Environmental Regulations, Air and Water Pollution, and Infant Mortality in India

Abstract

Using the most comprehensive data file ever compiled on air pollution, water pollution, and environmental regulations from a developing country, the paper examines the effectiveness of India’s environmental regulations. The air pollution regulations were responsible for substantial improvements in air quality. The most successful air regulation resulted in a modest, but statistically insignificant decline in infant mortality. The water regulations had no measurable benefits. Qualitative and quantitative evidence suggests that higher relative demand for air quality prompted the effective enforcement of air pollution regulations, indicating that environmental regulation can succeed in weak institutional settings when there is strong public support.