Gender Bias in Education Expenditure among Religious and Social Groups: A Case Study for Below Class 10 Level in West Bengal

Author(s):  
Chayanika Mitra

This article attempts to capture gender bias in education expenditure among the religious (Hindu, Muslim and others) and the social groups (SC, ST and General) in West Bengal. Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition technique is used to obtain gender bias for a specific demographic group. Further, an attempt has been made to identify the religious or social groups with the acute problem of gender bias. In this work, 71st round (January–June 2014) education expenditure data (individual level) provided by NSSO (National Sample Survey Office) is used. JEL: I24, R1, C55

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-289
Author(s):  
Amita Majumder ◽  
Chayanika Mitra

This article examines the dropout behaviour of students below class 10 level (maximum age of 16 years) from two different perspectives. First, from the parents’ perspective, we identify the major characteristics of a household that forces the child to dropout from school, using a Probit analysis. Second, from the child’s perspective, we try to relate the reasons for dropping out (as specified by the child) with the background of the household the child belongs to and the school infrastructure provided to him/her, through a multinomial logit model. The data set used is the 71st round (January 2014 to June 2014) data on education expenditure and is provided by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO). The analysis is done for the state of West Bengal, India, separately for boys and girls. It shows the significance of parental education and economic factors in children’s dropout behaviour, which is in line with the observations in existing literature. Additionally, this article offers children’s perspectives on such behaviour from across genders and economic classes.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-150
Author(s):  
Amita Majumder ◽  
Chayanika Mitra

Purpose This paper aims to detect gender bias in education expenditure on “students”, who are children and young adults, in a household in the rural and the urban sectors of West Bengal. Outlay equivalent ratios have been calculated using the Engel curve approach, where the budget share function is log quadratic in income, to identify items relating exclusively to education of school/college going students. Heckman’s (1979) two-step procedure is used for estimation to address selection bias The 68th round (July 2011 to June 2012) household level consumption expenditure survey data of the National Sample Survey Organisation have been used for the analysis. Design/methodology/approach Engel curve approach is used to capture parental preference for student’s welfare and to find the existence of male student favouritism in the field of education. In case of exclusive adult goods, the addition of a student will reduce the resource allocated for adult goods leading to negative income effect. If a household favours males over females, then that household is likely to sacrifice more for a male student’s education than that for a female student. To address selection bias, Heckman’s two-step procedure has been used. Findings The authors find that not all education items relate exclusively to students of a household. Expenditure on books is not exclusively for students, whereas other educational items, such as stationary and photocopy charges, tuition fees and private coaching fees, are found to be students’ items only. Transport cost is found to be an adult good. Further, we find evidence of pro male bias in expenditure on educational items, and the extent of gender bias is more in the urban sectors compared to the rural sectors in West Bengal. Originality/value The objective of this paper is to identify the educational items exclusively for “students” and to test the difference in the allocation of resources in education, with respect to these items, between a male student and a female student for both sectors in West Bengal, using the outlay equivalent ratios.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-423
Author(s):  
Jayanta Sen

This article deals with the changing pattern of levels of living in the rural regions of India during the period of 1993–1994 to 2011–2012 which also corresponds to the on-going economic reforms. These changes may be attributed either to the change in growth component or to the change in equity component or to both. The article therefore examines the effects of growth and distribution components on the variations in levels of living and their relative roles by a scheme of algebraic decomposition. It also investigates the influence of socio-economic factors on levels of living using econometric models. National Sample Survey Organisation consumer expenditure data for 15 major states of India are used for this analysis. Results show an improvement in levels of living (actual) in rural areas of all Indian states. Positive growth effect more than compensates the negative distribution effect and yield positive changes in some of the states. Further, this article argues that the main drivers of this positive change in the levels of living are development of rural physical infrastructure, attainment in education, farm income per capita, non-farm employment and livelihood diversification.


2001 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Bratton ◽  
Peter Lewis ◽  
E Gyimah-Boadi

The attitudes of ordinary people in Africa towards the liberalisation of politics and economies are not well known. Are there popular constituencies for reform? Which specific reform measures do different social groups accept or reject? And does popular support for structural adjustment, if any, go together with support for democracy? In an effort to find answers, this article reports results of a national sample survey in Ghana conducted in July 1999 as part of the Afrobarometer. The survey finds that the constituency for democracy is broader than the constituency for market reform, which is concentrated among educated male elites. In addition, while most Ghanaians are patient with democracy and want to retain this political regime, most Ghanaians are fatigued with adjustment and want the government to ‘change its policies now’. Given this distribution of popular preferences, one can surmise that democracy will be easier to consolidate than a market-based economy.


2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 39-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Prell

Social capital's rise in popularity is a phenomenon many have noted (Kadushin, 2006; Warde and Tampubolon, 2002; Portes, 1998). Although the concept is a relatively old one, it is the works of Bourdieu (1986), Coleman (1988; 1990), and Putnam (1993, 2000) that often get credited for popularizing the concept. These three, while sharing a view that social networks are important for social groups and society, place differing levels of emphasis on the role of networks in building trust or the exchange of various types of resources. In this paper, I briefly revisit these three theorists, and the criticisms each have received, to provide background for discussing recent research on social capital from a social networks approach. The social network approach is then applied to my own case study looking at the relations among not-for-profits, and special attention is given to the unique context of not-for-profits, and how this context might elaborate or challenge current thoughts on social, aka ‘network’ capital. A final discussion is also given to some measurement problems with the network approach to social capital.


Author(s):  
Tansaya Khajikhan

AbstractThe existing evidence suggests that there is a reverse gender gap in higher education in Mongolia. Prior studies on the reverse gender gap in education were based on the gross enrolment rates and did not delve deeper in terms of using empirical data analyzed over an extended time-period. This paper investigates gender bias in the households’ expenditure on higher education and tracks changes over the ten-year period from 2008 to 2018 using empirical data. In this regard, this study examines the factors and determinants responsible for the gender bias in the households’ expenditure on higher education. To address these questions, the study employs the Engel Curve approach (unconditional educational expenditure) and Hurdle model, which estimates bias in the enrolment decisions and bias in the conditional educational expenditure, both at the household and individual level in 2008 and 2018, using the Household Socio-Economic Survey of Mongolia. Its findings illustrate that gender bias in households’ expenditure on higher education does exist, and it favors girls over boys at the household and individual levels in 2008 and 2018. The findings show that households allocate a greater share of education expenditure to females aged 16–18 and 19–24 than to their male counterparts. Statistical analysis suggests that households’ residence and the occupation of household heads are two important factors affecting this gender bias. Thus, if a household resides in the countryside and its head is employed in the agricultural sector, female offspring are more likely to receive higher education than male offspring. Traditional gender roles and the Mongolian way of life, which centers around attending to livestock and requiring a male labor force and the wage gap, are contextual factors that help explain this gender bias.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-277
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Madej

AbstractThe paper refers to the social innovation of participatory budgeting which has become a very popular tool for stimulating citizen participation at the local level in Poland. It focuses on the major cities, defined as capitals of the voivodeships or regions. Based on the data concerning 2018 participatory budgeting editions in the eighteen cities, it describes the funding, organisation of the process, forms of voting and voter participation as well as the nature of projects selected and implemented. According to the amended Act on the Local Self-Government, organisation of participatory budgeting will only be obligatory for Polish cities from 2019. Despite that fact, it has already become quite popular and broadly applied in local communities. However, citizens’ participation and involvement in the process seems quite low, suggesting a need for experience sharing and improvement of the initiative. Also, project selection reflects the influence of various social groups within urban communities, rather than assisting groups which are at risk of marginalisation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 124 (7) ◽  
pp. 709-714
Author(s):  
Chao Guo ◽  
Xiaoying Zheng

AbstractMost childhood disabilities are caused by congenital factors such as birth defects. The present study aims to evaluate the effect of periconceptional nutrition intervention on the prevention of congenital disability among Chinese children using the National Birth Defects Intervention Project as a natural experiment. We obtained individual-level data from the Second National Sample Survey on Disability, a nationally representative survey, and 110 365 children born between September 1999 and August 2003 were included for analysis. Difference-in-differences estimates of the project effects on congenital disability were captured by exploiting temporal variation in the timing of project exposure across four birth cohorts along with geographical variation in project category at the province level. The findings contribute to an emerging body of evidence showing that prenatal micronutrient intervention before and during early pregnancy could substantially reduce the risk of congenital disability in childhood (OR 0·73; 95 % CI 0·57, 0·94). The National Birth Defects Intervention Project improved the awareness of reproductive health and disability prevention in the population. It highlights the need for a potential policy change focusing on early-life health investment in China.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jannet Farida Jacob

This article uses National Sample Survey (NSS) data to analyse the trends in India’s higher education in terms of participation, access and institutional preferences during the last three decades between 1983 and 2014. It documents a remarkable participation growth in higher education across socio-religious groups since the early 1980s; the number of higher educated persons has doubled in each decade especially among the younger age cohort. The increase in participation of the socially disadvantaged groups (SDGs) in higher education, however, was not on a par with the participation levels of advantageous groups; rural females among the disadvantaged groups are particularly lagging. The share of enrolment in government institutions (GIs) has declined while in private institutions it has considerably increased from across social groups, albeit in varying degrees and from top quintile groups. The labour market outcomes show declining workforce participation rates among the higher educated, especially the female graduates who end up in domestic work. The greater wage premium for higher education has, however, not bridged the gap between social groups. Instead, the outcomes within the same education group vary, witnessed in the low real wage for the disadvantaged and declining wage ratio between the disadvantaged and the advantageous groups.


Ensemble ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-292
Author(s):  
Somnath Mukherjee ◽  

Tribal identity has always been under tremendous challenges since the introduction of the different facets of materialistic development. The outrage of this development affects the habits and habitats of the tribal communities. The tribes have lost their soil and presently live in a multi-ethnic society. This cultural assimilation with controls of Hinduism in the rural society brings forth the transition in the life and living of these indigenous people. The paper highlights first the socio-ecological characteristics of three tribal communities of Purulia district, namely, Santhal, Kharia Sabar, and Birhor. It further investigates possible transition and transformation in the social perception among the selected tribal communities by introducing the Transformed Social Perception Index (TSPI). For statistical validation, the index has been computed based on extensive field observation and a purposive sample survey of 600 tribal households of the Purulia district. The result exhibits that despite the processes of different agents of transformation, the tribal communities restore their age-old inherent social perception. The paper in fine prescribes some measures for holistic tribal development in the district.


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