Regional disparities in Social Mobility of India

TL;DR

This paper analyzes regional disparities in social mobility across India using the Social Mobility Index and PCA, highlighting key areas like health and education that influence mobility and emphasizing human capital's role.

Contribution

It introduces a regional analysis of social mobility in India using PCA to identify priority policy areas for enhancing mobility.

Findings

Delhi has the highest social mobility among Indian regions.

Chhattisgarh exhibits the lowest social mobility.

Health and education are critical for improving social mobility.

Abstract

Rapid rise in income inequality in India is a serious concern. While the emphasis is on inclusive growth, it seems difficult to tackle the problem without looking at the intricacies of the problem. The Social Mobility Index is an important tool that focuses on bringing long-term equality by identifying priority policy areas in the country. The PCA technique is employed in computation of the index. Overall, the Union Territory of Delhi ranks first, with the highest social mobility and the least social mobility is in Chhattisgarh. In addition, health and education access, quality and equity are key priority areas that can help improve social mobility in India. Thus, we conclude that human capital is of great importance in promoting social mobility and development in the present times.