Dipanwita Sarkar

WHY DOES CHILD LABOR PERSIST WITH DECLINING POVERTY

Uneven success of poverty-based approaches calls for a re-think of the causes behind persistent child labour in many developing societies. We develop a theoretical model to highlight the role of income inequality as a channel of persistence. The interplay between income inequality and investments in human capital gives rise to a non-convergent dynamic path of income distribution characterised by clustering of steady state relative incomes around local poles. The child labour trap thus generated is shown to preserve itself despite rising per capita income. In this context, we demonstrate that redistributive policies, such as public provision of education can alleviate the trap, while a ceteris paribus ban on child labour is likely to aggravate it.

Gender bias in schooling: the case for Bhutan

Differing parental considerations for girls and boys in households are a primary cause of the gender gap in school enrolment and educational attainment in developing countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. While a number of studies have focused on the inequality of educational opportunities in South Asia, little is known about Bhutan. This study uses recent household expenditure data from the Bhutan Living Standard Survey to evaluate the gender gap in the allocation of resources for schooling. The findings, based on cross-sectional as well as household fixed-effect approaches, suggest that girls are less likely to enrol in school but are not allocated fewer resources once they are enrolled.

Gender inequality and the spread of HIV‐AIDS in India

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to analyze the low status of women as being a major contributor for the observed gender inequality in the spread of HIV/AIDS in India. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses data from National Aids Control Organization (NACO), National Family Health Survey (NFHS 3), and the Directorate of Economics and Statistics. Findings This study highlights the problems facing women in deterring the spread of HIV/AIDS in India. The status and empowerment of women are important variables in combating the disease among both men and women in India. Literacy, education, exposure to the media, labor market participation, awareness of HIV/AIDS, and economic independence are important considerations in improving the status of women in India. Policymakers need to focus on gender inequality in order to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in India. Originality/value While absolute figures indicate men are more likely to be infected with HIV/AIDS, the rate of decline is higher for men compared to women in India. We explore several plausible explanations for such observed inequality in the spread of HIV/AIDS across gender. In particular, a potentially important factor - the low status of women in society is attributable as an impediment to the spread of the disease. A case study of the relationship between gender empowerment and the spread of HIV/AIDS in the state with the highest concentration, Manipur, provides more insight to the difficulties faced by women in combating HIV/AIDS in India.

Persistence Of Income Inequality: Does Child Mortality Matter?

Many developing countries are afflicted by persistent inequality in the distribution of income. While a growing body of literature emphasize differential fertility as a channel through which income inequality persists, this paper investigates differential child mortality - differences in the incidence of child mortality across socioeconomic groups - as a critical link in this regard. Using evidence from cross-country data to evaluate this linkage, we find that differential child mortality serves as a stronger channel than differential fertility in the transmission of income inequality over time. We use random effects and generalized estimating equations techniques to account for temporal correlation within countries. The results are robust to the use of an alternate definition of fertility that reflects parental preference for children instead of realized fertility.