Deepshikha Batheja , Sarojini Hirshleifer , Jamie T. Mullins
{"title":"More than particulates matter: Multiple pollutants and productivity in Indian call centers","authors":"Deepshikha Batheja , Sarojini Hirshleifer , Jamie T. Mullins","doi":"10.1016/j.jeem.2025.103181","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We measure the impact of three components of air pollution on daily labor productivity in call centers in five Indian cities. We find that a one standard deviation increase in fine particulate matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>), a pollutant that has been the primary focus of the literature on the harms of air pollution, has a large negative effect of <span><math><mn>0.15</mn><mi>σ</mi></math></span> on an index of intensive margin productivity. Notably, we find a comparable negative effect for a one standard deviation increase in carbon monoxide (CO) of <span><math><mn>0.14</mn><mi>σ</mi></math></span> as well as a negative effect of <span><math><mn>0.09</mn><mi>σ</mi></math></span> from ozone (O<sub>3</sub>). For one of our main productivity variables, the number of calls per shift, one standard deviation increases in PM<sub>2.5</sub>, CO and O<sub>3</sub> lead to declines relative to the mean of 11.8 %, 10.6 % and 6.0 %, respectively. In summing air pollution harms across our sample, CO is responsible for more than half of the total productivity lost, which is more than double the losses attributable to PM<sub>2.5</sub>. We then illustrate the potential productivity impacts of an existing national policy in India that targets PM<sub>2.5</sub> compared to a counterfactual policy that also targets CO and O<sub>3</sub>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15763,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Economics and Management","volume":"134 ","pages":"Article 103181"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Environmental Economics and Management","FirstCategoryId":"96","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0095069625000658","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BUSINESS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
We measure the impact of three components of air pollution on daily labor productivity in call centers in five Indian cities. We find that a one standard deviation increase in fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a pollutant that has been the primary focus of the literature on the harms of air pollution, has a large negative effect of on an index of intensive margin productivity. Notably, we find a comparable negative effect for a one standard deviation increase in carbon monoxide (CO) of as well as a negative effect of from ozone (O3). For one of our main productivity variables, the number of calls per shift, one standard deviation increases in PM2.5, CO and O3 lead to declines relative to the mean of 11.8 %, 10.6 % and 6.0 %, respectively. In summing air pollution harms across our sample, CO is responsible for more than half of the total productivity lost, which is more than double the losses attributable to PM2.5. We then illustrate the potential productivity impacts of an existing national policy in India that targets PM2.5 compared to a counterfactual policy that also targets CO and O3.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Environmental Economics and Management publishes theoretical and empirical papers devoted to specific natural resources and environmental issues. For consideration, papers should (1) contain a substantial element embodying the linkage between economic systems and environmental and natural resources systems or (2) be of substantial importance in understanding the management and/or social control of the economy in its relations with the natural environment. Although the general orientation of the journal is toward economics, interdisciplinary papers by researchers in other fields of interest to resource and environmental economists will be welcomed.