DETERMINANTS OF MOONLIGHTING A CASE STUDY OF HASNABAD BLOCK IN WEST BENGAL

This paper studies the determinants of moonlighting by the heads of households in Hasnabad Block of West Bengal. According to the theoretical analysis of moonlighting, there are two prime motives that force a person to decide for moonlighting; first, the ‘hours constraint’ in the primary job and second is the desire for employment in ‘heterogeneous jobs’. This paper examines the effectiveness of ‘hours constraint’ and some socio-demographic factors affecting moonlighting decision of the heads of households in Hasnabad Block of West Bengal. By estimating binary logit models using cross section data, this study reveals the fact that the ‘hours constraint’ as well as the low income from primary job (the ‘wage constraint’) are main motive forces behind moonlighting decision. This study finds no strong evidence of any impact of the level of education on the probability of moonlighting. Further, financial inclusion appears to influence decision to moonlight. Therefore, we conclude that the heads of households who moonlight in Hasnabad area do so primarily due to financial reasons.