This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Vulnerability of Consumption Growth in Rural India

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Raghbendra Jha ()

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

The fragility of livelihoods and hence the vulnerability of consumption growth due to aggregate shocks in the Indian rural sector have been highlighted recently. However, as yet there exist no estimates of the vulnerability of consumption growth in rural India. This paper attempts to fill this lacuna by providing certainty equivalent growth of consumption in 14 major states of India over the period 1958-1997, corresponding to NSS Rounds 13th to 53rd. The extant debates around poverty-growth elasticities are premised on the assumption of a state of world without any risks and uncertainties. In the real world in which the poor actually live they are subject to risks - both general and idiosyncratic - which affect their welfare. Thus poverty should not be viewed in static terms but within a framework that allows for changing states of the world. This paper shows that certainty equivalent consumption growth in rural India has been much lower than average real per capita consumption growth - indeed, in some cases, it has been negative. This points to the poor performance of consumer-perceived average welfare in India's rural sector and should be a matter of urgent policy concern.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help file. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://rspas.anu.edu.au/papers/asarc/WP2006_04.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by Australian National University, Australia South Asia Research Centre in its series ASARC Working Papers with number 2006-04.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML, plain text, BibTeX, RIS (EndNote), ReDIF
Length: 18
Date of creation: 2006
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:pas:asarcc:2006-04

Contact details of provider:
Postal: The Administrator, Canberra ACT 0200
Phone: +61 2 6125 2188
Fax: +61 2 6125 3700
Email:
Web page: http://rspas.anu.edu.au/asarc/publications.php
More information through EDIRC

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: ().

Related research
Keywords: India Consumption Volatility National Sample Survey Certainty Equivalent Consumption

Find related papers by JEL classification:
D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
D18 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Protection
D69 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Other
O12 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Gaurav Datt & Martin Ravallion, 2002. "Is India's Economic Growth Leaving the Poor Behind?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 16(3), pages 89-108, Summer. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  2. Auffret, Philippe, 2003. "High consumption volatility : the impact of natural disasters?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2962, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  3. R Gaiha & K Imai, 2006. "Vulnerability and poverty in rural India-estimates for rural south India," The School of Economics Discussion Paper Series 0602, Economics, The University of Manchester. [Downloadable!]
  4. Ethan Ligon & Laura Schechter, 2003. "Measuring Vulnerability," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 113(486), pages C95-C102, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
Full references

Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? IDEAS also indexes software components.

This page was last updated on 2008-10-29.


This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.