Rural Poverty in India: Structure, Determinants and Suggestions for Policy Reform

Jha, Raghbendra

doi:10.2139/ssrn.336861

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Rural Poverty in India: Structure, Determinants and Suggestions for Policy Reform

Australian National University, Division of Economics Working Paper

49 Pages Posted: 13 Feb 2003

See all articles by Raghbendra Jha

Raghbendra Jha

Australian National University (ANU) - Australia South Asia Research Centre (ASARC); Crawford School of Public Policy

Date Written: October 2002

Abstract

Poverty, particularly rural poverty, has been one of the enduring policy challenges in India. Surely the most important objective of the reforms process would have been to make a significant dent on rural poverty. It is from this that a program of accelerated growth must draw its rationale. In this paper, I discuss the evolution of poverty in India - particularly during the reform period. Then I analyze the structure and determinants of this poverty. The rate of decline of poverty declined during the 1990s as compared to the 1980s. I advance some reasons for this. Policy prescriptions for a more effective anti poverty strategy are discussed.

Keywords: Poverty in India, Economic reforms

JEL Classification: I32, I38, H24, H31, O15, 020

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Jha, Raghbendra, Rural Poverty in India: Structure, Determinants and Suggestions for Policy Reform (October 2002). Australian National University, Division of Economics Working Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=336861 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.336861