Inheritance Law Reform and Women’s Access to Capital : Evidence from India’s Hindu Succession Act

This paper examines whether and to what extent amendments in inheritance legislation impact women's physical and human capital investments, using disaggregated household level data from India. The authors use inheritance patterns over three ge...

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Main Authors: Deininger, Klaus, Goyal, Aparajita, Nagarajan, Hari
Format: Policy Research Working Paper
Language:English
Published: 2012
Subjects:
SEX
Online Access:http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20100614094013
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3823
id okr-10986-3823
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-38232021-04-23T14:02:13Z Inheritance Law Reform and Women’s Access to Capital : Evidence from India’s Hindu Succession Act Deininger, Klaus Goyal, Aparajita Nagarajan, Hari ACCESS TO LAND ADVERSE EFFECTS AGE AT MARRIAGE AGE DISTRIBUTION AGE GROUPS AGE OF MARRIAGE AGED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AGRICULTURE ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES ASSETS BARRIERS TO WOMEN CHILD HEALTH CHILD MORTALITY COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE CONSTANT RETURNS TO SCALE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS DISCRIMINATION DISSEMINATION DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH DIVORCE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE DYING EARLY MARRIAGE ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS ECONOMIC INEQUALITY ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES ECONOMIC OUTCOMES ECONOMIC RESEARCH ECONOMIC STATUS ECONOMICS RESEARCH EDUCATION OF GIRLS EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT ELEMENTARY EDUCATION EMPOWERMENT EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN EQUALITY OF WOMEN EQUILIBRIUM THEORY FAMILY HEALTH FAMILY INCOME FAMILY LAW FAMILY MEMBERS FAMILY PROPERTY FAMILY RESOURCES FATHER FATHERS FEMALE FEMALE CHILDREN FEMALE HEIRS FEMALES FERTILITY FUNCTIONAL FORMS FUTURE GENERATIONS FUTURE RESEARCH GENDER GENDER ASPECTS GENDER BIAS GENDER DIFFERENCES GENDER DISCRIMINATION GENDER EQUALITY GENDER INEQUALITY HOME HOUSEHOLD FORMATION HOUSEHOLD LEVEL HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS HUMAN CAPITAL HUSBAND HUSBANDS IMPACT ON CHILDREN INCOME INEQUALITY INDIFFERENCE CURVES INEQUALITIES INEQUALITY INHERITANCE INHERITANCE RIGHTS INHERITANCES INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE INVESTMENT IN CHILDREN KINSHIP KINSHIP STRUCTURE LABOR FORCE LABOR SUPPLY LAND OWNERSHIP LAWS LEGAL AGE AT MARRIAGE LEGAL CHANGE LEGAL CHANGES LEGAL RIGHTS LEGISLATION LEGISLATIVE CHANGES LEVEL OF EDUCATION LIVELIHOOD OPPORTUNITIES LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES MARRIAGES MATERIAL WEALTH MATERNAL MORTALITY MODERNIZATION MOTHER MOTHERS NATIONAL COUNCIL NATIONAL LEVEL NUMBER OF CHILDREN NUTRITION OLD AGE OLD-AGE OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN OPTIMIZATION OWNERSHIP OF LAND PARENTS PENSION PENSIONS PERMANENT INCOME POLICY RESEARCH POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER POLITICAL ECONOMY POLITICAL POWER POLYGAMY POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT POPULATION STUDIES POSITIVE EFFECTS PRIMARY EDUCATION PRODUCTION FUNCTION PROGRESS PROPERTY RIGHTS REPRODUCTIVE DECISIONS RESOURCE ALLOCATION RESPECT RURAL AREAS RURAL DEVELOPMENT RURAL POVERTY SANCTIONS SEX SEX RATIOS SEXES SOCIAL SECURITY SOCIAL STATUS SPILLOVER SPOUSE SPOUSES STATE GOVERNMENTS STATUS OF WOMEN TAXATION UTILITY FUNCTION WIDOW WIDOWS WIFE WILL WILLS WIVES WOMAN This paper examines whether and to what extent amendments in inheritance legislation impact women's physical and human capital investments, using disaggregated household level data from India. The authors use inheritance patterns over three generations of individuals to assess the impact of changes in the Hindu Succession Act that grant daughters equal coparcenary birth rights in joint family property that were denied to daughters in the past. The causal effect is isolated by exploiting the variation in the timing of father's death to compare within household bequests of land given to sons and daughters in the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. The analysis shows that the amendment significantly increased daughters' likelihood to inherit land, but that even after the amendment substantial bias persists. The results also indicate a robust increase in educational attainment of daughters, suggesting an alternative channel of wealth transfer. 2012-03-19T18:40:27Z 2012-03-19T18:40:27Z 2010-06-01 http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20100614094013 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3823 English Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 5338 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper South Asia South Asia South Asia Asia India
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
topic ACCESS TO LAND
ADVERSE EFFECTS
AGE AT MARRIAGE
AGE DISTRIBUTION
AGE GROUPS
AGE OF MARRIAGE
AGED
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION
AGRICULTURE
ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES
ASSETS
BARRIERS TO WOMEN
CHILD HEALTH
CHILD MORTALITY
COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE
CONSTANT RETURNS TO SCALE
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
DISCRIMINATION
DISSEMINATION
DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH
DIVORCE
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
DYING
EARLY MARRIAGE
ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES
ECONOMIC OUTCOMES
ECONOMIC RESEARCH
ECONOMIC STATUS
ECONOMICS RESEARCH
EDUCATION OF GIRLS
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
EMPOWERMENT
EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN
EQUALITY OF WOMEN
EQUILIBRIUM THEORY
FAMILY HEALTH
FAMILY INCOME
FAMILY LAW
FAMILY MEMBERS
FAMILY PROPERTY
FAMILY RESOURCES
FATHER
FATHERS
FEMALE
FEMALE CHILDREN
FEMALE HEIRS
FEMALES
FERTILITY
FUNCTIONAL FORMS
FUTURE GENERATIONS
FUTURE RESEARCH
GENDER
GENDER ASPECTS
GENDER BIAS
GENDER DIFFERENCES
GENDER DISCRIMINATION
GENDER EQUALITY
GENDER INEQUALITY
HOME
HOUSEHOLD FORMATION
HOUSEHOLD LEVEL
HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS
HUMAN CAPITAL
HUSBAND
HUSBANDS
IMPACT ON CHILDREN
INCOME INEQUALITY
INDIFFERENCE CURVES
INEQUALITIES
INEQUALITY
INHERITANCE
INHERITANCE RIGHTS
INHERITANCES
INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
INVESTMENT IN CHILDREN
KINSHIP
KINSHIP STRUCTURE
LABOR FORCE
LABOR SUPPLY
LAND OWNERSHIP
LAWS
LEGAL AGE AT MARRIAGE
LEGAL CHANGE
LEGAL CHANGES
LEGAL RIGHTS
LEGISLATION
LEGISLATIVE CHANGES
LEVEL OF EDUCATION
LIVELIHOOD OPPORTUNITIES
LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES
MARRIAGES
MATERIAL WEALTH
MATERNAL MORTALITY
MODERNIZATION
MOTHER
MOTHERS
NATIONAL COUNCIL
NATIONAL LEVEL
NUMBER OF CHILDREN
NUTRITION
OLD AGE
OLD-AGE
OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN
OPTIMIZATION
OWNERSHIP OF LAND
PARENTS
PENSION
PENSIONS
PERMANENT INCOME
POLICY RESEARCH
POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER
POLITICAL ECONOMY
POLITICAL POWER
POLYGAMY
POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT
POPULATION STUDIES
POSITIVE EFFECTS
PRIMARY EDUCATION
PRODUCTION FUNCTION
PROGRESS
PROPERTY RIGHTS
REPRODUCTIVE DECISIONS
RESOURCE ALLOCATION
RESPECT
RURAL AREAS
RURAL DEVELOPMENT
RURAL POVERTY
SANCTIONS
SEX
SEX RATIOS
SEXES
SOCIAL SECURITY
SOCIAL STATUS
SPILLOVER
SPOUSE
SPOUSES
STATE GOVERNMENTS
STATUS OF WOMEN
TAXATION
UTILITY FUNCTION
WIDOW
WIDOWS
WIFE
WILL
WILLS
WIVES
WOMAN
spellingShingle ACCESS TO LAND
ADVERSE EFFECTS
AGE AT MARRIAGE
AGE DISTRIBUTION
AGE GROUPS
AGE OF MARRIAGE
AGED
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION
AGRICULTURE
ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES
ASSETS
BARRIERS TO WOMEN
CHILD HEALTH
CHILD MORTALITY
COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE
CONSTANT RETURNS TO SCALE
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
DISCRIMINATION
DISSEMINATION
DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH
DIVORCE
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
DYING
EARLY MARRIAGE
ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES
ECONOMIC OUTCOMES
ECONOMIC RESEARCH
ECONOMIC STATUS
ECONOMICS RESEARCH
EDUCATION OF GIRLS
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
EMPOWERMENT
EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN
EQUALITY OF WOMEN
EQUILIBRIUM THEORY
FAMILY HEALTH
FAMILY INCOME
FAMILY LAW
FAMILY MEMBERS
FAMILY PROPERTY
FAMILY RESOURCES
FATHER
FATHERS
FEMALE
FEMALE CHILDREN
FEMALE HEIRS
FEMALES
FERTILITY
FUNCTIONAL FORMS
FUTURE GENERATIONS
FUTURE RESEARCH
GENDER
GENDER ASPECTS
GENDER BIAS
GENDER DIFFERENCES
GENDER DISCRIMINATION
GENDER EQUALITY
GENDER INEQUALITY
HOME
HOUSEHOLD FORMATION
HOUSEHOLD LEVEL
HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS
HUMAN CAPITAL
HUSBAND
HUSBANDS
IMPACT ON CHILDREN
INCOME INEQUALITY
INDIFFERENCE CURVES
INEQUALITIES
INEQUALITY
INHERITANCE
INHERITANCE RIGHTS
INHERITANCES
INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
INVESTMENT IN CHILDREN
KINSHIP
KINSHIP STRUCTURE
LABOR FORCE
LABOR SUPPLY
LAND OWNERSHIP
LAWS
LEGAL AGE AT MARRIAGE
LEGAL CHANGE
LEGAL CHANGES
LEGAL RIGHTS
LEGISLATION
LEGISLATIVE CHANGES
LEVEL OF EDUCATION
LIVELIHOOD OPPORTUNITIES
LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES
MARRIAGES
MATERIAL WEALTH
MATERNAL MORTALITY
MODERNIZATION
MOTHER
MOTHERS
NATIONAL COUNCIL
NATIONAL LEVEL
NUMBER OF CHILDREN
NUTRITION
OLD AGE
OLD-AGE
OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN
OPTIMIZATION
OWNERSHIP OF LAND
PARENTS
PENSION
PENSIONS
PERMANENT INCOME
POLICY RESEARCH
POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER
POLITICAL ECONOMY
POLITICAL POWER
POLYGAMY
POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT
POPULATION STUDIES
POSITIVE EFFECTS
PRIMARY EDUCATION
PRODUCTION FUNCTION
PROGRESS
PROPERTY RIGHTS
REPRODUCTIVE DECISIONS
RESOURCE ALLOCATION
RESPECT
RURAL AREAS
RURAL DEVELOPMENT
RURAL POVERTY
SANCTIONS
SEX
SEX RATIOS
SEXES
SOCIAL SECURITY
SOCIAL STATUS
SPILLOVER
SPOUSE
SPOUSES
STATE GOVERNMENTS
STATUS OF WOMEN
TAXATION
UTILITY FUNCTION
WIDOW
WIDOWS
WIFE
WILL
WILLS
WIVES
WOMAN
Deininger, Klaus
Goyal, Aparajita
Nagarajan, Hari
Inheritance Law Reform and Women’s Access to Capital : Evidence from India’s Hindu Succession Act
geographic_facet South Asia
South Asia
South Asia
Asia
India
relation Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 5338
description This paper examines whether and to what extent amendments in inheritance legislation impact women's physical and human capital investments, using disaggregated household level data from India. The authors use inheritance patterns over three generations of individuals to assess the impact of changes in the Hindu Succession Act that grant daughters equal coparcenary birth rights in joint family property that were denied to daughters in the past. The causal effect is isolated by exploiting the variation in the timing of father's death to compare within household bequests of land given to sons and daughters in the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. The analysis shows that the amendment significantly increased daughters' likelihood to inherit land, but that even after the amendment substantial bias persists. The results also indicate a robust increase in educational attainment of daughters, suggesting an alternative channel of wealth transfer.
format Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
author Deininger, Klaus
Goyal, Aparajita
Nagarajan, Hari
author_facet Deininger, Klaus
Goyal, Aparajita
Nagarajan, Hari
author_sort Deininger, Klaus
title Inheritance Law Reform and Women’s Access to Capital : Evidence from India’s Hindu Succession Act
title_short Inheritance Law Reform and Women’s Access to Capital : Evidence from India’s Hindu Succession Act
title_full Inheritance Law Reform and Women’s Access to Capital : Evidence from India’s Hindu Succession Act
title_fullStr Inheritance Law Reform and Women’s Access to Capital : Evidence from India’s Hindu Succession Act
title_full_unstemmed Inheritance Law Reform and Women’s Access to Capital : Evidence from India’s Hindu Succession Act
title_sort inheritance law reform and women’s access to capital : evidence from india’s hindu succession act
publishDate 2012
url http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20100614094013
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3823
_version_ 1764388528460922880