Pareto efficiency in intrahousehold allocations: evidence from rice farming households in India. (3rd April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Shandal, Monica; Mohapatra, Sandeep; Chellattan Veettil, Prakashan
• Is Part Of: Oxford development studies. Volume 50:Number 2(2022)
• Page Start: 158
• Page End: 176
• Publication Date: 2022-04-03
• Subjects: Gender -- agriculture -- marginal yield distribution -- pareto efficiency; Economic development -- Periodicals; Economic policy -- Periodicals; Economic history -- Periodicals; 338.9
• DOI: 10.1080/13600818.2021.2020741
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1360-0818

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Intrahousehold models assume that plots farmed by women are as productive as plots farmed by men within the same household. Using a large plot-level dataset on rice farming households in India, we find evidence of significant Pareto inefficiency: women's plots produce lower yields compared to their spouse's plots, conditional on crop, plot and other attributes. The inefficiency is larger in the left tail of the rice yield distribution and primarily attributed to child-care burdens and social-norms faced by women.