Farm income inequality and the role of caste: new evidence from India

Ashish Singh

Economics Bulletin, 2011, vol. 31, issue 4, 2847-2862

Abstract: The paper analyses the relationship between net farm income per unit of land cultivated and caste divisions in India using a micro unit recorded nationally representative household survey conducted in 2004-05. Findings suggest that the groups that are generally considered disadvantaged (“Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes”) have, after controlling for other factors, substantially lower farm returns compared to the advantaged (“Others”) castes, whereas the “Other Backward Classes” occupy position in between. Decomposition of overall net farm income inequality using mean-log deviation indicates that the caste based inequality forms a substantial part of the overall net farm income inequality. Results call for policies for neutralizing the impact of caste on agricultural returns in addition to the general policy of land redistribution.

Keywords: Returns to farming; Farm income inequality; Caste based inequality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D3 D6 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011-10-11
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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