Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

Economics

Chapter

Indian Economic Development: Human Capital Formation in India

Question:

What is the main reason for government intervention in the education and health sectors in India?

Options:

To reduce government expenditure on education and health.

To ensure that private providers adhere to government standards and pricing.

To encourage competition among private providers.

Both 2 and 3

Correct Answer:

To ensure that private providers adhere to government standards and pricing.

Explanation:

We do understand that education and health care services create both private and social benefits and this is the reason for the existence of both private and public institutions in the education and health service markets. Expenditures on education and health make substantial long-term impact and they cannot be easily reversed; hence, government intervention is essential. For instance, once a child is admitted to a school or health care centre where the required services are not provided, before the decision is taken to shift the child to another institution, substantial amount of damage would have been done. Moreover, individual consumers of these services do not have complete information about the quality of services and their costs. In this situation, the providers of education and health services acquire monopoly power and are involved in exploitation. The role of government in this situation is to ensure that the private providers of these services adhere to the standards stipulated by the government and charge the correct price.