Explaining environmental health behaviors: Evidence from rural India on the influence of discount rates

The authors examine whether high personal discount rates help explain why and which households in developing countries under-invest in seemingly low-cost options to avert environmental health threats, including bednets, clean cooking fuels, individual household latrines, water treatment and handwash...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Atmadja, S., Sills, E.O., Pattanayak, S.K., Yang, J.C.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Cambridge University Press 2017
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/95631
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author Atmadja, S.
Sills, E.O.
Pattanayak, S.K.
Yang, J.C.
author_browse Atmadja, S.
Pattanayak, S.K.
Sills, E.O.
Yang, J.C.
author_facet Atmadja, S.
Sills, E.O.
Pattanayak, S.K.
Yang, J.C.
author_sort Atmadja, S.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The authors examine whether high personal discount rates help explain why and which households in developing countries under-invest in seemingly low-cost options to avert environmental health threats, including bednets, clean cooking fuels, individual household latrines, water treatment and handwashing. First, the authors elicit personal discount rates by combining a simple randomized experiment with detailed surveys of over 10,000 rural households in Maharashtra, India. Personal discount rates are lower for women, for better-off households, and for households who can access formal credit. Secondly, they show that the discount rate is negatively related to a suite of behaviors that mitigate environmental health threats, from very low-cost steps like washing hands to more significant investments like household latrines, even after controlling for socio-economic status, access to credit, public infrastructure and services, and relevant beliefs.
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spelling CGSpace956312025-06-17T08:24:10Z Explaining environmental health behaviors: Evidence from rural India on the influence of discount rates Atmadja, S. Sills, E.O. Pattanayak, S.K. Yang, J.C. household surveys environmental health rural communities The authors examine whether high personal discount rates help explain why and which households in developing countries under-invest in seemingly low-cost options to avert environmental health threats, including bednets, clean cooking fuels, individual household latrines, water treatment and handwashing. First, the authors elicit personal discount rates by combining a simple randomized experiment with detailed surveys of over 10,000 rural households in Maharashtra, India. Personal discount rates are lower for women, for better-off households, and for households who can access formal credit. Secondly, they show that the discount rate is negatively related to a suite of behaviors that mitigate environmental health threats, from very low-cost steps like washing hands to more significant investments like household latrines, even after controlling for socio-economic status, access to credit, public infrastructure and services, and relevant beliefs. 2017-06 2018-07-03T11:03:19Z 2018-07-03T11:03:19Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/95631 en Open Access Cambridge University Press Atmadja, S., Sills, E.O., Pattanayak, S.K., Yang, J.C.. 2017. Explaining environmental health behaviors : Evidence from rural India on the influence of discount rates. Environment and Development Economics, 22 (3) : 229-248. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355770X17000018
spellingShingle household surveys
environmental health
rural communities
Atmadja, S.
Sills, E.O.
Pattanayak, S.K.
Yang, J.C.
Explaining environmental health behaviors: Evidence from rural India on the influence of discount rates
title Explaining environmental health behaviors: Evidence from rural India on the influence of discount rates
title_full Explaining environmental health behaviors: Evidence from rural India on the influence of discount rates
title_fullStr Explaining environmental health behaviors: Evidence from rural India on the influence of discount rates
title_full_unstemmed Explaining environmental health behaviors: Evidence from rural India on the influence of discount rates
title_short Explaining environmental health behaviors: Evidence from rural India on the influence of discount rates
title_sort explaining environmental health behaviors evidence from rural india on the influence of discount rates
topic household surveys
environmental health
rural communities
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/95631
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