News

Current Nuffield student Nan Sandi (DPhil Public Policy) has been awarded the 2025 Asian Development Bank–International Economic Association (ADB–IEA) Innovative Policy Research Award for her paper, ‘What a Terrible Thing to Waste: Providing a Market-based Alternative to Crop Residue Burning’. This accolade recognises outstanding empirical research that addresses critical development challenges in Asia and the Pacific. Nan’s work stood out among numerous submissions for its innovative approach and practical policy implications.

In her study, Nan investigated the persistent issue of crop residue burning in low- and middle-income countries, a practice that significantly contributes to air pollution and public health concerns. Through a field experiment involving 1,024 farmers, she evaluated the impact of a capital rental subsidy on reducing crop residue burning. Utilising high-resolution satellite imagery, Nan found that the subsidy effectively decreases burning activities, particularly among farmers facing financial constraints. The study also revealed positive spillover effects, with neighbouring farmers adopting cleaner practices. These findings suggest that financial barriers, rather than informational deficits, are a primary driver of crop residue burning, and that targeted financial interventions can be a cost-effective strategy to mitigate this environmental issue.

Nan was presented with the award during a ceremony held on 5 May in Milan, where representatives of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Economic Association (IEA) praised her research. They highlighted that the ADB–IEA Innovative Policy Research Award is intended to recognise original research and the application of innovative empirical methods in economics to support evidence-based policymaking, especially in tackling climate change and other major development challenges across Asia and the Pacific.

For more information on Nan’s research and other projects, please visit her research page.