The spatial and economic footprint of the coal industry on rural livelihoods in Jharkhand, India
Coal livelihoods concentrate within 5 km of mines, atop pervasive informal casual labour
Read the published paper ↗doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113973
We survey 2,000 households across rural Jharkhand by telephone, stratified by proximity to active coal mines (within 5 km, 5–10 km and 10–20 km), to map the spatial nature of formal and informal coal-related employment. We find that direct coal dependence is sharply concentrated near mines: about 11% of households within 5 km report coal as their primary income, falling to roughly 2% at 5–10 km and under 1% beyond. Across every distance band, roughly half of households depend on casual, informal labour incomes.
This measured dependence likely understates coal reliance. Some 72% of respondents within 5 km regard coal as important for village livelihoods, against just 23% in the 10–20 km band, which suggests that widespread informality masks reliance the income data do not capture. Trust in the coal company to improve livelihoods is low relative to the state government, and about 80% of respondents want new job investment now, sited in nearby villages rather than the state capital.
A tightly concentrated spatial footprint layered with pervasive employment informality has two policy implications. Just transition support must be targeted sharply around active mines (within about 5 km), while broader measures for casual labourers are needed so that the most vulnerable are not left behind as coal phases down.
@article{pelz_spatial_2024,
title = {The spatial and economic footprint of the coal industry on rural livelihoods in {Jharkhand}, {India}},
volume = {186},
copyright = {All rights reserved},
issn = {03014215},
url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S030142152300558X},
doi = {10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113973},
language = {en},
urldate = {2024-01-28},
journal = {Energy Policy},
author = {Pelz, Setu and Krumm, Alexandra and Aklin, Michaël and Nandan, Vagisha and Urpelainen, Johannes},
month = mar,
year = {2024},
pages = {113973},
}