Caste differences in behaviour and personality: Evidence from India

Arbeitspapier

The persistent gap in economic outcomes between the upper and lower caste groups in India is typically explained through differences in endowments and the presence of discrimination. While there is sizable literature that examines caste gaps in physical and intellectual human capital, this paper contributes to a small literature that evaluates caste differentials in behavioural preferences and personality traits that are possibly associated with the persistent economic gap between these castes. Using data from experiments and surveys conducted among a large sample of Indian undergraduate students, we find significant caste differences in behaviour and personality such that Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes are less likely to be endowed with the behavioural preferences and personality traits that tend to affect educational attainment, labour market performance, and overall wellbeing positively. Our results have implications for revising the focus of current caste-based policy formulations.

Object Details

• ISBN: 978-92-9256-103-1
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: WIDER Working Paper ; No. 2016/60

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Higher Education; Research Institutions ; Methodological Issues: General ; Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity ; Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
• Subject: behaviour ; personality ; caste ; artefactual field experiments ; India

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Dasgupta, Utteeyo ; Mani, Subha ; Sharma, Smriti ; Singhal, Saurabh
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER)
• (where): Helsinki
• (when): 2016

Further information

• DOI: doi:10.35188/UNU-WIDER/2016/103-1
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/146251
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET