Research Projects

Conditional Cash Transfers (RD) are crucial social aids in developing countries, particularly in India. The Janani Surakshna Yojna (JSY) is a program that provides cash to mothers who give birth institutionally, aiming to decrease maternal mortality and increase demand for maternal healthcare services. Due to the program's long-standing nature and erratic pre-program data, experimental designs are not feasible. RD is a non-experimental evaluation design that requires milder assumptions than other methods. RD is more credible than "natural experiments" like difference-in-differences or instrumental variable approaches. In this study, individuals have imprecise control over the assignment variable, and the study will use the fuzzy regression discontinuity design to address imperfect assignment. Variation in cohort exposure to the program, particularly age and wealth cohorts, will be exploited to minimize differential measurement error and understand the relationship between cohort-specific characteristics and maternal healthcare seeking behavior.