Labor market impacts of a large-scale public works program: Evidence from the Indian Employment Guarantee Scheme

Arbeitspapier

Recent years have seen an increasing interest in using public-works programs as anti-poverty measures in developing countries. This paper analyzes the rural labor market impacts of the Indian National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, one of the most ambitious programs of its kind, by using a regression discontinuity design. I find that private-sector wages increase substantially for women, but not for men, and that these effects are concentrated during the main agricultural season. In contrast, there is little evidence for negative private employment effects.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 6858

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; National Government Expenditures and Welfare Programs ; Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty: Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs ; Time Allocation and Labor Supply ; Labor Demand ; Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs: Public Policy
• Subject: public works program ; National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme ; NREGA ; NREGS ; India ; regression discontinuity design ; Arbeitsbeschaffung ; Wirkungsanalyse ; Ländlicher Arbeitsmarkt ; Fraueneinkommen ; Indien

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Zimmermann, Laura
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2012

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/67214
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET