Household resilience and food security under shocks in India: evidence from a RIMA-II-based quantile regression analysis

Purpose This study examines the household resilience acting between shocks of climatic and socio-economic causes and food security outcomes in Indian states and union territories. By placing resilience within the context of climatic hazards, market volatility and household vulnerability, the paper highlights spending inequality on food and dietary diversity. Design/methodology/approach Using data from the India Human Development Survey (IHDS-II, 2011–12), we framed a Resilience Capacity Index (RCI) based on the RIMA-II framework and applied quantile regression to explore its differential impact on two dependent variables: food expenditure and the Dietary Diversity Index. Findings The findings document significant variation in resilience between states, with smaller non-agricultural states like Mizoram and Goa performing better than larger agricultural states, like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Quantile regression analyses indicate resilience essentially improves dietary diversity amongst nutritionally at-risk households at lower quantiles, while it essentially improves expenditures on food amongst higher-income households. Climate shocks uniformly negatively affect both outcomes. Research limitations/implications This analysis relies on cross-sectional data and so limits temporal understanding of resilience trajectories. Future research must involve longitudinal designs in addition to institutional and policy dimensions, which would entail migration and distribution networks of the public. Originality/value This study complements resilience research methodologically and supplies new distributional evidence on India's resilience–food security nexus. It places resilience in the context of climatic and market risks and supplies insights of immediate use in food security controversies.