Summary and Conclusion

Abstract

As stated in the introduction, this volume seeks to bring together a collection of essays covering a diverse set of topics but with a shared focus on household behaviour and welfare. The emphasis in the chosen studies is on the interplay of methodology and empirical work with a view to understanding the behaviour in a way that can lend itself to policy formulations that can improve household welfare. Much of the empirical studies that have been reported in detail here have been on India which provides an interesting setting given the size and diversity of the country, the spatial nature of the intra-country comparisons involved in rural–urban comparisons and that between States, and the availability of rich data sets in India that contain a variety of information that is matched by few other countries. Not surprisingly, India has seen some of the earliest studies on consumer demand behaviour and welfare analysis.