Sudeshna Maitra, an assistant professor in the Department of Economics, has written an article in The Policy Edge titled Why Caste Inequality Persists Despite Greater Mobility. In the article, she explores why caste-based inequality in India persists across generations, even as exclusion from education and employment becomes less central.
Drawing on a simulated model calibrated to 2025 Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data, she identifies two distinct drivers of disadvantage in urban India: barriers to entering higher-paying occupations and unequal rewards for disadvantaged-caste households once they enter those occupations.
Maitra argues that policymakers need to match solutions to the source of inequality. Expanding access should be assessed through measures such as representation and mobility, while efforts to improve outcomes should focus on earnings, security and living standards.
Maitra holds a PhD in economics from Princeton University. Her research interests are in development economics, health, gender, poverty and inequality. Her research often explores the economic processes that could be at work behind observed data.
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