Land Inequality in India: Nature, History, and Markets

Nitin Kumar Bharti, David Blakeslee () and Samreen Malik ()
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Nitin Kumar Bharti: UWA - The University of Western Australia
David Blakeslee: New York University [Abu Dhabi] - NYU - NYU System
Samreen Malik: New York University [Abu Dhabi] - NYU - NYU System

World Inequality Lab Working Papers from HAL

Abstract: Land is the primary productive asset in agrarian economies. However, the origin of inequities in land holdings is poorly understood. Using data from 270,000 Indian villages, we disentangle the contributions of agricultural, market, and historical factors using a variety of methodological approaches. British rule and landlord tenure increase inequality-which is confirmed by a border discontinuity analysis-as does the presence of historically marginalized populations. Agricultural suitability increases inequality by expanding large holdings, though its impact is attenuated by structural transformation. Public goods provision has a concave relationship to land inequality, with a decline in villages dominated by one landlord.

Keywords: Land Inequality; Agriculture; Irrigation; Land tenure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-04
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