Rationalizing economic freedom for enhancing efficiency in the agricultural sector - An empirical evidence Kapoor Rajni1,*, Das Nimai2 1Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, University of Delhi, New Delhi-110 017, India 2Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal-462 003, Madhya Pradesh, India *Corresponding Author: Rajni Kapoor, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, University of Delhi, New Delhi-110 017, India, Email: rajnikapoor@sbs.du.ac.in
Online published on 27 October, 2023. Abstract Background Economic freedom enhances capabilities, incentives and returns on productive efforts providing financial assistance, technical knowledge and an effective legal system in agriculture. The study evaluates economic freedom to enhance farm-level efficiency and has identified and assessed four determinants of economic freedom that assumed a positive association with farmlevel efficiency. Methods The principal component analysis is used to measure freedom indices through factor loadings or weights. A questionnaire is designed to assess qualitative responses quantitatively collected through a primary survey in the reference year 2020-21 from one of the agriculturally leading states of India. Result The study found a strong relationship between farm-size and freedom indices, although the extent of the determinants varies across farms. The weighted mean of economic freedom for medium farmers is higher than that of small, marginal and landless farmers, which reflects the average scores of all determinants of economic freedom. Therefore, the study has provided insight to the farming communities to become aware of their autonomy, choices and legal rights. Top Keywords Agriculture, Economic freedom, Efficiency, Property rights, Reform. Top |