Sharad Tandon

Public Distribution System Reforms and Consumption in Chhattisgarh: A Comparative Empirical Analysis

Chhattisgarhs public distribution system reforms have been lauded as a model for the National Food Security Act, and as one that other states can emulate. Previous research has shown that PDS rice consumption increased in Chhattisgarh following reforms by the Raman Singh government, which began in 2004. However, one-third of PDS rice consumption growth in Chhattisgarh took place before 2004. This finding suggests that the pre-2004 reforms to fair price shop ownership and state procurement by the Ajit Jogi government contributed to PDS consumption growth. Our findings suggest that sustained reforms, when coupled with political and social will, can improve PDS access, and that improvements may not be substantial or sustained in the absence of these factors.

Food Price Subsidies and Nutrition: Evidence from State Reforms to India's Public Distribution System

We investigate whether food price subsidies affect household nutrition using a dramatic expansion of the availability of subsidized rice in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh in the early 2000s. Households in Chhattisgarh increased their consumption of pulses, animal-based protein, and produce relative to households in districts bordering the state as the availability of subsidized rice expanded. This increase is driven by households eligible for rice subsidies, and we do not find evidence that ineligible households changed their diet. These results contrast with recent studies suggesting that food subsidies have little effect on nutrition.

Intra-Household Nutritional Inequities in Rural Bangladesh

Using novel data from rural Bangladesh reporting individual-level food consumption and anthropometric measures, we find substantial inequities in the intrahousehold distribution of calories and nutrients, with male household heads reported to consume disproportionately large shares. There are also smaller body mass index shortfalls for heads relative to their spouses. Further, lower economic well-being and women’s disempowerment are associated with more inequitable calorie distributions. These findings have implications for the measurement of undernourishment, where aggregate household-level data misclassify the undernourishment status of nearly a quarter of the rural Bangladeshi population due to intrahousehold inequities.

Food Price Subsidies and Nutrition: Evidence from State Reforms to India’s Public Distribution System

We investigate whether food price subsidies affect household nutrition using a dramatic expansion of the availability of subsidized rice in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh in the early 2000s. Households in Chhattisgarh improved their nutritional intake relative to households in districts bordering the state as the availability of subsidized rice expanded. This increase is driven by households most likely to be eligible for rice subsidies, and we do not find evidence that households least likely to be eligible changed their diet. These results differ from recent studies suggesting that food subsidies may have little effect on nutrition.

Election Outcomes and the Poor: Evidence from the Consumption of Scheduled Castes and Tribes in India

This article investigates whether parliamentary election outcomes affect the consumption of households belonging to scheduled castes and tribes (SC/STs), which are the poorest Indian households and constitute one-quarter of the population. Using arguably exogenous variation in party affiliation introduced by close election outcomes, this article finds that expenditures of SC/ST households were higher in regions where candidates more sympathetic to the groups were successful. These results demonstrate that SC/ST welfare responds to election outcomes in instances when successful politicians do not belong to SC/STs themselves and that electing candidates from left-leaning political parties can have a significant economic impact on the lives of poor and minority voters.

How Well Do Household-Level Data Characterize Undernourishment? Evidence from Bangladesh

Although undernourishment is characteristic of the individual, measurement has centered on household-level statistics that make strong assumptions regarding the equitable distribution of calories across household members. Utilizing a novel data source from Bangladesh that reports individual-level calorie intake, we investigate whether households distribute food equitably. We find substantial inequities in the intra-household distribution of calories, with household heads consuming inequitably large shares of total household calories. Furthermore, we find more inequitable calorie distributions among undernourished, poor households. Importantly, these results do not appear to be driven by assumptions about the energy requirements of household members. Due to the inequities, aggregate household-level data misclassify the nutritional status of a large share of the population. These findings have implications for food and nutrition program targeting, which often is based on household-level data.

Taxation and Political Mobilization: Evidence from Andhra Pradesh

This article empirically investigates whether there are differences in a region’s taxation burden on the basis of support for the centralized state government in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Using randomness introduced by close election outcomes, this article finds that the government collected less tax revenues where opposition parties were more successful. The decline in tax revenue was most likely targeted at agricultural producers, and a similar pattern is found in other available agricultural policies. These results are consistent with a model in which it is optimal for a centralized government to catch up in elections it trails as opposed to bolstering existing leads. Furthermore, these results suggest that taxation responds to electoral pressures and that agricultural producers in particular are targeted during times of political competition.