:: Ideas for India ::

Ashok Kotwal

On demonetisation
Posted on: 23 Dec 2016

On the evening of 8 November, the Prime Minister announced on national television that Rs. ... read on »

Introduction to e-Symposium: The GDP conundrum
Posted on: 16 Nov 2016

Ever since India’s Central Statistical Organisation came out with the new GDP series with ... read on »

Introduction to e-Symposium: The idea of a universal basic income in the Indian context
Posted on: 26 Sep 2016

The idea of an unconditional basic income given to all citizens by the State, has caught o ... read on »

Debate: The Aadhaar Bill
Posted on: 02 May 2016

In a debate on the Aadhaar Bill, commentators from academia and civil society will ... read on »

Latest

Are farm loan waivers really so bad?
Pronab Sen
Posted on: 23 Jun 2017

Topics: Finance , Macroeconomic Policy , Political Economy , Agriculture

Tags: credit , fiscal policy

Recent announcements by various state governments of their intent to waive farm loans to varying extents have been strongly criticised by the media and other commentators. In this article, Dr Pronab Sen examines the validity of the claims on which this opposition is based.
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Economic benefits of transportation infrastructure: Historical evidence from India and America
Dave Donaldson
Posted on: 21 Jun 2017

Topics: Caste , Poverty & Inequality

Tags: transport , US

Significant public finance is devoted to transportation infrastructure, the economic benefits of which are often unclear. This column analyses two major railroad projects in India and US in the 19th century. It finds that the economic gains from transportation infrastructure can be substantial, and the true economic impact may not be known until years after a project is completed.
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Using drones for social sector research
Outline India
Posted on: 19 Jun 2017

Topics: Productivity & Innovation

Tags: IT , data , Haryana

While drones have historically been used in military operations, their application for peaceful purposes has risen steeply in recent years. In this note, representatives from Outline India - a research and development consultancy firm - discuss their efforts to integrate drones in social sector research to make data analysis more evidence-based, visualise policy performance, and produce actionable research materials to aid public policy making and monitoring.
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Understanding livelihood resilience in Bihar
Surya Bhushan , K. V. Raju
Posted on: 16 Jun 2017

Topics: Finance

Tags: Bihar

This column develops a livelihood resilience index including three key components – bio-physical, economic, and social resources – and estimates the index for districts in the state of Bihar.
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The demographic impact of extended paid maternity leave in Bangladesh
Salma Ahmed
Posted on: 14 Jun 2017

Topics: Gender , Jobs

Tags: Bangladesh , child health

In March 2017, Indian Parliament passed the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016 extending paid maternity leave to 26 weeks. This column analyses the impact of extension of paid maternity leave in Bangladesh in 2006 and 2010, on infant mortality, female labour force participation, and fertility rates.
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Impact of disinvestment policy on public sector enterprises in India
Lata Gangadharan , Tarun Jain , Pushkar Maitra , Joseph Vecci
Posted on: 12 Jun 2017

Topics: Political Economy

Tags: manufacturing , public finance , fiscal policy , accountability

To address operational inefficiencies in PSEs without comprising on their social objectives, disinvestment policy is often used. However, there are concerns regarding the extent of impact on firm performance since disinvestment may involve transfer of ownership but not control. Analysing data from 1991-2010 on all manufacturing PSEs owned by the central government, this column shows that the average annual efficiency score of disinvested enterprises rose by almost 20%.
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Zika virus: Is it a potential threat to India?
Kaushik Bharati
Posted on: 09 Jun 2017

Topics: Health

Tags: public health , Gujarat

The WHO recently reported the first three laboratory-confirmed cases of Zika virus disease in India – all in the state of Gujarat. In this article, public health consultant Kaushik Bharati discusses the potential threat of the vector-borne disease to the country, and what needs to be done.
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Bank financing of stressed firms
Rajeswari Sengupta , Anjali Sharma
Posted on: 07 Jun 2017

Topics: Finance

Tags: banking , credit , financial regulation

There is anecdotal evidence that banks in India have been extending credit to highly distressed firms. By delaying recognition of bad loans, banks may improve their own profitability in the short run, but in the long run, this has only exacerbated the non-performing asset crisis in the banking sector. This column provides preliminary empirical evidence that banks have indeed been throwing good money after bad.
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Juvenile delinquency and income disparity across Indian states
Nabamita Dutta , Dipparna Jana , Saibal Kar
Posted on: 05 Jun 2017

Topics: Crime

Tags: Indian states

The gravity and frequency of juvenile crime incidents in recent years point towards the urgent need for rigorous analysis of the issue. Based on data from Indian states, this column shows that juvenile crime tends to rise with rise in per-capita income – but at a diminishing rate. Further, higher levels of adult crime enhance the positive impact of per capita income on juvenile crime rates.
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The development disconnect: MNREGA in Bihar’s Jamui district
Amrita Dhiman
Posted on: 02 Jun 2017

Topics: Corruption , Jobs

Tags: MNREGA , Bihar , naxalism

In this note, Amrita Dhiman describes her team’s visit to Jamui district in Bihar – the district that is supposed to have generated the highest number of person-days under MNREGA in its division in 2015-16. While almost all villagers they met had MNREGA cards, there was no MNREGA work to be seen, which was paradoxical given the obvious scope of work in the area.
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