世界银行-人还是机器？：印度农业工资驱动的机械化对环境的影响（英）-2023.3-101页_6mb

Man or Machine? Environmental Consequences of Wage-Driven Mechanization in Indian Agriculture

• Policy Analysis: Documented that India's MNREGA wage subsidy (100 days guaranteed employment) increased agricultural fires (replacing manual labor) by 21%, rising to 50% in emissions.

• Mechanism: Higher wages induced mechanization, leading to excess biomass that necessitates burning for residue clearance, disproportionately affecting regions practicing rice-wheat double-cropping.

• Environmental Impact: Resulted in substantial increases in PM2.5 levels and decreased lung capacity days via 11% extended high-pollution months; monetized health costs equated to ~4% of program expenditure.

• Implications: Highlights the environmental side effects of anti-poverty policies absent Pigouvian correction mechanisms.