New Delhi, Jan 20 : Affirmative action in local government leadership can significantly help improve health outcomes, particularly infant survival and maternal prenatal care, in India, according to a study, led by researchers at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow on Tuesday.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal, offers important insights into how structural interventions can address long-established social and health inequities.

The findings showed that village clusters with affirmative action in local leadership recorded significantly better health outcomes.

Infant mortality rates were significantly lower in villages led by local representatives.

Maternal health indicators also improved, including higher odds of receiving at least two prenatal visits, tetanus vaccinations, and prenatal supplements by the second trimester.

â??Our study found that local leaders from historically disadvantaged groups made decisions on health and education spending that appear to address some structural inequalities in local communities,â?? said Prof. K. G. Sahadevan from the varsity.

By using a quasi-experimental design, the research team focussed on the impact of leadership reservation for Scheduled Castes (SC) in Indiaâ??s local governments, the smallest units of governance responsible for delivering essential public services such as health and education.

The study compared 60 village clusters with SC-reserved leadership to 60 village clusters without such reservations in 2021.

The team used a rich mix of data sources, including administrative health records, primary data collected in schools, and in-depth interviews with local leaders.

While the study recorded an increase in health outcomes in villages with affirmative action in local leadership, no corresponding improvement was recorded in the education sector.

The research team did not find any statistically significant difference in the test scores between the two groups.

Further, it showed that Scheduled Caste leaders experienced difficulties in working with teachers, implying that persistent social inequalities may limit the effectiveness of improved education outcomes. It also discouraged potential SC leaders from stepping forward.

The research provides notable insights for policymakers in low- and middle-income countries seeking to advance human development outcomes.

/IANS