This study examines pesticide use in Kuttanad, India, an ecologically sensitive area often referred to as the rice bowl of Kerala. Using primary data collected from pesticide applicators and farm labor, the study assesses short-term health costs associated with pesticide exposure. The study...

The Dutch canal wetland system in Sri Lanka is an important wetland area for shrimp farming and has become a promising foreign exchange earner. However, shrimp farming in the Dutch Canal is largely unplanned and un-coordinated with more than 1,300 farms working in an area of 3,750 hectares. The...

In this paper we test for appropriate policies that could help control the use of plastic bags in Delhi. In January 2009, the Government of Delhi introduced a wide-ranging ban on the use of plastic bags in market places. Our results showed a dilution in the efficacy of the ban within a year,...

The Government of India appealed a new forest policy in 1988 which resulted in Joint Forest Management. This new policy allowed community groups to share part of the responsibility of forest management with the State. However, even before this, community-initiated and NGO-promoted "Collective...

This paper examines the effectiveness of damage control mechanisms to reduce crop losses from agricultural pests. It uses data from a sample of Cole crop (Cauliflower and Cabbage) growing households in the Bhaktapur district of Nepal to study the impact of pesticides on agriculture production....

This study estimates the monetary benefits to individuals from health damages avoided as a result on reductions in air pollution in the urban industrial city of Kanpur in India. A notable feature of this study is that it uses data from weekly health-diaries collected for three seasons. For...

Diarrhoea is a common water-borne disease among slum children in Bangladesh. This study seeks to identify the engineering, behavioural and socio-economic determinants of childhood diarrhoea and its duration and to compute the resulting costs borne by slum dwellers. The study is based on a survey...

The demand for environmental quality clean air, potable water, sanitation, safe food is presumed to be low in developing countries due to poverty. However, individuals in developing countries often lack the necessary information to make good decisions about environmental hazards in their...

There has been growing concern over conversion of coastal rice paddies to shrimp farms. This study estimates the external cost of shrimp-induced salinity on crop production by comparing two villages in southern India: Poovam, which is affected by salinity, with Thiruvettakudy, which is not. Our...

Funds generated through community forestry offer crucial and significant resources for rural in Nepal. This study examines forestry funds in 100 communities in three districts to assess how large they are and how they are utilized. The study finds that the income from community funds increases...