Poverty Debate in India: A Minority View

Abstract

Rum1 socio-economic chonge Is often inodequarely captuned by social science reseorch in the &Id. This happens
\npartly duc to perceptions of the nsearchers and partly due to inadequacies of research tools and approaches,
\nTlrispoper illus~mtesth e situation by pmenting evidence on incidence of rum1 poverty in two villages of Rqiosthan
\nas examined through different approaches, during 1963-66 and 1982-84. Households that have become poonr
\nby conventional measurement oj income in fact appear better off when seen through dvferent qualitative indicators
\noftheir economic well-being. The poper suggests the need for supplementing conventional measurements of income
\nby qualitative indicators of change to orrive at a realistic understanding of rural socio-economic change.