Mapping Indian Districts Across Census Years, 1971-2001

Abstract

In India, for many empirical questions, states have been the standard unit of analysis and they are a natural starting point for research using official data sources because state governments set political agendas and budgets and administer a wide range of services. The use of more disaggregated district data allows the study of outcomes across regions with similar historical contexts and political regimes. Most district-level studies, however, have relied on cross-sectional analysis because district comparisons over time are complicated by multiple boundary changes. As providing information on boundary changes across districts will facilitate the construction of district level panel data sets, this article provides data on the composition of all Indian districts over the 1971-2001 period that can enable the construction of district panels.