Drinking water facilities and inclusive development: Evidence from Rural China

This paper studies the economic impacts of enhancing the access to drinking water facilities for rural households in China. Using representative survey data, our study finds that obtaining the access to drinking water facilities enhanced households' off-farm employment and increased their labor income. Through exploring varying impacts for households of different sizes, our analysis suggests that water collection may be an important mechanism inducing these benefits. Moreover, the program benefited lower income households more, enhanced off-farm employment locally but did not induce outward migration, and generated equitable benefits for men and women. These findings suggest that enhancing drinking water facilities may be a cost-efficient strategy for promoting inclusive development in addition to its health benefits.

Automated summary

This paper examines the economic impacts of improving access to drinking water facilities for rural households in China. The study reveals that obtaining access to drinking water facilities increases off-farm employment and labor income for households, especially benefiting low-income households.