Caste as an Impediment to Trade

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
Year: 2011
Volume: 3
Issue: 1
Pages: 239-63

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We compare outcomes across two types of villages in rural India. Villages vary by which caste is dominant (owns the majority of land): either a low or high caste. The key finding is that income is substantially higher for low-caste households residing in villages dominated by a low caste. This seems to be due to a trade breakdown in irrigation water across caste groups. All else equal, lower caste water buyers have agricultural yields which are 45 percent higher if they reside in a village where water sellers are of the same caste compared to one where they are not. (JEL O12, O13, O17, O18, Q15, R23, Z13)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejapp:v:3:y:2011:i:1:p:239-63
Journal Field
General
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-24