Expert Available: Incentivizing Against Air Pollution in South Asia | Newswise

Every year from September to January, crop burning across South Asia worsens air pollution and contributes to elevated child mortality. Research by Saad Gulzar, associate professor of political science and global affairs at the University of Notre Dame, finds that bureaucrats are more likely to act when smoke harms their own districts — but less likely when pollution drifts elsewhere. This suggests that aligning bureaucratic incentives with public health, rather than focusing solely on farmer behavior, could meaningfully reduce burning and safeguard young lives.

Key data from the study:

• Crop residue burning accounts for 40–60% of peak air pollution during the winter harvest months (September–January).
• Fires decrease by approximately 14.5% when pollution is projected to enter a bureaucrat’s own district — versus an increase by 15% when it drifts into neighboring jurisdictions.
• Bureaucratic enforcement measures (e.g., fines) deter future burning, producing an additional ~13% reduction in fires.
• A one-log increase in in utero exposure to particulate matter from burning leads to 30–36 additional child deaths per 1,000 births.
• If all bureaucrats applied the same enforcement rigor as in districts where they’re directly affected, an estimated 1.8–2.7 fewer deaths per 1,000 births (roughly 4.4–6.6% of average child mortality) could be prevented each season.

If you would like to speak to Saad Gulzar more about his work and research findings, please contact Tracy DeStazio at tdestazi@nd.edu.