Development and Exclusion: Intergenerational Stickiness in India

The concept of development has matured from being indicative of aggregative progress to being sensitive to inequality and exclusion within the whole, giving rise to the coinage Inclusive Development. While India is doing quite well as a macroeconomic entity, increasing inequality and social tension puts up questions regarding nature of its developmental process and whether it has been sufficiently inclusive. Issues like labour market discrimination, (in)effectiveness of policies like reservation in education and employment, and growing inequality in the country have been flagged by several researchers in recent years. The present paper explores the role of intergenerational stickiness in perpetuating such disparity across social groups in India. Results suggest that though mobility rates are converging across social groups in recent decade, inequalities in basic indicators of human capital and livelihood outcomes are still quite high. It is suggested that the State should focus on providing quality education and skill for all so that livelihood opportunities become universal and inclusive, and the growth process becomes sustainable.