Showing papers by "Ashish Singh published in 2012"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors associate inequality of opportunities with outcome differences that can be accounted by predetermined circumstances which lie beyond the control of an individual, such as parental education, parental occupation, caste, religion, and place of birth, and find evidence that the parental education specific opportunity share of overall earnings and consumption expenditure is largest in urban India, but caste and geographical region also play an equally important role when rural India is considered.
Abstract: The paper associates inequality of opportunities with outcome differences that can be accounted by predetermined circumstances which lie beyond the control of an individual, such as parental education, parental occupation, caste, religion, and place of birth. The non-parametric estimates using parental education as a measure of circumstances reveal that the opportunity share of earnings inequality in 2004–05 was 11–19 percent for urban India and 5–8 percent for rural India. The same figures for consumption expenditure inequality are 10–19 percent for urban India and 5–9 percent for rural India. The overall opportunity share estimates (parametric) of earnings inequality due to circumstances, including caste, religion, region, parental education, and parental occupation, vary from 18 to 26 percent for urban India, and from 16 to 21 percent for rural India. The overall opportunity share estimates for consumption expenditure inequality are close to the earnings inequality figures for both urban and rural areas. The analysis further finds evidence that the parental education specific opportunity share of overall earnings (and consumption expenditure) inequality is largest in urban India, but caste and geographical region also play an equally important role when rural India is considered.
74 citations
TL;DR: Findings do reveal that children of mothers who were advised on ‘keeping baby warm (kangaroo care) after birth’ during their antenatal sessions were significantly less likely to die during the neonatal period compared to those children whose mothers were not advised about the same.
Abstract: Background
39% of neonatal deaths in India occur on the first day of life, and 57% during the first three days of births. However, the association between postnatal care (PNC) for newborns and neonatal mortality has not hitherto been examined. The paper aims to examine the association of PNC for newborns with neonatal mortality in India.
71 citations
TL;DR: The main conclusions are the following: GWHI contributes substantially to the overall inequality in immunization status of Indian children; and though the Overall inequality in Immunization status declined in all the regions, the changes in G WHI were mixed.
Abstract: Background and Objectives
Despite India's substantial economic growth in the past two decades, girls in India are discriminated against in access to preventive healthcare including immunizations Surprisingly, no study has assessed the contribution of gender based within-household discrimination to the overall inequality in immunization status of Indian children This study therefore has two objectives: to estimate the gender based within-household inequality (GWHI) in immunization status of Indian children and to examine the inter-regional and inter-temporal variations in the GWHI
54 citations
TL;DR: The authors assessed the financial literacy and cognitive ability of farmers using data from a unique field experiment in the Indian state of Gujarat using ordered response models, and the relationship between cognitive ability and financial literacy was analyzed.
Abstract: Poor understanding of financial products and an inability to process financial information prevent millions of rural households in the developing world from making informed financial decisions. This article assesses the financial literacy and cognitive ability of farmers using data from a unique field experiment in the Indian state of Gujarat. Using ordered response models, the effect of farmers' education on cognitive ability and financial literacy is estimated on the one hand, and the relationship between cognitive ability and financial literacy is analysed on the other. Farmers' education and financial experience are shown to be significantly correlated with achievements in customized tests for ability in mathematics and probability, which are taken as the two components of cognitive ability. Cognitive ability, in turn, predicts financial aptitude and debt literacy, the two components of financial literacy. By focusing on farmers in a developing country, the findings contribute to an improved understan...
47 citations
Posted Content•
TL;DR: This article examined intergenerational occupational mobility in India, and found substantial inter-generational persistence, particularly in the case of low-skilled and low-paying occupations, e.g., almost half the children of agricultural labourers end up becoming agricultural laborers.
Abstract: Using data from the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) 2005, we examine intergenerational occupational mobility in India, an issue on which very few systematic and rigorous studies exist. We group individuals into classes and document patterns of mobility at the rural, urban and all-India levels, and for different caste groups. We find substantial intergenerational persistence, particularly in the case of low-skilled and low-paying occupations, e.g. almost half the children of agricultural labourers end up becoming agricultural labourers. We also document differences across caste groups. Overall, our results suggest considerable inequality of opportunity in India.
40 citations
Posted Content•
TL;DR: In this article, the authors take up the issues related to the awareness about an ambitious welfare programme targeting the rural population of India, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Abstract: This study takes up the issues related to the awareness about an ambitious welfare programme targeting the rural population of India, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The study is based on a primary survey and finds a general lack of awareness about the basic guidelines and the legal entitlements among the intended beneficiaries. This is attributed as one of the reasons for the underlying corruption and the programme not being so successful in the surveyed areas as compared to some other states of India. The paper also provides some suggestions that may result in better implementation of the evaluated programme in the study areas.
15 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used two rounds of Indian National Family Health Surveys, and concepts of Inequality of Opportunity and Human Opportunity Indices to measure inequality arising out of unequal access to primary education for Indian children.
Abstract: Every child deserves an opportunity of quality education. If a child's access to education depends on circumstances such as caste, religion, gender, place of birth, or other parental characteristics, then it leads to disparity in access based on circumstances which are beyond the control of a child. This unacceptable disparity (inequality of opportunity) needs to be measured and addressed by policy interventions. Using two rounds of Indian National Family Health Surveys, and concepts of Inequality of Opportunity and Human Opportunity Indices this paper measures inequality arising out of unequal access to primary education for Indian children. The results suggest overall high level of inequality of educational opportunity with substantial geographical variations. Inequality of opportunity in access to primary education reduced during 1992-93 to 2005-06 but the reduction varied considerably across different geographical regions, which calls for regional focus apart from national level policy revisions.
9 citations
01 Jan 2012
TL;DR: In this article, the authors estimate the impact of caste affiliation and social interaction on farmers' risk attitudes using microdata of rural farm households from the Indian state of Gujarat and find that farmers belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) and the Other Backward Classes (OBC) categories are 13 and 10 per cent more likely to be risk averse than the Other Castes (OC) farmers, respectively.
Abstract: In this paper, we argue that for an improved understanding of the market for microinsurance, it is necessary to understand the social context within which risk attitudes are formed and participation decisions are made. Given the scarcity of empirical evidence on the relationship between social affiliation, social interaction, risk attitudes and market participation in the context of microinsurance, we estimate the impact of caste affiliation and social interaction on farmers’ risk attitudes using microdata of rural farm households from the Indian state of Gujarat. Both, caste affiliation and social interaction are found to significantly affect the risk attitudes of farmers. Farmers belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) and the Other Backward Classes (OBC) categories are 13 and 10 per cent more likely to be risk averse than the Other Castes (OC) farmers, respectively. Also, farmers who reported getting agricultural information from friends in the same or other villages are 27 per cent less likely to be risk averse than the farmers who do not engage in such interactions. Our analysis of the effects of caste affiliation and social interaction on adoption of an innovative microinsurance product, rainfall insurance also reveals a significant influence of social interaction on adoption. Farmers who get agriculture related information from friends in the 1 We would like to acknowledge the research grant from ILO Microinsurance Innovation Facility for taking up this study. Thanks are in place to Tatiana Goetghebuer of FUNDP, Namur for facilitating the study. We are thankful to Natu Macwana of Sajjata Sangh and staff at the field offices (SSKK, Khambha and Daheda Sangh, Khambhat) for collaborating with us. Ilesh Shah provided excellent survey assistance. We also acknowledge the organizational assistance from the Centre for Microfinance, IFMR, Chennai, India. We are thankful to two anonymous referees for their insightful comments. 2 PhD Candidate, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), Mumbai, India. Email: ashish@igidr.ac.in 3 PhD Candidate, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), Mumbai, India. Email: sarthak@igidr.ac.in 4 PhD Candidate, S.J.Mehta School of Management, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai, India. Email: thiagu@iitb.ac.in same or other villages are 29 per cent more likely to participate in the market for rainfall insurance than those who do not. Important policy implications for the development of microinsurance follow from our findings.
5 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a new measure, Inequality of Poverty Index (similar to dissimilarity index in the literature on inequality of opportunity) that captures inequality in distribution of poverty across different subgroups.
Abstract: The commonly used poverty indices measure the overall level of poverty in a society but fail to capture the differential intensity of poverty across different socioeconomic groups. This article proposes a new measure, Inequality of Poverty Index (similar to dissimilarity index in the literature on inequality of opportunity) that captures inequality in distribution of poverty across different subgroups. It can be used to determine the major socioeconomic factors/characteristics/circumstances causing between-group disparity in poverty and effect of a specific factor on poverty relative to other factors and time. The article also provides an application of the index and potential policy implications.
3 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: This paper examined intergenerational occupational mobility in India, an issue on which very few systematic and rigorous studies exist, using data from the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) 2005.
Abstract: Using data from the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) 2005, we examine intergenerational occupational mobility in India, an issue on which very few systematic and rigorous studies exist. We group individuals into classes and document patterns of mobil
2 citations
01 Jan 2012
TL;DR: This article examined intergenerational occupational mobility in India, and found substantial inter-generational persistence in the case of low-skilled and low-paying occupations, e.g., almost half the children of agricultural labourers end up becoming agricultural laborers.
Abstract: Using data from the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) 2005, we examine intergenerational occupational mobility in India, an issue on which very few systematic and rigorous studies exist. We group individuals into classes and document patterns of mobility at the rural, urban and all-India levels, and for different caste groups. We find substantial intergenerational persistence, particularly in the case of low-skilled and lowpaying occupations, e.g. almost half the children of agricultural labourers end up becoming agricultural labourers. We also document differences across caste groups. Overall, our results suggest considerable inequality of opportunity in India.