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Ageing in ‘‘Poor Household’’ or Ageing into Poverty? Tackling the Policy Dilemma of Redistribution

The policy issue of how to target poor households rather than provide universal coverage takes the primary place in the question of redistribution where resources are limited. The Government of India’s social protection programs, particularly the old age pension for the informal sector of the econom...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Sony Pellissery and Irudaya Rajan
Format: Printed Book
Published: Asian Social Work and Policy Review 2010
Subjects:
Online Access:http://10.26.1.76/ks/004511.pdf
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100 |a Sony Pellissery and Irudaya Rajan  |9 21530 
245 |a Ageing in ‘‘Poor Household’’ or Ageing into Poverty? Tackling the Policy Dilemma of Redistribution 
260 |b Asian Social Work and Policy Review  |c 2010 
300 |a P. 26–42  |b 4 
520 |a The policy issue of how to target poor households rather than provide universal coverage takes the primary place in the question of redistribution where resources are limited. The Government of India’s social protection programs, particularly the old age pension for the informal sector of the economy, has taken a targeting approach. In this article we show that there is a case for universal coverage since ageing households experience greater exclusion from market-based protection as well as from informal (household-based) protection. We make the argument for universal coverage on two grounds: first, a targeted approach has resulted in leakage, indicating that non-poor elderly individuals in the unorganized sector also require some sort of support. Though they are valid, we do not resort to traditional arguments against targeting, such as that it creates institutional lock-in mechanisms and stigmatizes the recipients. Second, the loss of income on age-related matters (e.g. hospitalization) or the ability of elderly individuals to gain credit is not particularly class-specific, although the targeting policy implies it is. The article is based on the secondary data source of the National Sample Survey, primary data sources, particularly those conducted by the authors in Kerala and Maharashtra and specifically designed for the ageing population, and ethnographic observations from fieldwork. 
650 |a SOCIAL PROTECTION;  |a OLDAGE;  |a GERONTOLOGY   |9 21531 
856 |u http://10.26.1.76/ks/004511.pdf 
942 |c KS 
999 |c 74734  |d 74734 
952 |0 0  |1 0  |4 0  |7 0  |9 66722  |a MGUL  |b MGUL  |d 2015-10-19  |l 0  |r 2015-10-19  |w 2015-10-19  |y KS