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Development Research at High Geographic Resolution: An Analysis of Night-Lights, Firms, and Poverty in India Using the SHRUG Open Data Platform

Author

Listed:
  • Sam Asher
  • Tobias Lunt
  • Ryu Matsuura
  • Paul Novosad

Abstract

The SHRUG is an open data platform describing multidimensional socioeconomic development across 600,000 villages and towns in India. This paper presents three illustrative analyses only possible with high-resolution data. First, it confirms that nighttime lights are highly significant proxies for population, employment, per capita consumption, and electrification at very local levels. However, elasticities between night-lights and these variables are far lower in time series than in cross section, and vary widely across context and level of aggregation. Next, this study shows that the distribution of manufacturing employment across villages follows a power law: the majority of rural Indians have considerably less access to manufacturing employment than is suggested by aggregate data. Third, a poverty mapping exercise explores local heterogeneity in living standards and estimates the potential targeting improvement from allocating programs at the village—rather than at the district—level. The SHRUG can serve as a model for open high-resolution data in developing countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Sam Asher & Tobias Lunt & Ryu Matsuura & Paul Novosad, 2021. "Development Research at High Geographic Resolution: An Analysis of Night-Lights, Firms, and Poverty in India Using the SHRUG Open Data Platform," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 35(4), pages 845-871.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:wbecrv:v:35:y:2021:i:4:p:845-871.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/wber/lhab003
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    Cited by:

    1. Kammerlander, Andreas & Schulze, Günther G., 2023. "Local economic growth and infant mortality," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    2. Makkar, Karan, 2023. "Defector Politicians and Economic Growth: Evidence from India," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    3. Merfeld, Joshua D., 2023. "Air Pollution and Agricultural Productivity in a Developing Country," IZA Discussion Papers 16316, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Vegard Iversen & Anustup Kundu & Rahul Lahoti & Kunal Sen, 2023. "Barriers or catalysts? Traditional institutions and social mobility in rural India," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2023-124, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    5. Dhamija, Gaurav & Roychowdhury, Punarjit & Shankar, Binay, 2023. "Urbanization and Women Empowerment: Evidence from India," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1323, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    6. Sudatta Ray & Hemant K. Pullabhotla, 2023. "The changing impact of rural electrification on Indian agriculture," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    7. Jain, Chandan & Kashyap, Shagun & Lahoti, Rahul & Sahoo, Soham, 2023. "The impact of educated leaders on economic development: Evidence from India," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 1068-1093.
    8. Beyer, Robert C.M. & Jain, Tarun & Sinha, Sonalika, 2023. "Lights out? COVID-19 containment policies and economic activity," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    9. Sandhya Garg & Samarth Gupta & Sushanta Mallick, 2023. "Does Social Identity Constrain Rural Entrepreneurship? The Role of Financial Inclusion," IEG Working Papers 460, Institute of Economic Growth.
    10. Diep Hoang Phan, 2023. "Lights and GDP relationship: What does the computer tell us?," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 65(3), pages 1215-1252, September.
    11. Iversen, Vegard & Kundu, Anustup & Lahoti, Rahul & Sen, Kunal, 2023. "Barriers or Catalysts? Traditional Institutions and Social Mobility in Rural India," IZA Discussion Papers 16601, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    12. Tanner Regan & Giorgio Chiovelli & Stelios Michalopoulos & Elias Papaioannou, 2023. "Illuminating Africa?," Working Papers 2023-11, The George Washington University, Institute for International Economic Policy.

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