Better than quotas

At least the debate has gone forward. Industry responded to the prime minister8217;s suggestion, made at the CII conference on Tuesday, on broadbasing employment by affirmative action. Affirmative action allows for flexibility in implementation 8212; in this context, companies can choose how they want to equalise opportunities and not be forced to fill pre-fixed quotas. It doesn8217;t take a group of ministers to figure out this makes for a somewhat better marriage between business and welfare. But the GoM that was set up to look at private sector job quotas did perform a useful role 8212; it pointed out how this extension of reservations will be constitutionally tricky. Job quotas for the private sector would in any case have meant little by way of numbers: the organised corporate sector employs around three per cent of India8217;s workforce. Affirmative action, which needn8217;t necessarily meet a fixed target, is a better tool for social diversification at the upper ends of the labour and education markets.

America is the biggest lab for affirmative action. There8217;s irrefutable evidence that representation of women and minorities in education, employment and business has increased because of affirmative action. University admissions in the US work typically on the basis of awarding additional points to students on the basis of gender, race, national origin, and so on. A fact missed by many in the Indian debate is that JNU admissions apply a variation of this principle. Additional points are awarded to candidates based on social, economic and geographical measures. JNU undoubtedly showcases greater social diversity than similar academic institutions.

But, and hoping that Arjun Singh doesn8217;t hurry through an affirmative action policy, there are problems too. America has been debating the issue vigorously, with some court judgments questioning the constitutional basis for such a policy the argument is that the principle of equal protection under the law is being violated. Awarding extra points for entry into fiercely contested academic seats or corporate jobs may start similar protests here. Plus, the supply of institutional integrity being rather more in the US than here, leaving every institution to fix its own points system may create another blackmarket. Ultimately, there8217;s no alternative to hugely increasing the supply of good education at all levels. True, that sounds like a cliche. But it8217;s a cliche that can save us a lot of trouble.