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Heterogeneous effect of the Indian affirmative action: The role of caste certificates

Author

Listed:
  • Sugata Bag

    (Department of Economics, Delhi School of Economics)

  • Suman Seth

    (Department of Economics, University of Leeds)

  • Barnali Basak

    (Department of Economics, University of Leeds)

Abstract

Affirmative action policies, common to many countries, aim to provide preferential treatment to those be­longing to disadvantaged communities. Contemporary studies that examine the effect of India’s affirmative action policies implicitly assume that intended beneficiaries are eligible for targeted benefits. However, an intended beneficiary is unable to acquire benefits without possessing a valid caste certificate issued by an appropriate authority. The 2011-12 Indian Human Development Survey, the only nationally representative survey collecting information on caste certificate possession among households, reveals that nearly half of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe households do not possess caste certificates and thus cannot be considered eligible for benefits. Through a novel attempt, in this paper, we first explore the factors that are associated with a household’s likelihood of caste certificate possession. We then show that caste certificate possessions increase the likelihood of securing better jobs as well as enhance monetary and non-monetary well-being among scheduled households. Our findings establish another form of heterogeneous effect of Indian affirmative action. JEL classification: O12, H4,I3 Key words: Affirmative action, caste certificate, India, scheduled caste, scheduled tribe

Suggested Citation

  • Sugata Bag & Suman Seth & Barnali Basak, 2023. "Heterogeneous effect of the Indian affirmative action: The role of caste certificates," Working papers 339, Centre for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:cde:cdewps:339
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    affirmative action; caste certificate; india; scheduled caste; scheduled tribe;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • H4 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods
    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty

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