ECONOMIC CASTEISM : How Markets and Government Perpetuate Inequality

Probably for the first time, this book presents empirical evidence on caste discrimination in the functioning of rural markets in India. The analysis generates convincing empirical evidence of the caste-based discrimination faced by ex-untouchables in rural markets – in hiring, wages, the sale and purchase of land, and access to consumer goods and inputs used in farming and business. It also provides evidence of the discrimination encountered by ex-untouchables in accessing school meals for children, health services, and public employment provided by the government.

The book captures the impact of discrimination on the income of ex-untouchable wage labourers, farmers, and businesspeople. Caste norms continue to shape the economic decisions of the higher castes, to the disadvantage of ex-untouchables in market exchanges. By estimating the income loss due to discrimination, the book demonstrates its poverty-aggravating effects on ex-untouchables, and argues that affirmative action policies are essential not only for ex-untouchable wage labourers, but also for farmers and businesspeople, to ensure non-discriminatory access to markets and government services.

Most importantly, it develops an innovative theoretical and conceptual framework for studying discrimination in markets and government, which young scholars will find useful for further research.