Calorie consumption and wages: Evidence from India’s labor market

Kaushalendra Kumar, Ashish Singh, Santosh Kumar Gautam and Abhishek Singh

Economic Modelling, 2025, vol. 152, issue C

Abstract: Using nationally representative data from India, this study estimates the effect of calorie intake on wages. To account for endogeneity and heterogeneity, we apply Instrumental Variable and Instrumental Variable Quantile Regression methods. Results suggest that higher calorie consumption positively affects workers’ wages. A 10% increase in per capita calorie intake per day leads to a 2.5% increase in daily wages. The wage effect varies by occupation type and across the wage distribution; the marginal effect of calorie intake on wage is higher at lower quantiles of the wage distribution and for non-elementary workers. Our findings highlight the need for nutritional supplementation, particularly for workers at low and median wage levels, to maximize the wage gains from nutritional public policies.

Keywords: Wages; Calorie; 2SLS; Instrumental variable quantile regression; India (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I14 I15 J24 J31 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecmode:v:152:y:2025:i:c:s0264999325002743

DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107279

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