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Air pollution and academic performance: Evidence from India

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  • Balakrishnan, Uttara
  • Tsaneva, Magda

Abstract

Health and well-being during childhood are vital for shaping human capital accumulation. In India, exposure to pollution is increasingly one of the greatest public health challenges facing the country. In this context, we examine the impact of short-run exposure to air pollution on children’s academic performance. Using a large-scale dataset from 2008 to 2014, we causally estimate the impacts of contemporaneous air pollution on reading and math outcomes for children aged 5–16 years in rural India. To overcome endogeneity concerns, we use thermal inversions as an instrument for air pollution. We show that high levels of contemporaneous air pollution significantly reduce varying levels of reading outcomes by 1.11–2.39 percentage points and math outcomes by 0.53–1.90 percentage points, with girls and older children witnessing a larger decline. We find that school attendance is the main mechanism explaining these impacts.

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  • Balakrishnan, Uttara & Tsaneva, Magda, 2021. "Air pollution and academic performance: Evidence from India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:146:y:2021:i:c:s0305750x21001686
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105553
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    2. Zhenyu Yao & Wei Zhang & Xinde Ji & Weizhe Weng, 2023. "Short-Term Exposure to Air Pollution and Cognitive Performance: New Evidence from China’s College English Test," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 85(1), pages 211-237, May.
    3. Guo, Liwen & Cheng, Zhiming & Tani, Massimiliano & Cook, Sarah, 2024. "Air pollution and education investment," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    4. Nikolai Cook, Anthony Heyes, Nicholas Rivers, 2023. "Clean Air and Cognitive Productivity: Effect and Adaptation," LCERPA Working Papers bm0137, Laurier Centre for Economic Research and Policy Analysis.
    5. Gallé, Johannes, 2023. "City Shape and Air Pollution," Ruhr Economic Papers 1012, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    6. Bao, Yanxi & Liao, Tingxuan, 2024. "Multidimensional poverty and growth: Evidence from India 1998–2021," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    7. Damini Singh & Indrani Gupta & Sagnik Dey, 2022. "Effect of Air Pollution on Cognitive Performance in India," IEG Working Papers 452, Institute of Economic Growth.
    8. Dang, Hai-Anh H. & Do, Minh N. N. & Cuong Viet Nguyen, 2024. "The impacts of climate change and air pollution on children's education outcomes: Evidence from Vietnam," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1464, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    9. Bellani, Luna & Ceolotto, Stefano & Elsner, Benjamin & Pestel, Nico, 2021. "Air Pollution Affects Decision-Making: Evidence from the Ballot Box," IZA Discussion Papers 14718, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Brooks, Nina & Biswas, Debashish & Hossin, Raduan & Yu, Alexander & Saha, Shampa & Saha, Senjuti & Saha, Samir K. & Luby, Stephen P., 2023. "Health consequences of small-scale industrial pollution: Evidence from the brick sector in Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    11. Tafesse, Wiktoria, 2022. "The effect of Universal Salt Iodization on cognitive test scores in rural India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    12. Evans, David K. & Mendez Acosta, Amina, 2023. "How to measure student absenteeism in low- and middle-income countries," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Air pollution; Academic performance; Thermal inversions; India;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns

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