social development in india 1255: the politics of india emily clough and roberto foa
TRANSCRIPT
Social Development
•Elements of a high quality of life that aren’t captured by GDP growth
•Equity and distribution (issues of inequality; who is included and who is excluded from benefits of growth)
•Provision of public services (education, health, infrastructure)
Story What happens? Who wins?
Story 1: “A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats”
Economy: growsInequality: remains
stable Poverty: reduced at the same rate rich people get
richer.
3 Stories of Inequality and Economic Growth
Story What happens? Who wins?
Story 1: “A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats”
Economy: growsInequality: remains
stable Poverty: reduced at the same rate rich people get
richer
Economically: everyone wins
Politically: hierarchy stays the same
3 Stories of Inequality and Economic Growth
Story What happens? Who wins?
Story 1: “A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats”
Economy: growsInequality: remains
stable Poverty: reduced at the same rate rich people get
richer
Economically: everyone wins
Politically: hierarchy stays the same
Story II: “A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats,
But Some More Than Others”
Economy: growsInequality: grows Poverty: somewhat
reduced, but at a slower rate than income
increases among the rich
Economically: everyone wins to some degree, but rich
benefit more than poorPolitically: disparities
increase
3 Stories of Inequality and Economic Growth
Story What happens? Who wins?
Story 1: “A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats”
Economy: growsInequality: remains
stable Poverty: reduced at the same rate rich people get
richer
Economically: everyone wins
Politically: hierarchy stays the same
Story II: “A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats,
But Some More Than Others”
Economy: growsInequality: grows Poverty: somewhat
reduced, but at a slower rate than income
increases among the rich
Economically: everyone wins to some degree, but rich
benefit more than poorPolitically: disparities
increase
Story III: “A Rising Tide Lifts Only Some Boats”
Economy: growsInequality: grows
Poverty: not significantly reduced
Economically: richer people win
Politically: disparities increase
3 Stories of Inequality and Economic Growth
Story What happens? Who wins?
Story 1: “A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats”
Economy: growsInequality: remains
stable Poverty: reduced at the same rate rich people get
richer
Economically: everyone wins
Politically: hierarchy stays the same
Story II: “A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats,
But Some More Than Others”
Economy: growsInequality: grows Poverty: somewhat
reduced, but at a slower rate than income
increases among the rich
Economically: everyone wins to some degree, but rich
benefit more than poorPolitically: disparities
increase
Story III: “A Rising Tide Lifts Only Some Boats”
Economy: growsInequality: grows
Poverty: not significantly reduced
Economically: richer people win
Politically: disparities increase
India lies somewhere between Story II and Story III
3 Stories of Inequality and Economic Growth
•Growth beneficiaries:
• Income increases associated with economic growth may accrue to some sectors more than others (capitalist class vs. working class, industry & service sectors vs. agriculture)
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Why has inequality increased?
Why has inequality increased?•Growth beneficiaries:
• Income increases associated with economic growth may accrue to some sectors more than others (capitalist class vs. working class, industry & service sectors vs. agriculture)
•Pro-business politics:
• Favoring interests of elite business class
• Failure to prioritize redistribution
Education and Social Development
•Economic mobility
•Social mobility
•Political empowerment
•Economic growth?
•Accessibility (upper-primary)
•Quality of facilities and teaching supplies
•Teacher presence and quality
•Second track schooling
•Private school alternatives for wealthy
Deficiencies in India’s Education System
•Accessibility (upper-primary)
•Quality of facilities and teaching supplies
•Teacher presence and quality
•Second track schooling
•Private school alternatives for wealthy
Deficiencies in India’s Education System
•Accessibility (upper-primary)
•Quality of facilities and teaching supplies
•Teacher presence and quality
•Second track schooling
•Private school alternatives for wealthy
Deficiencies in India’s Education System
•Accessibility (upper-primary)
•Quality of facilities and teaching supplies
•Teacher presence and quality
•Second track schooling
•Private school alternatives for wealthy
Deficiencies in India’s Education System
•Accessibility (upper-primary)
•Quality of facilities and teaching supplies
•Teacher presence and quality
•Second track schooling
•Private school alternatives for wealthy
Deficiencies in India’s Education System
A Two-Part Puzzle: Supply and Demand
•Educational Supply: The State
•Educational Demand: Parents and Children
Educational Supply: The State•Rhetorical commitments on the part of
politicians
•No corresponding facilities or expenditure
•Declining public expenditure on education: 4.4% in 1989 3.6% at end of 1990’s
•Political capture of the budget
• Failure to provide upper primary schools (accessibility)
•Top-down accountability failure because of entrenched interests
Educational Demand: Parents and Children•Myths:
• Lack of interest or demand
• Almost all surveyed parents in educationally backward regions said they consider it “important” for a child to be educated -- 98% for boys and 89% for girls)
•Child labor is preventing kids from going to school
• The majority of children who are not in school are not working all the time. Some are doing nothing; others are working part-time. It seems that child labor is not the main reason children do not attend school.
•Reality: “The Discouragement Effect” (Dreze & Sen)
The “Discouragement Effect” and Bottom-Up Accountability
•The Discouragement Effect:
•Sending kids to school is costly
•School quality is low so not worth the cost
•Child interest inhibited by dull curricula, social and gender discrimination
•Bottom-up accountability
•Can be very effective
•Difficult to organize
Policy Recommendations (Dreze & Sen)
• Educational improvement as a shared responsibility between state and parents
• Foster greater social mobilization among parents to increase bottom-up accountability
• Use parents as local agents of the state
• Education as a “fundamental right” of a child
• “Rights” language affects the sense of who is entitled to what, which affects democratic demands
• Compulsory education to prevent irresponsible parents from keeping child from school
Explaining the gender lag in education
•Gender division of labor
•Economic incentives for long-term investment on the part of girl’s family
•Norms of “marrying up” puts ceiling on female education
Female-to-Male Population Ratio
• Declining:
• 0.97 in 1901
• 0.93 in 1991
• One of the lowest FMRs in the world
• Female survival disadvantage in childhood exists, and seems to be getting worse
• Nutrition and care discrimination against girls
• Sex-selective abortion leads to lower female-male ratios at birth
Which parts of the population are driving the FMR decline?
•Lower-caste communities
•Economic class
•Wealthier regions
•Lack of female agency
Women’s Agency
•Protect daughters from discrimination
•Other social benefits, e.g. lower infant mortality; limiting fertility