Nexus between social infrastructure and income levels: Analysis of Indian states

Abstract

An improvement in social sector like health and education directly or indirectly contribute to economic development of a region both by increasing productivity and by providing amenities, thus enhance the quality of life. This paper explores the role played by social infrastructure in determining the level of economic development across the major 15 states of India over the different time span during post liberalisation period. The paper aims to determine the nature of relationship between social infrastructure and per capita income at four points of time i.e., 1991, 2001, 2011 and 2019 by using Pearson Correlation and Regression Analysis. The findings of the paper are statistically significant and have serious implications for future regional policies. The empirical findings show that life expectancy at birth, infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate are highly significant with per capita income.