Amit Thorat | Jawaharlal Nehru University,New Delhi,India (original) (raw)

Papers by Amit Thorat

World Development, 2017

The study examines the dynamic nature of movements into and out of poverty over a period when pov... more The study examines the dynamic nature of movements into and out of poverty over a period when poverty has fallen substantially in India. The analysis identifies people who escaped poverty and those who fell into it over the period 2005-12. Using panel data from the India Human Development Survey for 2005 and 2012, we find that the risks of marginalized communities such as Dalits and Adivasis of falling into or remaining in poverty were higher than those for more privileged groups. Some, but not all of these higher risks are explained by educational, financial, and social disadvantages of these groups in 2005. Results from a logistic regression show that some factors that help people escape poverty differ from those that push people into it and that the strength of their effects varies.

Uniquely widespread and persistent open defecation in rural India has emerged as an important pol... more Uniquely widespread and persistent open defecation in rural India has emerged as
an important policy challenge and puzzle about behavioral choice in economic develop-
ment. One candidate explanation is the culture of purity and pollution that reinforces
and has its origins in the caste system. Although such a cultural account is inherently
dicult to quantitatively test, we provide support for this explanation by compar-
ing open defecation rates across places in India where untouchability is more and less
intensely practiced. In particular, we exploit a novel question in the 2012 India Hu-
man Development Survey that asked households whether they practice untouchability,
meaning whether they enforce norms of purity and pollution in their interactions with
lower castes. We nd an association between local practice of untouchability and open
defecation that is robust; is not explained by economic, educational, or other observ-
able di erences; and is speci c to open defecation, rather than other health behavior
or human capital investments more generally. We verify that practicing untouchability
is not associated with general disadvantage in health knowledge or access to medical
professionals. We interpret this as evidence that the culture of purity, pollution, un-
touchability, and caste contributes to the exceptional prevalence of open defecation in
rural India.
Spears

A representative phone survey to study explicit prejudice against women and Dalits in Delhi, Mumb... more A representative phone survey to study explicit prejudice against women and Dalits in Delhi, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan reveals widespread prejudice in several domains and discusses the consequences for women and Dalits, and society as a whole. The results suggest the need for a more robust public discourse and active approach to measuring and challenging prejudice and discrimination. Diane Coffey (coffey@utexas.edu) teaches at the University of Texas, Austin. Coffey, Payal Hathi (payal@riceinstitute.org) and Nidhi Khurana (nidhi@riceinstitute.org) are affiliated with a research institute for compassionate economics (r.i.c.e). Amit Thorat (amitthorat@gmail.com) teaches at the School

— The study examines the dynamic nature of movements into and out of poverty over a period when p... more — The study examines the dynamic nature of movements into and out of poverty over a period when poverty has fallen substantially in India. The analysis identifies people who escaped poverty and those who fell into it over the period 2005–12. Using panel data from the India Human Development Survey for 2005 and 2012, we find that the risks of marginalized communities such as Dalits and Adivasis of falling into or remaining in poverty were higher than those for more privileged groups. Some, but not all of these higher risks are explained by educational, financial, and social disadvantages of these groups in 2005. Results from a logistic regression show that some factors that help people escape poverty differ from those that push people into it and that the strength of their effects varies.

Food Policy

Accessing developed country food markets entails meeting stringent food safety requirements. Food... more Accessing developed country food markets entails meeting stringent food safety requirements. Food retailers impose protocols relating to pesticide residues, field and pack house operations, and traceability. To enable smallholders to remain competitive in such a system, new institutional arrangements are required. In particular, public-private partnerships can play a key role in creating farm to fork linkages that can satisfy market demands for food safety, while retaining smallholders in the supply chain. Furthermore, organized producer groups monitoring their own food safety standards through collective action often become attractive to buyers who are looking for ways to ensure traceability and reduce transaction costs. This paper compares the ways in which small producers of fruits and vegetables in Kenya and India have coped with increased demands for food safety from their main export markets.

Economic and Political Weekly, Nov 8, 2013

1 Effective January 2007, the Discussion Paper series within each division and the Director Gener... more 1 Effective January 2007, the Discussion Paper series within each division and the Director General's Office of IFPRI were merged into one IFPRI-wide Discussion Paper series. The new series begins with number 00689, reflecting the prior publication of 688 discussion papers within the dispersed series. The earlier series are available on IFPRI's website at www.ifpri.org/pubs/otherpubs.htm#dp.

World Development, 2008

In spite of being the second largest horticultural producer in the world, India is a failed expor... more In spite of being the second largest horticultural producer in the world, India is a failed exporter mainly because of the inability to meet the food safety standards. Hence, successes in horticultural exports are rare. Here, we study one unique success story, Mahagrapes, a marketing partner to farmer cooperatives attributing its success to a combination of collective action and public private partnerships. Our results indicate that Mahagrapes farmers earn significantly higher income vis-à -vis their outside marketing option and smallholders face no bias in selection. Together with the farmer's ability to consistently meet standards, this implies that the model can be scaled up.

Journal of Social and Economic Development, 2006

Frontiers in Public Health, 2015

Toutefois, les petits exploitants sont proportionnellement plus présents dans la culture maraîchè... more Toutefois, les petits exploitants sont proportionnellement plus présents dans la culture maraîchère que dans la culture fruitière. Ces observations concordent avec les choix d'une production fondée sur les avantages comparatifs. Même dans le cas des petites exploitations, lorsque les besoins de main-d'oeuvre sontélevés, elles se tournent vers les cultures fruitière et maraîchère. Bien que la culture fruitière soit une activitéà forte intensité de main-d'oeuvre comparativementà la culture céréalière, elle l'est moins que la culture maraîchère. L'intensité de capitalélevée de la culture fruitière signifie que le crédit joue aussi un rôle important. Les résultats de plusieurs tests de spécification sont robustes, y compris ceux liésà l'auto-sélection.

— In spite of being the second largest horticultural producer in the world, India is a failed exp... more — In spite of being the second largest horticultural producer in the world, India is a failed exporter mainly because of the inability to meet the food safety standards. Hence, successes in horticultural exports are rare. Here, we study one unique success story, Mahagrapes, a marketing partner to farmer cooperatives attributing its success to a combination of collective action and public private partnerships. Our results indicate that Mahagrapes farmers earn significantly higher income visa `-vis their outside marketing option and smallholders face no bias in selection. Together with the farmer's ability to consistently meet standards, this implies that the model can be scaled up.

Accessing developed country food markets entails meeting stringent food safety requirements. Food... more Accessing developed country food markets entails meeting stringent food safety requirements. Food retailers impose protocols relating to pesticide residues, field and pack house operations, and traceability. To enable smallholders to remain competitive in such a system, new institutional arrangements are required. In particular, public–private partnerships can play a key role in creating farm to fork linkages that can satisfy market demands for food safety, while retaining smallholders in the supply chain. Furthermore , organized producer groups monitoring their own food safety standards through collective action often become attractive to buyers who are looking for ways to ensure traceability and reduce transaction costs. This paper compares the ways in which small producers of fruits and vegetables in Kenya and India have coped with increased demands for food safety from their main export markets.

World Development, 2017

The study examines the dynamic nature of movements into and out of poverty over a period when pov... more The study examines the dynamic nature of movements into and out of poverty over a period when poverty has fallen substantially in India. The analysis identifies people who escaped poverty and those who fell into it over the period 2005-12. Using panel data from the India Human Development Survey for 2005 and 2012, we find that the risks of marginalized communities such as Dalits and Adivasis of falling into or remaining in poverty were higher than those for more privileged groups. Some, but not all of these higher risks are explained by educational, financial, and social disadvantages of these groups in 2005. Results from a logistic regression show that some factors that help people escape poverty differ from those that push people into it and that the strength of their effects varies.

Uniquely widespread and persistent open defecation in rural India has emerged as an important pol... more Uniquely widespread and persistent open defecation in rural India has emerged as
an important policy challenge and puzzle about behavioral choice in economic develop-
ment. One candidate explanation is the culture of purity and pollution that reinforces
and has its origins in the caste system. Although such a cultural account is inherently
dicult to quantitatively test, we provide support for this explanation by compar-
ing open defecation rates across places in India where untouchability is more and less
intensely practiced. In particular, we exploit a novel question in the 2012 India Hu-
man Development Survey that asked households whether they practice untouchability,
meaning whether they enforce norms of purity and pollution in their interactions with
lower castes. We nd an association between local practice of untouchability and open
defecation that is robust; is not explained by economic, educational, or other observ-
able di erences; and is speci c to open defecation, rather than other health behavior
or human capital investments more generally. We verify that practicing untouchability
is not associated with general disadvantage in health knowledge or access to medical
professionals. We interpret this as evidence that the culture of purity, pollution, un-
touchability, and caste contributes to the exceptional prevalence of open defecation in
rural India.
Spears

A representative phone survey to study explicit prejudice against women and Dalits in Delhi, Mumb... more A representative phone survey to study explicit prejudice against women and Dalits in Delhi, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan reveals widespread prejudice in several domains and discusses the consequences for women and Dalits, and society as a whole. The results suggest the need for a more robust public discourse and active approach to measuring and challenging prejudice and discrimination. Diane Coffey (coffey@utexas.edu) teaches at the University of Texas, Austin. Coffey, Payal Hathi (payal@riceinstitute.org) and Nidhi Khurana (nidhi@riceinstitute.org) are affiliated with a research institute for compassionate economics (r.i.c.e). Amit Thorat (amitthorat@gmail.com) teaches at the School

— The study examines the dynamic nature of movements into and out of poverty over a period when p... more — The study examines the dynamic nature of movements into and out of poverty over a period when poverty has fallen substantially in India. The analysis identifies people who escaped poverty and those who fell into it over the period 2005–12. Using panel data from the India Human Development Survey for 2005 and 2012, we find that the risks of marginalized communities such as Dalits and Adivasis of falling into or remaining in poverty were higher than those for more privileged groups. Some, but not all of these higher risks are explained by educational, financial, and social disadvantages of these groups in 2005. Results from a logistic regression show that some factors that help people escape poverty differ from those that push people into it and that the strength of their effects varies.

Food Policy

Accessing developed country food markets entails meeting stringent food safety requirements. Food... more Accessing developed country food markets entails meeting stringent food safety requirements. Food retailers impose protocols relating to pesticide residues, field and pack house operations, and traceability. To enable smallholders to remain competitive in such a system, new institutional arrangements are required. In particular, public-private partnerships can play a key role in creating farm to fork linkages that can satisfy market demands for food safety, while retaining smallholders in the supply chain. Furthermore, organized producer groups monitoring their own food safety standards through collective action often become attractive to buyers who are looking for ways to ensure traceability and reduce transaction costs. This paper compares the ways in which small producers of fruits and vegetables in Kenya and India have coped with increased demands for food safety from their main export markets.

Economic and Political Weekly, Nov 8, 2013

1 Effective January 2007, the Discussion Paper series within each division and the Director Gener... more 1 Effective January 2007, the Discussion Paper series within each division and the Director General's Office of IFPRI were merged into one IFPRI-wide Discussion Paper series. The new series begins with number 00689, reflecting the prior publication of 688 discussion papers within the dispersed series. The earlier series are available on IFPRI's website at www.ifpri.org/pubs/otherpubs.htm#dp.

World Development, 2008

In spite of being the second largest horticultural producer in the world, India is a failed expor... more In spite of being the second largest horticultural producer in the world, India is a failed exporter mainly because of the inability to meet the food safety standards. Hence, successes in horticultural exports are rare. Here, we study one unique success story, Mahagrapes, a marketing partner to farmer cooperatives attributing its success to a combination of collective action and public private partnerships. Our results indicate that Mahagrapes farmers earn significantly higher income vis-à -vis their outside marketing option and smallholders face no bias in selection. Together with the farmer's ability to consistently meet standards, this implies that the model can be scaled up.

Journal of Social and Economic Development, 2006

Frontiers in Public Health, 2015

Toutefois, les petits exploitants sont proportionnellement plus présents dans la culture maraîchè... more Toutefois, les petits exploitants sont proportionnellement plus présents dans la culture maraîchère que dans la culture fruitière. Ces observations concordent avec les choix d'une production fondée sur les avantages comparatifs. Même dans le cas des petites exploitations, lorsque les besoins de main-d'oeuvre sontélevés, elles se tournent vers les cultures fruitière et maraîchère. Bien que la culture fruitière soit une activitéà forte intensité de main-d'oeuvre comparativementà la culture céréalière, elle l'est moins que la culture maraîchère. L'intensité de capitalélevée de la culture fruitière signifie que le crédit joue aussi un rôle important. Les résultats de plusieurs tests de spécification sont robustes, y compris ceux liésà l'auto-sélection.

— In spite of being the second largest horticultural producer in the world, India is a failed exp... more — In spite of being the second largest horticultural producer in the world, India is a failed exporter mainly because of the inability to meet the food safety standards. Hence, successes in horticultural exports are rare. Here, we study one unique success story, Mahagrapes, a marketing partner to farmer cooperatives attributing its success to a combination of collective action and public private partnerships. Our results indicate that Mahagrapes farmers earn significantly higher income visa `-vis their outside marketing option and smallholders face no bias in selection. Together with the farmer's ability to consistently meet standards, this implies that the model can be scaled up.

Accessing developed country food markets entails meeting stringent food safety requirements. Food... more Accessing developed country food markets entails meeting stringent food safety requirements. Food retailers impose protocols relating to pesticide residues, field and pack house operations, and traceability. To enable smallholders to remain competitive in such a system, new institutional arrangements are required. In particular, public–private partnerships can play a key role in creating farm to fork linkages that can satisfy market demands for food safety, while retaining smallholders in the supply chain. Furthermore , organized producer groups monitoring their own food safety standards through collective action often become attractive to buyers who are looking for ways to ensure traceability and reduce transaction costs. This paper compares the ways in which small producers of fruits and vegetables in Kenya and India have coped with increased demands for food safety from their main export markets.