Labor Versus Learning : Explaining the State-Wise
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University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Political Science Political Science 2014 LABOR VERSUS LEARNING: EXPLAINING THE STATE-WISE VARIATION OF CHILD LABOR IN INDIA Priyam Saharia University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Saharia, Priyam, "LABOR VERSUS LEARNING: EXPLAINING THE STATE-WISE VARIATION OF CHILD LABOR IN INDIA" (2014). Theses and Dissertations--Political Science. 10. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/polysci_etds/10 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Political Science at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Political Science by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. 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Priyam Saharia, Student Dr. Karen Mingst, Major Professor Dr. Clayton Thyne, Director of Graduate Studies LABOR VERSUS LEARNING: EXPLAINING THE STATE-WISE VARIATION OF CHILD LABOR IN INDIA DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Kentucky In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Priyam Saharia Lexington, Kentucky (April, 2014) Co-Directors: Dr. Karen Mingst, Professor of Political Science and Dr. Emily Beaulieu, Assistant Professor of Political Science Copyright @2014 Priyam Saharia ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION LABOR VERSUS LEARNING: EXPLAINING THE STATE-WISE VARIATION OF CHILD LABOR IN INDIA What explains the variation of child labor rates across Indian states? This dissertation explores why certain states in India, which are not necessarily the wealthiest, have been able to reduce child labor significantly in the past few decades, while child labor continues to increase at alarming rates in other states. Previous economic and cultural explanations, which focus on household-level poverty or the hierarchical social stratification of Indian society fail to adequately explain variation in child labor rates across Indian states. This research project explores how systematic regional differences in bureaucratic performance and patterns of civic engagement have influenced child labor rates in Indian states. The dissertation articulates and tests several hypotheses about the efficacy of bureaucracy and civil society activity in implementing child labor and elementary education laws. This study employs a multi-level research design including a range of statistical and qualitative techniques of analysis to get at the social and institutional variables that influence parents’ decision to send a child to work. It utilizes cross-state survey dataset for 28 Indian states for the year 2005 to run statistical analyses which confirm the theoretical hypotheses. Further, two case studies based on six months of fieldwork in the two Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan provide further understanding of the theoretical mechanisms. This study finds that educational deprivation plays a key role in determining levels of child labor- even controlling for income, states that have focused on universal elementary education have been more successful at reducing child labor than states that have not prioritized elementary education. KEYWORDS: Child labor in India, Education and Child labor, Bureaucracy and Child Labor, Civil Society and Child Labor, Within-state Variation Priyam Saharia April 16, 2014 LABOR VERSUS LEARNING: EXPLAINING THE STATE-WISE VARIATION OF CHILD LABOR IN INDIA By Priyam Saharia University of Kentucky, 2014 Dr. Karen Mingst Co-Director of Dissertation Dr. Emily Beaulieu Co-Director of Dissertation Dr. Clayton Thyne Director of Graduate Studies Date: April 16, 2014 To Ma and Bapi, For giving me roots and wings. Acknowledgements Within a week of starting my coursework for my Ph.D., I was prepared to quit and return to India. One of my colleagues in my cohort said, “Priyam, you are not alone in this.” She could not have been more right. It would have been impossible to complete this dissertation if so many people hadn’t walked with me during this process. My advisor, Karen Mingst has been my bedrock of constant support - she gently encouraged me to think independently, yet gave me the confidence that I could always turn to her for guidance. Intellectually, she pushed for a sound theoretical conceptualization for this project, provided invaluable inputs during fieldwork, and constant feedback on writing clearly and concisely. She inspires simply by example. My co-Chair, Emily Beaulieu, guided me through each stage of this project generously with time, intellectual engagement and critical analysis. She patiently heard every idea I had and read every draft I wrote, constantly teaching me to think critically and to frame a cohesive argument from a mesh of ideas. Her unwavering faith in me and her generous friendship helped me to keep persevering during times when I felt like giving up. Other members of the committee also provided invaluable support. I might not have undertaken this study without Irfan Nooruddin’s encouragement to delve into the study of child labor in India. This study would have suffered greatly without his knowledge on the literature in Indian politics, his inputs on issues of research design and his insight and feedback on the weak links in my central argument. I am grateful to Horace Bartilow for providing critical inputs into research design and statistical analyses. His good humor and excitement about my project are deeply appreciated. P.P.Karan graciously read my entire dissertation on short notice and provided insightful critiques. I am thankful to Srimati Basu and Wonbin Cho for helping me shape this project in its initial stages. The research for this project would not have been possible without funding from the University of Kentucky Graduate School. I am deeply grateful to the Department Chair, Ernest Yanarella for providing additional financial support for fieldwork through a iii departmental scholarship. My sincere thanks to the Director of Graduate Studies, Clayton Thyne for supporting and facilitating this project every step of the way. In Hyderabad, MV Foundation offered me office space to conduct my research. I am especially thankful to Venkat Reddy, Arvind, Dhananjai, and Bhaskar of MV Foundation for arranging field trips, and generously sharing their insights from field experiences. In Rajasthan, Sudhir Katiyar of the Dakshini Rajasthan Mazdoor Union and Shailendra Pandya of Gayatri Seva Sansthan gave excellent assistance in providing access to local surveys and local contacts. I am grateful to the many activists, politicians, and bureaucrats who trusted me enough to share their experiences with me. I am also thankful to the Asia Research Institute at the National University of Singapore that offered me an institutional home as I wrote my dissertation. I would especially like to thank Prashanta Duara and Rahul Mukherji who took the time to read and comment on various sections of this project. Lastly, I would not have been able to complete this project without the emotional support of friends and family. I am deeply thankful to Mindy Murphy for making America seem like home to this girl from Assam; to Pallavi Barua for her comforting friendship and for her rock-solid presence in my life, always; and to Ankita Deka for sharing laughter and good conversation, and for giving me strength and solace through her uplifting words. I owe the greatest debt of gratitude to my father, Kuladhar Saharia who taught me through his life that no dream is too big if I persevere at it; and my mother, Dhira Saharia whose love and nurturing words sustained me during my bleakest times. Special thanks to my brother Bikram, sister-in-law Moitreyee, and my niece Ananya whose phone calls during weekends were a source of great joy. And last, but not the least, I could not have completed this project without the strong support and gentle presence of Ganamanas Das-I honestly believe that he was sent into