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The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme: A Policy Solution to Rural Poverty in India?

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  • Rhonda Breitkreuz
  • Carley‐Jane Stanton
  • Nurmaiya Brady
  • John Pattison‐Williams
  • E.D. King
  • Chudhury Mishra
  • Brent Swallow

Abstract

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was developed by the Indian government to reduce rural poverty through 100 days of guaranteed employment per year. Using focus group methods, we explore whether this scheme has provided rights' based social protection through guaranteed employment for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Odisha. We found that the experiences of participating in MGNREGA varied depending on how MGNREGA wages compared to market wages in the region, as well as local implementation of the program. Although MGNREGA offered some basic employment for marginalized groups, it did not provide substantial help to the most vulnerable. However, there was some evidence of small but significant shifts in labour relations. Higher wages, more opportunities for work, better implementation and a greater recognition of the caregiving responsibilities of women will be required for this policy to fully meet its goals.

Suggested Citation

  • Rhonda Breitkreuz & Carley‐Jane Stanton & Nurmaiya Brady & John Pattison‐Williams & E.D. King & Chudhury Mishra & Brent Swallow, 2017. "The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme: A Policy Solution to Rural Poverty in India?," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 35(3), pages 397-417, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:devpol:v:35:y:2017:i:3:p:397-417
    DOI: 10.1111/dpr.12220
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    2. C. Justin Cook & Manisha Shah, 2022. "Aggregate Effects from Public Works: Evidence from India," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 104(4), pages 797-806, October.
    3. Srinivas Goli & Anu Rammohan & Sri Priya Reddy, 2021. "The interaction of household agricultural landholding and Caste on food security in rural Uttar Pradesh, India," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(1), pages 219-237, February.
    4. Rodriguez, Zachary, 2022. "The power of employment: Effects of India’s employment guarantee on women empowerment," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    5. Ramanujam Nandini & Caivano Nicholas & Agnello Alexander, 2019. "Distributive Justice and the Sustainable Development Goals: Delivering Agenda 2030 in India," The Law and Development Review, De Gruyter, vol. 12(2), pages 495-536, June.
    6. Saibal Ghosh, 2019. "Financial inclusion through a public works programme: Does left‐wing extremism make a difference?," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 37(1), pages 19-45, January.
    7. Kartik Misra, 2022. "No employment without participation: An evaluation of India's employment programme in eastern Uttar Pradesh," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 40(6), November.
    8. Aruna Sharma & James Copestake & Michelle James, 2021. "The Samagra anti‐poverty programme in Madhya Pradesh: Integrating household data, overcoming silo‐problems and leaving nobody behind," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 39(3), pages 435-449, May.
    9. A. Amarender Reddy & Namrata Singha Roy & Divya Pradeep, 2021. "Has India’s Employment Guarantee Program Achieved Intended Targets?," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(4), pages 21582440211, October.
    10. Das, Upasak & Maiorano, Diego, 2019. "Post-clientelistic initiatives in a patronage democracy: The distributive politics of India’s MGNREGA," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 239-252.
    11. Narayan Chandra Nayak & Bimal Kishore Sahoo & Alok Ranjan Mohanty, 2023. "Do Mahatma Gandhi NREGA and convergence measures arrest distress migration? An empirical assessment of the migration-prone regions of Odisha, India," Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 1-22, December.
    12. Tagat, Anirudh, 2020. "Female matters: Impact of a workfare program on intra-household female decision-making in rural India," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 20(C).
    13. Sunil Khosla & Pradyot Ranjan Jena, 2022. "Analyzing vulnerability to poverty and assessing the role of universal public works and food security programs to reduce it: Evidence from an eastern Indian state," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(4), pages 2296-2316, November.

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