Assistant Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore

Prof. Yvonne Jie Chen's CV

We study the effect of a unique Jyotigram Yojana (JGY) electrification upgradation program in Gujarat, India, on consumption of medical goods. We match precise JGY rollout data with the two waves of Reproductive and Child Health Survey (DLHS) in 2002-2004 and 2007-2008. We find that higher program exposure, measured by percentage of villages implemented the JGY program in a district, leads to higher probability of receiving child vaccination and antenatal checkup. An examination of underlying mechanisms indicates that electrification upgradation program increases medical goods consumption by improving operation efficiency at local primary health care facilities and improving access to health related information.