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Farmer Suicides in India: Levels and Trends across Major States, 1995-2011

Author

Listed:
  • Basu, Deepankar
  • Das, Debarshi
  • Misra, Kartik

    (Department of Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst)

Abstract
In the paper, we use data on farmer suicides from the National Crime Records Bureau and population data from the Censuses of 1991, 2001 and 2011 to estimate the suicide mortality rate (SMR) of farmers and non-farmers for 19 major states of India and for the country as a whole. We use movements in the SMR ratio (ratio of farmer SMR and non-farmer SMR) to understand the level and trend of the problem of farmer suicides across states and over time. For the country as a whole, and for many individual states, the SMR ratio has increased over time. This suggests that the problem of farmer suicides has become more severe across large swathes of the country, and calls for immediate and well planned policy interventions.

Suggested Citation

  • Basu, Deepankar & Das, Debarshi & Misra, Kartik, 2016. "Farmer Suicides in India: Levels and Trends across Major States, 1995-2011," UMASS Amherst Economics Working Papers 2016-01, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ums:papers:2016-01
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    File URL: http://www.umass.edu/economics/publications/2016-01.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Reddy, D. Narasimha & Mishra, Srijit (ed.), 2009. "Agrarian Crisis in India," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780195695953.
    2. Gill, Anita & Singh, Lakhwinder, 2006. "Farmers’ Suicides and Response of Public Policy: Evidence, Diagnosis and Alternatives from Punjab," MPRA Paper 146, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Anoop Sadanandan, 2014. "Political economy of suicide: financial reforms, credit crunches and farmer suicides in India," Journal of Developing Areas, Tennessee State University, College of Business, vol. 48(4), pages 287-307, October-D.
    4. Guillaume Gruere & Debdatta Sengupta, 2011. "Bt Cotton and Farmer Suicides in India: An Evidence-based Assessment," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(2), pages 316-337.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mirza, Arshad & Singh, Nirvikar, 2018. "Mental Health Policy in India: Seven Sets of Questions and Some Answers," MPRA Paper 91046, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Sthanu R Nair, 2021. "Agrarian suicides in India: Myth and reality," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 39(1), pages 3-21, January.
    3. Ankur Jain & Neela Madhaba Sheekha, 2022. "Agrarian crisis in wheat-producing region of India: analysis of profitability and costs," Journal of Social and Economic Development, Springer;Institute for Social and Economic Change, vol. 24(2), pages 320-339, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    farmer suicides; India; debt; agrarian crisis.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q10 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - General
    • I30 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General
    • J11 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts

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