Challenging Cultural Conventions : Qualitative Evidence from Jeevika
In 2006, when the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project was launched, the state’s rural poverty ratio was 44.6 percent - 36 million of the total 82 million people in Bihar were living in poverty. Bihar is India’s third most populous state with 8 percent...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Brief |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2019
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/528581571807217865/Challenging-Cultural-Conventions-Qualitative-Evidence-from-Jeevika http://hdl.handle.net/10986/32608 |
| Summary: | In 2006, when the Bihar Rural
Livelihoods Project was launched, the state’s rural poverty
ratio was 44.6 percent - 36 million of the total 82 million
people in Bihar were living in poverty. Bihar is India’s
third most populous state with 8 percent of the total
population but ranks lowest on the human development index
(HDI). Rural communities in the state are often beset by
pervasive social inequalities and caste and gender
hierarchies. Simultaneously, Bihar has also had a long
history of progressive movements that constantly challenged
upper caste hegemony. However, these movements have had
limited success in address gender inequality - Bihar ranked
lowest on the Gender Equality Index with lower caste women
facing double subordination. Overall, rural Bihar was
characterized by weak service delivery, complex political
and social dynamics, limited inclusion of the poor into
institutions, few economic opportunities, and a frail
development infrastructure. It was in the midst of this that
JEEViKA was piloted and implemented. |
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