This paper measures trends in factor misallocation in India between 1999 and 2014, using data from a rich panel of Indian firms. The misallocation of a factor is modeled as an adjustment cost, that is, an implicit variable cost incurred by a firm when using that factor. Trends in the adjustment...

We evaluate the impact of a place-based infrastructure development scheme directed towards India's most "backward" districts, on the performance of microenterprises. "Backward" districts were selected based on a transparent score-based assignment mechanism. Using a Fuzzy Regression Discontinuity...

Like many developing countries, India features a variety of land-use restrictions that make it difficult to establish industrial firms on agricultural lands. Such policies have received some of the blame for the slow pace of industrialization, and there is widespread agreement on the need for...

Zoning laws that restrict rural land to agricultural production pose an important institutional barrier to industrial development. This paper studies the effects of the Industrial Areas (IA) program in Karnataka, India, which rezoned agricultural land for industrial use, but without the economic...

This paper shows that greater autonomy to cities in Ethiopia through a process of city proclamations, led to better economic outcomes at the city level, lowering regional spatial inequalities. In addition, the newly-empowered cities did not seem to misuse their new powers by favoring particular...

Like many developing countries, India features a variety of land-use restrictions that make it difficult to establish industrial firms on agricultural lands. Such policies have received some of the blame for the slow pace of industrialization, and there is widespread agreement on the need for...

Industrial areas (IAs) are sites established by the government for the promotion of industrial production, in which land-use laws are relaxed to enable non-agricultural economic activity. IAs also provide necessary infrastructure and basic amenities, but do not give subsidies, tax incentives, or...