Watering the Seeds of the Rural Economy: Evidence from Groundwater Irrigation in India
研究印度私人投资地下水灌溉对农村经济活动空间和部门分布的影响，发现农业产量显著提升但消费增长有限，人口密度增加但就业率未变。
ABSTRACT This study explores the impact of private investment in groundwater extraction for irrigation on the spatial and sectoral distribution of rural economic activity in India. Exploiting a kink in access to groundwater, generated from an absolute technological constraint on the operational capacity of irrigation pumps with depth of the water table, there is evidence of a significant improvement in agricultural production accompanied with modest consumption gains. Groundwater extraction causes a substantial increase in population density, but has no effect on the employment rate or labor reallocation between sectors of the economy. Furthermore, irrigated agriculture appears to provide additional employment opportunities for waged labor from surrounding non-irrigated villages.