Improving the Labor Market Outcomes of Minorities: The Role of Employment Quota

The world's biggest and arguably most aggressive form of employment based affirmative action policy for minorities exists in India. This paper exploits the institutional features of Indian mandated employment quota policy to examine its effect on minorities' [scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs)] labor market outcomes. My best estimate of the effect of 1- percent increase in employment quota for SCs increases their probability of finding a salaried job by 0.9- percentage points. This effect varies by gender and location. The less educated SCs experienced increase in their consumption expenditure. I do not find similar effects for the STs