Dowry Deaths: Response to Weather Variability in India
Sheetal Sekhri1, Adam Storeygard2
1Department of Economics, University of Virginia, United States.
Journal of Development Economics
|November 12, 2014
Summary
Droughts linked to increased dowry deaths in India. A 1-SD rainfall decline raises reported dowry deaths by 7.8%, with no evidence of general unrest or political representation mitigating the effect.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Economics
- Sociology
- Criminology
Background:
- Dowry deaths remain a significant social issue in India.
- Climate variability, specifically rainfall shocks, may impact socio-economic factors linked to crime.
- Understanding these linkages is crucial for targeted policy interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causal relationship between rainfall shocks and dowry deaths in India.
- To explore potential mediating factors such as general unrest and women's political representation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized district-level panel data from 583 Indian districts spanning 2002-2007.
- Employed econometric analysis to assess the impact of rainfall deviations on reported dowry deaths.
- Controlled for potential confounding variables and examined related crime statistics.
Main Results:
- A one standard deviation decrease in annual rainfall significantly increased reported dowry deaths by 7.8%.
- No significant effect was observed for wet rainfall shocks.
- No evidence found that increased general unrest or women's political representation mitigated dowry deaths.
Conclusions:
- Rainfall deficits act as a significant economic shock, exacerbating dowry deaths in India.
- Findings suggest climate-induced economic stress, not general unrest, is a key driver.
- Current levels of women's political representation do not appear to buffer against dowry deaths during rainfall shocks.
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