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Is Caste Destiny? Occupational Diversification among Dalits in Rural India

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  • Ira N. Gang

    (Rutgers University)

  • Kunal Sen

    (University of Manchester)

  • Myeong-Su Yun

    (Inha University)

Abstract

Among the most distinctive features of Indian caste system is the close link between castes and occupations, especially in rural India, with Dalits or Scheduled Castes (SCs) clustered in the least well-paid and most socially degrading occupations. We use several rounds of quinquennial surveys from the National Sample Survey Organisation to assess whether the historic relationship between caste status and occupational segregation has been weakened. We find that the occupational structure of the SC households is converging to that of the non-scheduled households. However, we do not find a similar occupational convergence for the Scheduled Tribes households.

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  • Ira N. Gang & Kunal Sen & Myeong-Su Yun, 2017. "Is Caste Destiny? Occupational Diversification among Dalits in Rural India," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 29(2), pages 476-492, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:eurjdr:v:29:y:2017:i:2:d:10.1057_s41287-016-0011-1
    DOI: 10.1057/s41287-016-0011-1
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    2. Sandhya R. Mahapatro & Renu Choudhary, 2022. "Intergenerational educational and occupational mobility among scheduled castes in rural Bihar," Journal of Social and Economic Development, Springer;Institute for Social and Economic Change, vol. 24(1), pages 65-84, June.
    3. Kailash Chandra Pradhan and Shrabani Mukherjee, 2018. "The Income Transition in Rural India: Evidence from Aris/Reds Surveys," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 43(2), pages 45-66, June.
    4. Kashif Mansoor & Vinoj Abraham, 2021. "Occupational Segregation in the Indian Labor Market: A Socio-religious Perspective," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 64(1), pages 73-99, March.
    5. Jagannadha Pawan Tamvada & Mili Shrivastava & Tapas Kumar Mishra, 2022. "Education, social identity and self-employment over time: evidence from a developing country," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 59(4), pages 1449-1468, December.
    6. Anjan Ray Chaudhury & Madhabendra Sinha, 2020. "Does Education Produce Identical Labour Market Outcomes for All? A Study on India," Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 14(3), pages 309-331, August.
    7. Himanshu & Kunal Sen, 2014. "Revisiting the Great Indian Poverty Debate: Measurement, Patterns, and Determinants," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 20314, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    8. Anustup Kundu & Kunal Sen, 2023. "Multigenerational Mobility Among Males in India," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 69(2), pages 395-418, June.
    9. Nandita Saikia & Moradhvaj Moradhvaj, 2020. "Socioeconomic patterns and determinants of adult mortality due to external-causes in India: Analysis of nationally-representative, population-based survey data," VID Working Papers 2004, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna.
    10. Anustup Kundu & Kunal Sen, 2021. "Multigenerational mobility in India," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2021-32, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    11. Lin, Boqiang & Kaewkhunok, Suppawit, 2021. "The role of socio-Culture in the solar power adoption: The inability to reach government policies of marginalized groups," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    12. Sandhya Garg & Samarth Gupta & Sushanta Mallick, 2023. "Does Social Identity Constrain Rural Entrepreneurship? The Role of Financial Inclusion," IEG Working Papers 460, Institute of Economic Growth.
    13. Gupta, Prashant & Mallick, Sushanta & Mishra, Tapas, 2018. "Does social identity matter in individual alienation? Household-level evidence in post-reform India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 154-172.
    14. Anupam Sarkar, 2020. "Role of Livestock Farming in Meeting Livelihood Challenges of SC Cultivators in India," Indian Journal of Human Development, , vol. 14(1), pages 23-41, April.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    caste; occupational diversification; poverty; scheduled caste; India;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination

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