TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Chaurey, Ritam
AU  - Le, Duong Trung
        TI  - Infrastructure Grants and the Performance of Microenterprises
        PY  - 2018/Aug/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 11749
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/publications/dp11749
        AB  - 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 Design, we find that firms in treated districts had higher profits, revenues, and employment. Improvements in electrification was an important channel driving these results, as firms used more electricity and had a lower likelihood of facing a power cut. We also find increases in migrants, and proportion of new firms in treated districts, along with negative spillovers in areas closer to the treated districts.
        KW  - infrastructure
KW  - microenterprises
KW  - place-based policy
KW  - regression discontinuity
        ER  -