Christophe Z. Guilmoto, a senior fellow in demography at IRD-CEPED Paris, and Himanshu, a researcher affiliated with CSH and Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University wrote an article on “Caste and Socio-economic Inequality in Bihar” published in Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 59, Issue No. 47 on 23 November 2024.

The article is available at: https://www.epw.in/journal/2024/47/special-articles/caste-and-socio-economic-inequality-bihar.html

Abstract: The absence of caste-level data has been a pressing issue in India, with the long-standing demand for a caste census emerging as a major political point in the 2024 general elections. This paper aims to provide an overview of the insights gained from the Bihar caste census and its implications for understanding caste and tribe inequality in the state. It will, in particular, show how broad administrative categories conceal the actual intensity of social disparities. The preliminary analysis confirms the presence of significant heterogeneities across individual communities as well as within the broad administrative categories. It also suggests that religion plays an important role in contributing to the inequality within administrative categories.