Can inequalities in private school access be bridged through a government mandate? Enacted in 2009, India's “Right to Education” mandated almost all private schools to admit at least 25 percent of children in their entry class from “economically weak and socially disadvantaged” groups....

Trends over the last 25 years suggest that nearly 80% of the social sector spending has come from state budgets. Taken together with other policy developments in the country, the centre's role in financing social welfare, including elementary education, is likely to decline further. Analysing...