Siddhartha K. Rastogi

Bio: Siddhartha K. Rastogi is an academic researcher from Indian Institute of Management Indore. The author has contributed to research in topics: Economics & Free trade. The author has an hindex of 4, co-authored 11 publications receiving 53 citations. Previous affiliations of Siddhartha K. Rastogi include Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad.

Player Pricing and Valuation of Cricketing Attributes: Exploring the IPL Twenty-Twenty Vision

Abstract: The Indian Premier League (IPL), a professional Twenty20 cricket tournament, was launched in April 2008 by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Modelled along the lines of the National...

Welfare Assessment of SPS Standards: An Empirical Study of Indo-US Mango Trade Case

Abstract: Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards under WTO's ambit have gained prominence in recent years. However, due to mostly thin evidence, standards are set at prohibitively high levels, inducing sub-optimal outcomes. One such case is of mango trade between India and USA. The US banned import of Indian mangoes from 1989 to 2006 and permitted it thereafter under strict treatment and inspection standards. This study has examined the impact of various policy options on the two trading partners and has explored if the benefit from a higher standard regime is worth the marginal effort. Welfare impact of mango trade on India and US under four policy options (trade ban, nuclear irradiation, hot water treatment, and free trade) has been estimated using partial equilibrium framework with stylized microeconomic models. The study has suggested that policy choices of both the nations are consistent with their respective payoff estimates. However, if India undertakes to compensate the US for any losses due to an India-favouring policy, both the nations may gain more through trade; thereby, implying that there is social improvement if the gainers can fully compensate the losers and still be better off (Kaldor-Hicks efficient outcome).

Welfare Assessment of SPS Standards: An Empirical Study of Indo-US Mango Trade Dispute

Abstract: As trade quotas have been eliminated under GATT and tariffs have been rationalized under WTO; the focal point of disputes and negotiations in international trade has shifted to non-tariff barriers (NTBs), particularly Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) standards. However, in the absence of any past experience and concrete scientific or empirical evidence, standards are usually kept at prohibitively high levels, thereby inducing sub-optimal outcomes. One such case is the mango trade dispute between India and USA. India ranks first in mango production worldwide, supplying about 40 per cent of world mangoes; whereas, USA is world’s biggest mango importer accounting for 32.7% of the total imports worldwide during 2003-05. However, USA imposed a ban on import of Indian mangoes between 1989 and 2006 due to high pesticide levels and incidence of pests. The US permitted import of mangoes from India in 2006 under high standards and strict inspection norms. This study examines the impact of various standard regimes on the two trading partners and explores if the benefit from a higher standard regime is worth the marginal effort. As the importing nation, US has four policy options – 1) a complete ban on mango trade, which was in application between 1989 and 2006; 2) Hot Water Treatment (HWT), the policy advocated by India; 3) nuclear irradiation, the policy favored by US and presently in force, and; 4) free trade, policy regime with no SPS standards in place. Welfare impact of mango trade on both, India and US, under all four different policy regimes is estimated using partial equilibrium framework with stylized microeconomic models for different components. The results suggest that policy choices of both the nations are consistent with their respective payoff estimates. However, if India undertakes to compensate the US for any losses from a policy change in favor of India, both the nations may reach a Kaldor-Hicks efficient outcome. A brief sensitivity analysis is performed, indicating that the developed north can afford to be more flexible in adopting SPS standards. This study also underscores that the impact of risks arising out of invasive species cannot be studied in terms of science alone but it has to be wedded to the economic implications.

Inequality in Access to Improved Water Source: A Regional Analysis by Theil Index

Abstract: This study applies Theil’s second measure for looking into inequality in access to improved water source. This index allows inequalities to be broken up within and between groups. An analysis of 188 countries for the period 1990-2012 demonstrates three observations: first, decline in inequality in access to improved water source is characterized by both within-group and between-group inequality elements; second, between-group inequalities are at present the key contributor of the entire inequality scenario; and lastly, an inclusive study on within-group inequalities divulges the significant role played by Central and South American and Middle East countries towards increase in inequalities and countries pertaining to North America, Asia and Oceania, Africa, and Europe towards decline in inequalities.

Is Aggregate Domestic Consumption Spending (ADCS) Per Capita Determining CO2 Emissions in South Africa? A New Perspective

Abstract: Aggregate domestic consumption spending is one of the prime drivers of economic progress that facilitates the process of industrialization, international trade, and innovation, but its effect on the environment remains underresearched. This paper proposes a novel framework to explain the impact of aggregate domestic consumption spending per capita (ADCSP) on carbon dioxide emissions (CO2e) in South Africa. Using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) technique, the results indicated that the ADCSP determines CO2e in the short-run (SR) and long-run (LR). From ADCSP to carbon intensity (ADCSP-CI) estimations, it was observed that an increase (1%) in ADCSP increases CO2e in both the LR (0.31%) and SR (0.22%). Furthermore, the NARDL estimations showed that the LR effects of positive shocks in the ADCSP on CO2e are comparatively stronger than the SR effects. The paper offers important policy implications for academics, theorists, and policymakers.