Spatial Pattern of Multi-dimensional Regional Disparities in the Level of Socio-economic Development in West Bengal: A Geographical Analysis
Abstract
Micro-level spatial analysis of the different phenomenon duly associated with human development and also with the wellbeing of a nation. The study is a heart-core attempt to examine the inter-block regional disparity and development by constructing a multi-dimensional approach-based index. The study used thirty-four sub-dimensional variables under the five dimensions, including health, education, economy, socio-demography, and transport. The article used the data of the district statistical handbook of 2013 and census data of 2011. The empirical results of the study confirm the existence of huge inter-regional disparity on multi-dimensional developmental aspects, which drastically hampers the all-round growth and socio-economic development of Jalpaiguri Administrative Dvision (JAD) of West Bengal. The blocks of Khairabari, Darjeeling-Pulbazar, Rngli-rangit, Mirik, Kurseong, Kalimpong I & II are found to be high regional imbalances in the development of education, health, employment, and economy. The study also helps to identify the most backward blocks. It confirms the huge inter-block/district disparities in West Bengal. The study argued that the low developed and high disparities blocks require special attention from policymakers in order to the improvement of overall socio-economic development of the study area.
Keywords: Jalpaiguri Administrative Dvision; Multi-dimensonal approach; regional disparity; regional imbalances; socio-economic development
Copyright (c) 2021 Geosfera Indonesia and Department of Geography Education, University of Jember
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share A like 4.0 International License
References
Adu, D. T., Kuwornu, J. K., Anim-Somuah, H., & Sasaki, N. (2018). Application of livelihood vulnerability index in assessing smallholder maize farming households' vulnerability to climate change in Brong-Ahafo region of Ghana. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, 39(1), 22–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kjss.2017.06.009.
Agricultural & Environmental Data Archive. (2013). Socio-economic development. Retrieved from http://www.environmentdata.org.
Ahmed, N. (2013). Identification of micro regional disparities in the level of development in the rural areas: A case study of Malda District of West Bengal (India). International Journal of Management and Social Sciences Research, 2(5), 37–45.
Akhtar, R., & Izhar, N. (1986). The spatial distribution of health resources within countries and communities: Examples from India and Zambia. Social Science & Medicine, 22(11), 1115–1129. https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(86)90178-4.
ALC India. (2018). Basic Module for Promotion of Sustainable Livelihoods Practitioners Guide. New Delhi : National Level Training Programme.
Banerjee, S. (1992). Disparities in development of socio-economic infrastructure in rural areas of selected district of Uttar Pradesh. Geographical Review of India, 54(1).
Banu, N., & Biswas, B. (2021). Role of international border on healthcare access in West Bengal, India: A geographical analysis. GeoJournal. Published. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-021-10411-8.
Barman, S. (2020). Appraisal of Pattern of Micro-Regional Disparity in Socio-economic Development: Evidences from the Districts of North Bengal, India, Geography in the 21st Centuary Emerging Issues and the way Forward (pp. 186–202). New Delhi : Namya Press.
Bera, S., Das, A., & Mazumder, T. (2019). A multi-objective framework for multi-dimensional vulnerability assessment – Case of a coastal district of West Bengal, India. Journal of Environmental Management, 249, 109411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109411.
Bhandari, L. & Chakraborty, M. (2015). Spatial Poverty in West Bengal. Retrieved from https://www.livemint.com/.
Biriescu, S., &Babaita, C. (2014). Rural Education, an Important Factor of Regional Development in the Context of Local Government Strategies. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 124, 77–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.02.462.
Biswas, B. (2016). Regional Disparities Pattern of Literacy in Rural and Urban area of West Bengal, India. Global Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 5(7), 105–112.
Bose, A., Mondal, A., & Chowdhury, I. R. (2020). A Study on Inter-block level Regional Disparity Analysis of Uttar Dinajpur District, West Bengal. In R. Sarkar (Ed.), Geography in the 21st Century Emerging Issues and the way Forward (pp. 225–248). New Delhi : Namya Press.
Brandt, W. (1980). North-South: A Programme for Survival. London: Pan Books.
Braveman, P. (2014). What are Health Disparities and Health Equity? We Need to Be Clear. Public Health Reports, 129 (1), 5–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549141291s203.
Bureau of Applied Economic & Statistics. (2013). Cooch Behar District Statistical Handbook 2010 & 2011. Retrieved from http://www.wbpspm.gov.in/.
Bureau of Applied Economic & Statistics. (2013). Darjeeling District Statistical Handbook 2013. Retrieved from http://www.wbpspm.gov.in/.
Bureau of Applied Economic & Statistics. (2013). Jalpaiguri District Statistical Handbook 2013. Retrieved from http://www.wbpspm.gov.in/.
Cai, F., Wang, D., & Du, Y. (2002). Regional disparity and economic growth in China: The impact of labour market distortions. China Economic Review, 13(2–3), 197–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1043-951X(02)00072-X.
Census of India (2011). District Census Handbook:Jalpaiguri Village and Town Directory (Part XII-A). Retrieved from https://censusindia.gov.in/.
Census of India (2011). District Census Handbook: Koch Bihar Village and Town Directory (Part XII-A). Retrieved from https://censusindia.gov.in/.
Census of India (2011). District Census Handbook: Village and Town Directory (Part XII-A). Darjiling Directorate of Census Operations West Bengal. Retrieved from https://censusindia.gov.in/.
Chotia, V., & Rao, N. (2015). Examining the interlinkages between regional infrastructure disparities, economic growth, and poverty: A case of Indian states. Economic Annals, 60(205), 53–71. https://doi.org/10.2298/eka1505053c.
Das, A. (1999). Socio-economic development in India: a regional analysis. Development and Society, 28(2), 313–345.
Das, A. (2017). Re-examining human development in West Bengal, India. Journal of Social and Economic Development, 19(2), 341–364. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40847-018-0054-6.
Das, J. (2018). Regional Disparity in the Level of Development in West Bengal: A Geographical Analysis. Indian Journal of Regional Sciences, 1(1), 53–63.
Dey, K. S. (2015). Regional inequality of West Bengal: A District level study. Bangladesh Development Studies, 38(1), 101–117.
Doolakia, R. H. (2003). Regional disparity in economic and human development in India. Economic & Political Weekly, 38(39), 4166–4172.
Drewnowski, J. (1972). Social indicators and welfare measurement: Remarks on methodology. The Journal of Development Studies, 8(3), 77–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220387208421413.
Dutta, A. (2017). Modified Poverty Index of West Bengal: A human development approach. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development, 4(10), 43–50.
Kumar, N., & Rani, R. (2019). Regional Disparities in Social Development: Evidence from States and Union Territories of India. South Asian Survey, 26(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0971523118825388.
Kwatiah, N. (2021) Main Causes of Regional Imbalances in India. Retrieved from https://www.economicsdiscussion.net.
Lakshmi, T. S., & Sahoo, D. (2013). Health Infrastructure and Health Indicators: The Case of Andhra Pradesh, India. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 6(6), 22–29.
Li, B., Gao, S., Liang, Y., Kang, Y., Prestby, T., Gao, Y., & Xiao, R. (2020). Estimation of Regional Economic Development Indicator from Transportation Network Analytics. Scientific Reports, 10, 2647. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-59505-2.
Miao, J., & Wu, X. (2016). Urbanization, socio-economic status and health disparity in China. Health & Place, 42, 87–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2016.09.008.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2020).National Family Health Survey-5 2019-2020 District Fact Sheet Darjeeling, West Bengal. Retrieved from http://rchiips.org.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2020).National Family Health Survey-5 2019-2020 District Fact Sheet Jalpaiguri, West Bengal. Retrieved from http://rchiips.org.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2020).National Family Health Survey-5 2019-2020 District Fact Sheet Koch Bihar, West Bengal. International Institute for Population Sciences. Government of India, Retrieved from http://rchiips.org.
Mishra, S. K., & Gaikward, S. B. (1979). Impact of economic development on welfare and living condition of people of Madhya Pradesh (An inter-district Case studies). Indian Journal of Regional Sciences, 11(1), 25–36.
Narain, P., Sharma, S. D., Rai, S. C., & Bhatia, V. K. (2007). Statistical evaluation of Socio-economic development of different states in India. Journal of the Indian Society of Agricultural Statistics, 61(3), 328–325.
Novkovska, B. (2017). Regional Development Disparities and their connection with hidden economy. UTMS Journal of Economics, 8(2), 151–158.
Ohlan, R. (2013). Pattern of Regional Disparities in Socio-economic Development in India: District Level Analysis. Social Indicators Research, 114(3), 841–873. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-012-0176-8.
Pal, G. K. (1995). Regional disparities in economic development: An Inter-district empirical study of the state of West Bengal. ArthasVijnana, 3, 276–296.
Rao, B. S., & Gupta, P. V. (2006). Low Female Literacy: Factors and Strategy. Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 46(1), 85-95.
Rekha, R. S., Wajid, S., Radhakrishnan, N., & Mathew, S. (2017). Accessibility Analysis of Health care facility using Geospatial Techniques. Transportation Research Procedia, 27, 1163–1170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2017.12.078.
Sam, K., & Chakma, D. N. (2016a). An Inter-Block Level Analysis of Regional Disparity in the Youngest Alipurduar District of West Bengal. Space and Culture, India, 3(3), 10–21. https://doi.org/10.20896/saci.v3i3.159.
Sam, K., & Chakma, D. N. (2016b). An Inter-Block Level Analysis of Regional Disparity in the Youngest Alipurduar District of West Bengal. Space and Culture, India, 3(3), 10–21. https://doi.org/10.20896/saci.v3i3.159.
Sarkar, B. C. (2017). Socio Economic status of tribal people in Mal Subdivision of Jalpaiguri District West Bengal a geographical analysis. Doctoral Thesis. University of North Bengal, West Bengal, India. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10603/214654.
Sharma, A. (2012). Inter-state Disparities in Socio-economic Development in North East Region of India. Journal of Agricultural Science, 4(9). https://doi.org/10.5539/jas.v4n9p236.
Som, K. S., & Mishra, R. P. (2016). Regional disparity in the level of development, West Bengal. The Decan Geographer, 54(1), 23–34.
Sultana, S., & Aktar, N. (2016). Regional imbalance in the levels of socio-economic development: A case study of Malda district, West Bengal. NEHU Journal, 14(1), 69–86.
Talmaciu, M. (2014). Study on the Relationships between Institutions, Governance and Leadership and Regional Development Policy in Romania. Procedia Economics and Finance, 15, 1281–1288. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2212-5671(14)00589-9.
Wailerdsak, N., & Siengthai, N. (2017). Chapter 10 - Business Networks in Thailand: Import Substitution, Export Oriented, and Expansion in AEC. In J. Nolan, C. Rowley, & M. Warner (Eds.), Business Networks in East Asian Capitalisms (pp. 211–233). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-100639-9.00010-4.
Yousuf, T., Yousuf, T., & Raja, T. A. (2014). Regional Disparities in Socio-Economic Development-A Statistical Evaluation of Kashmir Valley,J&K. European Academic Research, 1(10), 3731–3744.
Agricultural & Environmental Data Archive. (2013). Socio-economic development. Retrieved from http://www.environmentdata.org.
Ahmed, N. (2013). Identification of micro regional disparities in the level of development in the rural areas: A case study of Malda District of West Bengal (India). International Journal of Management and Social Sciences Research, 2(5), 37–45.
Akhtar, R., & Izhar, N. (1986). The spatial distribution of health resources within countries and communities: Examples from India and Zambia. Social Science & Medicine, 22(11), 1115–1129. https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(86)90178-4.
ALC India. (2018). Basic Module for Promotion of Sustainable Livelihoods Practitioners Guide. New Delhi : National Level Training Programme.
Banerjee, S. (1992). Disparities in development of socio-economic infrastructure in rural areas of selected district of Uttar Pradesh. Geographical Review of India, 54(1).
Banu, N., & Biswas, B. (2021). Role of international border on healthcare access in West Bengal, India: A geographical analysis. GeoJournal. Published. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-021-10411-8.
Barman, S. (2020). Appraisal of Pattern of Micro-Regional Disparity in Socio-economic Development: Evidences from the Districts of North Bengal, India, Geography in the 21st Centuary Emerging Issues and the way Forward (pp. 186–202). New Delhi : Namya Press.
Bera, S., Das, A., & Mazumder, T. (2019). A multi-objective framework for multi-dimensional vulnerability assessment – Case of a coastal district of West Bengal, India. Journal of Environmental Management, 249, 109411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109411.
Bhandari, L. & Chakraborty, M. (2015). Spatial Poverty in West Bengal. Retrieved from https://www.livemint.com/.
Biriescu, S., &Babaita, C. (2014). Rural Education, an Important Factor of Regional Development in the Context of Local Government Strategies. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 124, 77–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.02.462.
Biswas, B. (2016). Regional Disparities Pattern of Literacy in Rural and Urban area of West Bengal, India. Global Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 5(7), 105–112.
Bose, A., Mondal, A., & Chowdhury, I. R. (2020). A Study on Inter-block level Regional Disparity Analysis of Uttar Dinajpur District, West Bengal. In R. Sarkar (Ed.), Geography in the 21st Century Emerging Issues and the way Forward (pp. 225–248). New Delhi : Namya Press.
Brandt, W. (1980). North-South: A Programme for Survival. London: Pan Books.
Braveman, P. (2014). What are Health Disparities and Health Equity? We Need to Be Clear. Public Health Reports, 129 (1), 5–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549141291s203.
Bureau of Applied Economic & Statistics. (2013). Cooch Behar District Statistical Handbook 2010 & 2011. Retrieved from http://www.wbpspm.gov.in/.
Bureau of Applied Economic & Statistics. (2013). Darjeeling District Statistical Handbook 2013. Retrieved from http://www.wbpspm.gov.in/.
Bureau of Applied Economic & Statistics. (2013). Jalpaiguri District Statistical Handbook 2013. Retrieved from http://www.wbpspm.gov.in/.
Cai, F., Wang, D., & Du, Y. (2002). Regional disparity and economic growth in China: The impact of labour market distortions. China Economic Review, 13(2–3), 197–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1043-951X(02)00072-X.
Census of India (2011). District Census Handbook:Jalpaiguri Village and Town Directory (Part XII-A). Retrieved from https://censusindia.gov.in/.
Census of India (2011). District Census Handbook: Koch Bihar Village and Town Directory (Part XII-A). Retrieved from https://censusindia.gov.in/.
Census of India (2011). District Census Handbook: Village and Town Directory (Part XII-A). Darjiling Directorate of Census Operations West Bengal. Retrieved from https://censusindia.gov.in/.
Chotia, V., & Rao, N. (2015). Examining the interlinkages between regional infrastructure disparities, economic growth, and poverty: A case of Indian states. Economic Annals, 60(205), 53–71. https://doi.org/10.2298/eka1505053c.
Das, A. (1999). Socio-economic development in India: a regional analysis. Development and Society, 28(2), 313–345.
Das, A. (2017). Re-examining human development in West Bengal, India. Journal of Social and Economic Development, 19(2), 341–364. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40847-018-0054-6.
Das, J. (2018). Regional Disparity in the Level of Development in West Bengal: A Geographical Analysis. Indian Journal of Regional Sciences, 1(1), 53–63.
Dey, K. S. (2015). Regional inequality of West Bengal: A District level study. Bangladesh Development Studies, 38(1), 101–117.
Doolakia, R. H. (2003). Regional disparity in economic and human development in India. Economic & Political Weekly, 38(39), 4166–4172.
Drewnowski, J. (1972). Social indicators and welfare measurement: Remarks on methodology. The Journal of Development Studies, 8(3), 77–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220387208421413.
Dutta, A. (2017). Modified Poverty Index of West Bengal: A human development approach. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development, 4(10), 43–50.
Kumar, N., & Rani, R. (2019). Regional Disparities in Social Development: Evidence from States and Union Territories of India. South Asian Survey, 26(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0971523118825388.
Kwatiah, N. (2021) Main Causes of Regional Imbalances in India. Retrieved from https://www.economicsdiscussion.net.
Lakshmi, T. S., & Sahoo, D. (2013). Health Infrastructure and Health Indicators: The Case of Andhra Pradesh, India. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 6(6), 22–29.
Li, B., Gao, S., Liang, Y., Kang, Y., Prestby, T., Gao, Y., & Xiao, R. (2020). Estimation of Regional Economic Development Indicator from Transportation Network Analytics. Scientific Reports, 10, 2647. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-59505-2.
Miao, J., & Wu, X. (2016). Urbanization, socio-economic status and health disparity in China. Health & Place, 42, 87–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2016.09.008.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2020).National Family Health Survey-5 2019-2020 District Fact Sheet Darjeeling, West Bengal. Retrieved from http://rchiips.org.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2020).National Family Health Survey-5 2019-2020 District Fact Sheet Jalpaiguri, West Bengal. Retrieved from http://rchiips.org.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2020).National Family Health Survey-5 2019-2020 District Fact Sheet Koch Bihar, West Bengal. International Institute for Population Sciences. Government of India, Retrieved from http://rchiips.org.
Mishra, S. K., & Gaikward, S. B. (1979). Impact of economic development on welfare and living condition of people of Madhya Pradesh (An inter-district Case studies). Indian Journal of Regional Sciences, 11(1), 25–36.
Narain, P., Sharma, S. D., Rai, S. C., & Bhatia, V. K. (2007). Statistical evaluation of Socio-economic development of different states in India. Journal of the Indian Society of Agricultural Statistics, 61(3), 328–325.
Novkovska, B. (2017). Regional Development Disparities and their connection with hidden economy. UTMS Journal of Economics, 8(2), 151–158.
Ohlan, R. (2013). Pattern of Regional Disparities in Socio-economic Development in India: District Level Analysis. Social Indicators Research, 114(3), 841–873. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-012-0176-8.
Pal, G. K. (1995). Regional disparities in economic development: An Inter-district empirical study of the state of West Bengal. ArthasVijnana, 3, 276–296.
Rao, B. S., & Gupta, P. V. (2006). Low Female Literacy: Factors and Strategy. Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 46(1), 85-95.
Rekha, R. S., Wajid, S., Radhakrishnan, N., & Mathew, S. (2017). Accessibility Analysis of Health care facility using Geospatial Techniques. Transportation Research Procedia, 27, 1163–1170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2017.12.078.
Sam, K., & Chakma, D. N. (2016a). An Inter-Block Level Analysis of Regional Disparity in the Youngest Alipurduar District of West Bengal. Space and Culture, India, 3(3), 10–21. https://doi.org/10.20896/saci.v3i3.159.
Sam, K., & Chakma, D. N. (2016b). An Inter-Block Level Analysis of Regional Disparity in the Youngest Alipurduar District of West Bengal. Space and Culture, India, 3(3), 10–21. https://doi.org/10.20896/saci.v3i3.159.
Sarkar, B. C. (2017). Socio Economic status of tribal people in Mal Subdivision of Jalpaiguri District West Bengal a geographical analysis. Doctoral Thesis. University of North Bengal, West Bengal, India. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10603/214654.
Sharma, A. (2012). Inter-state Disparities in Socio-economic Development in North East Region of India. Journal of Agricultural Science, 4(9). https://doi.org/10.5539/jas.v4n9p236.
Som, K. S., & Mishra, R. P. (2016). Regional disparity in the level of development, West Bengal. The Decan Geographer, 54(1), 23–34.
Sultana, S., & Aktar, N. (2016). Regional imbalance in the levels of socio-economic development: A case study of Malda district, West Bengal. NEHU Journal, 14(1), 69–86.
Talmaciu, M. (2014). Study on the Relationships between Institutions, Governance and Leadership and Regional Development Policy in Romania. Procedia Economics and Finance, 15, 1281–1288. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2212-5671(14)00589-9.
Wailerdsak, N., & Siengthai, N. (2017). Chapter 10 - Business Networks in Thailand: Import Substitution, Export Oriented, and Expansion in AEC. In J. Nolan, C. Rowley, & M. Warner (Eds.), Business Networks in East Asian Capitalisms (pp. 211–233). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-100639-9.00010-4.
Yousuf, T., Yousuf, T., & Raja, T. A. (2014). Regional Disparities in Socio-Economic Development-A Statistical Evaluation of Kashmir Valley,J&K. European Academic Research, 1(10), 3731–3744.
Published
2021-12-20
How to Cite
MAJUMDER, Suranjan.
Spatial Pattern of Multi-dimensional Regional Disparities in the Level of Socio-economic Development in West Bengal: A Geographical Analysis.
Geosfera Indonesia, [S.l.], v. 6, n. 3, p. 260-300, dec. 2021.
ISSN 2614-8528.
Available at: <https://jurnal.unej.ac.id/index.php/GEOSI/article/view/25728>. Date accessed: 20 nov. 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.19184/geosi.v6i3.25728.
Section
Original Research Articles
