Development and Gender Capital in India

Development and Gender Capital in India

Author: Shoba Arun

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-09-06

Total Pages: 183

ISBN-13: 131540916X

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The Indian state of Kerala has invoked much attention within development and gender debates, specifically in relation to its female capital- an outcome of interrelated historical, cultural and social practices. On the one hand, Kerala has been romanticised, with its citizenry, particularly women, being free of social divisions and uplifted through educational well-being. On the other hand, its realism is stark, particularly in the light of recent social changes. Using a Bourdieusian frame of analysis, Development and Gender Capital in India explores the forces of globalisation and how they are embedded within power structures. Through narratives of women’s lived experiences in the private and public domains, it highlights the ‘anomie of gender’ through complexities and contradictions vis-à-vis processes of modernity, development and globalisation. By demonstrating the limits placed upon gender capital by structures of patriarchy and domination, it argues that discussions about the empowered Malayalee women should move from a mere ‘politics of rhetoric and representation’ to a more embedded ‘politics of transformation’, meaningfully taking into account women’s changing roles and identities. This book will be of interest to scholars and students of Development Studies, Gender Studies, Anthropology and Sociology.


Women, Power, and Property

Women, Power, and Property

Author: Rachel E. Brulé

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-10-22

Total Pages: 395

ISBN-13: 1108870600

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Quotas for women in government have swept the globe. Yet we know little about their capacity to upend entrenched social, political, and economic hierarchies. Women, Power, and Property explores this question within the context of India, the world's largest democracy. Brulé employs a research design that maximizes causal inference alongside extensive field research to explain the relationship between political representation, backlash, and economic empowerment. Her findings show that women in government – gatekeepers – catalyze access to fundamental economic rights to property. Women in politics have the power to support constituent rights at critical junctures, such as marriage negotiations, when they can strike integrative solutions to intrahousehold bargaining. Yet there is a paradox: quotas are essential for enforcement of rights, but they generate backlash against women who gain rights without bargaining leverage. In this groundbreaking study, Brulé shows how well-designed quotas can operate as a crucial tool to foster equality and benefit the women they are meant to empower.


Persisting Patriarchy

Persisting Patriarchy

Author: Kochurani Abraham

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-08-08

Total Pages: 247

ISBN-13: 3030214885

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This book examines the operational dynamics of patriarchy that is deeply woven into the Indian cultural fabric and its persistence in spite of women advancing in Human Development Indices. In studying the situation of women of the Catholic Syrian Christian community of Kerala, South India, as a case of analysis, Kochurani Abraham identifies caste consciousness and religious prescriptions of this community as the main factors that intersect with gendered identity construction and succeed in keeping women within its patriarchal confines. While women do engage in negotiating patriarchy through what can be termed simulative, tactical, and ‘agensic’ bargains, this remains a ‘politics of survival’ as it does not challenge the established gender order. In this context, making a shift from ‘politics of survival’ to a ‘politics of subversion’ is imperative for challenging persisting patriarchies.


Efficiency and Equity Impacts of Rural Land Rental Restrictions: Evidence from India

Efficiency and Equity Impacts of Rural Land Rental Restrictions: Evidence from India

Author: Klaus Deininger

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 33

ISBN-13:

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Recognition of the potentially deleterious implications of inequality in opportunity originating in a skewed asset distribution has spawned considerable interest in land reforms. However, little attention has been devoted to the fact that, in the longer-term, the measures used to implement land reforms, especially rental restrictions, could negatively affect productivity. Use of state level data on rental restrictions, together with a nationally representative survey from India suggests that, contrary to original intentions, rental restrictions negatively affect productivity and equity by reducing scope for efficiency-enhancing rental transactions that benefit poor producers. Simulations suggest that, by doubling the number of producers with access to land through rental, from about 15 million currently, liberalization of rental markets could have far-reaching impacts.


Mobility as Capability

Mobility as Capability

Author: Nikhila Menon

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2021-09-30

Total Pages: 213

ISBN-13: 1108883508

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This book highlights accounts of women workers to capture the domains of gendered mobility, which challenges the exalted status conferred on women in the Kerala model of development. It contests and deconstructs the development discourse which considers women's work mobility as an indicator of autonomy and agency using Capability Approach. The concept of 'transformational mobility' and its measurement introduced in the book advances the understanding of mobility, autonomy and agency and the intersectionality in the context of gender and work. Through an in-depth exploration of lived experiences of informal women workers the author illustrates how patriarchal structures are shaped and reinforced by work places, markets and the state. The central question is - can we steer development policies to facilitate collective capabilities for women where informal work arrangements are becoming the norm?


Research Handbook on Feminist Political Thought

Research Handbook on Feminist Political Thought

Author: Mary Caputi

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2024-05-02

Total Pages: 513

ISBN-13: 1800889135

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Illustrating the collective power and relevance of feminist theory today, Mary Caputi and Patricia Moynagh have carefully selected a diverse international range of leading scholars and activists to critically assess key social and political challenges in the twenty-first century. This Research Handbook demonstrates a variety of feminist analyses that offer compelling insights into an array of topics, including police brutality, the carceral state, racial and sexualised violence, trans rights, climate change, and the denial of reproductive rights.


Women, Development, and the UN

Women, Development, and the UN

Author: Devaki Jain

Publisher: Indiana University Press

Published: 2005-10-17

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 9780253111845

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"Devaki Jain opens the doors of the United Nations and shows how it has changed the female half of the world -- and vice versa. Women, Development, and the UN is a book that every global citizen, government leader, journalist, academic, and self-respecting woman should read." -- Gloria Steinem "Devaki Jain's book nurtures your optimism in this terrible war-torn decade by describing how women succeeded in empowering both themselves and the United Nations to work toward a global leadership inspired by human dignity." -- Fatema Mernissi In Women, Development, and the UN, internationally noted development economist and activist Devaki Jain traces the ways in which women have enriched the work of the United Nations from the time of its founding in 1945. Synthesizing insights from the extensive literature on women and development and from her own broad experience, Jain reviews the evolution of the UN's programs aimed at benefiting the women of developing nations and the impact of women's ideas about rights, equality, and social justice on UN thinking and practice regarding development. Jain presents this history from the perspective of the southern hemisphere, which recognizes that development issues often look different when viewed from the standpoint of countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The book highlights the contributions of the four global women's conferences in Mexico City, Copenhagen, Nairobi, and Beijing in raising awareness, building confidence, spreading ideas, and creating alliances. The history that Jain chronicles reveals both the achievements of committed networks of women in partnership with the UN and the urgent work remaining to bring equality and justice to the world and its women.


Social Development and the Sustainable Development Goals in South Asia

Social Development and the Sustainable Development Goals in South Asia

Author: Nitya Mohan Khemka

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-09-02

Total Pages: 187

ISBN-13: 135103524X

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This book assesses the roadmap for the implementation of the SDGs in South Asia, focusing in particular on the areas of poverty reduction, inequality, health/well-being and water and sanitation. South Asia is amongst the fastest growing regions in the world, with an aggregate GDP in excess of two trillion US dollars, but at the same time it has significant deficits in human development, with 37 per cent of the world's poor and nearly half of the world's malnourished children. For South Asia, the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent a constructive opportunity to end many of the region's deprivations in a time-bound and systematic manner. Starting with the legacy of the Millennium Development Goals, the book goes on to provide a country-by-country overview of strategies for addressing the problems of poverty, health, water and sanitation. South-South Cooperation and in particular the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) are discussed and, finally, the editors present a summary of policy priorities for social development. This book aims to be a useful resource for researchers, policy influencers, planners, implementers, students, and activists aiming to push to achieve the SDGs.


Reflecting on India’s Development

Reflecting on India’s Development

Author: NILERD

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2018-09-10

Total Pages: 375

ISBN-13: 9811314144

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The book assesses the development experience by reflecting on a number of aspects, such as growth in relation to employment, regional imbalances and rural–urban distribution. Further, it examines educational attainment and human capital formation issues in the context of the skill shortages the country is facing, and analyses social inequality, including gender, and evaluates a number of empowerment strategies. Lastly, it critically assesses the effectiveness of health services by examining case studies of on-going sanitation, family planning and reproductive health programmes. Presenting both quantitative and qualitative approaches, the papers utilise rare databases that are usually not available in the public domain to reflect on the country’s development experience. The book revisits many development concerns, particularly inclusiveness aspects, through an in-depth analysis. It covers three major areas related to (a) employment, (b) education and skill and (c) social concerns and issues related to health services. The book will be an important resource not only for researchers but also for policy makers and those involved in capacity development in these areas.


Women’s Empowerment and Microcredit Programmes in India

Women’s Empowerment and Microcredit Programmes in India

Author: Annabel Dulhunty

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-08-21

Total Pages: 124

ISBN-13: 1000928713

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Women’s Empowerment and Microcredit Programs in India examines the value of microcredit-based self-help groups (SHGs) for women in India and provides an alternative model for women’s empowerment programming. The microcredit sector continues to boom globally - with private investors, governments and multilateral financial institutions all investing substantial amounts in self-help group programming. Nowhere is this more evident than in India, where the industry has further been deregulated in recent years. Much of the rationale for increased investment in microcredit is based on the idea that it improves ‘women’s empowerment’. But is this true? Researchers have fiercely debated the value of microcredit programs for women, with some arguing that it is exploitative, and others contending that it is empowering. This book provides new insights into women’s empowerment and microcredit programming, elaborating on the themes of power, dignity, mobility and solidarity. It takes a nuanced view of the complexities surrounding self-help group programming and women’s empowerment and argues that the model of microcredit self-help group programming is key to whether it helps or harms women. By focusing on the experiences and voices of microcredit self-help group members in West Bengal, India, this book elaborates on the idea of microcredit models existing on a continuum, from ‘smart economics’ to more holistic feminist versions of programming. It will be of interest to scholars in development studies, anthropology, sociology, gender studies and public policy and Asian Studies.