Are crop residue burning bans effective? Evidence from India

Crop residue burning (CRB) is a leading cause of high air pollution in developing countries. Authors examine the effectiveness of India’s largest ban on CRB using a difference-indifferences strategy that exploits its implementation in select states. They find that fire counts declined by 30% relative to the pre-ban mean, though this effect diminished to near zero within 2–3 years of the ban’s implementation. Using state-level data on fines, authors show that burning initially reduced in areas where the ban was relatively better enforced, generating uncertainty for farmers. However, low levels of enforcement led to a return to the old status quo.