Sonalde Desai|Veena S. Kulkarni
Changing educational inequalities in india in the context of affirmative action
University of Maryland, College Park|University of Maryland, College Park
indian society suffers substantial inequalities education employment income based caste ethnicity compensatory positive discrimination policies reserve 15 seats institutions higher education state central government jobs people lowest caste scheduled caste 75 seats reserved scheduled tribe programs strengthened improved enforcement increased funding 1990s positive discrimination also generated popular backlash ontheground sabotage programs paper examines changes educational attainment various social groups period nearly 20 years see whether educational inequalities declined time use data large national sample survey 100000 households four survey years1983 19871988 19931994 19992000and focus educational attainment children young adults aged 629 results show declining gap dalits adivasis others odds completing primary school improvement seen muslims minority group benefit affirmative action find little improvement inequality college level find evidence upperincome groups socalled creamy layer dalits adivasis disproportionately benefit affirmative action programs expense lowerincome counterparts