Changes in Living Standards in Villages in India 1975-2004

Revisiting the ICRISAT Village Level Studies

This paper examines changes in living conditions in the six villages in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, initially surveyed during 1975-84. It links the original Village Level Survey (VLS) households to a new survey in the villages conducted during 2001-04 and further extensive survey work in 2005-06, including tracking survey of all individuals ever interviewed in the original VLS. Dispite issues related to attrition and changes int he survey instruments, the authors find that monetary welfare indicators and non monetary indicators of well-being have improved considerably.

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