Growth, industrialisation and inequality in India
TL;DR: The Indian growth process has been marked by the relative absence of structural change and the inability of faster output expansion to shift people out of low-productivity activities into higher value ones as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The Indian growth process has been marked by the relative absence of structural change and the inability of faster output expansion to shift people out of low-productivity activities into higher value ones. Recent rapid growth has also been based on and resulted in growing inequalities. Private accumulation has relied upon existing social inequalities that create segmented labour markets that keep wages of certain social categories low, and on types of exclusion that allow large-scale displacement and dispossession without adequate compensation. The associated boom has required debt-driven bubbles to provide domestic demand since incomes of the masses have not risen in tandem, but such a strategy is inherently unsustainable. This growth process is now reaching the limits of its viability and is facing constraints posed by economic, social, political and environmental challenges.
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that the growth of authoritarian forms of politics in India should be seen in the context of a long-term crisis of the state as successive governments have been unable to establ...
Abstract: This article argues that the growth of authoritarian forms of politics in India should be seen in the context of a long-term crisis of the state as successive governments have been unable to establ...
85 citations
Cites background from "Growth, industrialisation and inequ..."
...Domestically, the services sector produced relatively few jobs, and the vast bulk of those that were generated were in lower-productivity activities (Ghosh 2015, 46)....
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...Moreover, as Ghosh (2015, 52) has argued, the growth of the services sector as well as the marginal growth of manufacturing has contributed to the entrenched persistence of informal employment, which continues to dominate India’s labour force....
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TL;DR: The promotion of conservative gender values has been a feature of the rise of authoritarian populism globally as discussed by the authors, arguing that India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) uses populist strat...
Abstract: The promotion of conservative gender values has been a feature of the rise of authoritarian populism globally. This paper argues that India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) uses populist strat...
26 citations
TL;DR: Ghosh's macro-level study showed that women's work in globalising India is poorly paid as discussed by the authors, and women in India are poorly paid for their work in the globalizing India.
Abstract: Never done and poorly paid: women's work in globalising India, by Jayati Ghosh, New Delhi, Women Unlimited, 2009, vii + 185 pp., ISBN 81-88965-44-8 Economist Jayati Ghosh's macro-level study invest...
24 citations
Posted Content•
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined dimensions of inequality including labour market inequalities and discussed public policies needed for reduction in inequalities, and argued for fundamental change to human capital and universal basic services, which can lead to the creation of an egalitarian society.
Abstract: This paper examines dimensions of inequality including labour market inequalities and discusses public policies needed for reduction in inequalities. It discusses both inequality of outcomes and inequality of opportunities. In terms of income, India is the second highest inequality country in the world next to South Africa. Wealth inequalities are also high in India. Most of the inequalities will have labour market dimension. Labour market inequalities can be found across sectors, wages and earnings, quality of work, labour market access and, between organised and unorganised sectors. On public policies and inequalities, the paper discusses redistribution measures, macro policies, sectoral policies and impact on employment, social policies such as education, health, hunger and malnutrition, social protection, corruption, gender disparities and climate change. The paper argues for fundamentals change to human capital and universal basic services. Investments in social infrastructure, health, education, affirmative action and provision of public services can lead to the creation of egalitarian society.
21 citations
Cites background from "Growth, industrialisation and inequ..."
...41 On social policy see Ghosh (2002), Dreze (2017), Barbosa et al (2017)....
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors build on extensive fieldwork in gyms and coffee chains that cater to the needs of new services, such as coffee baristas and gym trainers in India.
Abstract: How do employees in “new services”, such as coffee baristas and gym trainers in India, see their jobs? In this paper, we build on extensive fieldwork in gyms and coffee chains that cater to the eme...
19 citations
References
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the age-old problem of caste in the light of discrimination theory and government policy and found that discrimination exists and operates at least in part through the traditional mechanism, viz. assignment to jobs, with the scheduled castes entering poorly-paid "dead-end" jobs.
261 citations
"Growth, industrialisation and inequ..." refers background in this paper
...One study of Delhi (e.g. Banerjee and Knight 1985) found that significant discrimination against Dalit workers operating dominantly through the mechanisms of recruitment and assignment to jobs led to Dalits largely entering poorly paid ‘dead-end’ jobs that are essential but significantly lower paid....
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Journal Article•
TL;DR: Using data from a nationally representative survey of 41,554 households conducted in 2005, the relationship between social background and different dimensions of well-being is examined and suggests continued persistence of caste disparities in education, income and social networks.
Abstract: Recent debates regarding inclusion of caste in 2011 Census have raised questions about whether caste still matters in modern India. Ethnographic studies of the mid-20th century identified a variety of dimensions along which caste differentiation occurs. At the same time, whether this differentiation translates into hierarchy remains a contentious issue as does the persistence of caste, given the economic changes of the past two decades. Using data from a nationally representative survey of 41,554 households conducted in 2005, this paper examines the relationship between social background and different dimensions of well-being. The results suggest continued persistence of caste disparities in education, income and social networks.
200 citations
"Growth, industrialisation and inequ..." refers background in this paper
...Source: Desai and Dubey 2011, page 45, Table 4. large number of social practices effectively restrict the economic activity of lower caste and Dalit groups and force them to supply very low wage labour in harsh and usually precarious conditions....
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Book•
04 Aug 2006
TL;DR: In this paper, Babu Mathew and Harsh Mander discuss the practice of untouchability and violence against Dalits in rural India and their role in demanding rights, equality, and dignity.
Abstract: Foreword Babu Mathew Preface Harsh Mander Introduction: Caste, Untouchability and Dalits in Rural India 'Unclean Occupations': Savaged by Tradition Dalit Women and the Practice of Untouchability Violence against Dalits Demanding Rights, Equality and Dignity Conclusion Appendices Glossary References Index
170 citations
"Growth, industrialisation and inequ..." refers background in this paper
...rural India (Shah et al. 2006; Thorat et al. 2009) have found that there are many ways in which caste practices operate to reduce the access of the lower castes to local resources as...
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...Similarly, empirical studies of caste behaviour in rural India (Shah et al. 2006; Thorat et al. 2009) have found that there are many ways in which caste practices operate to reduce the access of the lower castes to local resources as well as to income earning opportunities, thereby forcing them to…...
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Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyzed data from large-scale national surveys to understand women's work status in India's rural areas and examine the trends and nature of women's employment.
Abstract: Large-scale surveys show that while rural women’s employment has grown over the decades, women are still largely self-employed or employed as casual labour in agriculture. They face various forms of discrimination, including job-typing that pushes them into low-paying jobs. Higher work participation per se does not lead to better outcomes unless accompanied by higher education, and/or assets. Education may not positively influence a woman’s participation in work, but for women who are in the workforce, education is the most important determinant of better quality non-agricultural work. Women’s autonomy, measured in terms of control over land, mobility, and a willingness to join self-help groups, enables them to move into non-agricultural jobs. The paper argues for policy interventions to increase work opportunities and enhance wages for rural women workers. E mployment is critical for poverty reduction and for enhancing women’s status. However, it is potentially empowering and liberating only if it provides women an opportunity to improve their well-being and enhance their capabilities. On the other hand, if it is driven by distress and is low-paying, then it may only increase a woman’s drudgery. To understand women’s work status in India’s rural areas and to examine the trends and nature of women’s employment, this paper analyses data from large-scale national surveys. It draws on data from the National Sample Surveys (NSS), the National Family Health S urveys (NFHS), and the agricultural census conducted by the ministry of agriculture, as well as other sources of information such as national income data from the Central Statistical O rganisation (CSO). The paper is organised into five sections. Section 1 analyses work participation rates for women by socio-economic characteristics such as caste, religion, education, and economic status. S ection 2 discusses the participation of women in the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors and their categorisation by employment status. Section 3 examines some of the correlates of workforce participation including education and poverty. The d eterminants of women’s work participation and the factors that influence their participation in different kinds of employment are explored by means of regression analysis in Section 4. The last section concludes with an overview and suggestions for improving the position of women workers in rural areas. 1 Workforce Participation by Socio-economic
133 citations
"Growth, industrialisation and inequ..." refers background in this paper
...Indeed, this is why it has been noted that much of women’s work participation in India is of the ‘distress’ variety, engaged in when the household is very poor or when there is a natural calamity, economic shock or other decline in household income (Srivastava and Srivastava 2010; Himanshu 2011)....
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Book•
01 Jan 2008
TL;DR: Damodaran as mentioned in this paper traces the social origins of India's capitalist class lie in the institution of caste and shows the different ways by which caste and community have contributed to India's dynamic private sector, capturing in seven chapters the rise of Indian business firms in specific industries and locations.
Abstract: Much of India’s high economic growth has been due to private sector-driven capitalist market development. The social origins of India’s capitalist class lie in the institution of caste. Damodaran shows the different ways by which caste and community have contributed to India’s dynamic private sector, capturing in seven chapters the rise of Indian business firms in specific industries and locations. Historically sensitive, he traces business communities, beginning with the old mercantile families and communities (Chapter 2) that had links with Arab merchants, Central and Southeast Asians and later Europeans before and during colonialism. Next, he examines the evolution of the upper priestly and warrior castes (Brahmins and Khatris) in the North (Chapter 3), the landowning lower castes of Kammas, Reddys and Rajus in the South (Chapter 4), two other groups of Southern business communities (Naidus and Gounders) (Chapter 5), and Nadars and Ezhavas (Chapter 6). In Chapter 7, he discusses the rise of capitalists in the West (the Patidars and Marathas), who emerged from cooperative farming, and in Chapter 8 he tries to answer why the Northern farming capitalists could not transform themselves into industrial capitalists as successfully as those from the landowning communities in the South. In Chapter 9, he discusses the scheduled castes (Dalits) and Muslims, two groups that have been less successful among India’s rising capitalist classes. There are three major pathways by which industrial capitalists (factory owners) have emerged: from bazaar to factory (the old mercantile families), from office to factory (upper literati castes) and from farm to factory (landowners of various castes). Non-trading castes entered business through social relations, networks and extended families, which supported subsequent expansion. Whereas upper castes leveraged their social standing to gain access to capital, lower castes relied on kinship and social networks to promote their castebased communities and families. Trust, cemented by a common caste background, allowed mercantile families to prosper and also allowed international r 2012 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 1472-4782 Asian Business & Management Vol. 11, 5, 651–654
124 citations
"Growth, industrialisation and inequ..." refers background in this paper
...Even in the phase of globalisation, caste, region and linguistic community have been crucial in shaping these groups, determining their behaviour and influencing their interaction with each other as well as with global capital (Damodaran 2008)....
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