Growing with greener pastures: Examining the role of graduate politicians on forest cover in India

Abstract:-
Forests are vital for environmental and health benefits, making forest management a top priority for policymakers. Using datasets that combine remote sensing forest data and temporal state assembly election information, we investigate the role of graduate politicians in promoting growth of forest cover in India. We employ regression discontinuity design using close elections between graduate and non-graduate politicians to tease out the causal effects. Our findings reveal a significant increase in forest cover growth in constituencies led by graduate politicians. On exploring the reasons, we find that higher aggregate demand for forest products across the country can be one of the drivers of the increase in forest growth. This increase in forest growth also explains why constituencies led by educated politicians may tend to show higher growth in economic activity and exhibit increased employment opportunities in forest-related industries. Nevertheless, we also provide suggestive evidence highlighting the possibility of environmental awareness among educated leaders driving their forestation efforts.

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