HOUSEHOLD ENERGY USE, INDOOR AIR POLLUTION, AND HEALTH IMPACTS IN INIDA [i.e. India]: A WELFARE ANALYSIS

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dc.contributor.advisorJust, Richarden_US
dc.contributor.authorZhang, Yabeien_US
dc.contributor.departmentAgricultural and Resource Economicsen_US
dc.contributor.publisherDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_US
dc.contributor.publisherUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2010-02-19T06:33:17Z
dc.date.available2010-02-19T06:33:17Z
dc.date.issued2009en_US
dc.description.abstractThis dissertation develops a unified analytical framework to understand the relationships among household energy use, indoor air pollution (IAP), and health impacts and enables policy-makers to analyze welfare effects of various interventions. This unified analytical framework includes four interlinked modules. Module 1 studies the determinants of IAP and constructs an IAP index to predict typical IAP exposure. Module 2 analyzes the impacts of IAP exposure on health, including both self-reported respiratory symptoms and physician-measured spirometry indicators. Module 3 uses a novel approach to model household behavior regarding energy technology choices based on utility maximizing behavior. Households are assumed to choose a cooking energy technology based on its attributes: cooking cost, convenience, and cleanliness. Household valuation of these attributes depends on household characteristics. Then based on the household utility function estimated from Module 3, Module 4 evaluates welfare change from various policy interventions. Empirical estimation relies primarily on two surveys recently conducted in India: a social science and environmental health survey entitled Health, Environment, and Economic Development and a multi-topic national representative sample survey called the India Human Development Survey. The two surveys were fielded between late 2004 and early 2005 and contain uniquely rich information on household energy use, indoor air pollution levels, and health indicators. This dissertation provides quantitative evidence that IAP has significant health impacts comparable to smoking. Based on analysis of IAP impacts on spirometry indicators, the evidence suggests that IAP has major impacts on restrictive lung disease rather than obstructive lung disease. These results explain why certain diseases are more highly associated with IAP exposure. Considering that traditional biomass will likely continue to be the most popular cooking fuel in rural areas of India in the near future, and that households can achieve considerable welfare gains from improvement in stoves and kitchen ventilation, the analysis suggests that the Indian government should consider reviving the improved stove program with a new advanced stove strategy coupled with conducting advocacy campaigns on how to improve kitchen ventilation. The analysis suggests small overall welfare effects of the pending phasing out of LPG subsidies.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/9819
dc.subject.pqcontrolledEconomics, Generalen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledEnvironmental Sciencesen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledEconomics, Agriculturalen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledHealthen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledHousehold Energyen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledIndiaen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledIndoor Air Pollutionen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledWelfare Analysisen_US
dc.titleHOUSEHOLD ENERGY USE, INDOOR AIR POLLUTION, AND HEALTH IMPACTS IN INIDA [i.e. India]: A WELFARE ANALYSISen_US
dc.typeDissertationen_US

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