Economic Comparison and Group Identity: Lessons from India

Xavier Fontaine () and Katsunori Yamada ()
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Katsunori Yamada: ISER - Institute of Social and Economic Research - Osaka University [Osaka]

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Abstract: The caste issue dominates a large part of India's social and political life. Caste shapes one's identity. Furthermore, strong tensions exist between castes. Using subjective well-being data, we assess the role economic comparisons play in this society. We focus on both within and between-castes comparisons. Within-caste comparisons appear to reduce well-being. Comparisons between rival castes are found to decrease well-being three times more. We link these results to two models in which economic comparison triggers the actual caste-based behaviours (castes' political demands, discrimination).

Keywords: Subjective Well-being; Relative Income; Identity; Caste; India; discrimination; Panel Data (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-07-16
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://pjse.hal.science/hal-00711212v2
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