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Status-value

Source: TW

विस्तारः (द्रष्टुं नोद्यम्)

Brahmans (the highest caste) were much more likely to move home after completing their work contract in Fiji at the turn of the century. This allows the authors to estimate the value of status – 2.5 years income.

How much are individuals willing to pay for privileged status in a society with systemic discrimination? Utilizing unique data on indentured Indians in Fiji paying to return to India, I calculate how much upper-caste individuals were willing to pay historically for their status. I show the lower bound of the value of the uppermost castes in north India equaled almost 2.5 years’ gross wages. The ordering follows hypothesized inter-caste hierarchies and shows diminishing effects as caste status falls. Men entirely drive the effects. My results show some of the first evidence quantifying caste status values and speak to caste’s persistence.