Muduli, D and Madheswaran, S (2026) Born unequal in sanitation: intersecting wealth, caste, education, and place in shaping access opportunities in India. Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy. pp. 1-38. ISSN 1354-7860
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Despite progress in sanitation coverage under the Swachh Bharat Mission, access remains unevenly distributed across socio-economic groups in India, reflecting structural inequalities. This study is among the first to examine inequality of opportunity (IOP) in basic sanitation access, conceptualizing it as a health-enabling opportunity shaped by inherited circumstances beyond individual control. Using National Family Health Survey-5 (2019–21) data figure 2, we integrate Classification Tree Analysis, the Dissimilarity Index (D-index), and Shapley decomposition to quantify opportunity-based inequality and identify the contributions of household wealth, caste, education, and place of residence. Results reveal substantial interstate variation, with a national D-index of 0.073 indicating that 7.3% of sanitation opportunities must be redistributed to achieve equality; Kerala emerges as the most equitable state. Household wealth is the dominant driver, followed by caste, education, and residence. Aggregate coverage gains alone do not ensure equitable access, underscoring the need for targeted, equity-oriented sanitation policy.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Divisions: | Research Program - Transforming Agrifood Systems |
| CRP: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Basic sanitation, classification tree analysis, dissimilarity index, India, inequality of opportunity, shapley decomposition |
| Subjects: | Others > Rural Development Others > India |
| Depositing User: | Mr Nagaraju T |
| Date Deposited: | 02 Nov 2026 05:05 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Nov 2026 05:05 |
| URI: | http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/13672 |
| Official URL: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/135478... |
| Projects: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Funders: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Acknowledgement: | UNSPECIFIED |
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