Debt in Rural South India: Fragmentation, Social Regulation and Discrimination
通过多变量和定性分析，揭示印度南部农村家庭债务的碎片化本质，发现种姓、阶级和地理位置影响借贷成本、用途和渠道，债务是社会交易而非纯经济行为，并反映了社会保障缺失、就业不足和消费主义上升等趋势。
Abstract This micro-level study combines multivariate and qualitative analyses to highlight the fragmented nature of debt in southern Indian rural households. It finds that debt is socially regulated in the sense that social interactions shape the cost, use and access to debt. Caste, social class and location affect how individuals borrow varying amounts from distinct money providers, for varied purposes and at differing costs. Debt thus is not purely an economic but first and foremost a social transaction which inscribes debtors and creditors into local systems of hierarchies. Furthermore, we find that debt is an illustration and catalyst of broader socio-economic and political trends, namely a lack of social protection, persistent under-employment and rising consumerism. In terms of policy implications, the study highlights the ambiguities and illusions inherent to ‘financial inclusion' policies aiming to eradicate informal debt.