Article Open Access September 05, 2024

Caste-based Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment on Wealth Accumulation in India

Shervin Assari 1, 2, 3, 4,* and Hossein Zare 5, 6
1
Marginalization-Related Diminished Returns (MDRs) Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States
2
Department of Internal Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, United States
3
Department of Urban Public Health, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, United States
4
Department of Family Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, United States
5
Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
6
School of Business, University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), College Park, MD, United States
Page(s): 243-255
Received
May 29, 2024
Revised
August 10, 2024
Accepted
September 04, 2024
Published
September 05, 2024
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright: Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Scientific Publications
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APA Style
Assari, S. , & Zare, H. (2024). Caste-based Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment on Wealth Accumulation in India. Current Research in Public Health, 4(5), 243-255. https://doi.org/10.31586/ojer.2024.1056
ACS Style
Assari, S. ; Zare, H. Caste-based Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment on Wealth Accumulation in India. Current Research in Public Health 2024 4(5), 243-255. https://doi.org/10.31586/ojer.2024.1056
Chicago/Turabian Style
Assari, Shervin, and Hossein Zare. 2024. "Caste-based Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment on Wealth Accumulation in India". Current Research in Public Health 4, no. 5: 243-255. https://doi.org/10.31586/ojer.2024.1056
AMA Style
Assari S, Zare H. Caste-based Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment on Wealth Accumulation in India. Current Research in Public Health. 2024; 4(5):243-255. https://doi.org/10.31586/ojer.2024.1056
@Article{crph1056,
AUTHOR = {Assari, Shervin and Zare, Hossein},
TITLE = {Caste-based Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment on Wealth Accumulation in India},
JOURNAL = {Current Research in Public Health},
VOLUME = {4},
YEAR = {2024},
NUMBER = {5},
PAGES = {243-255},
URL = {https://www.scipublications.com/journal/index.php/OJER/article/view/1056},
ISSN = {2831-5162},
DOI = {10.31586/ojer.2024.1056},
ABSTRACT = {Background: Education is widely recognized as a key driver of wealth generation, providing individuals with the opportunity to enhance their socioeconomic status. However, the effectiveness of education in generating wealth varies significantly across different social groups. In the United States, research has shown that Black individuals experience weaker economic returns on education compared to their White counterparts, a phenomenon explained by the theory of Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs). Although MDRs have been documented in various countries, their relevance to caste-based disparities in India remains unexplored. Objective: This study aims to investigate the caste-based diminished returns of education on wealth in India. We hypothesize that the returns on educational attainment, in terms of wealth generation, will be weaker for individuals from Scheduled Castes (SCs) compared to those from higher castes, using data from the India Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). Methods: This study was a cross-sectional analysis of DHS -2019/2021 data from India, examining the relationship between educational attainment and wealth across different caste groups (scheduled castes and non-scheduled castes). Multivariate regression models will be employed to assess the interaction between caste and education in predicting wealth outcomes, controlling for relevant covariates such as age, gender, and region. Results: The study is expected to find that the returns on education, in terms of wealth, are significantly weaker for individuals from Scheduled Castes compared to those from higher castes. This would indicate that caste-based discrimination continues to hinder the economic progress of Scheduled Castes, even when they achieve similar levels of education as their upper-caste counterparts. Conclusion: The findings of this study will extend the MDR framework to the Indian context, demonstrating that caste-based disparities result in diminished returns on education for wealth generation. This study underscores the need for targeted policies that address the specific barriers faced by Scheduled Castes in translating educational attainment into economic success and highlights the ongoing impact of caste-based discrimination in India.},
}
%0 Journal Article
%A Assari, Shervin
%A Zare, Hossein
%D 2024
%J Current Research in Public Health

%@ 2831-5162
%V 4
%N 5
%P 243-255

%T Caste-based Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment on Wealth Accumulation in India
%M doi:10.31586/ojer.2024.1056
%U https://www.scipublications.com/journal/index.php/OJER/article/view/1056
TY  - JOUR
AU  - Assari, Shervin
AU  - Zare, Hossein
TI  - Caste-based Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment on Wealth Accumulation in India
T2  - Current Research in Public Health
PY  - 2024
VL  - 4
IS  - 5
SN  - 2831-5162
SP  - 243
EP  - 255
UR  - https://www.scipublications.com/journal/index.php/OJER/article/view/1056
AB  - Background: Education is widely recognized as a key driver of wealth generation, providing individuals with the opportunity to enhance their socioeconomic status. However, the effectiveness of education in generating wealth varies significantly across different social groups. In the United States, research has shown that Black individuals experience weaker economic returns on education compared to their White counterparts, a phenomenon explained by the theory of Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs). Although MDRs have been documented in various countries, their relevance to caste-based disparities in India remains unexplored. Objective: This study aims to investigate the caste-based diminished returns of education on wealth in India. We hypothesize that the returns on educational attainment, in terms of wealth generation, will be weaker for individuals from Scheduled Castes (SCs) compared to those from higher castes, using data from the India Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). Methods: This study was a cross-sectional analysis of DHS -2019/2021 data from India, examining the relationship between educational attainment and wealth across different caste groups (scheduled castes and non-scheduled castes). Multivariate regression models will be employed to assess the interaction between caste and education in predicting wealth outcomes, controlling for relevant covariates such as age, gender, and region. Results: The study is expected to find that the returns on education, in terms of wealth, are significantly weaker for individuals from Scheduled Castes compared to those from higher castes. This would indicate that caste-based discrimination continues to hinder the economic progress of Scheduled Castes, even when they achieve similar levels of education as their upper-caste counterparts. Conclusion: The findings of this study will extend the MDR framework to the Indian context, demonstrating that caste-based disparities result in diminished returns on education for wealth generation. This study underscores the need for targeted policies that address the specific barriers faced by Scheduled Castes in translating educational attainment into economic success and highlights the ongoing impact of caste-based discrimination in India.
DO  - Caste-based Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment on Wealth Accumulation in India
TI  - 10.31586/ojer.2024.1056
ER  -