Breaking Down Caste Barriers

Exclusionary stereotypes, biased attitudes and deep-rooted prejudices continue to hinder integration of historically “backward” castes in India into the mainstream economy. By increasing interaction between members of different groups, affirmative action policies have the potential to break down these stereotypes and reduce discriminatory behavior; yet resentment that such policies create may ultimately have perverse effects. I aim to study how exposure to individuals from diverse backgrounds affects social preferences, attitudes and behavior, in the context of an elite engineering college in India where lower admission standards are used for admitting students from historically marginalized backgrounds. I will randomly assign entering students, who all live in university-run dormitories, into high caste, low caste, and mixed caste rooms for the entirety of the first year. After a year, I will examine whether living together affects stereotypical attitudes; support for redistributive welfare policies, and behavioral outcomes such as forming study groups, rooming with students from other groups. I also examine effects on test scores, participation in extra-curricular activities and development of non-cognitive skills.