Quotas continue to be regarded important policy solutions to social inequalities, but do they work? The Indian experience is particularly important in this regard as quotas for dalits have been in operation since independence and for women at the local government level since 1993. Sometimes vicious debates, anti-quota social mobilisations and governmental enquiries have all added to a sense of an impasse. The arguments against point to the creation of sub-elites, to an attack on meritocracy that India can ill afford, and to minimal changes in social status of dalits and women despite the quotas. The arguments for this strategy focus on evidence that quotas bring in new constituencies into play which generates new political and social agendas. These are partisan positions with little give. The Warwick event will try and break this logjam and address the issue anew.

Agenda for Equality: the possibilities and limits of affirmative action
Affirmative action or quotas or reservations continue to be regarded important policy solutions to social inequalities, but do they work? The Indian experience is particularly important in this regard as quotas for Dalits have been in operation since independence and for women at the local government level since 1993. Sometimes vicious debates, anti-quota social mobilisations and governmental enquiries have all added to a sense of an impasse. The arguments against point to the creation of sub-elites, to an attack on meritocracy that India can ill afford, and to minimal changes in social status of Dalits and women despite the quotas. The arguments for this strategy focus on evidence that quotas bring in new constituencies into play which generates new political and social agendas. These are partisan positions with little give.

The Warwick event will try and break this logjam and address the issue anew. It will do this be situating the Indian experience at the centre of an international debate on quotas and address this issue from multi-disciplinary as well as multi-sectoral perspectives. Scholars from India will be joined by scholars from South Africa, South Korea and UK for robust discussions about why, if at all, are quotas necessary to address social inequality, whether quotas can work, and if so, under what conditions can they work better?

Detailed programme of the event.  

Report of the event