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The Land Question and the Mobility of the Marginalized: A Study of Land Inequality in Kerala

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  • C. R. Yadu

Abstract

Kerala’s widely acclaimed land reform failed to yield social equality. This article analyzes Kerala’s land question from the perspective of social equity and shows that even after the much touted land reform, land inequality in the state stands very high, whether measured in terms of overall distribution inequality or social inequality. The land reform, along with other factors, resulted in the preponderance of small and marginal holdings. In the social front, the marginalized communities still stand at the bottom of land ownership. The persisting inequality in land ownership has significant stakes in the upward mobility of the marginalized groups. The study reveals that land ownership is an important variable affecting the educational level of households and that land reform in the state widened the opportunities for occupational mobility among the marginalized groups.

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  • C. R. Yadu, 2015. "The Land Question and the Mobility of the Marginalized: A Study of Land Inequality in Kerala," Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy, Centre for Agrarian Research and Education for South, vol. 4(3), pages 327-370, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:agspub:v:4:y:2015:i:3:p:327-370
    DOI: 10.1177/2277976016637990
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ashwini Deshpande, 2000. "Does Caste Still Define Disparity? A Look at Inequality in Kerala, India," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 90(2), pages 322-325, May.
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    3. Deininger, Klaus & Yadav, Vandana, 2011. "Long-term Effects of Land Reform on Human Capital Accumulation: Evidence from West Bengal," WIDER Working Paper Series 082, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    4. Azam, Mehtabul, 2013. "Intergenerational Occupational Mobility in India," IZA Discussion Papers 7608, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Klaus W. Deininger & Songqing Jin & Vandana Yadav, 2011. "Long-term Effects of Land Reform on Human Capital Accumulation: Evidence from West Bengal," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2011-082, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    6. Stephen Aldridge, 2003. "The facts about social mobility," New Economy, Institute for Public Policy Research, vol. 10(4), pages 189-193, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mijo Luke, 2022. "Globalization and the Changing Geography of Social Life in Rural Kerala," Journal of South Asian Development, , vol. 17(1), pages 7-31, April.

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