This paper analyses employment in the primary and other sectors in Gujarat, one of the fastest gr... more This paper analyses employment in the primary and other sectors in Gujarat, one of the fastest growing states in India, by using NSS data and the results of a survey of four villages. It has been found that state level employment in the agricultural sector has stagnated, as opposed to a secular decline at the all-India level. The survey data indicate that employment decisions at the household level are income-dependent and cannot be generalised. While ownership of nonfarm assets and higher education determine diversification for the high- ...
This paper analyses poverty and calorific undernourishment in the Indian state of Gujarat, where ... more This paper analyses poverty and calorific undernourishment in the Indian state of Gujarat, where high and market-led industrial growth has resulted in rapid economic improvement. The study is carried out through a combination of secondary and survey-based data. We conclude that the neoliberal agenda of uncontrolled, outward-looking growth has not resulted in significant reduction of poverty or malnourishment in rural areas. Furthermore, while land ownership is officially used as a proxy for wealth distribution, class position ...
This paper analyses employment in the primary and other sectors in Gujarat, one of the fastest gr... more This paper analyses employment in the primary and other sectors in Gujarat, one of the fastest growing states in India, by using NSS data and the results of a survey of four villages. It has been found that state level employment in the agricultural sector has stagnated, as opposed to a secular decline at the all-India level. The survey data indicate that employment decisions at the household level are income-dependent and cannot be generalised.
An infl uential school in economic theory maintains that economic growth trickles down and automa... more An infl uential school in economic theory maintains that economic growth trickles down and automatically results in the distribution of its benefi ts across the population. This article examines this hypothesis in the context of Gujarat, one of the fastest growing states of India. Growth is based on industry and exports, mainly unhampered by labor unrest. However, the state has not made signifi cant achievements in terms of well-being, especially in the rural areas. The article analyses levels of nutrition and rural poverty in the state, and fi nds a slowdown in these parameters. We contend that the neoliberal agenda of uncontrolled, outwardlooking growth does not result in reduction of poverty or malnourishment. The policy implications are a need to promote the agricultural sector with a focus on resource-poor farmers and the re-institutionalization of an effi cient system of food grain subsidization, which has been reduced in recent years.
European Journal of Development Research, Jan 1, 2010
This article analyses poverty, in the light of the prevailing methodological and definitional deb... more This article analyses poverty, in the light of the prevailing methodological and definitional debates, in Gujarat, one of the fastest growing states in India. We examine the divergence between the official and nutrition-based poverty lines (PLs) and analyse its possible causes. First, to study whether the 'PL bundle' has changed over time, we test whether poverty is sensitive to changes in the base year; second, we examine the impact of food prices on the change in consumption at given expenditure levels; and third, we study the possible relation between poverty and foodgrain availability. We conclude that poverty is underestimated because official figures do not consider the change in consumption patterns, occurring partly as a result of high relative food prices. Nutrition poverty levels in Gujarat are higher than all-India levels, which creates a case for direct nutritional intervention for the poor.
This paper analyses employment in the primary and other sectors in Gujarat, one of the fastest gr... more This paper analyses employment in the primary and other sectors in Gujarat, one of the fastest growing states in India, by using NSS data and the results of a survey of four villages. It has been found that state level employment in the agricultural sector has stagnated, as opposed to a secular decline at the all-India level. The survey data indicate that employment decisions at the household level are income-dependent and cannot be generalised. While ownership of nonfarm assets and higher education determine diversification for the high- ...
This paper analyses poverty and calorific undernourishment in the Indian state of Gujarat, where ... more This paper analyses poverty and calorific undernourishment in the Indian state of Gujarat, where high and market-led industrial growth has resulted in rapid economic improvement. The study is carried out through a combination of secondary and survey-based data. We conclude that the neoliberal agenda of uncontrolled, outward-looking growth has not resulted in significant reduction of poverty or malnourishment in rural areas. Furthermore, while land ownership is officially used as a proxy for wealth distribution, class position ...
This paper analyses employment in the primary and other sectors in Gujarat, one of the fastest gr... more This paper analyses employment in the primary and other sectors in Gujarat, one of the fastest growing states in India, by using NSS data and the results of a survey of four villages. It has been found that state level employment in the agricultural sector has stagnated, as opposed to a secular decline at the all-India level. The survey data indicate that employment decisions at the household level are income-dependent and cannot be generalised.
An infl uential school in economic theory maintains that economic growth trickles down and automa... more An infl uential school in economic theory maintains that economic growth trickles down and automatically results in the distribution of its benefi ts across the population. This article examines this hypothesis in the context of Gujarat, one of the fastest growing states of India. Growth is based on industry and exports, mainly unhampered by labor unrest. However, the state has not made signifi cant achievements in terms of well-being, especially in the rural areas. The article analyses levels of nutrition and rural poverty in the state, and fi nds a slowdown in these parameters. We contend that the neoliberal agenda of uncontrolled, outwardlooking growth does not result in reduction of poverty or malnourishment. The policy implications are a need to promote the agricultural sector with a focus on resource-poor farmers and the re-institutionalization of an effi cient system of food grain subsidization, which has been reduced in recent years.
European Journal of Development Research, Jan 1, 2010
This article analyses poverty, in the light of the prevailing methodological and definitional deb... more This article analyses poverty, in the light of the prevailing methodological and definitional debates, in Gujarat, one of the fastest growing states in India. We examine the divergence between the official and nutrition-based poverty lines (PLs) and analyse its possible causes. First, to study whether the 'PL bundle' has changed over time, we test whether poverty is sensitive to changes in the base year; second, we examine the impact of food prices on the change in consumption at given expenditure levels; and third, we study the possible relation between poverty and foodgrain availability. We conclude that poverty is underestimated because official figures do not consider the change in consumption patterns, occurring partly as a result of high relative food prices. Nutrition poverty levels in Gujarat are higher than all-India levels, which creates a case for direct nutritional intervention for the poor.
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Papers by Anita Dixit