Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T11:41:43.478Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Can Latin America learn from India’s efforts at fighting poverty? The case of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 March 2020

Augusto De Venanzi
Augusto De Venanzi*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology and Sociology, College of Arts and Sciences, Purdue UniversityFort Wayne, IN, USA
*
Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A decade of high economic growth (2003–2013) in Latin America accompanied with high social spending, produced a significant improvement in the living conditions of the region’s population. Household incomes grew, poverty and inequality rates fell, and job opportunities increased. However, beginning in 2013 the economic situation of Latin America experienced a downwards trend. The effects have been felt in reduced income due to the fewer labour opportunities afforded by a decrease in demand and investment, particularly in infrastructure. Moreover, investment in infrastructure has remained stagnant since the late 1990s. The present article is intended as a preliminary study regarding the feasibility of transferring the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act to the Latin American region. The paper contends that such a policy transfer could greatly improve the adverse employment conditions affecting large segments of the Latin American rural workforce and contribute to bridge the area’s rural-urban infrastructure gap.

Keywords

IndiaLatin Americapolicy transferNREGAlabour marketbasic infrastructure
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy , Volume 36 , Issue 2 , July 2020 , pp. 159 - 174
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Social Policy Association

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ahuja, R. (2017). Social problems in India. Jaipur: Rawat Publications.Google Scholar
Akhmouch, A. (2012). Water governance in Latin America and the Caribbean: A multi-level approach. (OECD Regional Development Working Papers, 2012/04).Google Scholar
Bhorat, H. (2014). Compliance with minimum wage laws in developing countries. World of Labour, 80, 1–10.Google Scholar
Breitkreuz, R., Stanton, C.-J., Brady, N., Pattison-Williams, J., King, E. D., Mishra, C., & Swallow, B. (2017). The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme: A policy solution to rural poverty in India? Development Policy Review, 35(3), 397–417.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CAF (Corporación Andina de Fomento) (2011). La infraestructura en el desarrollo integral de América Latina. Caracas: CAF.Google Scholar
Calderon, C., & Serven, L. (2009). Infrastructure in Latin America: An update, 1980–2006 . Washington DC: World Bank Publications.Google Scholar
Central Statistics Office. (2018). India in figures. New Delhi: Central Statistics Office.Google Scholar
Chaturvedi, A. (2017). Fixing India’s sewage system. Stanford Social Innovation Review, Spring 2017, 1–3.Google Scholar
Chakraborty, B., & Das, S. (2014). MGNREGA and water management: Sustainability issues of built forms in rural India. Journal of Construction in Developing Countries, 19(2), 33–50.Google Scholar
De Britto, F. (2008). The emergence and popularity of conditional cash transfers in Latin America. In Barrientos, A., & Hulme, D. (Eds.), Social protection for the poor and poorest: Concepts, policies and politics (pp. 181–193), London: Palgrave.Google Scholar
Deininger, K., Nagajaran, H., & Singh, S. (2016). Short-term effects of India’s employment guarantee programme on labour markets and agricultural productivity. Washington DC. (World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, May WPS7665).Google Scholar
Desai, S., Vashishtha, P., & Joshi, O. (2015). Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act: A catalyst for rural transformation, national council of applied economic research. New Delhi.Google Scholar
De Venanzi, A. (2015). Sistemas políticos y bienestar social: Estudios comparados: Brasil, Colombia y Venezuela 2000–2010. Madrid: Biblioteca Nueva.Google Scholar
ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean). (2011a). The economic infrastructure gap in Latin America and the Caribbean. Bulletin FAL, 293, 1–7.Google Scholar
ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean). (2011b). Panorama Social de América Latina. Santiago de Chile: ECLAC.Google Scholar
ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean). (2014). Minimum Wage Policy Guide. Santiago de Chile: ECLAC.Google Scholar
ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean). (2016). Monitoring energy efficiency in Latin America. Santiago de Chile: ECLAC.Google Scholar
ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean). (2017a). Social panorama of Latin America 2017. Santiago de Chile: ECLAC.Google Scholar
ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean). (2017b). Economic survey of Latin America and the Caribbean. Santiago de Chile: ECLAC.Google Scholar
ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean). (2017c). Governance of infrastructure for sustainable development . Bulletin FAL, 354, 1–13.Google Scholar
ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean) (2017d). Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean. Santiago de Chile: ECLACGoogle Scholar
ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean). (2018). Social panorama of Latin America. Santiago de Chile: ECLAC.Google Scholar
ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean). (2019a). Latin American economic outlook: Development in transition. Santiago de Chile: ECLAC.Google Scholar
ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean). (2019b). Preliminary overview of the economics of Latin America and the Caribbean. Santiago de Chile: ECLAC.Google Scholar
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations). (2018). Panorama de la Pobreza Rural en América Latina y el Caribe. Rome: FAO.Google Scholar
Ham, A. (2015). Minimum wage violations in Honduras. Journal of Labour and Development, 4(22), 1–19.Google Scholar
Haque, T. (2016). MGNREGS: Its effects on Ariculture: Exploring linkages. In Pankaj, A. (Ed), Right to work in rural India (pp. 226–245). New Delhi: Sage.Google Scholar
Hernandez-Padilla, F., Margni, M., Noyola, A., Guereca-Hernandez, L., & Bulle, C. (2017). Assessing wastewater treatment in Latin America and the Caribbean. Journal of Cleaner Production, 142 (Part 4), 2140–2153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
IADB (Inter-American Development Bank). (2017). Water and sanitation sector framework document . Washington, DC: IADB.Google Scholar
IADB (Inter-American Development Bank). (2018a). 2017 Annual Report. Washington DC: IADB.Google Scholar
IADB (Inter-American Development Bank). (2018b). Infrastructure: Engine for growth and economic integration of the Americas . Lima: IADB.Google Scholar
IADB (Inter-American Development Bank) (2018c). Lifting the veil on infrastructure investment data in Latin America and the Caribbean. Washington DC: IADB.Google Scholar
IADB (Inter-American Development Bank) (2018d). Ejecutar proyectos de agua y saneamiento en el sector rural: Retos y desafíos en América Latina. Washington DC: IADB.Google Scholar
IADB (Inter-American Development Bank). (2019). Fundamental principles in PPP laws: A review of Latin Americas and the Caribbean. Washington DC: IADB.Google Scholar
IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development). (2009). Crisis and rural poverty in Latin America. Rome: IFAD.Google Scholar
IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development). (2016). Rural development report 2016: Fostering inclusive rural transformation. Rome: IFAD.Google Scholar
ILO (International Labour Organisation). (2016a). Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Geneva: Social Protection Department.Google Scholar
ILO (International Labour Organisation). (2016b). India labour market update. Geneva: ILO.Google Scholar
ILO (International Labour Organisation) (2016c). Panorama Temático Laboral. Trabajar en el campo en el Siglo XXI. Lima: ILO.Google Scholar
ILO (International Labour Organisation). (2018). World employment social outlook. Geneva: ILO.Google Scholar
Kareemulla, K., Sundaram, P. R., Kumar, S., & Ramarao, Ca. (2013). Impact of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in India on rural poverty and food security. Current Agriculture Research Journal, 1(1), 13–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
López, G., Domenech, B., & Martí, F. (2018). Sustainability and design assessment of rural hybrid microgrids in Venezuela . Energy , 159, 229–242.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mehtabul, A. (2012). The impact of the Indian job guarantee scheme on labour market outcomes: Evidence from a natural experiment. Bonn: Institute for the Study of Labour (IZA). (Discussion Paper series, Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit, No. 6548).Google Scholar
Ministry of Rural Development. (n.d.). The Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005. Operational Guidelines . New Delhi: Ministry of Rural Development.Google Scholar
Ministry of Rural Development. (2011). MGNREGA annual report 2010–2011. New Delhi: Ministry of Rural Development.Google Scholar
Ministry of Rural Development. (2017). The MGNREGA Act 2005: The Indian experience. New Delhi: Ministry of Rural Development.Google Scholar
Ministry of Rural Development. (2018). Annual report 2017–2018. New Delhi: Ministry of Rural Development.Google Scholar
Mohan, S. (2017). Indian policy and development. Chennai: McGraw Hill.Google Scholar
Nagaraj, N., Bantilan, C., Pandey, L. M., & Roy, N. S. (2016). Impact of MGNREGA on rural agricultural wages, farm productivity and net returns: An economic analysis across SAT village. India Journal of Agricultural Economics, 72(2), 176–190.Google Scholar
Narasimha, D., Amarender, R., & Bantilan, M. C. (2014). The Impact of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) on rural labour markets and agriculture. India Review, 13(3), 251–273.Google Scholar
Narayanamoorthy, A., & Bhattarai, M. (2013). Rural employment scheme and agricultural wage rate nexus: An analysis across states. Agricultural Economics Research Review, 26, 149–163.Google Scholar
Noyola, A., Padilla‐Rivera, A., Morgan‐Sagastume, J. M., Güereca, L. P., & Hernández‐Padilla, F. (2012). Typology of municipal wastewater treatment technologies in Latin America . Soil, Air and Water, 40(9), 926–932.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nudelsman, A. (2013). Implicaciones de la crisis financiera y económica en América Latina. Problemas del Desarrollo, 44, 125–146.Google Scholar
Pellissery, S., & Jalan, K. (2011). Towards transformative social protection: A gendered analysis of the Employment Guarantee Act of India (MGNREGA). Gender & Development, 19(2), 283–294.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pankaj, A. (2015). Employment Guarantee Scheme in India: Social inclusion and poverty reduction through MGNREGA. Expert and Inter-Agency Meeting on Implementation of the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, May 27 2015, Addis Ababa.Google Scholar
Phurailatpam, C., Rajpurohit, B. S., & Wang, L. (2018). Planning and optimization of autonomous DC microgrids for rural and urban applications in India . Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, Part 1, 82, 194–204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Planning Commission. (2008). Eleventh Year Plan 2007–2012. New Delhi: Planning Commission.Google Scholar
Rajasenan, D., De Venanzi, A., & Rajeev, B. (2019). Tribal populations in Kerala’s development process: Beneficiaries’ perceptions towards policies and schemes. Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities, 9(1), 1–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
The Gazette of India. (2005). The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act No.4 of 2005. New Delhi: The Gazette of India.Google Scholar
United Nations. (2018). Water integrity programme. Stockholm: United Nations.Google Scholar
UNDP (United Nations Development Program). (2009). Conditional cash transfers schemes for alliviating human poverty: Relevance for India. India: UNDP.Google Scholar
UNDP (United Nations Development Program). (2011). Empowering lives through Mahatma Gandhi NREGA. New Delhi: UNDP.Google Scholar
UNDP (United Nations Development Program). (2016). From the MDGs to sustainable development for all: Lessons from 15 years of practice. New York: UNDP.Google Scholar
Weintraub, S. (2009). An economic storm hits Latin America. Current History , 715(108), 58–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WHO (World Health Organisation). (2018). World Health Statistics 2018 . Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
WHO/UNICEF. (2010). A snapshot of sanitation and drinking water in the Latin America and the Caribbean region, WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation, October.Google Scholar
World Bank. (2003). Inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean. Washington DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
World Bank. (2008). Global economic prospects. Washington DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Zepeda, E., & Alarcon, D. (2012). Which way to reduce poverty: Cash trasfers or emloyment guaratee scheme? In Pankaj, A. (Ed.), The right to work in rural India (pp. 81–97). New Delhi: Sage.Google Scholar