Poverty and Public Celebrations in Rural India
The author examines the paradox of very poor households, spending large sums on celebrations. Using qualitative, and quantitative data from South India, the author demonstrates that spending on weddings, and festivals can be explained by integratin...
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2014
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2001/01/891709/poverty-public-celebrations-rural-india http://hdl.handle.net/10986/19724 |
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okr-10986-197242021-04-23T14:03:44Z Poverty and Public Celebrations in Rural India Rao, Vijayendra AGED ANTHROPOLOGY ANXIETY CITIES COMMUNITIES CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK DEBT DEPENDENCE DEVELOPMENT POLICIES DISTRICTS DIVORCE DOWRIES DOWRY ECONOMIC ANALYSIS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC GROWTH ECONOMIC INCENTIVES ECONOMIC MODELS ECONOMICS EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATIONS EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE RATE EXOGAMY EXPENDITURES EXTREME POVERTY FAMILIES FATHERS GIRLS HOUSEHOLDS HUMAN BEHAVIOR IDEAS IDENTITY INCOME INSURANCE INTEREST RATES INTERVENTION LAWS MARRIAGES MINES MOTHERS NORMS PARENTS POLICY RESEARCH POVERTY ALLEVIATION POVERTY LINE PRICE VARIATIONS RELIGION RITUALS RURAL AREAS SCHOOLS SOCIAL CAPITAL SOCIAL MOBILITY SOCIAL NETWORKS SOCIAL SANCTIONS SOCIAL SERVICES SOCIAL STATUS SOCIETIES SOCIETY SOCIOLOGISTS TOWNS VILLAGES The author examines the paradox of very poor households, spending large sums on celebrations. Using qualitative, and quantitative data from South India, the author demonstrates that spending on weddings, and festivals can be explained by integrating an anthropological understanding of how identity is shaped in Indian society, with an economic analysis of decision-making under conditions of extreme poverty, and risk. The author argues that publicly observable celebrations have two functions: they provide a space for maintaining social reputations, and webs of obligation, and, they serve as arenas for status-making competitions. The first role is central to maintaining the networks essential for social relationships, and coping with poverty. The second is a correlate of mobility that may become more prevalent as incomes rise. Development policies that favor individual over collective action, reduce the incentives for the networking function, and increase the incentives for status-enhancing functions - thus reducing social cohesion, and increasing conspicuous consumption. Market-driven improvements in urban employment, for example, could reduce a family's dependence on its traditional networks, could reduce incentives to maintain these networks, and could reduce social cohesion within a village, and thus its capacity for collective action. In contrast, micro-finance programs, and social funds try to retain, and even build a community's capacity for collective action. 2014-08-26T20:30:15Z 2014-08-26T20:30:15Z 2001-01 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2001/01/891709/poverty-public-celebrations-rural-india http://hdl.handle.net/10986/19724 English en_US Policy Research Working Paper;No. 2528 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Publications & Research South Asia India |
| repository_type |
Digital Repository |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
| building |
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| language |
English en_US |
| topic |
AGED ANTHROPOLOGY ANXIETY CITIES COMMUNITIES CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK DEBT DEPENDENCE DEVELOPMENT POLICIES DISTRICTS DIVORCE DOWRIES DOWRY ECONOMIC ANALYSIS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC GROWTH ECONOMIC INCENTIVES ECONOMIC MODELS ECONOMICS EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATIONS EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE RATE EXOGAMY EXPENDITURES EXTREME POVERTY FAMILIES FATHERS GIRLS HOUSEHOLDS HUMAN BEHAVIOR IDEAS IDENTITY INCOME INSURANCE INTEREST RATES INTERVENTION LAWS MARRIAGES MINES MOTHERS NORMS PARENTS POLICY RESEARCH POVERTY ALLEVIATION POVERTY LINE PRICE VARIATIONS RELIGION RITUALS RURAL AREAS SCHOOLS SOCIAL CAPITAL SOCIAL MOBILITY SOCIAL NETWORKS SOCIAL SANCTIONS SOCIAL SERVICES SOCIAL STATUS SOCIETIES SOCIETY SOCIOLOGISTS TOWNS VILLAGES |
| spellingShingle |
AGED ANTHROPOLOGY ANXIETY CITIES COMMUNITIES CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK DEBT DEPENDENCE DEVELOPMENT POLICIES DISTRICTS DIVORCE DOWRIES DOWRY ECONOMIC ANALYSIS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC GROWTH ECONOMIC INCENTIVES ECONOMIC MODELS ECONOMICS EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATIONS EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE RATE EXOGAMY EXPENDITURES EXTREME POVERTY FAMILIES FATHERS GIRLS HOUSEHOLDS HUMAN BEHAVIOR IDEAS IDENTITY INCOME INSURANCE INTEREST RATES INTERVENTION LAWS MARRIAGES MINES MOTHERS NORMS PARENTS POLICY RESEARCH POVERTY ALLEVIATION POVERTY LINE PRICE VARIATIONS RELIGION RITUALS RURAL AREAS SCHOOLS SOCIAL CAPITAL SOCIAL MOBILITY SOCIAL NETWORKS SOCIAL SANCTIONS SOCIAL SERVICES SOCIAL STATUS SOCIETIES SOCIETY SOCIOLOGISTS TOWNS VILLAGES Rao, Vijayendra Poverty and Public Celebrations in Rural India |
| geographic_facet |
South Asia India |
| relation |
Policy Research Working Paper;No. 2528 |
| description |
The author examines the paradox of very
poor households, spending large sums on celebrations. Using
qualitative, and quantitative data from South India, the
author demonstrates that spending on weddings, and festivals
can be explained by integrating an anthropological
understanding of how identity is shaped in Indian society,
with an economic analysis of decision-making under
conditions of extreme poverty, and risk. The author argues
that publicly observable celebrations have two functions:
they provide a space for maintaining social reputations, and
webs of obligation, and, they serve as arenas for
status-making competitions. The first role is central to
maintaining the networks essential for social relationships,
and coping with poverty. The second is a correlate of
mobility that may become more prevalent as incomes rise.
Development policies that favor individual over collective
action, reduce the incentives for the networking function,
and increase the incentives for status-enhancing functions -
thus reducing social cohesion, and increasing conspicuous
consumption. Market-driven improvements in urban employment,
for example, could reduce a family's dependence on its
traditional networks, could reduce incentives to maintain
these networks, and could reduce social cohesion within a
village, and thus its capacity for collective action. In
contrast, micro-finance programs, and social funds try to
retain, and even build a community's capacity for
collective action. |
| format |
Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper |
| author |
Rao, Vijayendra |
| author_facet |
Rao, Vijayendra |
| author_sort |
Rao, Vijayendra |
| title |
Poverty and Public Celebrations in Rural India |
| title_short |
Poverty and Public Celebrations in Rural India |
| title_full |
Poverty and Public Celebrations in Rural India |
| title_fullStr |
Poverty and Public Celebrations in Rural India |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Poverty and Public Celebrations in Rural India |
| title_sort |
poverty and public celebrations in rural india |
| publisher |
World Bank, Washington, DC |
| publishDate |
2014 |
| url |
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2001/01/891709/poverty-public-celebrations-rural-india http://hdl.handle.net/10986/19724 |
| _version_ |
1764440447686541312 |