The Future of India's Social Safety Nets: Focus, Form, and Scope (Palgrave Studies in Agricultural Economics and Food Policy)

Series Editor’s Foreword
Preface
Praise for The Future of India’s Social Safety Nets
Contents
Abbreviations
List of Figures
List of Tables
1 In the Quest of a Social Democracy
	Scope of This Book
	Social Safety Nets as an Enabler of Development Resilience
	Contributions to the Indian Social Policy Debate
	Roadmap
	References
2 Development Resilience as the Scope of Social Protection
	Introduction
	Enabling Development Resilience
		Consistency with the Social Justice Paradigm
		Resilience Through Social Safety Nets: Expanding Upon Focus, Form, and Scope
	Social Protection Strategies Across Countries: Coverage and Instruments
		Challenges of Safety Nets in the Developing World
		Expansion in Scope, Focus, and Form
	Safety Nets for the Future
		Newer Form of Risks and Existing Poverty Traps
		Asset Accumulation and Redistribution
		Changing “Future of Work”
		Moving from Schemes to Systems
		Lessons for India
	References
3 India’s Economic Development and Social Safety Nets
	Introduction
	Economic Growth, Poverty, and Developmental Challenges
	India’s Social Welfare Regime: Form, Focus, and Scope
		Hunger Mitigation as the Scope of Poverty Reduction
		Social Pensions to the Vulnerable
		Rights-Based Social Welfare Legislation
		Income Support Through Public Works Program
		From Symptoms of Poverty to Its Causes: Recognizing Health Shocks
		Toying with the Idea of Cash Transfers
		Emerging Social Contract: Provisions to Entitlements
	Subnational Economic Development and Welfare Regimes
	Building Resilience as the Scope of Social Safety Nets in India
		Moving Beyond the Preoccupation with Poverty Line
		Social Safety Nets to Address Multiple Dimensions of Poverty
		Protecting Entitlements in a Deindustrializing Economy
			Premature Deindustrialization
			Urban Informality
			Stagnant Farm Income
			Rural Nonfarm Employment
	Scope of This Book: Leveraging Social Safety Nets to Promote Development Resilience
	References
4 Anti-Poverty Transfers: Policy Successions with Little Success
	Introduction
	Poverty Reduction Strategy in India’s Planning Process
	Indirect Attacks on Poverty Reduction
		Rural Development and Agricultural Productivity
		Public Works Programs
		From Agricultural Productivity Enhancement to Self-Employment
		Urban Poverty as a Residual of Rural Poverty
		MGNREGS: Rural Employment Program Back in Vogue
		Direct Income Support to Farmers
		Social Pensions
	Absence of an Integrated Anti-Poverty Strategy
	Anti-Poverty Policy in the Future
	Livelihood Resilience for the Rural Poor
	Strengthening MGNREGS in Poorer States
	Cash Transfers Through PM–Kisan
	Urbanization of Poverty and Livelihood Risks
	Urban Employment Program
	Migrants and Access to Welfare Programs
	Social Pensions for the Aging of India
	Conclusion
	References
5 Food Policy: A Case of Punctuated Equilibrium
	Introduction
	Social Welfare Through the PDS
		Changing Scope, Focus, and Form
		Rationing and Price Control in Industrial Towns
		Emergence of the Interlocked Production–Consumption Incentive
		Inefficiencies and the Call for Reforms
		New-Style PDS
		National Food Security Act, 2013 and Newer Initiatives
		Beneficiary Database and Electronic Records of Transactions
		Aadhaar-Based Biometric Authentication
		One Nation One Ration Card
	PDS, the Story Thus Far
		Interlocked Incentive Structure and Negative Externalities
		Subnational Politics
	Reframing the Reformed Public Distribution System
		Nutrition as the Scope of PDS
		Need for a Gradual, and Not Hasty Move to Cash Transfers
	References
6 Early Life Interventions for Intergenerational Prosperity
	Introduction
	Early Life Risks and Adverse Intergenerational Outcomes
		The Role of Women as Primary Caregivers and Empowered Economic Agents
		Global Evidence on Effective Interventions Targeting Women and Children
	India’s Performance on Early Life Intervention
		Integrated Child Development Scheme
		Encouraging Institutional Childbirth and Improving Maternal Health
		POSHAN Abhiyan or the National Nutrition Mission
		Free School Meals Through the Midday Meal Scheme
	The Way Forward
		Integrated Child Development Scheme
		Midday Meal Scheme
		Janani Suraksha Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana
	Synergy Across Departments and Schemes
	References
7 Public Health Insurance: Reducing Poverty or Access to Equitable Health Care?
	Introduction
	Privatized Health Expenditure, Despite Public Health Infrastructure
		Low Public Investment in Health
		Inefficient Supply-Driven Public Health Care Infrastructure
		OOP Health Expenditure and Its Financing
	The Emergence of Demand-Driven Health Insurance
		Initiatives by State Governments
		The Impact of Health Insurance on Building Resilience
	Facilitating Resilience: Equitable Health Care and Improved Health Outcomes
		Increasing Enrollment
		Expanding Health Care Coverage Beyond Hospitalization
		Expanding Coverage: Move Toward Universality
		Investment in Public Health Care Infrastructure
		Improved Regulatory Oversight over Perverse Private Incentives
		Recognizing the “Right to Health”
		Summing Up
	References
8 Incommensurate Welfare Gains: The Role of Ideas, Institutions, and Interests
	Introduction
	Ideas, Institutions, and Interests
		Ideas Set Forth the Welfare Agenda
		Institutions: Conduit of Welfare
		Perverse Interests Undermine the Welfare Agenda
		Ideas, Institutions, and Interests Co-evolve
		Long-Term Success of Social Welfare Programs
	Diagnosing Incommensurate Welfare Outcomes
		Fledgling, Yet Feeble ‘Social Contract’
		Underdeveloped Local Institutions
		Local State Capacity and Implementation Deficits
		Elite Capture and Clientelism
		Decentralization and Public Action
	Varying Social Welfare Ideals at the Subnational Level
		South India’s Historical Exceptionalism
		Emerging Political Populism in North India?
		Threats to Subnational Welfare Regimes
	Conclusion
	References
9 Welfare Reforms and the Leviathan State
	Introduction
	Cash Transfer: Changing the Form of Welfare Transfers
		The Old Debate: Cash or Food?
		Global Experiences with Cash Transfer
		Prospects of Cash Transfers in India’s Complex Socio-Political Landscape
	Targeted or Universal Benefits?
	Is Universal Basic Income (UBI) the Solution?
	Leveraging Technology to build Local State Capacity
		Challenges with JAM
		Technological Efficiency Sans Bureaucratic Incentives
		Complementary Inputs: Political Commitment and Citizen Empowerment
	Welfare Expansion: Good Economics, But Contentious Politics
		Welfare Transfers or ‘Freebies’?
		Subnational Politics of Welfare Delivery and ‘New Welfarism’
	Expanding Social Welfare System with Limited Fiscal Resources
		Current Expenditure on Social Welfare Programs
		Raising Tax Revenues
		Greater Reliance on Income Taxes
		Taxing High Net-Worth Individuals
		Reducing Corporate Freebies and Non-Merit Subsidies
	Conclusion
	References
10 Social Welfare ‘Schemes’ to an Economic Security ‘System’
	Introduction
	Social Welfare Schemes to an Economic Security System
	Envisaging a Social Welfare System for India
		Social Assistance: Central Plank of the Welfare System
		Progressive Universalism
		Social Assistance to Social Insurance, Rural to Urban
		Necessary Institutional Enablers for Greater Economic Opportunities
	Resilience Through Livelihood Protection and Nutritional Enhancement
		Strengthening the Capacity of ICDS to Deliver Improved Nutrition
		Greater Focus on Learning Outcomes
		Adequate Supply of Public Health Facilities
		Regularizing ‘Voluntary’ Community Workers as Health Care Staff
		Restructuring Livelihood Assistance
			Improved Governance of Rural Social Assistance Programs
			Protecting Against Vulnerability in the Old Age Through Assured Monthly Pensions
			Addressing Urban Vulnerability
			Social Security for Gig or Platform Economy Workers
			Migrants as Part of the Urban Social Protection System
			Empowerment of Women Through Greater Employment Opportunities
		Public Health Insurance to Promote Universal Health Coverage
		Rethinking Poverty in the Social Policy Design
	Building a Capable State with Citizen-Centric Public Systems
		Avoiding the Developmental State Impasse
		A Reasoned Articulation of the ‘Social Welfare’ Question
		Greater Devolution of Power and Resources to the Subnational Governments
		Improving State Capacity for Welfare Delivery
			Simpler Bureaucratic Procedures, Greater Citizen Awareness
			Public Accountability Through Improved Monitoring Systems
			Reducing Bureaucratic Overloads and Improving Deliberative Norms
			Facilitating Community Participation Through Decentralized Governance
		Generating Greater Fiscal Space for Financing Social Welfare
		Investing in Statistical Capacity for Policy Evaluation and Feedback
	Gradualism in Policy Reforms
		Cash Instead of Food: Future, Not the Present
		Citizen Interest: At the Heart of Technological Innovation
		UBI: Distal to Current Developmental Needs
		Opportunity to Consolidate the Recent Gains in Welfare Expansion
	Conclusion
	References
Index