Inequality in Rural Tamil Nadu between 1993–1994 and 2011–2012: A Class Analysis

Abstract

This article examines the trends in inequality in rural Tamil Nadu between 1993–1994 and 2011–2012 based on consumer expenditure data of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO). Using “class” as an analytical category in broad Marxian sense, it offers a class perspective to understand inequality by grouping rural households into 11 classes. The article argues that the increase in rural inequality in Tamil Nadu between 1993–1994 and 2004–2005 is partly because of an increase in inequality between the classes, while the inequality within classes remained constant. Thereafter between 2004–2005 and 2011–2012, rural inequality declined following a decrease in the inequality between classes. The article contextualizes and explains these results in the light of other empirical studies.