Hot days, the ability to work and climate resilience: evidence from a representative sample of 42,152 Indian households

Anthony Heyes, Soodeh Saberian*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

The ability of people to work underpins most economic outcomes. Using data from the nationally representative India Human Development Survey (IHDS-II), with pre-scheduling of interview locations ensuring plausibly random assignment of temperature treatment to respondent, we evidence the impact of short-term (within-month) high temperatures on self-evaluated ability to work, and how that impact depends on individual living conditions. Other things equal a hot day (one in which maximum daytime temperature exceeds 37.7 °C (100°F)) increases inability to work across the month by about 7%, or 1/20th of a day. Electricity to the home and cooler ownership have important but partial protective effects, we find no such evidence for piped water supply.

Original languageEnglish
Article number102786
Number of pages16
JournalJournal of Development Economics
Volume155
Early online date27 Nov 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Heyes is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Environmental Economics. Heyes acknowledge financial support for this project from the CRC and from SSHRC under Insight Grant project #435-2020-0100 entitled “Heat and the Indian Economy”. We are grateful to John Haisken-Denew, Sandeep Kapur, Myra Yazbeck, Richard Tol, Alan Winters, Dana Andersen, Nicolas Ziebarth, Ian Mackenzie, David Byrne, Quentin Grafton and seminar participants at University of Melbourne, Australian National University, University of Queensland, University of Manitoba, University of Alberta and University of Sussex, two referees and Editor of this journal Andrew Foster for very constructive feedback and advice. Errors are ours.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier B.V.

Keywords

  • Climate impacts
  • Climate resilience
  • Effective labor supply
  • Mitigation
  • Temperature

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Development
  • Economics and Econometrics

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