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Methodology of Data Collection Unsuited to Changing Rural Reality: A Study of Agricultural Wage Data in India

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  • Usami, Yoshifumi
  • Das, Arindam
  • Swaminathan, Madhura

Abstract

Technological change and the modernisation of agriculture in India have led to many changes in farming practices. The mechanisation of field operations such as ploughing and harvesting, for example, has not only changed total labour use in crop production but has led to changes in labour-hiring practices and in wage forms. There is a rise in labour arrangements that pay wages on a piece-rated basis rather than on a time-rated one. In this article, we examine the two major official sources of data on agricultural wages in India, Wage Rates in Rural India (WRRI) and Agricultural Wages in India (AWI), in the context of these changes in farming practices. In addition to reviewing published material, we conducted personal interviews with relevant officials at various agencies to understand the actual process of data collection. Village-level data from the archive of the Foundation for Agrarian Studies (FAS) are also examined to get a picture of the complexity of rural wage arrangements.

Suggested Citation

  • Usami, Yoshifumi & Das, Arindam & Swaminathan, Madhura, 2020. "Methodology of Data Collection Unsuited to Changing Rural Reality: A Study of Agricultural Wage Data in India," Review of Agrarian Studies, Foundation for Agrarian Studies, vol. 10(2), December.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:ragrar:311105
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.311105
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Erlend Berg & Sambit Bhattacharyya & Rajasekhar Durgam & Manjula Ramachandra, 2012. "Can Rural Public Works Affect Agricultural Wages? Evidence from India," CSAE Working Paper Series 2012-05, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
    2. Duvvuru, Narasimha Reddy & Motkuri, Venkatanarayana, 2013. "Declining Labour Use in Agriculture : A Case of Rice Cultivation in Andhra Pradesh," MPRA Paper 49204, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Acharya, Sarthi, 1989. "Agricultural Wages in India: A Disaggregated Analysis," Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics, Indian Society of Agricultural Economics, vol. 44(2), April.
    4. Kurosaki, Takashi & Usami, Yoshifumi, 2016. "A Note on the Reliability of Agricultural Wage Data in India: Reconciliation of Monthly AWI Data for District-Level Analysis," Review of Agrarian Studies, Foundation for Agrarian Studies, vol. 6(1), July.
    5. Sarthi Acharya & Gustav F. Papanek, 1995. "Explaining Agricultural Wage Trends in India," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 13(1), pages 23-40, March.
    6. Takashi Kurosaki & Yoshifumi Usami, 2016. "A Note on the Reliability of Agricultural Wage Data in India: Reconciliation of Monthly AWI Data for District-Level Analysis," Journal, Review of Agrarian Studies, vol. 6(1), pages 6-38, January-J.
    7. Rao, V.M., 1972. ""Agricultural Wages in India" -A Reliability Analysis," Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics, Indian Society of Agricultural Economics, vol. 27(3), pages 1-26.
    8. A. V. Jose, 2017. "Agricultural wages in Indian states," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 60(3), pages 333-345, September.
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    1. Patra, Subhajit & Mahato, Rakesh Kumar & Das, Arindam, 2021. "Impact of Covid-19 on Employment and Wages in Rural India, March-September 2020," Review of Agrarian Studies, Foundation for Agrarian Studies, vol. 11(2).

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