Why political competition matters when inequality is high
In a high-inequality setting, local politicians with secure positions may favour the rich by diverting resources towards them, at the cost of the poor. To test this hypothesis, this article analyses d...
- Anders Kjelsrud Kalle Moene Lore Vandewalle
- 13 September, 2024
- Articles
Are independent candidates unimportant for political representation?
Independent candidates are often deemed ‘frivolous’ or ‘spoilers’ by mainstream political figures and authorities, although there is little to no evidence on their effect on elections. This ar...
- Sacha Kapoor Arvind Magesan
- 03 December, 2018
- Articles
Impact of Electronic Voting Machines on electoral frauds, democracy, and development
In an attempt to curb electoral malpractices, Electronic Voting Machines were introduced on a national scale by the Election Commission of India in the 1990s. Using data from state assembly elections ...
- Sisir Debnath
- 19 May, 2016
- Articles
Why is Assam left behind in India's economic boom? A behavioural perspective on the effect of conflict
In addition to having deep, persistent socioeconomic costs, civil conflict can profoundly change individual beliefs, values, and preferences. This project seeks to analyse why Assam – a state where ...
- Dipanwita Sarkar
- 28 December, 2017
- IGC Research on India
Why governments across the globe are cracking down on civic organisations
Dupuy, Ron and Prakash content that NGOs need to generate resources from the communities they serve. This will make them accountable to these communities and enhance their legitimacy, and incentivise ...
- Kendra Dupuy Aseem Prakash James Ron
- 21 December, 2017
- Perspectives
Breaking the clientelist trap: Can reform create demand for good governance in Bihar?
How has over a decade of rapid and programmatic policy reform in Bihar affected voters? Based on a household survey comparing political attitudes of residents on either side of the Bihar-Jharkhand bor...
- Jonathan Phillips
- 14 November, 2017
- Articles
Doing Business in India: Myths and realities
Ahead of the global release of the 2018 edition of the World Bank Doing Business rankings, this column compares data from firm-level surveys conducted by the Bank and the IDFC Institute-NITI Aayog wi...
- Mathew Lillehaugen Milan Vaishnav
- 25 October, 2017
- Articles
The power of enforcement: State capacity and child marriage in India
In an attempt to deter child marriage, a recent Supreme Court verdict has criminalised sexual relations between a man and minor wife. Worldwide, more than 700 million women alive today were married be...
- Tanushree Goyal Sam Van Noort
- 24 October, 2017
- Articles
Political Change and Crime Reduction in Bihar
The aim of this project was to understand the mechanisms through which the political changes in 2005 contributed to the dramatic subsequent reduction in violent crimes. This project is an extension of...
- Oliver Eynde Clément Imbert Nishith Prakash
- 12 October, 2017
- IGC Research on India
Three barriers that make it hard for policymakers to use the evidence that development researchers produce
There has been a surge in policy research globally over the past two decades that is geared to promote evidence-based policymaking. But can policymakers put this evidence to use? Based on a survey of...
- Michael Callen Adnan Khan Asim Khwaja
- 20 September, 2017
- Articles
Drawing the line: The short- and long-term consequences of partitioning India
Colonial rule in India culminated in the birth of two nations, forcing the displacement of millions. This column analyses the economic and political consequences of the Partition in 1947. It finds tha...
- Prashant Bharadwaj Saumitra Jha
- 08 September, 2017
- Articles
Political decentralisation, female leadership, and health in rural Bihar
Political decentralisation and female representation in governance are known to improve social welfare by influencing policy decisions in favour of women and children. Analysing data from rural Bihar,...
- Santosh Kumar Nishith Prakash
- 23 August, 2017
- Articles
Governance and public service delivery in India
The International Growth Centre recently produced a synthesis paper (Afridi 2017) bringing together insights from its research on governance and public service delivery in India, over the past seven y...
- Farzana Afridi Nalini Gulati
- 07 August, 2017
- Perspectives
Midday meals scheme: Are corruption claims exaggerated?
Soon after Aadhaar was made compulsory for availing midday meals in schools, the government claimed that the move had helped expose several instances of schools siphoning off funds under the scheme by...
- Monika Yadav
- 31 July, 2017
- Articles
Why 'free' speech is not always 'costless'
A recent CBI raid at the premises of the owners of NDTV has sparked off yet another round of debates about freedom of the media, the spectre of authoritarianism, and freedom of expression in India. In...
- Maitreesh Ghatak
- 19 July, 2017
- Perspectives
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Unique Health Identification and Aadhaar: A case for mandatory linkage
As part of the Digital India initiative, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) issues a Unique Health Identification (UHID) number to each patient, which documents their entire journey in th...
- Mudit Kapoor
- 23 December, 2016
- Perspectives
Caste dominance in rural India: Cause and effect
Rural India remains a caste-based society. This column explores why caste continues to play such an important role and what the effects are. It argues that trade and agricultural productivity suffer, ...
- Siwan Anderson
- 16 August, 2012
- Articles
The digital dream: Upskilling India for the future
While the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the pace at which technology is becoming commonplace in our lives, it has also exposed a stark digital divide, leaving a large proportion of India’s popul...
- Venugopal Mothkoor Fatima Mumtaz
- 23 March, 2021
- Perspectives