Economics ETDs

Publication Date

Summer 7-12-2024

Abstract

Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) are historically disadvantaged communities that face discrimination on the grounds of their lower social positioning in society. This dissertation comprises 5 Chapters. Chapter 1 provides a brief outline regarding the stratification in India based on Caste and illustrates the importance of studying the economic consequences of caste-based discrimination in India. Chapter 2 analyses the effect of caste-based residential segregation in rural India and its effect on marginalized children's education outcomes. The results show that caste residential segregation dampens the education outcomes for children belonging to SC/ST communities with no discernable effects on students belonging to high castes. Chapter 3 analyses how a woman belonging to a marginalized community marrying a high-caste man, i.e., Hypergamy, affects her well-being. More particularly, I investigated how hypergamy affects domestic violence and subsequent health injuries. The results show that hypergamy significantly increases the incidence of domestic violence and subsequent health injuries. Chapter 4 is the continuation of Chapter 3, where I investigated how hypergamy affects healthcare utilization and analyzed how this effect is mediated by women’s autonomy or involvement in decision-making. The results show that hypergamy significantly reduces vi healthcare utilization, and this effect is significantly mediated by a reduction in her autonomy or involvement in the decision-making process. Chapter 5 summarizes the results of Chapters 2, 3, and 4 and provides policy input.

Degree Name

Economics

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Department of Economics

First Committee Member (Chair)

Alok Bohara

Second Committee Member

Richard Santos

Third Committee Member

Sarah Stith

Fourth Committee Member

Wendy Hansen

Language

English

Keywords

Caste, Residential Segregation, Hypergamy, Education, Health, India

Document Type

Dissertation

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