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The debate over the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is mired in the conflict between the right to freedom of religion and the right to gender-based equality. The retraction of the UCC also hinges on legal pluralism. This paper argues for shifting the foci of the debate towards gender-based violence as rightly suggested by the feminist argument in India. In order to do so, this paper argues that the debate over the UCC needs to be restructured around the Due Diligence Obligation (DDO) to the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). This paper presents the argument that the absence of a UCC creates a normative vacuum that is currently filled by an intersubjective climate on patriarchy which primes the average Indian mindset. This intersubjective mindset requires to be replaced by the normative language of the DDO to the CEDAW. This process of norm effectuation also ties into the question of how international norms are implemented in domestic contexts and reiterates the causal chain propounded therein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study conducted a Marxist analysis of Arvind Adiga's The White Tiger The study aims to demonstrate how desire shapes the protagonist, Balram and influences broader societal dynamics within the framework of Marxist theory. By deploying this theory as its lens, the paper seeks to unveil the underlying structures perpetuating social inequalities in the depicted Indian milieu. The narrative unfolds through a dual exploration of two distinct social classes: privileged 'haves' in the India of Light and the marginalized 'have nots' in the India of Darkness. Through meticulous examination of specific instances in the novel, the analysis reveals the illicit use of state resources by political and economic elites, showcasing the intricate interplay between desire, corruption, and societal structures. The study illuminates how Adiga portrays the extreme and practical facets of Indian society, providing a nuanced understanding of the character's motivations and the broader socio-economic context. This exploration contributes to a deeper comprehension of the novel's socio-political commentary, elucidating the complex connections between individual aspirations, systemic corruption, and class divisions. In conclusion, the analysis not only enriches our understanding of The White Tiger, but also augments the broader discourse on literature, ideology, and societal critique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the drivers and impacts of degradation of agricultural land in a village in a South Indian coastal delta. Drawing on insights from political economy and political ecology scholarship, it argues that there is a dialectical relation between land degradation and social inequalities, i.e. the biophysical degeneration of land is not only caused by human and environmental factors but it also generates social contradictions which further intensify both land degradation and social inequalities. The paper demonstrates, firstly, that coastal land degradation has been generated in the form of soil salinity through a confluence of the inherent environmental vulnerabilities of the region, forces of commoditization (especially those associated with shrimp aquaculture), existing social hierarchies and state policy. Secondly, it shows that social groups differentiated by caste, class and gender have experienced these changes differently. A small, relatively well-off section of the locally dominant caste landowners has benefitted from shifting from paddy to shrimp aquaculture, which is leading to a further increase in salinisation. Others have to bear the brunt of decreasing productivity of land for crop cultivation, leading them to abandon or reduce cultivation and increase dependence on non-agricultural sources of income, especially through male outmigration. Women's burden of work has increased while their capacity to earn wage-income has declined. Without any concerted state effort to either restore the land or to alleviate the widespread agrarian distress, land degradation has developed into a continuously evolving downward spiral, but one where there will still be some winners and many losers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on research in central India, this paper argues that emerging climatic risks are inseparable from the systemic risks of capitalist production, particularly in relation to India's ongoing agrarian crisis. Drawing from classic debates in peasant studies around agrarian risk, subsistence, and moral economy, I argue that the intertwined effects of climatic variability and agrarian capitalism have produced a generalized 'climate of uncertainty' in rural India. The paper explores how encounters with agrarian risk reproduce social inequalities. It concludes that a deeper reckoning with regional histories of agrarian change is critical to forging just and secure rural futures in the face of the global climate crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a theoretical framework of women's empowerment developed from an intervention in South India. The framework is unique in that, in addition to common empowerment indicators, it emphasizes the relational aspect of empowerment including the role of men, family, and gendered power structures—and the flexibility of these to change. This is especially pertinent to India, which has struggled to meet global targets for indicators of improved gender equality. The mixed-methods study found evidence that women who felt they had more support from their husbands and family also had more success in the project, and that family support was an overall indicator for empowerment. This paper's contribution is in reframing women's empowerment to better represent the often overlooked structural factors that could intrinsically resist or counter the establishment of new states of social equality and stability, specifically the integral role of men and the wider family in the women's empowerment process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the multifaceted nature of social inequality in India. It focuses on the relationship between historical legacies and contemporary dynamics. It investigates how the caste system, shaped by late colonial and postcolonial states, continues to impact social structures in rural and urban settings. An in-depth analysis of contemporary village hierarchy, social class, and habitus formation aims to highlight the complex interplay between caste, class, and sociocultural elements. The study identifies 14 social types across three sociocultures, forming distinct yet co-existing hierarchies. It reveals the persistence of pre-capitalist and postcolonial habitus traits and the formation of hybrid habitus resulting from the encroachment of the capitalist urban economy into rural areas. The research emphasizes the significant impact of caste membership on social class, with the marginalized class predominantly consisting of Dalits and other underprivileged communities. The paper concludes that while capitalist transformation facilitates social mobility, the legacy of precolonial structures, colonialism, caste, and the developmentalist state persist and shape social classes, indicating the reproduction of social inequality from colonial to postcolonial times. To fully understand the nature of inequality in India, examining the interplay between historical legacies and contemporary dynamics is crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the inequality perpetuated through social categories in accessing the social capital generated through the microfinance interventions in India as the country has pronounced economic inequality by social categories like many developing stratified societies. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses survey data collected from 75 villages in rural India and tests whether the formation and maximization of social capital through self-help groups (SHGs) is dominated by social categories, e.g. high-caste groups, males and superior occupation classes. Using logistic regression framework, the study assesses the formation and maximization of social capital through multiple SHG membership. Findings: The paper finds that the microfinance approach of empowering weaker sections is considerably limited in its success, in the sense that it provides them with the opportunity to the credit access and support through SHGs. But, the empirical model further indicates that social capital in form of these SHGs may fall prey to the dominant social categories, and thus, these institutions may potentially enhance inequality. Research limitations/implications: The paper is derived from the secondary data set, so it is unable to comment field reality qualitatively. Practical implications: Microfinance policy makers will have an improved understanding of inherent social inequalities while implementing group-based programs in socially stratified societies. Originality/value: Social capital, if treated as an outcome accumulated in form of groups, provides with an important framework to assess the unequal access through the microfinance interventions. Overlooking the inherent unequal access will deceive the purpose of social justice in the group-based interventions. The microfinance and other welfare policies engaged in group formation and generating the social capital need to be more sensitive to the disadvantageous sections while focusing on multiple group access by disadvantaged social groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the pro‐poor bias of trade policy in India by estimating the household welfare effects of removing the current protection structure. The elimination of a pro‐poor trade policy is expected to have a negative differential welfare effect at the low end of the distribution. The paper first constructs trade restrictiveness indexes for household consumption items and industries using both tariffs and non‐tariff barriers. The results indicate that Indian trade policy is regressive through the expenditure channel as it disproportionately raises the cost of consumption for poorer households, while it is progressive through the earnings channel. Based on the net welfare effects, the elimination of the current trade protection structure is estimated to reduce inequality. These results indicate that a trade policy that is progressive through the earnings channel may induce a price effect that is regressive through the expenditure channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This ethnographic paper explores gender inequality in tribal societies vis-à-vis customary practices and challenges the notion of egalitarianism of tribal society by taking Chuktia Bhunjia tribe of Odisha, India as an analytical category. In the light of a discussion on women specific taboos and restrictions, captured through formal interview, narrative and lived experience approach, the paper explicates the deeply embedded nature of the taboos in Chuktia Bhunjia society and unravels how prohibiting women from socio-economic and religious space, backed by purity-pollution philosophy, perpetuate the gender inequality among them. It was found that although economic division of labour is indistinct; women are perceived being portrayal of misfortunes during perceived pollution periods and are prohibited to enter into sacred places – kitchen room, cowshed, sacred groves and forest – and take part in community festivals and other auspicious occasions. The existing material culture, especially kitchen room, alongside economic structure, self-notion of 'outsiders' and apparently fixed customary laws have direct influence on the position of women in this society. It is found that the customary laws are not mere symbolic expressions in perpetuating the gender asymmetry, but have become a powerful tool to patriarchal controls not only over women's education, health, properties and knowledge, but also over individual's choice, freedom, decision-making and sexuality. However, internal challenges are reported against customary laws and taboos, the fear of social ostracism, the obligation to restore the purity of cultural entity and anxiety reinforce people to be always submissive to those practices. Therefore, unless there is transformation alongside their culture, it is fruitless to think of gender equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health financing equity analysis rarely goes below the state level in India. This paper assesses the equity and effectiveness of public spending on health in the state of Odisha. Using district-level public spending data for the first time, it sheds light on the incidence of public spending by geography and by type of services. There are three key findings. First, it identifies the weak link between district spending and district need, proxied by poverty rates or lagging sectoral outcomes, highlighting the potential for a more needs-based approach to public resource allocation. Second, the results indicate that at the household level health spending by the state is not pro-poor, especially in public hospitals, underscoring the need to improve access to care for the bottom 40% at these facilities. Third, an exhaustive analysis of micro-level treasury data brings into focus the importance of reforming public finance data systems to support evidence-based policy at the sub-state level. Significant district-wise variation in key health financing and equity indicators, combined with growing policy interest in the district level, underscore the utility of further empirical work in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: India has shown good progress in maternal health outcome indicators. However, an area for improvement is to ensure all deliveries take place in institutions under the supervision of skilled birth attendants. This paper attempts to identify the factors that affect institutional deliveries using nationally representative National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data. Further, the authors investigate the factors contributing to the wealth-based inequality in institutional deliveries. Design/methodology/approach: To address the first aspect of identifying the factors associated with undergoing an institutional delivery, the authors have used logistic and multinominal logistic models. The explanatory variables are broadly socio-economic indicators of the mother and a few other household characteristics. Further, the concentration index and regression-based decomposition were used to carry out an inequality analysis in the institutional deliveries across different wealth groups. Findings: The authors found that women belonging to poor households, backward social groups and rural areas have significantly fewer odds of undergoing an institutional delivery. Age and education level of the mother, number of antenatal visits during pregnancy and place of residence (urban/rural) have contributed to the inequality in institutional deliveries in 2005–2006. However, the inequality due to these factors went down drastically in 2015–2016. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is a distinct attempt to use pooled data of the NFHS-3 [2005–2006] and NFHS-4 [2015–2016] in identifying factors contributing to a woman undergoing an institutional-based delivery. The study also decomposes the wealth-based inequality in the factors contributing to having an institutional delivery and analyses the contributions to inequality across the two time periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses residential segregation over time in Indian cities. We examine the change in caste-based segregation longitudinally, while exploring how caste dynamics manifest differently across city size and region. The paper uses successive rounds of decennial census data, from 2001 and 2011. Contrary to expectations, we find residential segregation by caste/tribe persisting or worsening in 60 per cent of cities in our all-India sample, with differences by region and city size. For example, in the states of Karnataka, Haryana, Punjab and Tamil Nadu, a majority of cities experienced decreasing levels of residential segregation by caste/tribe, while in Maharashtra and Gujarat, 34 and 29 per cent of cities, respectively, experienced an increase. A greater proportion of small cities (population 20,000–49,999) than large cities (100,000–999,999) experienced an increase in residential segregation between 2001 and 2011. Across all city-size categories, the dominant trend has been no improvement in residential segregation by caste/tribe over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Many studies have concluded that corruption hinders economic expansion by threatening the viability of the public budget and reducing the capital available for infrastructure development and social welfare. Thereby cultivating social inequality and eroding trust in the state and institutions. In recent decades, the European Union (EU) and India have experienced multiple corruption cases, including bribery, embezzlement, and abuse of power. Consequently, some EU nations and India have attempted to implement legislations and frameworks to curtail corrupt practices. The impact of adopted approaches can be witnessed in the contrasting scores and ranks of both regions on the Corruption Perception Index. Therefore, considering the distinctiveness in the efficacy of the approaches adopted by both of these regions, this paper intends to explore the efficacy and limitations of anti-corruption initiatives and frameworks implemented in the EU region and, subsequently, recommend the adoption of a similar approach which may prove to be beneficial in addressing the pressing issues of political and bureaucratic corruption in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to analyses the relationship between educational expansion and schooling inequality in India across states and over the age cohort. The focus of the paper is to verify the inverted-U shaped relationship between the mean and dispersion of schooling. The evidence of an inverted-U shaped relationship between the mean and dispersion of schooling is found when dispersion is measured in terms of standard deviation which indicates that as the average level of schooling increases, educational inequality first increases, and, after reaching a peak, starts declining in latter phases of educational expansion. The turning point occurs when average year of schooling is about 7 years. The same inverted-U shaped relation is not observed when inequality in schooling is measured in terms of Gini-coefficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the link between physical infrastructure and inequality and focuses on 17 major Indian states. The Gini coefficient was used as the dependent variable computed using data on monthly per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE), which was estimated from unit-level records of the periodical Household Consumer Expenditure surveys of National Sample Survey Organization for the years 1983, 1987–88, 1993–94, 2004–05, and 2009–10. By evaluating Indian states with different levels of development the paper shows that the impact of infrastructure on consumption inequality across states differs not just for the type of infrastructure but also for the income category the state belongs to. Additionally, some components of infrastructure, mainly power and roads, tend to increase interpersonal inequality at the regional level. The results of this study do not prescribe abandoning transportation projects or infrastructure development but instead recommend that the government should emphasize investments in complementary policies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Baheliya, a nomadic tribe, were confined on the outskirts of a village in Madhya Pradesh, India due to the sudden lockdown announced by the government. How does the lockdown impact the nomad community? Using the lens of liminality, this paper details the experience of the community as they struggle between a detached past and an uncertain future. It describes the features of a liminal phase; namely, freedom, egalitarianism, communion, and creativity as experienced by the members from the Baheliya community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The name of Surinder Prakash is a key reference in the fiction writter who diversified the themes of the story under the most important literary movement of the twentieth century, the modern house. He started writing in his time when the progressive movement in India was in full swing and most of the novelists were inspired by this movement and were setting their place in the world of fiction. Every writer had assumed for himself that he should also write on topics such as labor, peasantry, capitalist capitalism, landlordism, exploitation and social inequality. In these circumstances, Surinder Prakash perpetuated his creative vision. This research paper will discuss the creative design of Surinder Prakash". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Indian democracy, reservation policy is one of the major tools to reaffirm and develop right to equality as guaranteed, by the Constitution, to all the citizens of India and, in a way, to uplift the weaker and deprived sections of the society. But, due to its wrong interpretation and implementation in the present scenario, it is continuously creating a new type of disadvantaged and disheartened group in Indian society. Hence, the research paper tries to explore poetic expressions of a few contemporary Hindi poets for understanding the present form of reservation policy and its resultant effects on nation-building and nation-branding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the boardroom to the sports field, Indian women are making a mark in traditionally male-dominated areas and redefining their roles in society. This study considers the gender difference that exists among each region, class and prevents the expansion of Indian economy from up the lives of Indian folks. Gender difference in India is extremely advanced and heterogenous, and it exists in each field like education, employment opportunities, income, health, cultural problems, social problems, economic issues etc. An effort has been created to seek out out those factors that are to blame for this problem in India. So, this paper highlights the multi-dimensional context of gender inequalities prevalent in India. Overall, the study indicates the differences in economic, social, cultural and legal biases which pose challenge for policymakers and social scientists to ascertain proper equality within the entire social field. The researcher has tried to counsel some relevant strategies and policies implication for reducing this gender difference and to market the dignified position for Indian ladies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What are the conditions that determine the electoral success of parties that champion deprived ethnic groups? What is the impact of within-group inequality on this outcome? Existing arguments focus on the role of institutions or the relationship between ethnicity and other social cleavages. This paper contributes to the second approach by studying the impact of within-group as well as between-group inequality on ethnic voting. We use elections to state legislatures within India to control for institutional and historical factors that may influence ethnic voting. Using data from the National Sample Survey, we calculate inequality in consumption expenditure. We show that high within-group economic inequality among deprived ethnic groups hinders the electoral success of parties that champion these groups, whereas high between-group economic inequality has the opposite effect. Our findings also identify a potential causal mechanism (preference heterogeneity) that might link within-group inequality to ethnic voting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on everyday watery relations; children and young people's fluid, messy, affective encounters with the rainy season in India. We attend to the rhythms, depths, capacities and flows of water and argue that a more nuanced understanding of watery entanglements is needed in the context of fluid inequality. Through in-depth, ethnographic research with children and young people, we offer new ways of thinking about watery relations and inequality attending to the material-social-spatial–temporal complexities of living with the monsoon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All human beings are born independent, free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act accordingly, living in a high spirit of love and brotherhood. All men are born equal and are endowed with some basic rights. These rights are mainly the right to life and liberty, but if any person doesn't comply with the ethics of the society then that person is deprived of these rights with proper punishment. Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, irrelevant to our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. All are equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination as these rights are fundamental to us. Judiciary in every country has an obligation and a Constitutional role to protect the Human Rights of citizens. As per the mandate of the Constitution of India, this function is assigned to the superior judiciary namely the Supreme Court of India and High courts. In addition to the inmates, there are hundreds of thousands of family members, police personnel, judges, prosecutors, defenders, families of victims, and others who are directly or indirectly involved in the prison system. The major role prisons should play is reformation and making sure that inmates are properly integrated into society. That is possible when more skill development programs are introduced in the jails to enhance their chances of earning. This research paper discusses the study of the prison reformation system in India and to analyze the prison reformation in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization can challenge sustainable development if it produces unequal outcomes. Infrastructure is an important urbanization dimension, providing services to support diverse urban activities. However, it can lock in unequal outcomes due to its durable nature. This paper studies inequalities in infrastructure distributions to derive insights into the structure and characteristics of unequal outcomes associated with urbanization. We analyzed infrastructure inequalities in two emerging economies in the Global South: India and South Africa. We developed and applied an inequality measure to understand the structure of inequality in infrastructure provisioning (based on census data) and infrastructure availability (based on satellite nighttime lights [NTLs] data). Consistent with differences in economic inequality, results show greater inequalities in South Africa than in India and greater urban inequalities than rural inequalities. Nevertheless, inequalities in urban infrastructure provisioning and infrastructure availability increase from finer to coarser spatial scales. NTL-based inequality measurements additionally show that inequalities are more concentrated at coarse spatial scales in India than in South Africa. Finally, results show that urban inequalities in infrastructure provisioning covary with urbanization levels conceptualized as a multidimensional phenomenon, including demographic, economic, and infrastructural dimensions. Similarly, inequalities in urban infrastructure availability increase monotonically with infrastructure development levels and urban population size. Together, these findings underscore infrastructure inequalities as a feature of urbanization and suggest that understanding urban inequalities requires applying an inequality lens to urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses a drinking water supply project in rural Rajasthan, India, that deliberately sought to create greater equality across caste for water users through a combination of public taps and payment for water. Later, in the post-construction phase of the project, those goals were undermined by the counter-technologies of upper caste households and the village-scale institutions that supported them. The paper brings together geographic research on neoliberal water governance and caste processes in modern rural India to illuminate how neoliberal subjectivities deepened in the post-project phase. It shows the ways that caste norms, village water governance and state power converged to produce 'new' ways of thinking about water access and payment that undermined the social goals and the physical infrastructure of the project. The paper contributes to research on neoliberalisation and the creation of subjects by demonstrating the mutual constitution of caste inequalities and successfully marketised drinking water over the construction and post-construction phases of the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A journey of biocultural diversity begins with monocultural mindset and it moves slowly towards intercultural interaction. Biocultural diversity with thousands of human cultures and languages lead us to fertile interaction among the people from all races, classes, creeds and ethnicities. There are several worlds, visible and invisible, inside and outside us. Our entire life is a struggle for fitting into those worlds. A lively society always accepts change and her citizens try to adapt themselves in the changing environment. Diversity, equality and democracy are common goals of all nations who have emerged as transnational, cross cultural and multicultural entities in the twenty first century. The modern societies are trying to increase intercultural competence and then adapt multicultural competence. If we share and learn to respect our differences the world will be a better place to live in. Preserving our indigenous culture and adapting new global multicultural phenomenon is a huge challenge especially to the marginalized sections of all societies. These people struggle to come into the main stream and then to adapt the culture of the dominant. The Caribbean today are the former slaves and indentured labourers from almost all continents of the world who strive to stick up to their roots and to practice emerging multicultural way of living. The similar case is with the Indian Dalits, who are the low caste people in India. They are desperate to come into mainstream but do not want to lose their cultural heritage. The present paper deals with two authors with Indian origin but with different social ethos. It investigates the Caribbean mindset through V. S. Naipaul's The Mimic Men (1963) and the Dalit mindset of the Indians by Baby Kamble's The Prison We Broke (2008). The paper will be divided into four parts. The origin of the Caribbean and the Dalits in brief, the identity issues, their encounters with foreign cultures and finally development of multicultural competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The basic story of global inequality in the last three decades has been an overall decline, but one which is composed of quite intricate patterns. There has been a decline in between-country inequality as China and India have grown relative to the US and other rich countries. This has been accompanied by an increase in within-country inequality, but this is itself composed of rising inequality in some countries such as China, India, and the US, and declining inequality in other countries, including large economies in Latin America. Section II of the paper reviews these patterns, highlighting country diversity to make the central point that policy matters. Section III addresses a normative question—what relative weight should be given to within-country and between-country inequality in making an overall global assessment? This section brings on board recent philosophical discourse, including on inequality of opportunity in a global frame. Section IV returns to the 'policy matters' theme and takes up global constraints on national redistribution policy in a globalized world: for example, a race to the bottom on taxation to attract and keep capital and talent, and possible global institutional responses to alleviate these constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an institutional and ethical reading of B. R. Ambedkar's ideas on the caste system in India. It also draws attention to Ambedkar's profound understanding of the social institution of caste system and its unethical practice, which, he shows, is majorly responsible for many of Indian Society's social injustices and inequalities. The paper advances three arguments which form the three respective sections of the paper. The first shows how Ambedkar's focus on the 'institution' of caste was influenced by his own professional training at Columbia University. The second highlights how his critique of caste transitioned from a mere description of its sociological and anthropological origins to philosophical discussions around humane values, human dignity and equality. The third concludes by arguing that Ambedkar's moral and ethical critique of immoral social practices can be considered as the work of a public philosopher who was concerned with the ethics of everyday social life in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that the Dalit situation of caste-based oppression in India could be characterized by the enduring co-existence of upward social mobility and atrocities. While being a common-sense understanding, the paper suggests that the relation between upward social mobility and enduring atrocity could be referred to as a "structural mechanism" in the Dalit situation. The concept is used to explain the Dalit problem. Moreover, this structural mechanism sheds more light on developments and discursive breaks in the legal context. A central lesson in the post-colonial period is that the problem of "untouchables" could not simply be conceptualized as a problem of civil law and untouchability. Rather, the problem of atrocities created demands and a need to make caste-based atrocities a concern for criminal law. Ambedkar's significance as a symbol of Dalit assertion could be viewed in connection with the structural mechanism of Dalit achievements and caste-based exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to examine the transformative potential of a school-based model in India that makes middle class students active stakeholders in the well-being of underprivileged children. Design/methodology/approach -- Employing a qualitative case study method, data were collected through a survey -- containing close-ended and open-ended questions -- that was administered to all students in grades 6 through 10. Findings -- Overall, the data suggest that socialization with underprivileged children had a profound impact on the views of middle class children about social inequalities and their own agency in addressing them. While younger children observed more manifest differences between them and the poor children they engaged; the older children articulated those differences in terms of inequalities of opportunity and violations of rights. Research limitations/implications -- The research was based on a single school where the intervention was conceived and implement by its visionary leader. It would be important to examine the robustness of the model in a broader sample of schools. Social implications -- The study demonstrates that with purposive strategies and intentional organizational culture, schools for privileged can promote social inclusion of all children. Originality/value -- This paper makes the counter-intuitive case -- analytically and empirically -- that for social policies designed for poor children to be a force for social transformation, they should be purposively conceived in conjunction with the educational and developmental imperatives of children from more privileged backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the mechanisms through which democratic urban polities produce, maintain and reproduce inequality. It does so by looking at case law from 1990–2007 in New Delhi, where a seemingly relentless series of evictions of poor illegal settlements (colloquially known as bastis) were ordered by the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India in Public Interest Litigations (PILs). While the power of the claims of the “middle class” and the emergence of a new urban political economy are well documented in the analysis of evictions, the specificity of how subaltern urban residents have been displaced from a development imagination remains relatively understudied. Put simply: how have the claims, presence and resistance of a significant proportion of urban residents been managed and even evaded within urban politics? This paper argues that case law on evictions makes visible not only the claims to the city of an insurgent urban elite but also the simultaneous “impoverishment of poverty”, which together create a new calculus for the contestations of urban citizenship in contemporary Delhi. This impoverishment is marked by a reduction in the efficacy of poverty and vulnerability as the basis of claims made by subaltern citizens to the elements of citizenship, i.e. the determination and distribution of rights and needs, access to resources and entitlements as well as a place within narratives of belonging and personhood. Making visible the multiple and particular processes of impoverishment is a critical part of a praxis that seeks to formulate effective resistance and imagine different urban futures. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The affirmative action policy for socially and economically backward communities in employment has been a debated issue in India. In this context, this paper aims to analyze the level of inequality by distinguishing between ‘circumstance’ and ‘effort’ factors in the Roemer’s framework on equality of opportunity. We measure inequality of opportunities due to two circumstances: caste and religion. Our empirical analysis, at state-level, utilizes a recent household survey data, which provides information related to efforts as well as circumstances of workers. The paper estimated inequality in the labour market and then decomposed it to know the circumstances that cause income inequality. Our estimates indicated that inequality and inequality of opportunity is substantially higher in India. Specifically, the outcome of our analysis evidently indicated that the socially backward communities do have economically disadvantageous position in some of the Indian states. However, the degree of circumstances based on inequality varies to a great extent among the states. Therefore, we suggest that the country does not need a nation-level affirmative action policy instead a state-level policy could be more appropriate as the intensity of the problem differ significantly among the Indian states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper aims to deal with a closer look into the nature and extent of consumer expenditure inequality in India to identify the major contributions those are embedded, particularly after the economic reforms. Relative contributions of major consumption items/sources to the overall expenditure inequality are quantitatively examined in terms of a decomposition exercise. Eventually, the paper investigates the relative marginal effects of expenditure components/sources on overall inequality.Design/methodology/approach Gini index is used to measure the degree of inequality in consumer expenditure. Contribution of each expenditure sources to overall inequality is estimated by using source decomposition technique of Gini index contributed by Lerman and Yitzhaki.Findings The study observes that the inequality in consumer expenditure has increased in both the rural and the urban parts of India during the post-reform period. Non-food expenditure is more unevenly distributed, and it has been found to be more pro-rich in nature. Expenditure on cereals and pulses still exhibits higher inequality-reducing effect in rural and urban India. Education and health-care expenses have been inequality-increasing in the country. Contribution of expenditure on miscellaneous consumer services, durable goods, education and health care to the overall expenditure inequality is significantly higher.Originality/value The study identifies the capacity of different expenditure sources towards increasing or decreasing the overall inequality which is crucial for better redistributive policies to be adopted to enhance the well-being of the economy in real sense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the status of rural women empowerment in India. Women empowerment is prerequisite for the development of nation. The empowerment, equality and autonomy of women are globally recognized as key factors of all round development and growth of a society. The Five-Year plans in India are adopted as a model of development. 'Empowerment of Women' was the key theme of the Ninth Five Year Plan. Similarly, Tenth Five Year Plan also stressed on Economic Empowerment as one of the sector-specific 3-fold strategy for empowering women with the view of making all potential women economically independent and self-reliant. Empowerment of women means the improvement in eco-socio and political status of women in general and the conventionally disadvantaged ones in backward and rural society. This study is based on primary data collected from a cluster of villages under Mahapura Gram panchayat, Sanganer tehsil, Jaipur district. The study reveals that rural women fall under middle empowerment level and there is a lack of awareness of the government empowerment schemes. The study concludes by an observation that the status of rural women empowerment is not satisfactory. It leads to low level of awareness about government schemes and these women fail to avail the extended benefits from these schemes. So, it is imperative to address the endogenous factors in line with exogenous factors through government schemes to empower women. Women are empowered at different dimensions, in the present study we have different levels of empowerment of women but Empowerment is something an individual or a group of individuals evolves over time. The focus should be on removing various socio- cultural barriers and developing an endogenous development strategy. Few suggestions based on the study are: Skills acquisition and capacity-building, Conducting Camps and workshops at regular intervals to demystify various myths, conducting Family development initiatives to change discriminatory traditional and cultural norms, collecting information about the complaints regarding the schemes to improve the quality of the services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Violence against older adults is a well-recognised socio-psychological and public health problem. It is uncared-for, undiagnosed, and an untreated problem that is widespread across both developed and developing countries. The present paper aims to understand the extent of the socio-economic status related inequality in violence against older adults in India.Methods: The study uses data from Building a Knowledge Base on Population Aging in India (BKPAI). Violence against older adults is the outcome variable for the study and is defined as older adults who faced any abuse or violence or neglect or disrespect by any person. Bivariate analysis and regression-based decomposition technique is used to understand the relative contribution of various socio-economic factors to violence against older adults (N = 9541).Results: The prevalence of violence faced by older adults was 11.2%. Older adults aged 80+ years [OR: 1.49; CI: 1.14-1.93] and working [OR: 1.26; CI: 1.02-1.56] had higher likelihood to face violence than their counterparts. On the other hand, older adults who were currently in union [OR: 0.79; CI: 0.65-0.95], lived with children [OR: 0.53; CI: 0.40-0.72] and who belonged to richer wealth quintile [OR: 0.35; CI:0.24-0.51] had lower likelihood to suffer from violence than their counterparts. The decomposition results revealed that poor older adults were more prone to violence (Concentration index: - 0.20). Household's wealth status was responsible for explaining 93.7% of the socio-economic status related inequality whereas living arrangement of older adults explained 13.7% of the socio-economic related inequality. Education and working status of older adults made a substantial contribution to the inequalities in reported violence, explaining 3.7% and 3.3% of the total inequality, respectively.Conclusion: Though interpretation of the results requires a cautious understanding of the data used, the present study highlights some of the relevant issues faced by the country's older adults. With no or meagre income of their own, older adults belonging to the poorest wealth quintile have little or no bargaining power to secure a violent free environment for themselves. Therefore, special attention in terms of social and economic support should be given to the economically vulnerable older population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the newly collected data from 575 household coffee farmers in the traditional coffee-growing regions of India, this paper measures inequality in size distribution of coffee estates. Inequality is linked to poverty by modelling the determinants of probability of abject poverty of farmers with reference to inequality measures, social caste, human capital endowments, income from coffee cultivations and types and varieties of coffee grown. Empirical results show remarkable variations in levels of inequality across regions and social groups. Binary Logit estimates show that inequality elasticity of poverty is positive and biggest. Other significant determinants of poverty imply that farmers who belong to socially disadvantaged groups, who are lower educated, who have lesser gross returns, who grow mono-type coffee or cultivate Selection.9 and Selection.6 varieties are more vulnerable to poverty. These new and crop-specific results have implications for redistributive-oriented and inclusive promotional policies for household coffee farmers in India and applicable for other coffee-growing developing countries in Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differential distribution of roles has always been an essential feature of each and every society. Social group is the basic attribute of the Indian social system and this caste system, a product of the division of labor operates as an institution and viewed as social stratification leading to the institutionalization of social inequality, as a social organization of Hindu society is based on highly unequal entitlements to economic and social rights. This inequality involves the historic exclusion and discrimination, in terms of denial of rights of certain groups and castes, resulted in widespread deprivation and poverty for the SCs which have traditionally been placed at the bottom rung of the caste hierarchy, in multiple societal relations - economic, social, political, cultural and educational as these revolve around the notion of caste and each caste has its own separate social cultural identity with a social hierarchy among themselves, this character led to differential response especially in the educational field. The paper focuses on how rigidity in social stratification is set to exclude SCs from education. The paper examines that though the social transformation is on increase in the process of development the percentage of the scheduled caste enrolled in higher education continues to be lower than their percentage in the population and the gap between their level of educational development and the average for society as a whole still continues to be very wide. To examine the relevance of higher education for social change their segregation in types of jobs which are low in the occupational hierarchy with more casualization of work is substantiated by NSSO 64th round Unit level data. The paper is suggestive in nature in the end for the continuity of social change there must be a focus on qualitative higher education for all to establish egalitarian society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to examine the inequality and poverty issues of rural households in India from the perspective of a household's monthly per capita consumption expenditure using data on nearly 20,000 households. In examining these issues, the paper first sets out a model of a poverty-inequality trade-off whereby governments could choose the poverty-inequality combination they most preferred. Then the paper proceeds to examine whether there is a 'caste basis' to inequality and poverty in India or whether distributional and deprivation outcomes are 'caste blind' and entirely determined by the attributes of the individual households. Our overarching conclusion is that households' outcomes with respect to their position on the distributional ladder, or with respect to their chances of being poor, are dependent in large measure on their caste. So households from the Scheduled Castes were more likely to be in the lowest quintile of consumption, and were more likely to be poor, than high-caste Hindu households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tries to understand the nature and extent of inequality across states of India with special reference to Bihar. The study is based on secondary data collected from various sources, including NSSO, NFHS and other government/non-government documents and reports. The study analyzes inequalities under four themes: livelihood, education, health and gender. The analysis finds that, however, some positive changes can be seen in terms of enrolment in case of primary education, but still, productivity of education is the lowest in Bihar. The state government has invested money in attracting students to government schools, but because of a low per capita expenditure on education, access to facilities like computers in schools is the lowest in Bihar. In the case of health expenditure, the people of Bihar have to bear significantly higher per capita out of pocket expenditure. Though, Bihar has achieved higher growth in the last couple of years but the level of female empowerment is still very low in the state. Thus, this study finds that Bihar is still at lowest position in all four themes across states of India and, people of this state are facing grim challenges related to livelihood, quality education and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the social and economic disparities across social groups in rural Uttar Pradesh. The paper demonstrates that the structure of the rural economy in India is characterised by deeply ingrained prejudices and social discrimination. The four-village study undertaken in one of the most populated states in India, Uttar Pradesh, clearly reveals that there is a huge disparity in terms of various social and economic indicators and that the so-called high growth has hardly helped in bettering their lives.Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on primary data collected from the Census survey of villages exploring socio-economic disparities across social groups by using decomposition models.Findings The results evidently lend credence to the postulations that a large proportion of the disadvantaged groups are prone to multiple deprivations, both in the society and in labour markets. The inquiry reveals this phenomenon clearly.Research limitations/implications From the policy point of view, it is therefore imperative to ensure the direct and focussed provision of basic human requirements in terms of education, employment and income of the state. The implementation of direct policy interventions is an absolute necessity if the state has to guarantee convergence and the inclusive growth process on a sustained basis.Originality/value This paper fulfils an identified need to study the inequality among the social groups in terms of education, employment, income and livelihood opportunities in selected villages of four districts of Uttar Pradesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the outcome of two decades of involvement in various capacities within the area of Decentralisation. The researcher, an academic activist has associated with civil society organizations, donor agencies and governments (both State and Centre), involved in policy studies, capacity building and training of Gram Panchayat (Village Level Body) leaders mostly women and Dalits (marginalised groups), and carried out action research in decentralization in the past two decades in the Gandhigram rural area of Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu State in India. The process of decentralization that started since Indian Independence has not caught up in all the Indian States with the fervor of democratization of power as it has been constitutionalised. The factors that favoured and rose against the movement of democratization that stands for justice, equality and fraternity, has been highlighted in this paper through a historic perspective. Since studies have been focusing more on the process structuring of devolution of power to the grassroot communities, few of them concentrated on the impact upon these communities due to the devolution. Hence more importance has been given to State - specific outcomes. This paper attempts to bring together the macro and the micro perspectives of the problem of decentralisation. The ground reality has been presented through documents of the Government and data from the field research undertaken at the lowest levels of the village. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modern idea of liberal equality seeks for non-discrimination on the basis of ascribed values associated with birth and misfortune which are not associated with agency driven volition of the individual. Democratic republics of the world generally espouse the values of non-discrimination which include gender justice. The Democratic republican constitution of India is not an exception to the rule. But putting the precepts in to practice is a very formidable challenge. India has long civilization continuity and also structurally inbuilt inequalities. The emancipative struggles against inequality and lack of freedom in the social and cultural realm were more manifest from 19th century along with the struggles for political economic emancipation from the colonial yoke. Since the formation of democratic republic efforts are on to reduce gender discrimination and build gender party at the policy and statutory level s. Since 1970s national polices were made for women. In spite of all this there is a stark gap between genders which is compounded reticence in the socio-cultural realm. Tardy progress of statutory equality and visible discrimination and underrepresentation of women in the learning and work spaces is evidently visible and seems to be deeply embedded. The empirical evidences are not in favour gender justice to say the least. This paper looks into the gender gap two spaces in the public sphere in India namely the higher education and higher work spaces. It attempts to explain the reasons for such state of affairs and possible short term and medium term measures to reduce such gap [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In scholarly and popular texts, Mumbai is invoked as an iconic example of the problem of urban informal settlements in the twenty-first century. While such representations oscillate between tropes of accommodation and marginalization, they often obfuscate the compromised and historical successes of settler politics in the city. In this paper, the authors use an international urbanization conference as a starting point for exploring Mumbai settlers' housing practices. They examine the processes through which emergent forms of inclusion have been conceptually unhinged from longstanding struggles against inequality. By examining the complex interplay of housing politics, social mobilization, and municipal policy in Mumbai, the paper argues for more careful attention to new regimes of governing that accompany aspirations for 'inclusion' in the cities of the urban age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper attempts to explore the role of family background in contributing to the overall economic inequality in Indian society. Drawing on the recent work on equality of opportunity, and using the Indian Human Development Survey (IHDS, 2004–05), paper finds that the opportunity share of inequality in wage earnings in India ranges from 11% to 17% across different age based cohorts. Given the conservative view of what constitutes responsibility, the analysis is likely to identify only the lower bound of opportunity inequality. The paper also calls for redistributive policies favoring those who suffer from inferior circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines inequalities in child malnutrition in India through three distinct - although inter-related - types of empirical analysis. First, it reports the socio-economic inequalities in childhood malnutrition across different Indian states. Second, it decomposes the gap in malnutrition between children belonging to poor and non-poor households to understand the disadvantageous distribution of health determinants and their effects. This analysis indicates that the distribution of endowments and positive maternal characteristics are significant in widening the gap between the child malnutrition among poor and non-poor households. Third, it examines the inter-group disparities in child malnutrition and notes that child groups privileged in terms of income, mother's nutritional status and education have lower malnutrition, whereas the group adverse in all three characteristics endures the most. The paper concludes that policies to reduce malnutrition inequalities should recognize that endowment revisions can be more effective if appended with behavioural interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The debate on the direction and extent of association between growth and structural change has not yet concluded decisively. It is of greater relevance to countries like India, which seek to achieve inclusive growth while services sector continues to be the major engine of growth. The present paper intends to offer some insights, theoretical as well as empirical, into this debate in the Indian context. The evidence from state level data shows that structural change, as measured by NAV index and Modified Lilien index, has not only moved along with output growth, but has also contributed to its resilience. This finding is further strengthened by the evidence of unidirectional Granger causality running from structural change to growth. In view of this, it is argued that higher growth the economy has been experiencing since mid-1980s might be attributed to structural change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]