rather than with marginal prices. We use two randomized controlled trials in Bangladesh to study the relationship between prices, adoption of a water-saving technology, and usage. Our first experiment shows that technology only saves when farmers face second finds an encouragement voluntarily convert hourly pumping charges does not save water. Taken toge...