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Class and Social Policy: the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in K arnataka, I ndia
Author(s) -
Pattenden Jonathan
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of agrarian change
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.63
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1471-0366
pISSN - 1471-0358
DOI - 10.1111/joac.12127
Subject(s) - caste , context (archaeology) , social class , class (philosophy) , poverty , sociology , economics , political science , demographic economics , economic growth , geography , market economy , archaeology , artificial intelligence , computer science , law
The literature on I ndia's N ational R ural E mployment G uarantee S cheme ( NREGS ) has tended to focus on institutional and technical issues more than on the social relations of production. This paper argues for a class‐relational approach to NREGS and, by extension, to social policy more generally. By locating NREGS in a broader context of antagonistic class relations, it becomes clearer why, where, when and how it either contributes to pro‐labouring‐class change or to reproducing the position of the dominant class. This is particularly important in the S outh I ndian state of K arnataka, where (i) national sample survey data indicates that NREGS has performed relatively badly and (ii) the recent rate of decline of poverty has been amongst the slowest in the country. Based on longitudinal fieldwork in villages in two N orth K arnataka districts, this paper's class‐relational approach explains significant differences in NREGS outcomes across time and place – primarily with regard to intra‐ and inter‐class relations, which are interlinked with caste and gender relations. In one fieldwork district, high levels of implementation have declined due to increased (but uneven) dominant class control over the scheme. In the other, initial subversion of the scheme has been partially challenged by collective labouring‐class action.