abstract: 'The affirmative action policy for socially and economically backward

  communities in employment has been a debated issue in India. In this

  context, this paper aims to analyze the level of inequality by

  distinguishing between `circumstance'' and `effort'' factors in the

  Roemer''s framework on equality of opportunity. We measure inequality of

  opportunities due to two circumstances: caste and religion. Our

  empirical analysis, at state-level, utilizes a recent household survey

  data, which provides information related to efforts as well as

  circumstances of workers. The paper estimated inequality in the labour

  market and then decomposed it to know the circumstances that cause

  income inequality. Our estimates indicated that inequality and

  inequality of opportunity is substantially higher in India.

  Specifically, the outcome of our analysis evidently indicated that the

  socially backward communities do have economically disadvantageous

  position in some of the Indian states. However, the degree of

  circumstances based on inequality varies to a great extent among the

  states. Therefore, we suggest that the country does not need a

  nation-level affirmative action policy instead a state-level policy

  could be more appropriate as the intensity of the problem differ

  significantly among the Indian states.'
affiliation: 'Paramati, SR (Corresponding Author), Jiangxi Univ Finance \& Econ, Int
  Inst Financial Studies, Nanchang 330013, Jiangxi, Peoples R China.

  Sharma, Chandan, Indian Inst Management, Lucknow 201307, Uttar Pradesh, India.

  Paramati, Sudharshan Reddy, Jiangxi Univ Finance \& Econ, Int Inst Financial Studies,
  Nanchang 330013, Jiangxi, Peoples R China.'
author: Sharma, Chandan and Paramati, Sudharshan Reddy
author-email: 'chandanieg@gmail.com

  srparamati@jxufe.edu.cn'
author_list:
- family: Sharma
  given: Chandan
- family: Paramati
  given: Sudharshan Reddy
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1007/s11205-017-1676-3
eissn: 1573-0921
files: []
issn: 0303-8300
journal: SOCIAL INDICATORS RESEARCH
keywords: Inequality; Inequality of opportunity; Caste; Religion; India
keywords-plus: 'AFFIRMATIVE-ACTION; INCOME INEQUALITY; EDUCATIONAL-OPPORTUNITY; EARNINGS

  INEQUALITY; WAGE DISCRIMINATION; LATIN-AMERICA; CASTE; GENDER; RETURNS;

  POVERTY'
language: English
month: JUL
number: '2'
number-of-cited-references: '65'
orcid-numbers: 'Sharma, Chandan/0000-0002-0625-5237

  Paramati, Sudharshan Reddy/0000-0002-7958-9668'
pages: 479-503
papis_id: 927ff0ea652123437387e2bc9e856dfc
ref: Sharma2018measuringinequality
researcherid-numbers: 'Paramati, Sudharshan Reddy/AAN-3237-2021

  Sharma, Chandan/AAC-4084-2019

  '
times-cited: '6'
title: 'Measuring Inequality of Opportunity for the Backward Communities: Regional
  Evidence from the Indian Labour Market'
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000435968800004
usage-count-last-180-days: '1'
usage-count-since-2013: '18'
volume: '138'
web-of-science-categories: Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary; Sociology
year: '2018'