Economic/Income Classification

This paper reports a wealth ranking exercise, carried out with two locally influential key informants and with a group of marginal farmers in an Ismaili village in India. The criteria were chosen by the local participants. The two interviews resulted in complementary information. The criteria listed were: health of family members, education of children, asset ownership, credit worthiness, bank balance, land ownership, part time employment, number of dependants, and size of house. These classifications are considered useful for giving a representative understanding of the dynamics of rural income classification. The classification of these criteria is discussed in detail, and some conclusions regarding income generating interventions and income inequality are presented.