With the increasing importance of information and communication technologies in access to basic services like education and health, the question of the digital divide based on caste assumes importance in India where large socioeconomic disparities persist between different caste groups. Studies on caste-based digital inequality are still scanty in India. Using nationally representative survey data, this paper analyzes the first-level digital divide (ownership of computer and access to the internet) and the second-level digital divide (individual's skill to use computer and the internet) between the disadvantaged caste group and the others. Further, this paper identifies the caste group-based differences in socioeconomic factors that contribute to the digital divide between these groups using a non-linear decomposition method. The results show that there exists a large first-level and second-level digital divide between the disadvantaged caste groups and others in India. The non-linear decomposition results indicate that the caste-based digital divide in India is rooted in historical socioeconomic deprivation of disadvantaged caste groups. More than half of the caste-based digital gap is attributable to differences in educational attainment and income between the disadvantaged caste groups and others. The findings of this study highlight the urgent need for addressing educational and income inequality between the different caste groups in India in order to bridge the digital divide.
翻译:由于信息和通信技术在获得教育和保健等基本服务方面日益重要,基于种姓的数字鸿沟问题在印度显得十分重要,因为印度不同种姓群体之间仍然存在巨大的社会经济差距。关于基于种姓的数字不平等的研究在印度仍然很少。利用国家代表性的调查数据,本文件分析了第一级数字鸿沟(计算机所有权和互联网接入)和二级数字鸿沟(个人使用计算机和互联网的技能)在弱势种姓群体与其他群体之间日益重要。此外,本文件还查明了种姓群体在社会经济因素上的差异,这些因素导致这些群体之间利用非线性分解方法出现数字鸿沟。研究结果表明,印度处境不利种姓群体与其他群体之间在一级和二级上存在巨大的数字鸿沟。非线性分解结果表明,印度基于种姓的数字鸿沟的根源在于处境不利种姓群体历史上的社会经济贫困。基于种姓的数字鸿沟一半以上归因于弱势种姓群体与其他群体之间在教育成就和收入方面的差异。这项研究的结果突出表明,迫切需要解决印度不同种姓群体之间的教育和收入不平等问题。