ALLOCATIVE EFFICIENCY OF RURAL NEVADA WATER SYSTEMS: A HEDONIC SHADOW COST FUNCTION APPROACH*

ABSTRACT. The efficiency of the water utility firms in rural Nevada and their input optimization are examined in this study. The empirical methodology incorporates a hedonic specification of the nonminimum globally concave cost function in estimating the effect of the regulatory environment and the quality of water services on the optimum utilization of inputs. Allocative distortions are introduced through shadow prices and are specified as functions of regressors which make distortion factors firmand input-specific. The results show that 76 percent of the water utilities of rural Nevada in the sample overutilize energy relative to labor. The impact of allocative distortions on each firm's cost is also computed.     

Understanding the spatialities of sexual assault against Indian women in India

Both domestic violence (DV) and sexual assault against women (SAAW) in public spaces continue to be significant problems facing Indian society. Moreover, the link between DV and SAAW is also commonly misconstrued. Adding to this confusion is the way in which forms of violence against women (VAW) – battering, rape, molestation and sexual abuse – lacks spatial and contextual analysis. There was nationwide outrage over the Nirbhaya incident of 16 December 2012, which escalated the issue of VAW to the centre stage of political debates. Indeed, the Nirbhaya incident has intensified the need for understanding the spatialities of SAAW in India and propelled the Government of India to pass the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013. Using a questionnaire survey supplemented by open-ended interviews, the research aims to understand how social and patriarchal norms allow SAAW to persist. The research narratives reveal that the contours of DV, leading to sexual exploitation of women, often spill over to the public spaces, thereby restricting women's mobility and creating fear of its (re)occurrence. Finally, I urge for reforms to tackle VAW while using Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013 as an asset for reform.