Arpit Shah

Document Type

Working Paper

Abstract

Medical crowdfunding has gained significant popularity and importance,yet researchers argue that it might not offer equitable financial assistance tovulnerable groups. Studies in Western countries have highlighted disparitiesin medical crowdfunding based on racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic dimensions. Despite this, the equity implications of crowdfunding in India havenot been thoroughly investigated. We present the initial empirical evidenceindicating caste-based inequalities in medical crowdfunding within India.Leveraging a comprehensive dataset comprising 5,527 medical crowdfunding campaigns from one of India’s largest platforms, we evaluate the impactof the recipient’s caste identity on campaign outcomes. Our methodologyutilises administrative data to deduce caste from the recipient’s surname.Campaigns by individuals from dominant caste groups tend to garner higherfunds compared to those from marginalised castes, largely due to higher average donations. Furthermore, individuals from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (marginalised groups in India) initiate disproportionately fewercampaigns than dominant castes. Our findings remain robust across various performance metrics and alternative model specifications, even after adjusting for multiple campaign features and recipient locations. In summary,our study highlights how crowdfunding on for-profit platforms may exacerbate existing caste-related health disparities in India by disproportionatelyfavouring privileged groups.

Publication Date

1-7-2024

Publisher

Indian Institute of Management Bangalore

Relation

IIMB Working Paper-710

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