Social Hierarchies and Public Distribution of Food in Rural India

Authors

Deepankar Basu, University of Massachusetts - AmherstFollow
Debarshi Das, Indian Institute of Technology - GuwahatiFollow

Working Paper Number

2014-05

Publication Date

2014

Abstract

In this paper, we develop a simple model that shows that consumption of PDS food grains is significantly different between rich and poor households in states where the PDS functions relatively well; in places where the PDS is non-functional, the difference is not significant. Using household-level data from three recent thick rounds of the consumption expenditure survey (2004-2005, 2009-2010 and 2011-2012), we find evidence in support of the predictions from the model. This suggests that one way to make the PDS functional is to make it more accessible to poor and underprivileged households.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.7275/6031782

Recommended Citation

Basu, Deepankar and Das, Debarshi, "Social Hierarchies and Public Distribution of Food in Rural India" (2014). Economics Department Working Paper Series. 170.
https://doi.org/10.7275/6031782