Affirmative Action in India: Restricted Strategy Space, Complex Constraints, and Direct Mechanism Design

Thumbnail Image
Supplemental Files
Date
2023-11-22
Authors
Aygün, Orhan
Major Professor
Advisor
Committee Member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Since the 1950s, India has instituted an intricate affirmative action program through a meticulously designed reservation system. This system incorporates vertical and horizontal reservations to address historically marginalized groups’ socioeconomic imbalances. Vertical reservations designate specific quotas of available positions for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and Economically Weaker Sections. Concurrently, horizontal reservations are employed within each vertical category to allocate positions for additional subgroups, such as women and individuals with disabilities. In educational admissions, the legal framework recommended that unfilled positions reserved for the OBC category revert to unreserved status. Moreover, we document that individuals from vertically reserved categories have more complicated preferences over institution-vertical category position pairs, even though authorities only elicit their preferences over institutions. To address these challenges, the present paper proposes a novel class of Generalized Lexicographic (GL) choice rules. This class is comprehensive, subsuming the most salient priority structures discussed in the extant matching literature. Utilizing the GL choice rules and the deferred acceptance mechanism, we present a robust framework that generates equitable and effective solutions for resource allocation problems in the Indian context.
Series Number
Journal Issue
Is Version Of
Versions
Series
23006
Academic or Administrative Unit
Type
working paper
Comments
JEL Classification: C78, D02, D47, I38
Length: 41 pages
Original Release Date: October 4, 2023
Revision: November 1, 2023
Latest Revision: November 22, 2023

Copyright 2023, The Authors
Rights Statement
Copyright
Funding
DOI
Supplemental Resources
Source
Collections