Given its size and level of income, India faces unique challenges in the labor market. In the urb... more Given its size and level of income, India faces unique challenges in the labor market. In the urban labor force of nearly 100 million, half of the workers engage in regular wage/salaried employment including in short-term contracts, yet a large number are either self-employed or work as casual labor. This vast pool of employees in the urban sector exists without job contract (92%), social security (90%) or paid leave (89%) barely earning subsistence wages, many close to the poverty threshold. This paper looks at the types of employment (TOE) for urban workforce and its effects on worker outcomes (earnings, hours worked, job loss). The assessment of the effects of TOE remains mostly instinctive without rigorous empirical research. Using latest three rounds of nationally representative Periodic Labor Force Surveys (PLFS), we assess the outcomes for urban workers based on TOE. We estimate the probability of being poor based on TOE and occupation where urban casual labor is associated with 7 percentage points higher likelihood of being poor and nearly 17% lower earnings. We uniquely assess the extent of job turnovers for urban workers and falling into unemployment at high frequency based on TOE. Analysis of urban panel after accounting for unobserved worker level factors captures the extent of fall in income due to job switching and loss of employment. Results indicate significant potential for poverty if worker is not socially protected, engaged in distress entrepreneurship or as casual labor.
Bihar, among the poorest and least industrialized states in India implemented the most far reachi... more Bihar, among the poorest and least industrialized states in India implemented the most far reaching agricultural market reforms in 2006 by removing law (APMC act) that restricted farmers to selling in government regulated markets. With the unmatched radicalness of this reform, its impacts, and implications for farmers, has not been analyzed. Taking the natural experiment of repeal of APMC, we first assess the impacts on market level outcomes employing synthetic control method and find that repeal of APMC act did not lead to increase in market efficiency, reduction in the wholesale-retail price wedge and wholesale prices of food items. Yet, at the farmer level, by uniquely employing panel data on farm harvest prices (FHP) and farming characteristics, we find evidence of impacts on FHP that varies by crop. The DID estimates show that repeal of APMC actually impacted in terms of lower FHP of paddy with a larger negative effect on marginal farmers. FHP of maize, grown mainly for exports to other states and countries and where new entry of buyers took place, was higher possibly because of increased competition among buyers and use of alternate and more direct channels of procurement from farmers that increased marketing efficiency.
Using Synthetic Control Method for comparative case studies, we estimate the causal impacts of th... more Using Synthetic Control Method for comparative case studies, we estimate the causal impacts of the Massachusetts Health Care Reform (MHR) enacted in 2006 on the sources of insurance coverage. We find that MHR caused two main sources of expansions, viz., employer sponsored insurance (ESI) and Medicaid, with no evidence of crowding out. The expansion in ESI mirrors the economic cycles. The overall expansion in coverage of over half-a-million is distributed approximately 60:40 between ESI and Medicaid. Other sources of coverage such as direct purchase and Medicare, in a causal sense, were unaffected by MHR.
Although income from poultry production is affected significantly by supply and demand shocks, ef... more Although income from poultry production is affected significantly by supply and demand shocks, effects on household income are limited due to the low share of poultry in households ’ total income. Poultry-related supply and demand shocks can result in income effects beyond poultry production through changes in incomes from maize and other food crops, and from labor involved in the poultry supply chain. With the high poultry imports to Ghana, supply and demand shocks on the domestic poultry sector are significant if the imports will be nonsubstitutes to the domestic poultry. Like in most African countries, the livestock sector is an important part of the economy in Ghana. At an aggregate level it contributes to about 7 percent of Ghana’s GDP and more than 40 percent to the agricultural GDP (Aning et al. 2008). Within the livestock sector, poultry comprising chicken, ducks, guinea fowls, turkeys, and ostrich constitutes an integral part of the rural farming system. Though Ghana has so...
Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, 2018
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to quantify the benefits of contract farming (CF) on farmers... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to quantify the benefits of contract farming (CF) on farmers’ income and adoption of food safety measures (FSMs) at the farm level. The paper also investigates the determinants of participation in CF. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a survey of 600 tomato farmers from Nepal. Descriptive statistics, regression analysis (using instrumental variable) and propensity score matching have been used to accomplish the objectives of the study. Findings The study found that the CF ensures higher returns to farmers as well as higher adoption of FSMs at the farm level. The contract farmers earned about 38 per cent higher net returns and had 38 per cent higher adoption of FSM as compared to independent farmers. Caste, occupation, farm size and cropping intensity significantly affected farmers’ participation in CF. Research limitations/implications The analysis based on cross-section data has limitations to consider unobserved farmer-level ind...
uring the past decade, because of the persistent deficit in India's pulse sector, the sharp rise ... more uring the past decade, because of the persistent deficit in India's pulse sector, the sharp rise in pulse prices has coincided with significant changes in the nature and extent of the pulse trade. Surprisingly, no systematic study has been done on the evolution of this trade, despite the fact that the role of trade in the price formation of pulses is becoming increasingly important. This chapter attempts to fill this research gap. Since exports of pulses from India are comparatively small, we focus on imports.
Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, 2020
We study the effects of food safety awareness on consumers’ milk purchasing behavior in Nepal. We... more We study the effects of food safety awareness on consumers’ milk purchasing behavior in Nepal. We conducted consumer survey and employed an instrumental variable regression. We find education, income, and social network to influence food safety consciousness (FSC). Our results indicate the positive impact of FSC on weekly milk expenditure and probability of purchasing milk from milk cooperatives. Any policy that helps to improve the FSC levels will likely increase the purchase of safe milk from the modern market outlet, and lack of such awareness raising policies has prevented the market for safe food from evolving and expanding.
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a CGIAR Research Center established in ... more The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a CGIAR Research Center established in 1975, provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition. IFPRI's strategic research aims to foster a climate-resilient and sustainable food supply; promote healthy diets and nutrition for all; build inclusive and efficient markets, trade systems, and food industries; transform agricultural and rural economies; and strengthen institutions and governance. Gender is integrated in all the Institute's work. Partnerships, communications, capacity strengthening, and data and knowledge management are essential components to translate IFPRI's research from action to impact. The Institute's regional and country programs play a critical role in responding to demand for food policy research and in delivering holistic support for country-led development. IFPRI collaborates with partners around the world.
Sweet potato plays a crucial role in increasing food security and income for the poor farmers of ... more Sweet potato plays a crucial role in increasing food security and income for the poor farmers of Odisha in India. Sweet potato is grown in during Kharif and Rabi season. It is consumed in different forms e.g. fresh, boiled and baked. The value chain of sweet potato is not well organized in Odisha. This study was carried out to analyze the existing sweet potato value chain in four selected districts of Odisha namely Koraput, Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Ganjam. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the samples and primary data were collected through well structured questionnaire from different value chain actors. Simple descriptive statistics and econometric analysis were used to analysis the data. The value chain actors in sweet potato are Input suppliers, Producers, Aggregators, Wholesalers, Retailer and Consumers. There are no specialized traders or retailers of sweet potato found in the study area. They mostly sell their sweet potato along with vegetables. Even there is no ...
This paper describes the United States recently enacted Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) ... more This paper describes the United States recently enacted Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and assesses its quantitative impact on African exports. The AGOA expands the scope of preferential access of Africa's exports to the United States in key areas such as clothing. However, its medium-term benefitsestimated at about US$100-$140 million, an 8-11 percent addition to current non-oil exportswould have been nearly five times greater (US$540 million) if no restrictive conditions had been imposed on the terms of market access. The most important of these conditions are the rules of origin with which African exporters of clothing must comply to benefit from duty- free access. JEL Classification Numbers:F1, F4 Keywords:trade; preference; market access; Africa Authors' Email Addresses: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 2908, October 2002 The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findi...
Would the households get to buy more of subsidized grains from a food safety-net program if the d... more Would the households get to buy more of subsidized grains from a food safety-net program if the difference between the price in the program and in the open market were to increase? This is an important question for safety-net programs anywhere in the world, but particularly so for the Public Distribution System (PDS) of grains in India. The standard economic intuition suggests that price controls distort signals and create incentives for unintended transactions. Dreze and Sen (2013), however, posit an opposite entitlement effect where an increase in arbitrage potential increases the value of PDS entitlement. Increase in the stake in the PDS for the eligible beneficiaries results in increased accountability and ultimately an increase in household purchase of grains from the PDS. We test these two competing hypotheses using the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) panel data and find evidence for both kinds of effects. In states where welfare programs are better governed, the Dreze a...
In 2012, anger erupted on the streets of Delhi following the violent rape and murder of a young w... more In 2012, anger erupted on the streets of Delhi following the violent rape and murder of a young woman. The scale of the protests, the extent of the media coverage, and the intensity of the publicA¢Â€Â™s opprobrium of the police and the administration of Delhi, was unprecedented. This paper argues that these events had a measurable impact on the reporting of crimes against women A¢Â€Â“ rape and other sexual assaults A¢Â€Â“ in Delhi.
Sweet potato plays a crucial role in increasing food security and income for the poor farmers of ... more Sweet potato plays a crucial role in increasing food security and income for the poor farmers of Odisha. Sweet potato is grown during Kharif and Rabi season. It is consumed in different forms namely fresh, boiled and baked. The value chain of sweet potato is not well organized in Odisha. This study was carried out to analyze the existing sweet potato value chain in four selected districts of Odisha namely Koraput, Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Ganjam. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the samples and primary data were collected through well-structured questionnaire from different value chain actors. Simple descriptive statistics and econometric analysis were used to analysis the data. The value chain actors in sweet potato are Input suppliers, producers, aggregators, wholesalers, retailer and consumers. There are no specialized traders or retailers of sweet potato found in the study area. They mostly sell the sweet potato along with vegetables. There were no processing unit...
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), established in 1975, provides evidence-... more The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), established in 1975, provides evidence-based policy solutions to sustainably end hunger and malnutrition, and reduce poverty. The institute conducts research, communicates results, optimizes partnerships, and builds capacity to ensure sustainable food production, promote healthy food systems, improve markets and trade, transform agriculture, build resilience, and strengthen institutions and governance. Gender is considered in all of the institute's work. IFPRI collaborates with partners around the world, including development implementers, public institutions, the private sector, and farmers' organizations, to ensure that local, national, regional, and global food policies are based on evidence.
Given its size and level of income, India faces unique challenges in the labor market. In the urb... more Given its size and level of income, India faces unique challenges in the labor market. In the urban labor force of nearly 100 million, half of the workers engage in regular wage/salaried employment including in short-term contracts, yet a large number are either self-employed or work as casual labor. This vast pool of employees in the urban sector exists without job contract (92%), social security (90%) or paid leave (89%) barely earning subsistence wages, many close to the poverty threshold. This paper looks at the types of employment (TOE) for urban workforce and its effects on worker outcomes (earnings, hours worked, job loss). The assessment of the effects of TOE remains mostly instinctive without rigorous empirical research. Using latest three rounds of nationally representative Periodic Labor Force Surveys (PLFS), we assess the outcomes for urban workers based on TOE. We estimate the probability of being poor based on TOE and occupation where urban casual labor is associated with 7 percentage points higher likelihood of being poor and nearly 17% lower earnings. We uniquely assess the extent of job turnovers for urban workers and falling into unemployment at high frequency based on TOE. Analysis of urban panel after accounting for unobserved worker level factors captures the extent of fall in income due to job switching and loss of employment. Results indicate significant potential for poverty if worker is not socially protected, engaged in distress entrepreneurship or as casual labor.
Bihar, among the poorest and least industrialized states in India implemented the most far reachi... more Bihar, among the poorest and least industrialized states in India implemented the most far reaching agricultural market reforms in 2006 by removing law (APMC act) that restricted farmers to selling in government regulated markets. With the unmatched radicalness of this reform, its impacts, and implications for farmers, has not been analyzed. Taking the natural experiment of repeal of APMC, we first assess the impacts on market level outcomes employing synthetic control method and find that repeal of APMC act did not lead to increase in market efficiency, reduction in the wholesale-retail price wedge and wholesale prices of food items. Yet, at the farmer level, by uniquely employing panel data on farm harvest prices (FHP) and farming characteristics, we find evidence of impacts on FHP that varies by crop. The DID estimates show that repeal of APMC actually impacted in terms of lower FHP of paddy with a larger negative effect on marginal farmers. FHP of maize, grown mainly for exports to other states and countries and where new entry of buyers took place, was higher possibly because of increased competition among buyers and use of alternate and more direct channels of procurement from farmers that increased marketing efficiency.
Using Synthetic Control Method for comparative case studies, we estimate the causal impacts of th... more Using Synthetic Control Method for comparative case studies, we estimate the causal impacts of the Massachusetts Health Care Reform (MHR) enacted in 2006 on the sources of insurance coverage. We find that MHR caused two main sources of expansions, viz., employer sponsored insurance (ESI) and Medicaid, with no evidence of crowding out. The expansion in ESI mirrors the economic cycles. The overall expansion in coverage of over half-a-million is distributed approximately 60:40 between ESI and Medicaid. Other sources of coverage such as direct purchase and Medicare, in a causal sense, were unaffected by MHR.
Although income from poultry production is affected significantly by supply and demand shocks, ef... more Although income from poultry production is affected significantly by supply and demand shocks, effects on household income are limited due to the low share of poultry in households ’ total income. Poultry-related supply and demand shocks can result in income effects beyond poultry production through changes in incomes from maize and other food crops, and from labor involved in the poultry supply chain. With the high poultry imports to Ghana, supply and demand shocks on the domestic poultry sector are significant if the imports will be nonsubstitutes to the domestic poultry. Like in most African countries, the livestock sector is an important part of the economy in Ghana. At an aggregate level it contributes to about 7 percent of Ghana’s GDP and more than 40 percent to the agricultural GDP (Aning et al. 2008). Within the livestock sector, poultry comprising chicken, ducks, guinea fowls, turkeys, and ostrich constitutes an integral part of the rural farming system. Though Ghana has so...
Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, 2018
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to quantify the benefits of contract farming (CF) on farmers... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to quantify the benefits of contract farming (CF) on farmers’ income and adoption of food safety measures (FSMs) at the farm level. The paper also investigates the determinants of participation in CF. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a survey of 600 tomato farmers from Nepal. Descriptive statistics, regression analysis (using instrumental variable) and propensity score matching have been used to accomplish the objectives of the study. Findings The study found that the CF ensures higher returns to farmers as well as higher adoption of FSMs at the farm level. The contract farmers earned about 38 per cent higher net returns and had 38 per cent higher adoption of FSM as compared to independent farmers. Caste, occupation, farm size and cropping intensity significantly affected farmers’ participation in CF. Research limitations/implications The analysis based on cross-section data has limitations to consider unobserved farmer-level ind...
uring the past decade, because of the persistent deficit in India's pulse sector, the sharp rise ... more uring the past decade, because of the persistent deficit in India's pulse sector, the sharp rise in pulse prices has coincided with significant changes in the nature and extent of the pulse trade. Surprisingly, no systematic study has been done on the evolution of this trade, despite the fact that the role of trade in the price formation of pulses is becoming increasingly important. This chapter attempts to fill this research gap. Since exports of pulses from India are comparatively small, we focus on imports.
Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, 2020
We study the effects of food safety awareness on consumers’ milk purchasing behavior in Nepal. We... more We study the effects of food safety awareness on consumers’ milk purchasing behavior in Nepal. We conducted consumer survey and employed an instrumental variable regression. We find education, income, and social network to influence food safety consciousness (FSC). Our results indicate the positive impact of FSC on weekly milk expenditure and probability of purchasing milk from milk cooperatives. Any policy that helps to improve the FSC levels will likely increase the purchase of safe milk from the modern market outlet, and lack of such awareness raising policies has prevented the market for safe food from evolving and expanding.
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a CGIAR Research Center established in ... more The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a CGIAR Research Center established in 1975, provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition. IFPRI's strategic research aims to foster a climate-resilient and sustainable food supply; promote healthy diets and nutrition for all; build inclusive and efficient markets, trade systems, and food industries; transform agricultural and rural economies; and strengthen institutions and governance. Gender is integrated in all the Institute's work. Partnerships, communications, capacity strengthening, and data and knowledge management are essential components to translate IFPRI's research from action to impact. The Institute's regional and country programs play a critical role in responding to demand for food policy research and in delivering holistic support for country-led development. IFPRI collaborates with partners around the world.
Sweet potato plays a crucial role in increasing food security and income for the poor farmers of ... more Sweet potato plays a crucial role in increasing food security and income for the poor farmers of Odisha in India. Sweet potato is grown in during Kharif and Rabi season. It is consumed in different forms e.g. fresh, boiled and baked. The value chain of sweet potato is not well organized in Odisha. This study was carried out to analyze the existing sweet potato value chain in four selected districts of Odisha namely Koraput, Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Ganjam. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the samples and primary data were collected through well structured questionnaire from different value chain actors. Simple descriptive statistics and econometric analysis were used to analysis the data. The value chain actors in sweet potato are Input suppliers, Producers, Aggregators, Wholesalers, Retailer and Consumers. There are no specialized traders or retailers of sweet potato found in the study area. They mostly sell their sweet potato along with vegetables. Even there is no ...
This paper describes the United States recently enacted Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) ... more This paper describes the United States recently enacted Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and assesses its quantitative impact on African exports. The AGOA expands the scope of preferential access of Africa's exports to the United States in key areas such as clothing. However, its medium-term benefitsestimated at about US$100-$140 million, an 8-11 percent addition to current non-oil exportswould have been nearly five times greater (US$540 million) if no restrictive conditions had been imposed on the terms of market access. The most important of these conditions are the rules of origin with which African exporters of clothing must comply to benefit from duty- free access. JEL Classification Numbers:F1, F4 Keywords:trade; preference; market access; Africa Authors' Email Addresses: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 2908, October 2002 The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findi...
Would the households get to buy more of subsidized grains from a food safety-net program if the d... more Would the households get to buy more of subsidized grains from a food safety-net program if the difference between the price in the program and in the open market were to increase? This is an important question for safety-net programs anywhere in the world, but particularly so for the Public Distribution System (PDS) of grains in India. The standard economic intuition suggests that price controls distort signals and create incentives for unintended transactions. Dreze and Sen (2013), however, posit an opposite entitlement effect where an increase in arbitrage potential increases the value of PDS entitlement. Increase in the stake in the PDS for the eligible beneficiaries results in increased accountability and ultimately an increase in household purchase of grains from the PDS. We test these two competing hypotheses using the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) panel data and find evidence for both kinds of effects. In states where welfare programs are better governed, the Dreze a...
In 2012, anger erupted on the streets of Delhi following the violent rape and murder of a young w... more In 2012, anger erupted on the streets of Delhi following the violent rape and murder of a young woman. The scale of the protests, the extent of the media coverage, and the intensity of the publicA¢Â€Â™s opprobrium of the police and the administration of Delhi, was unprecedented. This paper argues that these events had a measurable impact on the reporting of crimes against women A¢Â€Â“ rape and other sexual assaults A¢Â€Â“ in Delhi.
Sweet potato plays a crucial role in increasing food security and income for the poor farmers of ... more Sweet potato plays a crucial role in increasing food security and income for the poor farmers of Odisha. Sweet potato is grown during Kharif and Rabi season. It is consumed in different forms namely fresh, boiled and baked. The value chain of sweet potato is not well organized in Odisha. This study was carried out to analyze the existing sweet potato value chain in four selected districts of Odisha namely Koraput, Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Ganjam. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the samples and primary data were collected through well-structured questionnaire from different value chain actors. Simple descriptive statistics and econometric analysis were used to analysis the data. The value chain actors in sweet potato are Input suppliers, producers, aggregators, wholesalers, retailer and consumers. There are no specialized traders or retailers of sweet potato found in the study area. They mostly sell the sweet potato along with vegetables. There were no processing unit...
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), established in 1975, provides evidence-... more The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), established in 1975, provides evidence-based policy solutions to sustainably end hunger and malnutrition, and reduce poverty. The institute conducts research, communicates results, optimizes partnerships, and builds capacity to ensure sustainable food production, promote healthy food systems, improve markets and trade, transform agriculture, build resilience, and strengthen institutions and governance. Gender is considered in all of the institute's work. IFPRI collaborates with partners around the world, including development implementers, public institutions, the private sector, and farmers' organizations, to ensure that local, national, regional, and global food policies are based on evidence.
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Papers by Devesh Roy