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Cycles of Fire? Politics and Forest Burning in Indonesia

Author

Listed:
  • Clare Balboni
  • Robin Burgess
  • Anton Heil
  • Jonathan Old
  • Benjamin A. Olken

Abstract

This paper examines the link between electoral incentives and environmental degradation by exploiting a satellite dataset on 107,000 forest fires and 879 asynchronous district elections in Indonesia. Fires represent a cheap but illegal means of converting forested land to other uses, but they risk burning out of control and creating substantial negative environmental externalities. We find a significant electoral cycle in forest fires. Ignitions and area burned decline during election years but steeply increase in the year after. The results suggest that politicians may suppress this activity at times when it might particularly dent their electoral chances.

Suggested Citation

  • Clare Balboni & Robin Burgess & Anton Heil & Jonathan Old & Benjamin A. Olken, 2021. "Cycles of Fire? Politics and Forest Burning in Indonesia," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 111, pages 415-419, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:apandp:v:111:y:2021:p:415-19
    DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20211005
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Harding, Robin & Prem, Mounu & Ruiz, Nelson A. & Vargas, David L., 2021. "Buying a Blind Eye: Campaign Donations, Forbearance, and Deforestation in Colombia," Working papers 84, Red Investigadores de Economía.
    2. B. Kelsey Jack & Seema Jayachandran & Namrata Kala & Rohini Pande, 2022. "Money (Not) to Burn: Payments for Ecosystem Services to Reduce Crop Residue Burning," NBER Working Papers 30690, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Magalhães de Oliveira, Gustavo & Sellare, Jorge & Cisneros, Elias, Börner, Jan & Börner, Jan, 2024. "Mind your language: Political signaling and deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon," Discussion Papers 333334, University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • Q23 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Forestry
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure

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