Identity-based public policy may not be as effective as one based on a universalist approach
Some political parties have demanded that caste should be counted in the census. Indeed, the demand for one of the OBC counts for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes has already been counted. This demand is accompanied by an argument that the effectiveness of public policy to increase the welfare of the entire population is linked to the enumeration of Indians by their caste. One approach to assess this argument would be to compare development outcomes in states where political parties have adopted caste-based mobilization with states where political programs have adopted a social democratic route without resorting to identity politics. have taken. Tamil Nadu would be the example of the former, while Kerala would be the latter. Therefore a comparison of the development experience of these states would be instructive.
editorial | Complex Census: On the Caste Census
Conclusion with three variables
Since the availability of data is limited in all social groups, we focused on three variables. These were adult literacy, infant mortality and consumption. Each of these indicators is related to one of the three components of the Human Development Index of the United Nations Development Programme. After selecting the development indicators of interest, there are two ways in which we can assess differences in the status of the least affluent in a population, in this case the Scheduled Castes, by differently-driven social programs. For any given indicator, we can focus either on the impact made in terms of its distribution among groups, or on the absolute level achieved by a group.
Compared to Tamil Nadu and Kerala, for consumption – a proxy for income – the gap between the general population and SCs is greater in Kerala than in Tamil Nadu, but lower than in the other two indicators. However, when it comes to the absolute level achieved, the Scheduled Castes of Kerala are in a better position than the Scheduled Castes of Tamil Nadu on all three indicators. Interestingly, they are also better than the general population of India, i.e. they have better consumption, literacy and infant mortality. It’s striking. At the same time, the exercise also revealed a danger when focusing on a relative standing alone. We found that for more than one indicator, the distance between the SC and the general population is much smaller for the country, as it is assumed to be in at least one of the two states, even though the respective state has scored a better level is entered. same indicator. This leads us to the maximization theory in evaluation, according to which priority is given to the policy that maximizes the worst-case scenario in society. Now, Kerala will be chosen as the best performer, as there are high indicators of the most disadvantaged. Although we could do with more analysis and use of controls to reach a definite conclusion, this evidence at least suggests that identity-based public policy is as effective as one based on identity-less or universal approaches. Which is the hallmark of a social democracy.
women empowerment
Although we are already in a position to say something about the ability of individuals to have information about their caste status in eradicating deprivation, we move our investigation into another area before drawing conclusions. It has been known for decades that gender inequality exists in India. However, the knowledge of low literacy and high infant mortality among women has done little to counteract the public policy that would ensure women empowerment. Returning to the two states in our study, Kerala disappoints greatly in terms of women empowerment, and lags behind Tamil Nadu in terms of labor force participation, proportion of women legislators and judges, and crimes against women. Counting the number of women through census has proved insufficient to eliminate the deprivation and inequality faced by them. Politics, not the availability of information, drives public policy.
Pulapre Balakrishnan teaches at Ashoka University, Sonepat and Rohit Unnikrishnan works at IIM Kozhikode
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