Resource information
The paper explores whether one of the
largest programs in the world for women's empowerment
and rural livelihoods, the Indira Kranti Patham in Andhra
Pradesh, India, has had an impact on the economic and social
wellbeing of households that participate in the program. The
analysis usespanel data for 4,250 households from two rounds
of a survey conducted in 2004 and 2008 in five districts.
Propensity score matching was used to construct control
groups and outcomes are compared with
differences-in-differences. There are two major impacts.
First, the Indira Kranti Patham program increased
participants' access to loans, which allowed them to
accumulate some assets (livestock and durables for the
poorest and nonfarm assets for the poor), invest in
education, and increase total expenditures (for the poorest
and poor). Women who participated in the program had more
freedom to go places and were less afraid to disagree with
their husbands; the women participated more in village
meetings and their children were slightly more likely to
attend school. Consistent with the emphasis of the program
on the poor, the impacts were stronger across the board for
the poorest and poor participants and were more pronounced
for long-term Scheduled Tribe participants. No significant
differences are found between participants and
nonparticipants in some maternal and child health
indicators. Second, program participants were significantly
more likely to benefit from various targeted government
programs, most important the National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme, but also midday meals in schools, hostels,
and housing programs. This was an important way in which the
program contributed to the improved wellbeing of program
participants. The effects captured by the analysis accrue to
program participants over and above those that may accrue to
all households in program villages.
