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Articles by Ashwini DeshpandeSubscribe to Ashwini Deshpande

Viewing Caste Inequality Upside Down

Vol. 57, Issue No. 32, 06 Aug, 2022
Ashwini Deshpande, Rajesh Ramachandran

The justifi cation for a slew of preferential policies aimed at Brahmins in three southern states of India are empirically examined. The results reveal that Brahmins in these three states are at the top of various human capital measures, various standard of living indicators, and have better political and social networks compared to all other social groups. Thus, these preferential policies retrench the existing caste inequalities instead of eliminating them. 

Economic Cost of Gender Gap

Vol. 56, Issue No. 15, 10 Apr, 2021
Ashwini Deshpande

To truly close the gender gap, gender equality must be mainstreamed into economic policymaking.

 

What Does Work-From-Home Mean for Women?

Vol. 55, Issue No. 21, 23 May, 2020
There has been near-universal adoption of work-from-home in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Does this shift have similar implications for men and women? What does work-from-home mean for different categories of women, and what are the implications of this shift in terms of class, nature of work, location of work, and degrees of informality?

The 10% Quota

Vol. 54, Issue No. 13, 30 Mar, 2019
Ashwini Deshpande, Rajesh Ramachandran

The 10% quota for the economically weaker sections completely overturns the original logic of reservations on its head, while misconstruing the EWS category itself. Data suggests that caste remains a critical marker of disadvantage, even amongst the “poor.”

Dominant or Backward?

Vol. 52, Issue No. 19, 13 May, 2017
Ashwini Deshpande, Rajesh Ramachandran

Using data from the India Human Development Survey, this paper examines the demands of Jats (Haryana), Patels (Gujarat), and Marathas (Maharashtra) to be classified as Other Backward Classes to access reservations. Compared to the major caste groups (Brahmins, other forward castes, existing OBCs, and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) in their respective states, based on several socio-economic factors, they are closer to dominant than disadvantaged groups. Their claim to backwardness is empirically unjustified. The paper examines the material basis of their anxieties in the context of structural changes in the Indian agricultural economy. It investigates networks and political connections that explain their success in mobilising.

New Voices in Songs

Vol. 50, Issue No. 37, 12 Sep, 2015
Ashwini Deshpande

Thin voices in Hindi film music are seen to be associated with "good girls" who are obedient, innocent, and pure. Lata Mangeshkar's thin voice is assumed to have suited a particular vision of femininity promoted by Hindi films at the time. It is tempting to think that as their singing voices have thickened and acquired greater texture, female characters in Hindi films have similarly acquired greater agency, rebelliousness and independence. The reality, however, is very different.

Do Not Dilute NREGA

Vol. 49, Issue No. 42, 18 Oct, 2014
Abhijit Sen, and others, Ashok Kotwal, Ashwini Deshpande, Atul Sarma, Bharat Ramaswami, Debraj Ray, Deepti Goel, Dilip Abreu, Dilip Mookherjee, Jayati Ghosh, Jean Dreze, jeemol Unni, Maitreesh Ghatak, Nalini Nayak, Narayanan, Pranab Bardhan, Pulin Nayak, R Nagaraj, S Mahendra Dev, Sudha, V Bhaskar, Vijay Vyas

[An Open Letter to the Prime Minister on NREGA by economists based in India and elsewhere in the world.]

We are writing to express our deep concern about the future of India’s National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).

Entrepreneurship or Survival?

Vol. 48, Issue No. 28, 13 Jul, 2013
Ashwini Deshpande, Smriti Sharma

The web version of this article corrects a few errors that appeared in the print edition.

This article tries to understand the involvement of dalits and other marginalised groups, especially adivasis and women, in the micro, small and medium enterprises sector, based on an analysis of unit-level data from registered manufacturing segment of the MSME census data for 2001-02 and 2006-07. It finds clear and  persistent caste and gender disparities throughout. Scheduled caste and scheduled tribe businesses are under-represented, except in the north-eastern states. However, the share of female-owned and managed enterprises is significantly greater among SC-ST owned enterprises. Also, there is evidence of homophily in Other Backward Classes and upper-caste owned firms, suggesting that the rise in dalit entrepreneurship is crucial to increasing dalit employment in the small business sector.

Scholar Extraordinaire: Ashok Ranade on Hindi Film Music

Vol. 46, Issue No. 39, 24 Sep, 2011
Ashwini Deshpande

A rare scholar-performer of Hindustani art music, Ashok Da Ranade passed away recently. This tribute looks at his pioneering scholarship on Hindi film music, to which he accorded seriousness as an independent and distinct genre of Indian music. The hope is that his powerful analysis of this field will pave the way for more contextualised and musically informed research, rooted in a firm understanding of Hindi films.

A Teacher, a Colleague, and a Friend

Vol. 46, Issue No. 32, 06 Aug, 2011
Ashwini Deshpande


Away from the public domain, Suresh formed deep and enduring friendships which extended to friends

When the Data Tell a Different Story

Vol. 45, Issue No. 40, 02 Oct, 2010
Ashwini Deshpande

Caste in a Different Mould: Understanding Discrimination by Rajesh Shukla, Sunil Jain and Preeti Kakkar

Surveys and Perspectives in Development Economics

Vol. 45, Issue No. 11, 13 Mar, 2010
Ashwini Deshpande

Surveys and Perspectives in Development Economics Ashwini Deshpande This two volume set contains 71 original essays divided into nine broad topics. Most of these essays are survey articles on specific topics (for example, structuralism or institutions, property rights and development) that outline and elaborate on the important concepts in the area, in addition to providing a brief review of the significant literature on the subject. Thus, these volumes are not readers, in that they do not necessarily contain the seminal articles in different fields (for example, original articles by Arthur Lewis or Ragnar Nurkse). While a collection of original seminal pieces would undoubtedly be valuable, this collection serves a different and very useful purpose by providing a compilation of the major concepts in contemporary development economics. The essays are concise, yet comprehensive, and each essay contains a fairly substantial set of references, which an interested researcher or student could follow up. Breaking Disciplinary BoundariesThe wide range of topics (from ethnicity and economic development, to fiscal policy to open economy issues to gender, in addition to all the conventional topics under traditional development economics) is a testimony to the extent of broadening and deepening of the subject matter of development economics. The range of topics also reflects the fact that over time there has been a dilution of the traditional disciplinary boundaries, a tendency that should be welcomed and strengthened by future researchers. In addition to representing multidisciplinary interactions, this collection encompasses several different perspectives within development economics, so the reader can learn, for example, both about neoclassical approaches (Salim Rashid) and dependency theories (Jose Gabriel Palma) in the same volume. This makes the collection unique and all the more valuable. In terms of exposition, again, the essays span a range: some more technical than the others. While these volumes contain several essays that could be read without a formal training in economics, their utility would be maximum for those formally trained in economic theory and methodology. The mix of technical and not-so- technical essays is yet another strength of the collection, because it makes the collection sufficiently rigorous. Additionally, the formal or technical sections are not obscure; for those with the requisite training, these can be grasped without much difficulty.

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