Grey Academic Degree Market in India: A Mixed Method Study

In India, there exists a grey market of degree certificates, where legal degree certificates can be bought. The local agents work as mediator between the certificate seekers and the certificate providing universities. This research combines qualitative ethnographic research and quantitative field experiment to uncover the various dimensions of the grey degree certificate market in India. The grey degree market is a complex and densely networked contour of numerous socio-economic and cultural factors. The grey certificates have symbolic meaning and economic meaning. The calculative buyers buy these grey degrees for numerous reasons and in diverse ways they incorporate these grey certificates in their life goal. Reproductive role plays important role, so the social acceleration. They are rational but the notion of rationality here goes beyond the arena of pure judgement. The field experiment data reveal that those who can afford to buy grey credentials are in better position in the job market. In the field experiment, fictitious CVs with grey credentials are sent and these are controlled with another two CVs, one with an authentic credential and another one with no graduation degree credential. We measure callback rates as proxy to the employability of different types of certificates. On average grey degrees receive 8.33% more callbacks than having no graduation degree certificates. However, grey degrees receive on average 13.67% less callback than the callbacks. In terms of economic return women are in far better position in terms of return on grey credentials.