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

Sugata Bag, Suman Seth and Barnali Basak
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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

No 339, Working papers from Centre for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics

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

Pages: 41 pages
Date: 2023-10
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