Human Development Index for Rural Andhra Pradesh

Author: 
Jatinder S. Bedi, H. Ramachandran
JEL codes: 
O15
Description: 
Working Paper No. 99
Organisation: 
Abstract: 

The method used to measure Human Development are reviewed in order to measure Human Development Index for rural AP by considering indicators such as economic attainment, longevity and education. Using UNDP method to estimate Human Development Index, which is predominantly normative approach to club different indicators by giving weights. The estimates are worked out with and without considering inequalities in economic attainment indicator. IAMR survey data for year 2001 is used for this study. However, for making comparison over time, data and analysis undertaken in other study is also used. In other methods, primarily for the analysis of data for year 2001, inequalities in all indicators were taken into consideration to measure Human Development using both UNDP and Principal Component Analysis. The comparison of results show that there has been only marginal improvement in Human development during the 1990s in rural AP considering only inequality in economic indicator using UNDP method. However, the results may differ significantly in case inequalities in all the variables are taken into account and depending upon the methodology used as is demonstrated by analysis of data for year 2001. But unfortunately comparison of analysis over time using the modified approach was not possible due to lack of detailed data for other years.