The impact of employment quotas on the economic lives of disadvantaged minorities in India
利用印度联邦就业配额政策，发现对表列种姓男性农村居民获得有薪工作的概率有显著正向影响，且未发现精英俘获，但政策对表列部落无效。
India has the world’s biggest and arguably most aggressive employment-based affirmative action policy for minorities. This paper exploits the institutional features of a federally mandated employment quota policy to examine its causal impact on the economic lives of the two distinct minority groups (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes). My main finding is that a 1-percentage point increase in the employment quota for Scheduled Castes increases the likelihood of obtaining a salaried job by 0.6-percentage points for male Scheduled Caste members residing in the rural sector. The employment quota policy has no impact for Scheduled Tribes. Contrary to popular notion, I do not find evidence of “elite-capture” among the Scheduled Castes – the impact is concentrated among members who have completed less than secondary education . Consistent with the employment results, I find that the policy improved the well-being of Scheduled Castes members in rural areas who have completed less than secondary education . Finally, the impact of the employment quota policy varies by state characteristics.