Recent work by Namrata Kala
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Reducing air pollution: Evidence from payments to reduce crop burning in India
Programmes that pay farmers not to burn crop residue face challenges with compliance, but contracts that include partial upfront payments can help
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How railways impact the growth of cities: Evidence from colonial India
Railways encouraged the growth of cities in colonial India and market access helps explain why
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Easing contracting frictions with machines: Evidence from India
Mechanisation standardises output and lowers supervision needs for hired labour, freeing owners’ families to engage in profitable off-farm activities
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How managerial autonomy improves firm outcomes: Evidence from India
Greater managerial autonomy for state-owned enterprises leads to higher sales, profits, and value added, with no negative employment effects
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The economic and political consequences of India’s demonetisation
Despite BJP’s demonetisation policy having some negative economic impacts in India, why did they win the Uttar Pradesh state election?
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The skills to pay the bills: Returns to on-the-job soft skills training
In a randomised controlled trial in India, the returns to a firm’s investment in worker soft skill training were nearly 250% after nine months
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Hidden productivity benefits from energy-saving technology
Energy-efficient technologies are an increasingly relevant policy priority, given growing consensus on the need to tackle climate change. This column examines the productivity benefits of adopting one such technology – LED lighting – for manufacturing firms in India. It finds that improved productivity resulting from LED lighting’s lower heat emissions makes adopting such technology far less costly than previous anticipated, particularly for labour-intensive firms in hot climates.