The politics of anti-poverty artefacts: lessons from the computerization of the food security system in Karnataka
Open accessAbstract
The last few years have seen a rapid increase in the discussion of the role of new technologies in strengthening social safety nets. However, the hypothesis that technology design is intertwined with political agendas - aiming at instilling specific visions and policy objectives in anti-poverty programmes - has remained to a large extent unexplored, being either taken as implicit or neglected by technical discourse. In this paper, we look at computerization of a large food security programme - the Public Distribution System in Karnataka, India - to argue that technology, far from simply affecting the functioning of existing processes, can be built to advance specific political agendas, which carry clear stances on the ways in which social welfare targets are to be reached. However, recipients' perception of these programmes depends highly on how technology affects access to their entitlements, which need therefore to be set at the core of anti-poverty technology design. The case study is used to draw lessons for policy, specifically aimed at countries embarking into computerization of their social safety nets.
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In Kerala and Karnataka, fake transaction records were used by ration dealers to hide illegal transactions on private markets.
“which—as data from both states reveal—were used by ration dealers to hide the conduct of illegal transactions on private markets (Masiero 2015; Prakash and Masiero 2015).”
From Biometric Infrastructures and the Indian Public Distribution System (2020) · cites this paper as Masiero 2015
In Kerala, computerization has improved the ability to allocate goods at the ration shop level and monitor offtake from the program.
“In Kerala, where post-targeting problems had been significant, computerization has improved the ability to allocate goods at the ration shop level and monitor offtake from the program (Masiero 2015).”
From Biometric Infrastructures and the Indian Public Distribution System (2020) · cites this paper as Masiero 2015
If users are not recognized from the front-end interface of the biometric PDS, the risk is exclusion from access to food rations, an outcome already noted in biometrically enabled systems across the nation.
“If users are not recognized from the front-end interface of the biometric PDS, the risk is that of exclusion from access to food rations, an outcome that has already been noted in biometrically enabled systems across the nation (Masiero and Prakash 2015; Drèze and Khera 2017).”
From Biometric Infrastructures and the Indian Public Distribution System (2020) · cites this paper as Masiero and Prakash 2015
In an earlier study of Karnataka, in a limited number of ration shops, ration dealers resorted to paper-based records of transactions to bypass the point-of-sale machine in case of malfunctioning.
“In an earlier study of Karnataka (Masiero and Prakash 2015) it had emerged that, in a limited number of ration shops, ration dealers resorted to paper-based records of transactions to bypass the point-of-sale machine in case of malfunctioning.”
From Biometric Infrastructures and the Indian Public Distribution System (2020) · cites this paper as Masiero and Prakash 2015
Technology can be used to strengthen the PDS in its current form, suggesting that there are alternatives to dismantling the system in favor of direct transfers.
“If technology can be used to strengthen the PDS in its current form, this suggests that there are alternatives to dismantling the system in favor of direct transfers, and the use of technology for strengthening the existing PDS should be compared and contrasted with that possibility (Masiero 2015; Khera 2017).”
From Biometric Infrastructures and the Indian Public Distribution System (2020) · cites this paper as Masiero 2015
Cites
Food policy and politics: The political economy of the public distribution system in India
Mooij, J. (1998) · The Journal of Peasant Studies · doi:10.1080/03066159808438667 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
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Datafying anti-poverty programmes: implications for data justice
Masiero, S., & Das, S. (2019) · Information, Communication & Society · doi:10.1080/1369118x.2019.1575448 · Cited by 103 · see citing works
Self-citationBiometric Infrastructures and the Indian Public Distribution System
Masiero, S. (2020) · South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal · doi:10.4000/samaj.6459 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
“50 These observations are reflected in my latest study of the Aadhaar-based PDS in Karnataka (Masiero and Das 2019).”
InfluentialSelf-citation
- Authors
- Masiero, S., & Prakash, A.
- Affiliations
- London School of Economics and Political Science (GB)
- International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IN)
- Venue
- Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development
- Publisher
- ACM
- Published
- 2015-05-15
- Pages
- 1-10
- OpenAlex
- W2040786693
- Cited by
- 14
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2023: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 3 · 2017: 2 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 4.79
- Type
- conference paper
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- dspace.lboro.ac.uk
- Licence
- Locations
- International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development (ICTD) (publishedVersion)
- Loughborough University Institutional Repository (Loughborough University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- Bagri Fellowship awarded by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Asia Research Centre
- Centre for IT and Public Policy (CITAPP) at the International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › E-Government and Public Services
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
- Keywords
- social safety nets, public distribution system, food security, recipient perceptions, Karnataka
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