Onupurba Das

Ph.D. Candidate

Department of Resource Economics

University of Massachusetts Amherst

I’m an applied economist working at the intersection of environment, development and social inequities.

Two of my current projects explore how political representation for historically marginalized communities impacts development and the environment, particularly through the lenses of caste and gender in rural India.

The impact of political leadership of women in government on local forest cover.

The impact of oppressed castes in leadership positions on local development as proxied by nightlight and forest cover outcomes.

My other project is looking at the link between environmental conditions and mental wellbeing - particularly exploring how exposure to high temperatures and particulate matter links to self-reported mental healthin India.

Job market paper:

Political Representation, Forest Cover, and Development in Rural India

Onupurba Das

2024

Abstract PDF

This paper investigates the impact of caste-based political reservations in leadership of local governance on economic and environmental outcomes, focusing on Karnataka, India. A 1992 legislation introduced electoral quotas(reservations) in village councils to ensure political representation for marginalized groups, specifically Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). Leveraging quasi-random variation in seat allocation for the council chairperson position across multiple election terms, we analyze a comprehensive dataset of over 5,000 councils for 5 elections between 1994-2010 to assess how SC and ST leadership affects two critical metrics: forest cover, as a measure of environmental stewardship, and night-time lights, as a proxy for economic activity. Our difference-in-differences approach indicates that SC-ST leadership is associated with increased local development but also reveals reductions in forest cover, with divergent effects between SC and ST leaders. These findings suggest a complex interaction between representation, development, and environmental sustainability, highlighting the need for policies that empower marginalized leaders with resources to balance development goals and conservation efforts.