Q.44 “Of late, India has also realised that influencing social norms will bring in multiple socio-economic dividends to the economy.” Comment with the help of suitable current illustrations.

Ans. Mankind is basically a social and psychological byproduct. It means, our actions have high influence of socio-psychological factors. This has been validated by the recent studies, too. Lately, even the international agencies have also suggested the world governments to include the behavioural dimensions of their citizens into their policy framework.

Several factors related to our behaviour are directly and indirectly related to the prospects of growth and development. For example, ‘social norms’ are considered a major factor of maternal health in India—young women are accorded low status in joint households. Within-household nutritional differentials are stark. A recent study (Economic Survey 2015–16) shows that children of younger brothers in joint family households are significantly more likely to be born underweight than children of their older brother. This is attached in part to the lower status of younger daughter-in-laws in families.

Like several other countries in the world, India too has recognised the importance of influencing ‘social norms’ in a wide variety of sectors—

• persuading the rich to give up subsidies they do not need,

• motivating citizens to take care of old people,

• inculcating a tendency to do good to others and philanthropic actions,

• enhancing the level of trust among the citizens. For this the GoI took initiative to first trust its own citizens (self-attestation of documents, etc.),

• reducing social prejudices against girls,

• educating people about the health externalities of keeping public spaces clean, and

• appealing to go against open defecation. India’s attempts in this regard has been appreciated by the World Bank, too (WDR-2015).

The government has a progressive role to play in changing norms, and indeed governments all over the world have embarked on systematic ways of studying how to promote behavioural change.