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Matching keywords : World Bank, strengthening, local governments, Kerala, loan

Who’s Afraid of Naomi Osaka?

As an extraordinarily powerful individual, Naomi Osaka presents challenges to institutional power most of us can only imagine. If she worked in coordination with other top athletes across different sp...

by Jeffrey Montez de Oca | On 29 Jun 2021

Indebtedness among the Rural Poor in Kerala

This study intends to understand the magnitude and nature of indebtedness among rural poor households in Kerala. The study d analyses the role played by various sources in meeting the credit requir...

by Aswathi Rebecca Asok | On 08 Mar 2021

Model Nagar Raj Bill: Taking Democracy to the Grassroots

Participation of citizen in local governance is a key component for good governance. It extends the citizens’ role beyond that of a voter . It ensures a more equal distribution of power and resources...

by Kedar Diwan | On 21 Feb 2021

Know Your Publishing Space: Institutional Repositories

Institutional repositories(IRs), if established in various universities, would help bring out the contributions by Indian researchers on the world map, especially in the field of Arts, Humanities, and...

by Shubhada Nagarkar | On 19 Feb 2021

Employment Generation in Difficult Times: Reflections on Kerala Budget

Despite high educational attaintments, educated unemployment is a worrying feature of Kerala. Some of the suggestions made by the Kerala Finance Minister are discussed below. The note suggests that tu...

by Rakkee Thimothy | On 02 Feb 2021

Saving Lives and Livelihoods 01 Amidst a Once-in-a-Century Crisis: Chapter I, Economic Survey 2020-21

During the unlock phase, demand-side measures have been announced in a calibrated manner. A public investment programme centred around the National Infrastructure Pipeline is likely to accelerate th...

by Ministry of Finance | On 31 Jan 2021

Budget Speech of Kerala Finance Minister 2021-22

Kerala Budget presented by the Finance Minister.

by T.M. Thomas Issac | On 18 Jan 2021

Tribute: Diego Maradona

Even now, over 30 years after he scored that incredible ‘goal of the century’ against the English team in the World Cup, and despite his later descent into drugs and addictions, Maradona remains an ic...

by Shibaji Bose | On 29 Dec 2020

Envisioning Urban Economy in Uncertain Times

A major output of Urban Economy Forum is the Regent Park World Urban Pavilion by UN-Habitat (The Pavilion), a collaboration between the Urban Economy Forum, UN-Habitat and the Government of Canada. Th...

by | On 20 Oct 2020

eSS Sunday Edit: US Withdrawal from WHO: Damaging. But a time for reform?

The US withdrawal from WHO however temporary should be seen as an opportunity to revisit the numerous recommendations for reform of the structure of WHO that will, among other changes, establish a ste...

by | On 27 Jul 2020

Why Kerala’s COVID-19 ‘Success Story’ Is Just a Feel-Good Media Scoop

The Kerala government in India has received much praise from national and international media for its response to the COVID-19 crisis. A closer look at the facts, however, reveals a sloppy picture.

by | On 21 May 2020

Containment Strategies and Support for Vulnerable Households

Policymakers across the developing world are facing the need to make rapid decisions on their COVID-19 response with little available data or guidance. Policies that help deal with the economic cri...

by Jonathan Leape | On 18 May 2020

On Issues With Covid19 Data And Why Kerala Stands Out In India

Quality of data released by Government having high COVID 19 numbers was analyzed. Parameters considered are timeliness of the publication of daily reports, accessibility of reports, sufficiency of t...

by Viraj Mahesh Vibhute | On 13 May 2020

Public Expenditure on Old-Age Income Support in India: Largesse for a Few, Illusory for Most

Extant studies deciphering public expenditure on old-age income support in India carry limitations on (a) system expanse, (b) corresponding data collation, and therefore (c) depth of resource conscrip...

by Mukesh Kumar Anand | On 02 Apr 2019

Book Review: Nine Innings during a War

Review of 'Nine Innings for the King: The Day Wartime London Stopped for Baseball, July 4, 1918' by Jim Leeke, McFarland, 2015. 216 pp. $19.99 (paper), ISBN 978-0-7864- 7870-5.

by Leslie Heaphy | On 01 Mar 2019

Money and Central Bank Digital Currency

This paper takes an overview of the concepts and features of central bank money and private sector money and focuses on the actual performance of these types of money in selected advanced and emerging...

by Sayuri Shirai | On 18 Feb 2019

The Growing Importance of Consumer Finance for Financial Inclusion in India

This paper examines the role of consumer finance, a high growth segment of the Indian financial sector in promoting financial inclusion. Consumer finance involves granting credit to consumers to enabl...

by Saon Ray | On 03 Feb 2019

Globalization and the Re-Articulations of the Local: A Case Study from Kerala’s Midlands

This paper is a preliminary attempt to understand globalisation and social transformation in the rural Kerala. It addresses the socioeconomic changes in a village in the mid-land region of Kerala name...

by Mijo Luke | On 31 Jan 2019

Emigration and Remittances: New Evidences from the Kerala Migration Survey 2018

The report sheds light on the various issues concerning migration and mobility. It gathers the fruit of two decades of research done at the CDS and examines migration dynamics from demographic, econom...

by S. Irudaya Rajan | On 31 Jan 2019

The Business of Greening: Policy Measures for Green Business Development in Asia

The paper reviews green markets, technologies, and practices with a focus on developing Asian countries, and offers a set of policy options to enable governments and development finance institutions t...

by Daniele Ponzi | On 29 Jan 2019

The Basel Capital Requirement, Lending Interest Rate and Aggregate Economic Growth: An Empirical Study of Vietnam

This paper investigates the effects of the Basel II capital requirement implementation in Viet Nam on the bank lending rate and national output. The paper provides a theoretical framework as well as e...

by Nguyet Thi Minh Phi | On 28 Jan 2019

Examining the Trade-Off Between Price and Financial Stability in India

In recent years, many emerging economies including India have adopted inflation targeting framework. Post the global financial crisis, there is a growing debate on whether monetary policy should targe...

by Ila Patnaik | On 23 Jan 2019

Asian Development Outlook Forecast Accuracy 2007–2016

This paper assesses the accuracy of Asian Development Outlook growth and inflation forecasts for 43 Asian economies from 2007 to 2016, against the benchmark of World Economic Outlook projections by th...

by Benno Ferrarini | On 22 Jan 2019

Data Localisation in India: Questioning the Means and Ends

This paper classifies the arguments around data localisation into three broad categories - the civil liberties perspective; the government functions perspective and the economic perspective. It examin...

by Rishab Bailey | On 12 Jan 2019

Value Destruction and Wealth Transfer Under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016

This article applies theoretical concepts from the law and economics literature on insolvency to identify the sources of these two problems in insolvency law. It then applies these theoretical concept...

by Pratik Datta | On 07 Jan 2019

Optimal Regulation of P2P Lending for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

This paper describes and evaluates the range of P2P lending systems on offer to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in several countries, considering different regulatory regimes. In some countr...

by Naoko Nemoto | On 07 Jan 2019

Social Funding of Green Financing: An Application of Distributed Ledger Technologies

This paper contributes to the literature in two ways: First, it delineates a concrete application of DLTs in the field of green financing, which offers the potential to increase social welfare. Second...

by Naoyuki Yoshino | On 20 Nov 2018

Indian Banks and the Prevention of Corruption Act: Freedom and Discipline

Selfless activists like Mr. Pai teach us the importance of continuously interrogating the functioning of our democracy. The NPA issue has persisted for almost a decade. It has eroded the profitability...

by Ashima Goyal | On 29 Oct 2018

Insights from Behavioral Economics on Current Policy Issues

The paper examines behavioral constraints in policy-making and in achieving coordination across policies. First it applies psychological concepts to understand policy inadequacies, and next examines h...

by Ashima Goyal | On 29 Oct 2018

Do Local Currency Bond Markets Enhance Financial Stability?

This paper empirically tests conventional wisdom on the stabilizing effect of LCBMs. To do so, it analyses and compare the financial vulnerability of developing countries during two episodes of financ...

by Donghyun Park | On 26 Oct 2018

Role of Bank Lending in Financing Green Projects: A Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium Approach

This paper develops an environmental dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (E-DSGE) model with heterogeneous production sectors. In particular, the model comprises some low-carbon emission firms that...

by Maria Teresa Punzi | On 19 Oct 2018

Debt Traps? Market Vendors and Moneylender Debt in India and the Philippines

A debt trap occurs when someone takes on a high-interest rate loan and is barely able to pay back the interest, and thus perpetually finds themselves in debt (often by re-financing). Studying such pra...

by Dean Karlan | On 04 Oct 2018

Money and Business Cycle: Evidence From India

This paper takes a New Keynesian model with non-separable money in utility to Indian data using maximum likelihood. The identification problem in isolating the effect of money on output and inflation...

by Ashima Goyal | On 21 Sep 2018

The Spread of Deposit Insurance and the Global Rise in Bank Asset Risk since the 1970s

The paper constructs a new measure of the changing generosity of deposit insurance for many countries, empirically model the international influences on the adoption and generosity of deposit insuranc...

by Charles W. Calomiris | On 03 Sep 2018

Obstacles and Enablers of Internationalization of Philippine SMEs Through Participation in Global Value Chains

This paper attempts to determine the challenges and enablers of connecting small and medium businesses to global value chains. It uses data from a survey of SMEs in Metro Manila and a set of key infor...

by Jamil Paolo Francisco | On 30 Aug 2018

Green Energy Finance in India: Challenges and Solutions

The paper presents a granular understanding of the associated challenges of mobilizing such finances, drawing from the Indian perspective. It contributes to the present understanding by identifying th...

by Gopal K. Sarangi | On 24 Aug 2018

An Empirical Analysis of the Factors that Influence Infrastructure Project Financing by Banks in Select Asian Economies

This paper analyzes a critical aspect of expanding private finance to infrastructure by examining the role of bank lending to public–private partnership (PPP) projects through the project finance moda...

by Vivek Rao | On 24 Aug 2018

Determinants of Public–Private Partnerships in Infrastructure in Asia: Implications for Capital Market Development

This study attempts to understand the role of greater access to finance, i.e., stocks, bonds, and bank loans, in public–private partnership (PPP) investment in developing countries. Most developing co...

by Suk Hyun | On 10 Aug 2018

Credit Risk Reduction Effect on Small and Medium- Sized Enterprise Finance Through the Use of Bank Account Information

This paper verifies the impact of bank account information, such as information on deposits and withdrawals, that is not necessarily fully accounted for in conventional internal ratings and that can a...

by Naoko Nemoto | On 10 Aug 2018

An Overview of Islamic Banking and Finance in Asia

The Islamic finance industry has grown substantially in Asia over the last 2 decades. The Muslim populations in different Asian countries, especially in Southeast Asia, are increasing. Rapid Muslim po...

by Akbar Komijani | On 27 Jul 2018

Macroeconomic Overview of the Philippines and the New Industrial Policy

This short paper has two main sections. The first section presents a more detailed picture and overview of the macroeconomic performance of the Philippines behind the Philippines’ remarkable growth. T...

by Maureen Ane D. Rosellon | On 06 Jul 2018

Welfare Issues in Price Control on Occasions of Calamities, Emergencies, and Like Occurrences

This study focuses on the implications of RA7581 during disaster events, and answer issues on the effects of price control on consumer protection and local economic recovery as well as provides discou...

by Sonny N. Domingo | On 05 Jul 2018

Assessment of the BUB Program: Improving Access of Local Communities to Basic Services and Strengthening Social Capital

The Aquino administration through the Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cluster (HDPRC) and Good Governance and Anti-Corruption Cluster (GGACC) launched the Bottom-up Budgeting (BUB) exercise in...

by Rosario G. Manasan | On 05 Jul 2018

Risk Management Innovation for Philippine Banking

This Policy Note revisits the risk management policy of BSP as a guide in strengthening the competitiveness of Philippine banks. It also recommends measures to further refine the banking system in the...

by Roberto Miguel S. Roque | On 29 Jun 2018

Cash Holdings and Tax Evaded Incomes in India – A Discussion

The paper makes an analysis of cash holdings in India and attempts to test its association with tax effort and government spending. The finding arrived is that the ratio of Cash holding to Nominal GDP...

by R. Mohan | On 21 Jun 2018

The Rise of Government-Funded Health Insurance in India

India has experienced a remarkable proliferation of 48 Government Funded Health Insurance Schemes (GFHIS) from 1997 to 2018. The paper places the rise of this policy pathway in historical perspective....

by Ila Patnaik | On 15 Jun 2018

Trade Costs, Time, and Supply Chain Reliability

This paper uses measures of international transport time, in median and standard deviation, based on shipment-level data from the Universal Postal Union, to analyze the effect of time on trade costs....

by Utsav Kumar | On 14 Jun 2018

The Morbidity Cost of Air Pollution: Evidence from Consumer Spending in China

This paper provides knowledge the first analysis of the morbidity cost of PM2.5 for the entire population of a developing country. To address potential endogeneity in pollution exposure, it constructs...

by Panle Jia Barwick | On 12 Jun 2018

Market Integration, Demand and the Growth of Firms: Evidence from a Natural Experiment in India

In many developing countries, the average firm is small, does not grow and has low productivity. Lack of market integration and limited information on non-local products often leave consumers unaware...

by Robert T. Jensen | On 12 Jun 2018

The Impact of Monetary and Tax Policy on Income Inequality in Japan

This paper assesses the effects of the most recent monetary policy behavior of the Bank of Japan (BOJ) (in particular, zero interest rate policy and negative interest rate policy) and Japanese tax pol...

by Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary | On 09 Jun 2018

Young Enterprises and Bank Credit Denials

By employing a sample of 20,956 observations of non-financial SMEs headquartered in the Euro area, between 2009 and 2015, the paper tests whether young businesses are more likely to face credit reject...

by Danilo V. Mascia | On 06 Jun 2018

Do Information and Communication Technologies Empower Female Workers? Firm-Level Evidence from Viet Nam

This paper studies the effects of firms’ investments in information and communication technologies (ICT) on their demand for female and skilled workers. Using the gradual liberalization of the broadba...

by Natalie Chun | On 31 May 2018

Global Banking Network and Regional Financial Contagion

This paper investigates and tests the role of regional exposures in financial contagion from advanced to emerging market economies through the global banking network using data on cross-border bilater...

by Cyn Young Park | On 31 May 2018

Can Interlinking Rivers and Greening their Banks Save our Cities?

In what turned out to be a most engrossing discussion on “Can Inter-linking our Rivers and Greening their Banks save our Cities?” organized by Environment Support Group at Ashirvad, Bangalore, on Dece...

by Environment Support Group (ESG) | On 25 May 2018

Third Annual Report on the Gold Industry in India

The India Gold Policy Center at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) sponsored by World Gold Council is a center of excellence, conducting cutting edge applied research on the Gold Indu...

by | On 15 May 2018

Gender and Intersecting Inequalities in Local Government in South Asia

This paper is an evidence review of how intersecting forms of inequalities influence women’s political participation and representation at the local level in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. The r...

by | On 11 May 2018

World Economic Outlook, April 2018: Cyclical Upswing, Structural Change

The global economic upswing that began around mid-2016 has become broader and stronger. This new World Economic Outlook report projects that advanced economies as a group will continue to expand above...

by International Monetary Fund [IMF] | On 08 May 2018

World Happiness Report 2018

The World Happiness Report is a landmark survey of the state of global happiness. The World Happiness Report 2018, ranks 156 countries by their happiness levels, and 117 countries by the happiness of...

by | On 04 May 2018

Innovation and Trade Policy in a Globalized World

How do import tariffs and R&D subsidies help domestic firms compete globally? How do these policies affect aggregate growth and economic welfare? To answer these questions, the paper builds a dynamic...

by Ufuk Akcigit | On 02 May 2018

Changing Paradigms in the Solar Industry

At the moment, there are few industries in the world as fast changing as the solar energy industry. The interest and use of solar energy is as old as mankind. However, the modern solar...

by | On 19 Apr 2018

Nepal Human Development Report 2014: Beyond Geography Unlocking Human Potential

The report presents a rigorous statistical analysis across space and time, using the available national data.

by National Planning (NPC) | On 13 Apr 2018

Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2018: How Technology Affects Jobs

The economic growth outlook for developing Asia remains vibrant. Asian Development Outlook 2018 foresees continued momentum after growth accelerated to 6.1% in 2017. The region is expected to ex...

by Asian Bank | On 12 Apr 2018

EJF View on the Global Compact on Migration

The report says that investment in climate change adaptation and mitigation are listed as key ways of minimizing the drivers that force people from their country of origin – one of the GCM’s central o...

by Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) | On 09 Apr 2018

MGNREGS: POLITICAL ECONOMY, LOCAL GOVERNANCE AND ASSET CREATION IN SOUTH INDIA

MGNREGS, the premier centrally-sponsored national rural livelihood scheme, is one of the most elaborately designed and implemented public workfare programmes in India. While a large number of studi...

by Vinoj Abraham | On 05 Apr 2018

Community Disaster Resilience Fund (CDRF): Operational Guidelines - Draft

The report says that the goal is to promote community leadership in strengthening capabilities and resource mobilization.

by National Alliance Risk Reduction (NAADRR) | On 05 Apr 2018

International Commodity Prices and Domestic Bank Lending in Developing Countries

We study the role of the bank-lending channel in propagating fluctuations in commodity prices to credit aggregates and economic activity in developing countries. We use data on more than 1,600 banks...

by | On 30 Mar 2018

A Comparison of Global Governance Across Sectors: Global Health, Trade and Multilateral Development Finance

To what extent do the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization, and the World Bank remain central today and how much influence do they still wield in shaping the global agenda? While...

by | On 30 Mar 2018

The Geography of Patenting in India: Patterns and Determinants

This study examines the regional profiles of patenting activities in India. The number of most dynamic sub-national spaces in patent applications is found to be limited to just two to three regions...

by Jaya Prakash Pradhan | On 29 Mar 2018

Changing Paradigms in the Solar Industry: A Case Study

At the moment, there are few industries in the world as fast changing as the solar energy industry. The interest and use of solar energy is as old as mankind. However, the modern solar industry truly...

by Françoise Pardos | On 26 Mar 2018

Towards a Green Public Bank in the Public Interest

Four decades of neoliberal market fundamentalism and its relentless assault on the public sector and our understandings of publicness have generated a profound crisis of social reproduction and envi...

by | On 21 Mar 2018

Fiscal Policy Effectiveness and Inequality: Efficacy of Gender Budgeting in Asia Pacific

Gender budgeting is a fiscal approach that seeks to use a country’s national and/or local budget(s) to reduce inequality and promote economic growth and equitable development. While literature has exp...

by Lekha Chakraborty | On 16 Mar 2018

People-to-People Partnership in Asia Africa Growth Corridor: Historical and Cultural Linkages

People-to-People Partnership (PPP) is an important and inevitable mode of interactions in the sphere of international relations. In any kind of developmental, diplomatic and cultural interactions and...

by | On 15 Mar 2018

Case Study of Madhu - A Tribal from Kerala

In the evening of February 22, 2018, A 30 year old man named Madhu, a tribal from Attappadi, Kerala was severely beaten up by the mob who accused him of stealing food items which included rice. Althou...

by Aarti Salve | On 10 Mar 2018

Measuring the Equilibrium Impacts of Credit: Evidence from the Indian Microfinance Crisis

In October 2010, the state government of Andhra Pradesh, India issued an emergency ordinance, bringing microfinance activities in the state to a complete halt and causing a nation-wide shock to the li...

by Emily Breza | On 10 Mar 2018

Urban refugees in Delhi Refugee networks, faith and well-being

This paper explores the faith context of displacement and settlement for the Sikh and Christian Afghan refugees and Muslim Rohingya refugees in Delhi. It examines the foundation of community faith...

by | On 09 Mar 2018

Population Pressure on Land in Kerala

The paper examines how Kerala, a demographically and socially well advanced state in India, responded to the high population pressure during the 30 year period from 1975-76 to 2005-06.

by N. Ajith Kumar | On 07 Mar 2018

Bali Ministerial of the WTO and the Way Forward: Safeguarding LDC Interests

The paper critically examines the outcomes of the Bali Ministerial of the WTO, held in December 2013, from the lens of issues of interest and concern to the least developed countries (LDCs). In this...

by | On 06 Mar 2018

SAARC Food Bank (SFB) Institutional Architecture and Issues of Operationalisation

In view of the need for an appropriate institutional architecture to address the food security concerns in South Asia, issues of proper operationalisation of the SAARC Food Bank (SFB) have assumed cr...

by | On 06 Mar 2018

Health of Women in Kerala: Current Status and Emerging Issues

This paper examines the health status of females in the state of Kerala, India. The state is ranked at the top in terms of human development index, social development index and gender development inde...

by N. Ajith Kumar | On 05 Mar 2018

Kerala's Education System: From Inclusion to Exclusion?

The paper examines the recent shifts in Kerala’s education system from an inclusive one to an exclusive one.

by N. Ajith Kumar | On 01 Mar 2018

Kerala’s Development Experience: Its Implications for Finance Commissions

This paper examines critically the awards of the recent Finance Commissions (FCs) in the specific context of the ongoing work of the Thirteenth Finance Commission (13FC).

by K.K. George | On 28 Feb 2018

Microfinance and Women EmpowermentEmpirical Evidence from the Indian States

Microcredit is essentially utilised as the source of empowerment among the poor women in both rural and urban areas of the Indian states. Based on a panel of the Indian states for the period 2007 to...

by | On 27 Feb 2018

Impact of Rupee Appreciation on Non-Resident Malayalees

The study notes that continued appreciation of the rupee can weaken the competitive advantage of NRMs in the labour markets abroad. It can reinforce the already existing trend of decline in emigration...

by K.K. George | On 27 Feb 2018

Labour Migration to Kerala: A Study of Tamil Migrant Labourers in Kochi

The study concludes that the migrant labourers get much higher monetary wages than in their native places.

by Surabhi K.S. | On 27 Feb 2018

Dynamics of Change in Kerala’s Education System: The Socio-economic and Political Dimensions

The paper finds that the share of education in the State’s budget has reached an all-time low precisely when the State Domestic Product has been recording all-time high growth rates.

by K.K. George | On 16 Feb 2018

Fiscal Management in Kerala: Constraints and Policy Options

The paper says that this pattern of financing fiscal deficit is reflected in the changing composition of Kerala’s public debt.

by K.K. George | On 15 Feb 2018

Higher Education and Development in Kerala

The paper says that despite high levels of literacy, near universal enrolment in elementary education, high levels of social and human development, why could Kerala not transform itself into a prosper...

by Jandhyala Tilak | On 14 Feb 2018

Healthy States, Progressive India: Report on the Ranks of States and Union Territories

The exercise, which is the first of its kind attempted by the Union Government was conducted over a period of eighteen months. In addition to the technical expertise of the World Bank, experts in pub...

by Niti Aayog GOI | On 09 Feb 2018

Biological Weapon, Infectious Disease and India’s Security Imperatives

The report says that the fact that transnational spread of disease does pose a threat to national security, is well entrenched now.

by Animesh Roul | On 09 Feb 2018

Governance Dilemmas of Sustainable Cities

This paper aims to scrutinize the dilemmas involved in governing sustainable cities, and it offers a suggestion for how the challenge might be addressed.

by Joakim Öjendal | On 08 Feb 2018

Choice, Recognition and the Democracy Effects of Decentralization

The report says that many democratic decentralization reforms are well-crafted.

by James Manor | On 07 Feb 2018

Kerala Budget 2018-19

Budget speech of Finance Minister of Kerala.

by T.M. Thomas Issac | On 05 Feb 2018

Financing Small and Medium Towns: An Action Research Study from Bemetara Town in India

This research project studied the emerging challenges of small and medium towns in India to improve their finances and provide good services to their inhabitants.

by Yogesh Kumar | On 02 Feb 2018

Choosing Democracy: Natural Resource Management for Environmental Policy Makers, Donors and Practitioners

The brief talks about supporting local democracy in forestry is crucial for enhancing local people’s wellbeing.

by Jesse Ribot | On 02 Feb 2018

Economic Survey 2017: Volume II: Chapter 6: External Sector

India’s external sector continued to be resilient and strong in 2017-18 so far, with the Balance of Payments situation continuing to be comfortable with the Current Account Deficit at 1.8 percent of ...

by Arun Jaitley | On 31 Jan 2018

Economic Survey 2017: Volume II: Chapter 3: Monetary Management and Financial Intermediation

During 2017-18 (till January), monetary policy remained steady with only one policy rate cut in August. As the Y-o-Y effect of demonetisation wore off, the growth rate of both Currency in Circulatio...

by Arun Jaitley | On 31 Jan 2018

Economic Survey 2017: Volume I, Chapter 5: Is there a “Late Converger Stall” in Economic Development? Can India Escape it?

The first order fact about the developing world today is that this is an era of unprecedented prosperity. And that is true about India too which has been one of the most dynamic economic performers...

by Arun Jaitley | On 31 Jan 2018

Economic Survey 2017: Volume I, Chapter 4: Reconciling Fiscal Federalism and Accountability: Is there a Low Equilibrium Trap?

Long-run institutional development co-evolves with fiscal accountability involving, perhaps requiring, a low and declining dependence on devolved resources and a high and rising share of direct taxe...

by Arun Jaitley | On 31 Jan 2018

Economic Survey 2017: Volume I, Chapter 3: Investment and Saving Slowdowns and Recoveries: Cross-Country Insights for India

This chapter draws on cross-country experience to study the pattern of investment and saving slowdowns as well as recoveries in order to obtain policy lessons for India. One finding is that investme...

by Arun Jaitley | On 31 Jan 2018

Economic Survey 2017: Volume II, Chapter 1: An Overview of India’s Economic Performance in 2017-18

With Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth averaging 7.5 per cent between 2014- 15 and 2016-17, India can be rated as among the best performing economies in the world on this parameter.

by Arun Jaitley | On 29 Jan 2018

Securing India's Littorals in the Twenty-first Century: Issues and Challenges

The brief narrates that the twenty-first century marked paradigm shifts in the changing world order.

by W.Lawrence S.Prabhakar | On 22 Jan 2018

Cross-Border Spillover Effects of the G20 Financial Regulatory Reforms

The paper also emphasize the need for regulatory consistency within and between jurisdictions to ensure a level playing field.

by Clive Briault | On 15 Jan 2018

Indigenisation of Lithium ion Battery Manufacturing A Techno-economic Feasibility Assessment

The paper talks about the growing demand in the clean energy industry is expected to increase LCE production to about 410,000 tonne by 2025.

by Tanmay Sarkar | On 12 Jan 2018

Strategic Roadmap for Implementation of UDAY Scheme

This study analyses the concerns/challenges in executing the operational targets set under the UDAY scheme for two DISCOMs in Karnataka, namely, Mangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (MESCOM)...

by Rishu Garg | On 11 Jan 2018

One Year Later.... Community Disaster Resilience Fund (CDRF), Learning From the Pilot Initiative in India

The paper says that the Community Disaster Resilience Fund (CDRF) is viewed as a mechanism to direct resources for DRR to at risk and vulnerable communities in the context of local implementation of t...

by National Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction NADRR | On 10 Jan 2018

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Amendment) Bill, 2017

A Bill further to amend the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act, 1981. Be it enacted by Parliament in the Sixty-eighth Year of the Republic of India as follows: This Act may be ca...

by Lok Sabha Secretariat | On 09 Jan 2018

Perspectives on Decentralization

This paper seeks to explain what happens within elected bodies at or near the local level in less developed countries, the interactions of elected representatives and bureaucrats at both local and hig...

by James Manor | On 08 Jan 2018

Mapping Spaces For Democratic Participation In South Aceh Indonesia

The paper explored participatory aspects of local democracy in Aceh and some major challenges in South Aceh for people’s participation in local decision-making processes.

by Leena Avonius | On 08 Jan 2018

India’s National Policy on Urban Street Vendors

This Briefing Note describes the process by which India’s National Policy on Urban Street Vendors was developed, the content of the policy, and the ongoing story of its implementation.

by Shalini Sinha | On 05 Jan 2018

Exploring Components and Elements of Sui Generis Systems for Plant Variety Protection and Traditional Knowledge in Asia

The main objective of this paper is to outline components and elements of sui generis Plant Variety Protection (PVP) systems and measures to protect traditional knowledge (TK) based on recent experien...

by Daniel Robinson | On 27 Dec 2017

Technology Transfer & Intellectual Property Rights

This article summarises a case study conducted by the author based on a long period of research on the behaviour of firms in technology transfer and local capacity building in that country.

by Linsu Kim | On 27 Dec 2017

What is Global History?

As young historians promptly discover on their own, the term "world history," as is its counterpart, "global history," is the most current trend in the study of history.

by Orel Beilinson | On 14 Dec 2017

PIDS Calls For ‘Intelligent’ Discourse On Federalism

The study says that the policymakers should see merit in examining whether federalism can indeed address the sociopolitical and economic problems that hamper the country’s growth.

by PIDS Information Staff | On 11 Dec 2017

Can Social Safety Nets Protect Public Health? The Effect of India's Workfare and Foodgrain Subsidy Programmes on Anaemia

This paper focuses on the consequences of a countrywide guaranteed workfare programme (MGNREGA) and subsidised food distribution scheme (PDS) in India for the prevalence of anaemia, examining whether...

by Sudha Narayanan | On 11 Dec 2017

Global Investment Competitiveness Report 2017/2018 : Foreign Investor Perspectives and Policy Implications

This inaugural issue of the World Bank Group’s Global Investment Competitiveness Report presents novel analytical insights and empirical evidence on foreign direct investment’s (FDI) drivers and contr...

by World Bank [WB] | On 08 Dec 2017

Scheduled Castes, Legitimacy and Local Governance: Continuing Social Exclusion in Panchayats

People of the Scheduled Castes have a long history of being discriminated against, exploited, and placed at the bottom of caste society. The panchayati raj, after the enactment of the 73rd Constitutio...

by | On 07 Dec 2017

Graduation Incentives Through Conditional Student Loan Forgiveness

The paper evaluates a Finish student financing reform which created substantial financial incentives for on-time graduation, and had the side effect of turning expected nominal interest rates on stude...

by Ulla Hämäläinen | On 01 Dec 2017

Appraisal of Informal Political Associations and Institutions: Implications for Democratic Decentralisation in Punjab

This study by using mixed research strategy disentangled the process by which local governments are formed in Punjab.

by Asad Rehman | On 24 Nov 2017

A Region at Risk : The Human Dimensions of Climate Change in Asia and the Pacific

Asia and the Pacific continues to be exposed to climate change impacts. Home to the majority of the world’s poor, the population of the region is particularly vulnerable to those impacts. Unabated war...

by Asian Bank | On 23 Nov 2017

Addressing the Defaults of Globalization

There had been many wars in Europe before. But never before wars, that had started in Europe, had become wars to be fought throughout the world. There had been genocide before, but the scale of the...

by | On 22 Nov 2017

Demonetisation Post-Truths

On the day when the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) finally reported that almost 99% of the proscribed currency notes of ?500 and ?1,000 denomination had returned to the banking system by 30 June 2017, th...

by | On 17 Nov 2017

Can Anyone Hear Us ? Voices From 47 Countries

This study is part of a global research effort entitled Consultations with the Poor, designed to inform the World Development Report 2000/1 on Poverty and Development. The research involved poor peop...

by | On 07 Nov 2017

Socially Disadvantaged Groups and Micro-finance in India

About two-thirds of microfinance clients in India are reported to be in Self-Help Groups (SHGs). These mostly women’s groups have been promoted by nationalized banks since the early nineties to improv...

by Jean-Marie Baland | On 06 Nov 2017

New Issues Puzzle: Experience from Karachi Stock Exchange

Study finds that both groups of IPOs outperforms on first trading day, as average initial market adjusted returns of SOE and non-SOE IPOs are 27.65 percent and 22.53 percent respectively.

by Henna Malik | On 30 Oct 2017

Measuring Competition in the Banking Sector of Pakistan: An Application of Boone Indicator

The banking sector of Pakistan has witnessed a notable transformation in its structure and business activities following the implementation of financial sector reforms since the early 1990s. Specific...

by Mahmood ul Hasan Khan | On 09 Oct 2017

Central Bank Communication: The Practice in Nepal Rastra Bank and Impact on Inflation

The paper says that it will contribute to make monetary policy more effective and thus enhance its impact.

by Sarthak Karki | On 06 Oct 2017

Relationship between Financial Literacy and Behavior of Small Borrowers

The analysis showed that the relationship of financial literacy of small borrowers was significant with their financial attitude and behavior.

by Ramesh Chaulagain | On 06 Oct 2017

DRRM's Design and Implementation Need to Be Beefed Up

This, according to researchers Sonny Domingo and Ma. Divina Olaguera from the state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), is the problem the government needs to address to re...

by Philippine Institute Studies (PIDS) | On 03 Oct 2017

An Assessment of the Community Mortgage Program Implementation Strategy

The study also provides recommendations on how the identified issues can be addressed.

by Marife M. Ballesteros | On 29 Sep 2017

Birth of a Think Tank (The Founding of PIDS)

The report narrates that the basic philosophy of its operating principles was carefully nurtured from the start.

by Gerardo Sicat | On 26 Sep 2017

Working Group on Education: Digital Skills for Life and Work

The reports says that the question of how digital skills and competencies can be developed by all people — young and old, girls and boys, rich and poor — on a sustainable basis is an ongoing challenge...

by Broadband Commission Development | On 26 Sep 2017

East Asian Financial and Economic Development

Japan, an isolated, backward country in the 1860s, industrialized rapidly to become a major industrial power by the 1930s. South Korea, among the world’s poorest countries in the 1960s,joined the rank...

by Randall Morck | On 25 Sep 2017

Migrant Smuggling Data and Research: A Global Review of the Emerging Evidence Base

The report narrates that the diversity of smugglers has been examined in the academic and grey literature.

by Marie McAuliffe | On 25 Sep 2017

Watching India's Insolvency Reforms: A New Dataset of Insolvency Cases

This paper introduces a new dataset of orders passed by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in the insolvency cases under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code or IBC. It builds this dataset to atte...

by Sreyan Chatterjee | On 18 Sep 2017

Non-Performing Assets in Indian Banks: This Time it is Different

Growing non-performing assets is a recurrent problem in the Indian banking sector. Over the past two decades, there have been two such episodes when the banking sector was severely impaired by balance...

by Rajeswari Sengupta | On 18 Sep 2017

Slowdown in Bank Credit Growth: Aggregate Demand or Bank Non-Performing Assets?

This paper tests the bank lending channel against the aggregate demand channel as an explanation for slow credit growth by estimating the determinants of credit and of non- performing assets (NPAs) us...

by Ashima Goyal | On 15 Sep 2017

Chronic and Transient Poverty and Weather Variability in the Philippines: Evidence Using Components Approach

The paper narrates that the weather is an integral part of our life and weather shocks can have severe implications on income and on household consumption.

by Connie Bayudan-Dacuycuy | On 06 Sep 2017

Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World: A Look at the APEC 2015 Priority Areas (Volume II)

This paper, mainstreaming SMEs in the regional and global market loosely refers to the internationalization of SMEs.

by Philippine Institute Studies (PIDS) | On 05 Sep 2017

India’s Phytonutrient Report - A Snapshot of Fruits and Vegetables Consumption, Availability and Implications for Phytonutrient Intake

The objective of the study is to understand the ‘actual’ consumption patterns of fruits and vegetables in India and compare this to the World Health Organization (WHO) ‘recommended’ quantity for an ad...

by Arpita Mukherjee | On 31 Aug 2017

Developing India's Offshore Local Currency Bond Market: Lessons from Emerging Countries

This paper takes stock. It assesses the current market state and structure, surveys a cross-section of market participants to identify the relevant issues, and employs two case studies of EME peers, C...

by Renu Kohli | On 23 Aug 2017

Taking it to the Bank: Gender Issues at the New Development Bank

BRICS is a hot topic today. It is the new “kid” or the next big thing in global governance and in macro economics today. Set up in 2009, in the aftermath of 2008 global financial crisis with four coun...

by Shubha Chacko | On 22 Aug 2017

Access & Utilisation of Health Care Services in urban low-income settlements, Surat, India

The report says that the urban poor constitutes nearly one-fourth of India’s urban population and is growing at three times of the national population growth rate.

by Akash Acharya | On 22 Aug 2017

Local government in South Africa: Can the objectives of the developmental state be achieved through the current model of decentralised governance?

This study examines the notions of decentralisation and developmentalism, and shows how they have become two of the most significant defining features of South African local government.

by Andrew Siddle | On 11 Aug 2017

Can Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs) be Part Solution to the Indian Debt Problem?

This paper details the approaches of other countries when their banking sectors were burdened with unsustainable levels of impaired assets. The paper examines the bad debt situation in India, the circ...

by Jaimini Bhagwati | On 11 Aug 2017

Strengthening Local Governance in Africa: Beyond Donor-Driven Approaches

The paper argues, in line with other recent studies that time has come to rethink concepts and practices used to promote local governance in African countries.

by Göran Hydén | On 10 Aug 2017

Demonetisation: Macroeconomic Implications for Indian Economy

The present paper attempts to explore the macroeconomic implications of the “demonetisation” exercise announced on November 8, 2016, for the Indian economy on three board parameters of growth, distrib...

by Pradymna Rawat | On 09 Aug 2017

Social Security Agreements (SSAs) in practice: Evidence from India’s SSA with countries in Europe

The key policy issues in this field pertain to detachment benefits, totalization procedure and ensuring greater coverage under these agreements.

by Atul Tiwari | On 09 Aug 2017

Factors Influencing Indian Manufacturing Firms’ Decision to Hire Contract Labour

The study attempts to investigate the factors affecting a firm’s decision to hire contract workers. The information from a specially commissioned survey of manufacturing firms undertaken in 2014 by IC...

by Jaivir Singh | On 08 Aug 2017

Global Peace Index 2017

This is the eleventh edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI), which ranks 163 independent states and territories according to their level of peacefulness.

by Institute for Economics and Peace | On 04 Aug 2017

Report of the Working Group on Development of Corporate Bond Market in India

It has been well recognized that a well-developed corporate bond market complements a sound banking system in providing an alternative source of finance to the real sector for its long-term investme...

by Securities Board of India | On 04 Aug 2017

Risk-weighting under Standardised Approach of Computation of Capital for Credit Risk in Basel Framework – An Analysis of Default Experience of Credit Rating Agencies in India

The paper attempts to find out whether the credit risk regulatory capital of Indian banks is commensurate with the default experience associated with ratings assigned by the Indian rating agencies. Th...

by Ajay Kumar Choudhary | On 04 Aug 2017

Comments of the Reserve Bank of India on A New Capital Adequacy Framework

The report narrates that the Accord provided a framework for a fair and reasonable degree of consistency in the application of capital standards in different countries, on a shared definition of capit...

by Reserve Bank of India RBI | On 03 Aug 2017

Urban Development and Rural - Urban Linkages in Six Towns in Bihar

The world is becoming increasingly urbanized. Globally 54 percent population lives in urban areas today (UN 2014). Although Asia is still relatively more rural than the Americas and the Europe, it is...

by Tanuka Endow | On 02 Aug 2017

Aid for Trade in Action

The case stories show clear results of how aid for trade programmes are helping developing countries to build human, institutional and infrastructure capacity to integrate into regional and global ma...

by World Trade Organisation WTO | On 02 Aug 2017

Tracking Change Islamabad in Livelihoods, Service Delivery and Governance: Evidence from a 2012-2015 Panel Survey in Pakistan

The subject of this study is the relationship between the delivery of services, social protection and livelihoods assistance, and state legitimacy (measured here using perceptions of government perfor...

by Babar Shahbaz | On 01 Aug 2017

2017 G20 Women’s Economic Empowerment Recommendations

For the 2017 G20, the German government has prioritized commitments to reducing the male and female employment gap by 25 percent by 2025, and increasing the quality of women’s employment. Investing in...

by John Ruthrauff | On 31 Jul 2017

Reconfiguring International Financial Institutions: The BRICS Initiative

This paper examines the implications of the establishment of the New Development Bank (NDB) and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) for the international financial system and for the BRICS coun...

by Manmohan Agarwal | On 31 Jul 2017

Does Government Borrowing Crowd out Private Sector Credit in Pakistan

An analysis of the impact of government borrowing from the scheduled banks on the credit to private sector in Pakistan, using monthly data from 1998:M6 to 2015:M12. We find that a one percentage poi...

by Sajjad Zaheer | On 31 Jul 2017

Concepts and Realities of Family Farming in Asia and the Pacific

The Asia and the Pacific region has the largest number of family farms in the world. It is home to 60 per cent of the world’s population and to 74 per cent of the world’s family farmers, with China al...

by Jingzhong Ye | On 30 Jul 2017

Technology Options for the Sanitation Value Chain

The compendium details the characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of the different technology options, and also describes the different types of systems formed as a combination of the technolog...

by Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy CSTEP | On 28 Jul 2017

Construction and Demolition Waste Utilisation for Recycled Products in Bengaluru: Challenges and Prospects

The report narrates that CDW can be recycled to replace natural building material; this is not only beneficial for the environment, but also results in substantial cost and resource savings.

by Venkatesh Vunnam | On 28 Jul 2017

A Case for Institutional Demand as Effective Social Protection: Supporting Smallholders Through Procurement and Food Assistance Programmes

This paper focuses on the rationale for state-based market interventions to support smallholder production along with some case studies that follow the evolution and impact of what we call ‘institutio...

by Ryan Nehring | On 28 Jul 2017

Fuel Blending in India: Learnings and Way Forward

The expert paper further estimates significant potential for an overall improvement in balance of trade with increased blending in the context of an expected recovery in global crude oil prices.

by Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy CSTEP | On 27 Jul 2017

Gender Equality Results Case Study: Bangladesh - Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Development Project

The report narrates that in Bangladesh, women-owned SMEs have different characteristics when compared with men-owned SMEs and tend to face specific challenges and obstacles.

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 25 Jul 2017

Gender Equality Results Case Study: Nepal - Community-Based Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project

The project developed a gender, caste, and ethnicity (GCE) strategy that sought to ensure the participation of women and ethnic minorities in decision-making processes, as well as their increased repr...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 25 Jul 2017

Sustainable Energy Access Planning: A Framework

This report presents a framework for sustainable energy access planning that planners and policy makers can use to design cost-effective clean energy supply systems that both poor and nonpoor can sust...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 24 Jul 2017

East Asia Department Knowledge Management Initiatives in 2014

This annual publication showcases the results of knowledge management initiatives of the East Asia Department of the Asian Development Bank in 2014.

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 24 Jul 2017

Making Money Work: Financing a Sustainable Future in Asia and the Pacific

This report explores some of the ways forward. It highlights not just the need to inject more money into investments that contribute to sustainable development, but also to attract funds toward them—t...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 21 Jul 2017

Aid for Trade in Asia and the Pacific: Thinking Forward About Trade Costs and the Digital Economy

This report takes stock of how AfT has contributed to these trends and considers some constructive ways to move forward, to continue to address trade costs in Asia and the Pacific.

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 17 Jul 2017

A Region at Risk: The Human Dimensions of Climate Change in Asia and the Pacific

The report discusses the most recent projections pertaining to climate change and climate change impacts in Asia and the Pacific, and the consequences of these changes to human systems, particularly f...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 14 Jul 2017

Assessing Financial Protection against Disasters: A Guidance Note on Conducting a Disaster Risk Finance Diagnostic

The purpose of this note is to help development practitioners gather relevant information, conduct analysis, and present both in a standardized diagnostic framework. In addition to the guidance note i...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 14 Jul 2017

Facilitating Foreign Exchange Risk Management for Bond Investments in ASEAN+3

The report says that the bond investors typically have a long position in local currency bond markets. To manage their foreign exchange risk, they may want to hedge that exposure for a period of time.

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 12 Jul 2017

Harmonization and Standardization of Bond Market Infrastructures in ASEAN+3: ASEAN+3 Bond Market Forum Sub-Forum 2 Phase 3 Report

This report is an outcome of Phase 3 discussions under the ASEAN+3 Bond Market Forum Sub-Forum 2, which have focused on making bond market infrastructures in the region more inter-operable through the...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 11 Jul 2017

Implementation of the ASEAN+3 Multi-Currency Bond Issuance Framework: ASEAN+3 Bond Market Forum Sub-Forum 1 Phase 3 Report

The report says that the ASEAN+3 Multi-Currency Bond Issuance Framework (AMBIF) is a policy initiative under the Asian Bond Markets Initiative (ABMI) to help facilitate intraregional transactions thro...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 11 Jul 2017

Financial Soundness Indicators for Financial Sector Stability in Georgia

The results of this study can be used to strengthen the institutional and statistical capacities of Georgia to routinely collect, compile, analyze, and disseminate internationally comparable financial...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 07 Jul 2017

Financial Soundness Indicators for Financial Sector Stability in Viet Nam

The results of this study can be used to strengthen the institutional and statistical capacities of Viet Nam to routinely collect, compile, analyze, and disseminate internationally comparable FSIs tha...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 07 Jul 2017

Sustainable Energy for All Status Report: Tracking Progress in Asia and the Pacific - A Summary Report

This report summarizes the initial activities of the Regional Hub, and contextualizes the challenges in Asia and the Pacific with the global efforts to reach the 2030 targets.

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 06 Jul 2017

Ola and Uber failing to live up to the promises made

With mushrooming of commercial drivers, incomes are falling and expenses are rising. Unable to pay monthly loan instalments, cars are being seized, while contracted employees cannot quit. Will legal p...

by Amrit B L S | On 29 Jun 2017

Asian Economic Integration Report 2015: How Can Special Economic Zones Catalyze Economic Development?

The report is an annual review of Asia’s regional economic cooperation and integration. It covers the 48 regional members of the Asian Development Bank. This issue includes Special Chapter: How Can Sp...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 23 Jun 2017

Toward Mainstreaming and Sustaining CDD in Indonesia: Understanding Local Initiatives and the Transition from PNPM-Rural to the Villlage Law

The report summarizes important lessons learned and policy implications from the first year of Village Law implementation.

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 16 Jun 2017

Southwest Area Integrated Water Resources Planning and Management Project in Bangladesh: Sharing Knowledge on Community-Driven Development

This report describes how applying community-driven development principles to managing the water resource can both expand livelihood opportunities available to beneficiaries at no additional cost to t...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 16 Jun 2017

The Asian Bond Markets Initiative: Policy maker achievements and challenges

This paper also provides recommendations for addressing new sources of market volatility and other challenges within and outside the framework of the Asian Bond Markets Initiative.

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 15 Jun 2017

Fossil Fuel Subsidies in Asia: Trends, Impacts, and Reforms - Integrative Report

This report measures the size of associated subsidies on these fossil fuels including direct transfers, tax exemptions, subsidized credit, and losses of state enterprises in India, Indonesia, and Thai...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 14 Jun 2017

Asian Development Outlook 2016: Highlights

The paper narrates that the risks are tilted to the downside as tightening US monetary policy may heighten financial volatility, further moderation in the People’s Republic of China could spill over i...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 14 Jun 2017

Enhancing Community-Driven Development through Convergence: A Case Study of Household- and Community-Based Initiatives in Philippine Villages

The study examines the Philippine government’s convergence initiative, and how it relates to community-driven development (CDD) that can impact rural communities in the Philippines.

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 09 Jun 2017

Papua New Guinea: Development Effectiveness Brief

This report narrates that ADB has scaled up its assistance to Papua New Guinea for power infrastructure, with an emphasis on clean energy solutions, in line with the government’s prioritization of pow...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 08 Jun 2017

Asia Bond Monitor - June 2016

The report says that the global economic environment also affects the region’s bond yields, emphasizing the importance of domestic macroeconomic stability and bond market resilience in the face of glo...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 06 Jun 2017

Gender Equality Results Case Study: Nepal Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women Project

This report presents the case study of that project, whose special features include responsiveness to local contexts and to conditions created by conflict, a well-coordinated system for women collecti...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 06 Jun 2017

Climate Change and Variability What are the Risks for Nutrition, Diets, and Food Systems?

The paper uses a food systems approach to analyze the bidirectional relationships between climate change and food and nutrition along the entire food value chain. It then identifies adaptation and mit...

by Jessica Fanzo | On 30 May 2017

Asia Bond Monitor - September 2016

The report notes that yields for 2-year and 10-year local currency government bonds in emerging East Asia were mostly lower between 1 June and 15 August and stock markets in the region recorded gains...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 23 May 2017

A Comparative Analysis of Tax Administration in Asia and the Pacific: 2016

The analysis and practical guidance provided in this report are based on surveys of revenue bodies conducted in 2014 and 2015, along with accompanying research of revenue bodies’ corporate documents,...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 22 May 2017

ASEAN+3 Bond Market Guide 2016: Japan

The paper narrates that the Government of Japan raises significant amounts from domestic capital markets to finance government expenditures, mainly through the issuance of Japanese Government Bonds (J...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 16 May 2017

ASEAN+3 Bond Market Guide 2016: Malaysia

According to data published on AsianBondsOnline, total LCY bonds outstanding in Malaysia barely moved in the third quarter of 2015 compared with the previous quarter, standing at MYR1,076 billion at t...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 16 May 2017

The Emergence of Pacific Urban Villages: Urbanization Trends in the Pacific Islands

The paper narrates that the specific needs of the Pacific in the process of urbanization must be recognized and adequately addressed in the post-2015 development agenda. Key priorities include upgradi...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 15 May 2017

Monitoring Universal Health Coverage in the Western Pacific: Framework, Indicators, and Dashboard

The report narrates that the SDGs are integrated and indivisible with a clear focus on equity, including equity focused monitoring and evaluation (M&E), to ensure not only that the targets are being m...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 15 May 2017

Mapping Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations in Asia and the Pacific: The ADB Experience

ADB recognizes four types of fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCAS)—conflict-affected, fragile,transitional, and subnational—and each situation has its own unique set of characteristics, and...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 12 May 2017

Sanitation and Sustainable Development in Japan

The paper outlines that the sanitation has long been “beneath the radar” on the development agendas of governments worldwide. Aside from the massive investment requirements for putting in place sanita...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 12 May 2017

ASEAN+3 Bond Market Guide 2016: Hong Kong, China

The paper narrates that the bond market in Hong Kong, China has for some time been a significant market place for issuers and investors in both domestic and foreign currencies. The range of product of...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 11 May 2017

Credit Guarantees: Challenging Their Role in Improving Access to Finance in the Pacific Region

This paper draws on the background research by Saumya Mitra. PSDI thanks Erik Aelbers for preparing Appendix 2: Credit Guarantee Schemes in the Pacific, and Melissa Dayrit and Amanda Lucas-Frith for h...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 11 May 2017

Philippines: Public-Private Partnerships by Local Government Units

The paper narrates that as local government units (LGUs) have strived to carry out the responsibilities and activities devolved to them by the 1991 Local Government Code, they have explored and availe...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 11 May 2017

Asia Bond Monitor - November 2016

This issue of the Asia Bond Monitor includes Local currency (LCY) government bond yields in advancedeconomies and emerging East Asia climbed between 31 October and 18 November due to increased concern...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 11 May 2017

Nature-Based Solutions for Building Resilience in Towns and Cities: Case Studies from the Greater Mekong Subregion

This publication highlights the results of a successful partnership between the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Centre for Environmental Management (ICEM) with cofinancing from the...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 10 May 2017

Reinventing Mutual Recognition Arrangements: Lessons from International Experiences and Insights for the ASEAN Region

This report aims to support ASEAN policymakers and regulatory bodies by examining MRAs signed in other regions to see how well they have functioned on the ground. It focuses on the following issues: D...

by Dovelyn Rannveig Mendoza | On 08 May 2017

The Long Road Ahead: Status Report on the Implementation of the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangements on Professional Services

In the report there has been progress primarily in two areas: (1) the creation of implementing offices and bodies at the regional and national levels as outlined in the MRAs; and (2) the incorporation...

by Dovelyn Rannveig Mendoza | On 05 May 2017

Asia Bond Monitor - March 2017

This issue of the Asia Bond Monitor includes three special discussion boxes. Box 1 discusses the risk of Federal Reserve rate hikes to emerging Asia’s financial stability. Box 2 analyzes the risks to...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 05 May 2017

Household Expenditure on Higher Education in India: What do we know & What do recent data have to say?

The paper analyse data from two recent NSSO surveys to provide estimates of expenditure on higher education and loans availed for higher education. The average share of expenditure on higher educatio...

by S. Chandrasekhar | On 02 May 2017

Smart Cities Movement in BRICS

BRICS nations are today cooperating on numerous matters of mutual concern. The cooperation is the result of years of deliberation, hard work and commitment. Since the formation of the grouping in the...

by | On 14 Apr 2017

World Employment Social Outlook

Over the past two decades, significant progress has been made in reducing poverty in the majority of countries. In emerging and developing countries, taken as a whole, it is estimated that nearly 2 bi...

by International Labour Organization [ILO] | On 14 Apr 2017

Global Wage Report 2016/17: Wage Inequality in the Workplace

This new ILO Global Wage Report – the fifth in a series that now spans over a decade – contributes to this agenda by making comparative data and information on recent wage trends available to governme...

by International Labour Organization [ILO] | On 14 Apr 2017

Opportunities for Women: Challenging Harmful Social Norms and Gender Stereotypes to Unlock Women’s Potential

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, shaped by both public and private sectors and the voices of civil society, was adopted by world leaders two years ago as a blueprint for making our world m...

by | On 16 Mar 2017

Book Review: ‘Kadhakaran of Arabee Cundree’

Review of Temporary People by Deepak Unnikrishnan, Restless Books, New York,USA 224 pp;To be released: March 14, 2017. USD 17.99. ISBN: 9781632061423

by Kavya Murthy | On 07 Mar 2017

The Inclusive Growth and Development Report 2017

This Report, and the System Initiative on Economic Growth and Social Inclusion of which it is part, exemplify the World Economic Forum’s ambition to serve as a platform to enable closer cooperation be...

by | On 27 Feb 2017

Budget in the Time of Demonetisation

Demonetisation is a weapon to stop the black money in the country. But cash is only a small portion of black money. Also the economy has been affected by this step. How will the government tackle this...

by Rakesh Mumbai | On 27 Jan 2017

Demonetisation: A Positive Effect on Budget to Channelise Nation's Growth Prospects

The aim of this article is to present that the Positive effect of demonetisation on upcoming budget for national growth. And demonetisation is one of the tools to be used for minimize the counterfeit...

by P Shekar | On 25 Jan 2017

CMs Committee on Digital Payments Presents Interim RepoT to the Prime Minister

The presentation shows the methods through which non-cash payments can be made, the constraints to it, efforts needed for proposed actions from key stakeholders, policies needed to promote digital pa...

by Nara Chandrababu Naidu | On 25 Jan 2017

The Influence of Gender Budgeting in Indian States on Gender Inequality and Fiscal Spending

This study investigates the effect of gender budgeting in India on gender inequality and fiscal spending. Gender budgeting is an approach to budgeting in which governments use fiscal policies and ad...

by Janet G Stotsky | On 23 Jan 2017

Dealing with GST in the Union Budget 2017

Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a harmonized tax regime and it can curb black money through practicing clean "invoices" to redeem input credit. In the Union Budget 2017, central government may announc...

by Lekha Chakraborty | On 23 Jan 2017

Demonetization of Currency Notes: Significance and Challenges

Demonetization is the act of stripping a currency unit of its status as legal tender. Demonetization is necessary whenever there is a change of national currency. The old unit of currency must be reti...

by | On 18 Jan 2017

Inequalities in Secondary Education: Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan

Secondary education is an important stage in the school education ladder as it equips students with skills important for higher education and the labour market. Besides helping students to choose diff...

by | On 10 Jan 2017

Unequal India in an Unequal World: Causes, Consequences & Policy Options

Disparities in income and wealth have all along been present in almost every society across the world. However, the rate of increase in inequality in the distribution of income and wealth has been ala...

by | On 10 Jan 2017

Going Cashless: Is India Ready for Digital?

Cash, alas, is not free; its use comes at a significant cost. I have studied the cost of cash in over 70 countries, in research outlined in a recent article in the Harvard Business Review, titled ‘The...

by | On 04 Jan 2017

Household Expenditure on Higher Education in India: What Do we Know and What do Recent Data Have to say?

Data from two recent NSSO surveys are analysed to provide estimates of expenditure on higher education and loans availed for higher education. The average share of expenditure on higher education out...

by S. Chandrasekhar | On 03 Jan 2017

Demonetization, the Cash Shortage and the Black Money

Demonetisation of INR 500 and INR 1,000 notes in India on November 8, 2016 is different from many other countries’ scrapping of high value notes in two respects – the withdrawal of their legal tende...

by Ashok K. Lahiri | On 02 Jan 2017

Financial Inclusion in the Digital Age

The policies needed to promote financial inclusion in the digital age were discussed at an international conference held at the Asian Development Bank Institute. The  event took place on 7–8 April 2...

by Shawn Hunter | On 29 Dec 2016

Costs of Selected Policies to Address Air Pollution in China

Air pollution has been one of the most pernicious consequences of China’s last three decades of economic transformation and growth. Although Chinese governments—federal, provincial, and municipal—have...

by | On 23 Dec 2016

Air Pollution and Health Damages in China: An Introduction and Review

The authorities have responded to this challenge, and there has been clear progress in some areas of pollution control. As a result of these actions, and concurrent changes in economic policies and th...

by | On 23 Dec 2016

Bank Lending and Loan Quality: The Case of India

This paper analyses how non-performing loans (NPLs) of Indian banks behave through the cycle. We find that a one-percentage point increase in loan growth is associated with an increase in NPLs over...

by Pallavi Chavan | On 15 Dec 2016

Digital Payments: Step by Step Instructions for Various Modes of Payment-Cards, USSD, AEPS, UPI, Wallets

After the demonetization, it has become difficult to make payments through cash. How make digital payments is explained here. [MoEF].

by Niti Aayog GOI | On 14 Dec 2016

Resilient and Responsive Health Systems for a Changing World

A health system should be responsive, resilient, self-regulating. It should be able to respond to health emergencies and changing development scenarios. Governments all over the world should see to it...

by Rajeev B.R. | On 14 Dec 2016

Religious Denominations of Kerala

This paper discusses the demographic and socio-economic profile of religious communities (Castes among the Hindus, Sects among the Muslims and Denominations among the Christians) in Kerala’s three ...

by K. C. Zachariah | On 06 Dec 2016

Strengthening State Legislatures: Background Note for the Conference on Effective Legislatures

State legislatures are responsible for making laws on key subjects like land, police and health. They are also tasked with approving the expenditure of money for their respective states every year. T...

by Prianka Rao | On 30 Nov 2016

Challenges to the Role of Private Participation in Public Transportation: A Case of Kerala’s Private Buses

The State of Kerala in 2012 through a notification stopped issuing new permits to inter-district buses in Kerala while exempting state run Kerala State Transport Corporation. This was the beginning...

by Madhu Sivaraman | On 28 Nov 2016

Unemployment Among the Migrant Population in Chinese Cities: Case Study of Beijing

The increasing number of migrants moving to cities, especially from rural areas, has posed a new set of issues for the authorities. In the mid-1990s, it was estimated that China had a floating populat...

by | On 22 Nov 2016

Demonetisation: Impact on the Economy

The argument posited in favour of demonetisation is that the cash that would be extinguished would be “black money” and hence, should be rightfully extinguished to set right the perverse incentive s...

by | On 17 Nov 2016

Evolution of Payment Systems in India: Or is it a Revolution?

A silent revolution is sweeping the country. That is because, the payment systems has been evolving and changes have been continuous over the last 35 years, it has rarely got noticed as a revolutio...

by R. Gandhi | On 17 Nov 2016

Endogenous Leadership in a Federal Transfer Game

Conventional wisdom suggests that, to negate fiscal externalities imposed by provinces which spend too much and raise lower local resources, central authority should always be a first mover in the t...

by Bodhisattva Sengupta | On 14 Nov 2016

A Stagnant Agriculture in Kerala: The Role of the State

The paper shows that disincentives generated by the successive governments in Kerala through imposing artificial barriers on the freedom of farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs resulted in the coll...

by Lekshmi R Nair | On 08 Nov 2016

The Ease of Doing Business Rank: An Assessment of its Macroeconomic Relevance

This paper examines the macroeconomic impact of World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business (EDB) rank, of increasing importance to policy makers, using simple but robust cross-country regressions. Its main f...

by | On 27 Oct 2016

Analysis of the Kerala Assembly Elections, May 2016

This study attempts to understand people’s perceptions and their understanding approaching the 2016 assembly elections and how it influenced the voting pattern and behaviour while exercising their r...

by D Dhanuraj | On 21 Oct 2016

Agriculture 2.0: Towards a Global Revolution for Sustainability

The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on zero hunger is a top priority on the international agenda, and eliminating hunger globally is naturally and inevitably tied to farming. Therefore, the SDGs ha...

by | On 19 Oct 2016

MGNREGS: Political Economy, Local Governance and Asset Creation in South India

MGNREGS, the premier centrally-sponsored national rural livelihood scheme, is one of the most elaborately designed and implemented public workfare programmes in India. While a large number of studi...

by Vinoj Abraham | On 10 Oct 2016

Trade Shocks and the Provision of Local Public Goods

We analyze the impact of trade-induced income shocks on the size of local government, and the provision of public services. Areas in the US with declining labor demand and incomes due to increasing im...

by | On 10 Oct 2016

Financial Stability in a Weak Global Environment

Even almost eight years since resorting to the extraordinary monetary and fiscal measures to counter the after-effects of the Global Financial Crisis, authorities are still left wondering about rela...

by S.S. Mundra | On 10 Oct 2016

MenEngage Global Alliance 2015 Annual Report

This is the third annual report for the MenEngage Alliance’s Global Strategic Plan 2012-2016, in which the main activities and achievements of 2015, based on the four strategic objectives are reported...

by MenEngage Global Alliance | On 07 Oct 2016

Autonomous Colleges in Kerala: An Evaluative Study

Kerala has ushered a new paradigm in higher education sector by granting autonomy to a few colleges in the recent times. Though it has been in the practice only for the last two years, CPPR finds it i...

by Nikhitha Mary Mathew | On 07 Oct 2016

Financial Inclusion in India – The Journey so far and the Way Ahead

RBI is on a journey towards the goal of universal financial inclusion in India. There are challenges encountered and the way forward. [Address delivered at at the BRICS Workshop on Financial Inclusio...

by S.S. Mundra | On 26 Sep 2016

Business of Sports : Shaping a Successful Innings for the Indian Sports Industry

Sports has been a force for good ever since humanity existed. It brings people together, catalyses cultural and societal change, encourages free spirit, instils discipline and significantly enough, te...

by | On 21 Sep 2016

Asset Quality of Indian Banks: Way Forward

The Indian banks in general, and the Public Sector Banks (PSBs) in particular, are grappling with the huge stock of stressed assets that has piled up in the system over the years. Any amount of discus...

by N.S. Viswanathan | On 19 Sep 2016

Women, Sports, and Development: Does It Pay to Let Girls Play?

The Olympics is an elite arena where a handful of the world’s most talented athletes compete, but the Games are also a snapshot of current trends. Women’s gains in the Olympics have tracked trends in...

by | On 09 Sep 2016

Defined by Absence: Women and Research in South Asia

There is a closing of the gender gap in many parts of the world in terms of female access to education and enrolments at various levels of secondary and tertiary level. The World Economic Forum recent...

by | On 09 Sep 2016

Child and Maternal Health and Nutrition in South Asia - Lessons for India

South Asia has been characterized by its minimal progress in the areas of child and maternal health and nutrition in comparison to other regions in the world. The case of India is especially enigmatic...

by | On 09 Sep 2016

Health Spending, Macroeconomics and Fiscal Space in Countries of the World Health Organization South-East Asia Region

The paper examines the issues around mobilization of resources for the 11 countries of the South-East Asia Region of the World Health Organization (WHO), by analysing their macroeconomic situation, he...

by | On 07 Sep 2016

Substance Abuse Treatment Centers and Local Crime

This paper estimates the effects of expanding access to substance-abuse treatment on local crime. It does so using an identification strategy that leverages variation driven by substance-abuse-treatme...

by Samuel Bondurant | On 07 Sep 2016

Who Takes a Call on Price Stability, the Government or the RBI?

The question here is, whether it’s the responsibility of the Government or the Central Bank to ensure price stability in an economy? For instance, what was the role of the RBI when the prices of pulse...

by Deepthi Mary Mathew | On 07 Sep 2016

Words Matter: A Textual Analysis of SBP’s Monetary Policy Reviews

In this paper a textual analysis is performed of monetary policy statements issued during the past ten years by State Bank of Pakistan and compare them with policy reviews of seven selected central ...

by Asif Mahmood | On 07 Sep 2016

The Independence of the Central Bank

Central banking does not mean just rates cuts and rate rising. There are many decisions to be taken sometimes unpopular or hard-to-explain ones, to be made under conditions of extreme uncertainty. The...

by Raghuram G. Rajan | On 06 Sep 2016

Should Countries Be More Like Shopping Malls? A Proposal for Service Performance Guarantees

Many developing countries have made progress in political openness and economic management but still struggle to attract private sector investments, at least outside of narrow, resource-based enclaves...

by Alan Gelb | On 01 Sep 2016

Encouraging Women to be Entrepreneurs

There are many states in India which have high number of women entrepreneurs. There are states which have many policies to encourage women entrepreneurs.

by Lakshmi Priya | On 30 Aug 2016

Educating the Urban Poor: Case Study of Running Pre-schools in Non-notified Slums of Bengaluru

In the paper, an informal preschool program is described that Akshara Foundation administered over 12 months in a set of non-notified slums in Bengaluru. The intervention is particularly noteworthy be...

by K. Vaijayanti | On 29 Aug 2016

Emigration from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu

Migration as an engine of development has been accepted by economists across the world and a clear understanding of its details are very essential in order to reap the best benefits of it. The paper e...

by | On 29 Aug 2016

Water Stress Analysis and Recommendations for Water Resources Management in Ningxia

Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (referred to as “Ningxia” below) is one of the most water stressed regions in China. In order to help governments and corporations gain a better understanding of water s...

by Lijin Zhong | On 29 Aug 2016

ABCD of MSME Credit

According to MSME Ministry’s Annual Report for 2015-16, MSME sector in India today is a network of 51 million enterprises providing employment to 117.1 million persons and contributing 37.5 per cent...

by S.S. Mundra | On 29 Aug 2016

Large-Scale Migration and Remittance in Nepal: Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities

Almost half of all households have at least one migrant abroad or a returnee. Estimates of the number of Nepali migrants abroad vary widely, but the most frequently cited estimate, including seasonal...

by World Bank [WB] | On 25 Aug 2016

The Integration of China and India into the World Economy: A Comparison

China and India have successfully integrated into the world economy. Once specialised in textiles, they have developed new export-oriented sectors linked to the information and communication technolog...

by | On 24 Aug 2016

Migration and Refugee Issue Between India and Bangladesh

In the era of globalisation, where opening of borders is being advocated all over the world, there is one issue over which no nation-state is ready to compromise with its territorial borders. The issu...

by | On 22 Aug 2016

Credit Surety Fund: A Credit Innovation for Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises in the Philippines

Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises are a backbone of the Philippine economy. One factor that hinders the growth of these enterprises is their difficulty in accessing finance from banks and o...

by Gary V Maningo | On 19 Aug 2016

The Dominant Borrower Syndrome: The Case of Pakistan

The pressure fiscal expansion exerts on the economy via credit markets in Pakistan is analysed. Melina and Villa (2014) is extended by allowing government to compete with the private borrowers (firms...

by Sajawal Khan | On 16 Aug 2016

Global Forest Watch Climate: Summary of Methods and Data

The Global Forest Watch (GFW) Climate online platform catalyzes action on climate change by providing timely and credible answers to questions about the impacts of tropical deforestation on global...

by nancy Harris | On 12 Aug 2016

Make in India – Scheme For Transforming India

Make in India is an international marketing strategy, conceptualized by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on 25 September 2014 to attract investments from businesses around the world and make...

by | On 10 Aug 2016

Policy and Evidence

There has to be evidence in the policy dialogue. Some may believe that all it takes to convince the body politic of the necessity to choose one policy over another is to present the evidence, complete...

by Raghuram G. Rajan | On 03 Aug 2016

Global Estimates 2015: People Displaced by Disasters

The time is opportune to ensure the causes and consequences of this urgent issue are better addressed. Policy makers are pushing for concerted progress across humanitarian and sustainable development...

by | On 01 Aug 2016

International Evidence on Long Run Money Demand

This paper explores the long-run demand for M1 based on a dataset comprising 31 countries since 1851. In many cases, co integration tests identify a long-run equilibrium relationship between either ve...

by Luca Benati | On 01 Aug 2016

Labour Migration, Employment, and Poverty Alleviation in South Asia

Labor migration presents both challenges and opportunities in today’s global world. As the scale, scope, and complexity of the phenomenon have grown, states and other stakeholders have become aware of...

by Sridhar K. Khatri | On 27 Jul 2016

New Evidence on Trust and Well-Being

This paper reports existing and fresh evidence on some of the direct and indirect linkages between trust and subjective well-being. This paper first uses data from three large international surveys –...

by John Helliwell | On 26 Jul 2016

Economic Reform and Social Sector Expenditures: A Study of Fifteen Indian States

This paper examines social sector expenditures in fifteen Indian states between 1980/81 and 1999/2000 to find out whether the far-reaching economic reforms that began in 1991 had any significant impac...

by | On 19 Jul 2016

Trajectories of China’s Integration with the World Economy through SEZs: A Study on Shenzhen SEZ

By exploring the role of SEZs in China’s integration with the world economy, we also investigate the underlining challenges faced by the economy. The analysis brings forth the indisputable fact that S...

by | On 14 Jul 2016

Livelihood of Local Communities and Forest Degradation in India: Issues for REDD+

The enforcement of The Forest Conservation Act, 1980 enabled the regulation of widespread diversions of forestland for non-forest uses, and hence put a check on deforestation. The changing priorities...

by | On 12 Jul 2016

Bank Ownership, Board Characteristics and Performance: Evidence from Commercial Banks in India

This paper examines the importance of board size and board composition in determining bank outcomes using data from an emerging economy, India, and using a sample that includes both public and priva...

by Jayati Sarkar | On 09 Jul 2016

Evolution of the insolvency framework for non-financial firms in India

In this paper, the evolution of the corporate insolvency resolution framework, with the objective of linking it back to the policy directive of the time is described. It is concluded that when policy...

by Rajeswari Sengupta | On 09 Jul 2016

State-Focused Roadmap to India’s “Vision 2030”

By 2030, India will be amongst the youngest nations in the world with nearly 150 million people in the college-going age group. By 2030, the already existing challenges for Indian higher education – a...

by | On 07 Jul 2016

Water Resource Management and Sustainable Development

All living beings on earth need water for their daily life. As it is becoming scarce and the demand is increasing proper management of water is needed.

by Aakriti Singh | On 30 Jun 2016

Resolving Stress in the Banking System

The slowdown in credit growth has been largely because of stress in the public sector banking and not because of high interest rates. As such, what is required is a clean-up of the balance sheets of p...

by Raghuram G. Rajan | On 29 Jun 2016

A Study on Effectiveness of Panchayati Raj Institutions in Health Care System in the State of Kerala

The objective of the study is to assess the effectiveness of Panchayati Raj Institutions in Health Care System in the State of Kerala with a special reference to impact of duality and role of bureaucr...

by Jacob John | On 29 Jun 2016

Decentralisation and Interventions in Health Sector: A Critical Inquiry into the Experience of Local Self Governments in Kerala

This paper attempts to analyse the transition in the healthcare sector during the last two decades linking it to the interventions of Local Self Governments (LSGs). It was found that decentralisation...

by | On 29 Jun 2016

How Successful Are Banking Sector Reforms in Emerging Market Economies? Evidence from Impact of Monetary Policy on Levels and Structures of Firm Debt in India

In this paper investigates the success of banking reforms in India where significant banking reforms have been introduced since 1990s. Using the argument that well functioning credit markets would ref...

by Sumon Kumar Bhaumik | On 27 Jun 2016

Is Partisan Alignment Electorally Rewarding? Evidence from Village Council Elections in India

Do ruling parties positively discriminate in favour of their own constituencies in allocating public resources? If they do, do they gain electorally in engaging in such a practice? This paper tests wh...

by Subhasish Dey | On 27 Jun 2016

Malnutrition: Unanswered Questions from Attapadi

India claims to have achieved financial growth of 7% but despite this high growth rate, poverty and inequality has also grown exponentially and social security, standard of life, security of labor ha...

by Child Rights and You CRY | On 27 Jun 2016

Can War Foster Cooperation?

In the past decade, nearly 20 studies have found a strong, persistent pattern in surveys and behavioral experiments from over 40 countries: individual exposure to war violence tends to increase social...

by Michal Bauer | On 24 Jun 2016

Coerced Labor in the Cotton Sector: How Global Commodity Prices (Don’t) Transmit to the Poor

This paper investigates the economic fortunes of coerced vs. free workers in a global supply chain. To identify the differential treatment of otherwise similar workers we resort to a unique exogenous...

by Alexander M. Danzer | On 22 Jun 2016

Labor Migration, Skills & Student Mobility in Asia

Labor migration from and within Asia is a key and growing component of international migration flows, and the joint roundtable by the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), the International Labour...

by OECD Development Centre’s Social Cohesion Uni Social Cohesion Unit | On 21 Jun 2016

Situation of Women in South Asia: Some Dimensions

South Asian women and their status is being assessed here to highlight the similarities in the conditions faced by women despite the diversities stemming from class, religion, culture and locality. Th...

by Preeti Rustagi | On 20 Jun 2016

Federal Budget of Pakistan 2016

Budget speech of Pakistan 2016-17.

by Mohammad Ishaq Dar | On 17 Jun 2016

Migration and Remittances: Recent Developments and Outlook

According to the World Bank’s Migration and Remittances Factbook 2016, more than 250 million people, or 3.4 percent of the world population, live outside their countries of birth (Figure 1). The volum...

by | On 14 Jun 2016

Inter-Regional Comparisons of Humanitarian Action

Throughout the conference it became clear that there are two emerging trends in humanitarian action across the Asia–Pacific. The first is the increasing activity of selected Asia-Pacific states engage...

by | On 09 Jun 2016

Building the Foundations for Sustainable Nutrient Management

The report details how rising CO2 emissions are altering the chemical balance of our oceans and outlines the wide-ranging consequences of this emerging issue on marine food chains and ecosystems as we...

by United Nations Environment Programme UNEP | On 07 Jun 2016

Righting the Wrong Strengthening Local Humanitarian Leadership to Save Lives and Strengthen Communities

The international humanitarian system—the vast UN-led network in which Oxfam and other international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs), the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, and others play key rol...

by Oxfam India | On 02 Jun 2016

An Economy for The 1%: How Privilege and Power in the Economy Drive Extreme Inequality and How This Can Be Stopped

Credit Suisse recently revealed that the richest 1% have now accumulated more wealth than the rest of the world put together. Meanwhile, the wealth owned by the bottom half of humanity has fallen by a...

by | On 02 Jun 2016

The GATS Atlas: Global Adult Tobacco Survey

The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) Atlas presents tobacco statistics from 22 countries in a visual formatting, using GATS data that cover nearly 60 percent of the world’s population. It describes...

by | On 31 May 2016

Earmarked Tobacco Taxes: Lessons Learnt from Nine Countries

This publication looks at the experience of nine countries that have an experience in earmarking tobacco tax revenues for health purposes. It describes the challenges, setbacks and achievements of tho...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 31 May 2016

Surveillance of Chronic Diseases: Challenges and Strategies for India

This paper describes the status, challenges and scope for strengthening surveillance of chronic disease risk factors, morbidities and mortality in India. Surveillance experience of four selected Stat...

by Udaya S. Mishra | On 30 May 2016

Golden Wheat Becomes More Golden Extending SRI to Wheat

People’s Science Institute carried out the first trials of the System of Wheat Intensification (SWI) during rabi 2006- 07. Starting with systematic research trials on farmers’ fields, SWI practice...

by Ravi Chopra | On 27 May 2016

The Other Side of Indian Demographics: Accelerating Growth in Ageing and its Challenges

A primary survey of older adults was conducted in seven rapidly ageing states including Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala (Alam et al. 2012). This...

by Moneer Alam | On 25 May 2016

Stop Stunting in South Asia: A Common Narrative on Maternal and Child Nutrition

Governments in South Asia are progressively acknowledging that child stunting is both a marker and a maker of poor development. UNICEF regional and country offices in South Asia work with regional bo...

by United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF | On 24 May 2016

Effects of Ownership Structure on Capital Structure of Indian Listed Firms: Role of Business Groups vis-a-vis Stand-Alone Firms

The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between promoter ownership and capital structure of firms using a sample of Indian publicly listed firms for the period from 2006 to 2013, d...

by Indrani Chakraborty | On 23 May 2016

Innovation (and Upgrading) in the Automobile Industry: The Case of India

This paper focuses on the automobile industry and examines the nature of global value chains in it with reference to the case of India. The aim is to explore the relation between lead firms, particula...

by Saon Ray | On 23 May 2016

Sustainable Consolidation: Suggesting the Way Ahead for Kerala

The paper examines the fiscal scene of Kerala, during the last one and a half decades, by looking at the trends in receipts and expenditure. It finds that a revenue led fiscal consolidation is the w...

by T.M. Thomas Issac | On 20 May 2016

Kerala: Analysis of Asset Comparison of Re-contesting MLAs in Kerala Assembly Elections, 2016

This report provides an analysis of the assets of the re contesting candidates in the Kerala Assembly Elections

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 19 May 2016

Kerala: Analysis of Criminal Background, Financial, Education, Gender and other details of Candidates

This report provides an analysis of the the financial, criminal and other backgrounds of the candidates contesting in the Kerala Assembly Elections.

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 19 May 2016

World Employment and Social Outlook 2016 – Transforming Jobs to End Poverty

This edition of the World Employment and Social Outlook (WESO) examines the relationship between decent work and poverty reduction. It starts by documenting trends in poverty around the world while pa...

by International Labour Organisation ILO | On 19 May 2016

National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP)

The NBAP draws from the principle that National Enviroment Policy (NEP) that human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development and they are entitled to a healthy and productive li...

by Ministry of Environment and Forests GOI | On 18 May 2016

Biodiversity and Sustainable Development

The present publication reinforces the importance of biodiversity, particularly in the context of sustainable development. It attempts to give an overview of the issue, by analysing the main thematic...

by | On 18 May 2016

Pursuing Development: The Perils of the Beaten Track

The report of a high level committee led by Vijay Kelkar to promote balanced development in Maharashtra has several important recommendations. But will it all come to nought because of its failure to...

by | On 11 May 2016

Time is Running Out: Does Mumbai have Enough Water?

Mumbai has the potential to become one of the world’s ideal cities in terms of sustainable water management. With abundant natural and perennial water sources around it, the megacity is currently one...

by Dhaval D Desai | On 10 May 2016

Bill for Compulsory Voting

An analysis of electoral data in local elections shows that rural local bodies have had higher turnouts than their urban counterparts in almost all states of India. Data from 2009-13 of city corporati...

by Bhanu Joshi | On 09 May 2016

Faltering UDF, Rising LDF and the Unknown Factor of the Third Front in Kerala Elections 2016

The ruling United Democratic Front's chances of coming back to power in the forthcoming elections in Kerala seem bleak, while a resurgent Left Democratic Front is gearing up to form the government. Ho...

by N Rajendran | On 09 May 2016

Building an Institution of Insolvency Practitioners in India

This paper identifies the rationale for creating a cadre of insolvency professionals who can play an important role in the process of rescuing, restructuring or liquidating a distresse...

by Anirudh Burman | On 02 May 2016

Reforming Personal Insolvency Law in India

This paper motivates the need for a personal bankruptcy law, and study the existing Indian legal framework in the form of the Presidency Towns Insolvency Act, 1909 (PTIA) for Calcutta, Bombay and Mad...

by Siva Raman | On 02 May 2016

The Indian Insolvency Regime in Practice-An Analysis of Insolvency and Debt Recovery Proceedings

This paper analyses 45 cases of insolvency and bankruptcy resolution in order to measure the efficiency and problems of the present laws for firm bankruptcy in India.

by | On 02 May 2016

Monetary Transmission in Developing Countries: Evidence from India

This paper examines what the empirical evidence has to say about the strength of monetary transmission in India, using the structural vector autoregression (SVAR) methods that have been applied broadl...

by | On 02 May 2016

Impact of Trilemma Indicators on Macroeconomic Policy: Does Central Bank Independence Matter?

This paper shows that the institutional changes such as Inflation Targeting (IT) helps lower inflation without depending upon the level of Central Bank Independence (CBI) in a country as is suggested...

by | On 02 May 2016

Kerala: Heath at a Glance 2013

The present compilation titled “Health at a Glance 2013” provides basic statistics about the public health indicators, structures and instruments pertaining to Kerala and India.

by Government of Kerala Govt | On 29 Apr 2016

Kerala: Health Indicators: District Level Household and Facility Survey 2012-13

District Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS) have been undertaken by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India in the past with the main objective to provide reproductive a...

by International Institute for Population Sciences | On 29 Apr 2016

Kerala: Economic Review 2015

The latest edition of the Economic Review is brought out with the objective of providing valuable and comprehensive information about Kerala’s economic performance in the last year of the 12th Five...

by Government of Kerala Govt | On 29 Apr 2016

Kerala: Measurement of Employment, Unemployment, and Underemployment

The report compiles a review of studies and surveys on employment and unemployment in Kerala. As unemployment rests steeply in the economy of the state, educated employment makes a similar climb, unde...

by N. Gopalakrishnan Nair | On 29 Apr 2016

Issues in SME Financing

This study has been undertaken to examine the maladies and conceivable remedies that associate with Small and Medium Enterprises and related establishments in India. The researcher uncovers a myriad o...

by | On 29 Apr 2016

Tamil Nadu: What Voters Want and How They Rate Government Performance

This report consists the findings of a survey carried out in February 2016 in Tamil Nadu. The purpose of the survey was to find out what voters really want from the Government and how they rate the pe...

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 28 Apr 2016

Kerala: Education Report on Schools

Annual Status of Education Report is the largest annual household survey of children in rural India that focuses on the status of schooling and basic learning to find out whether children in rural Ind...

by Annual status of education report ASER | On 27 Apr 2016

Kerala: Census Report on Population, Size and Decadal Change

This is a 2011 Census report on Population, Size and Decadal Change in Kerala

by Census India | On 27 Apr 2016

World Debt Figures : 2015

Since the 1980s, public debt, both in the Third World countries and in the industrialised nations, has been systematically used to impose austerity policies in the name of structural adjustment. Acc...

by Eric Toussaint | On 22 Apr 2016

God’s Own Country – Moving Towards Universal Health Coverage in Kerala – Piloting in the Districts of Malappuram and Palakkad

The report ‘God’s Own Country, Moving Towards Universal Health Coverage in Kerala, Piloting in the Districts of Malappuram and Palakkad’, 2016 provides details and in-depth understanding of the Univer...

by Sunil Nandraj | On 21 Apr 2016

Piracy of Intellectual Property: Past, Present, and Future

The last few decades have seen enormous growth in piracy of copyrighted goods and, in particular, an enormous growth in piracy of creative works that employ a digital format. In this paper we discuss...

by Michael Waldman | On 15 Apr 2016

PAISA for Panchayats - Tracking Fiscal Devolution toLocal Goverments: A case study from Kolar district, Karnataka

The PAISA for Panchayats research project extends AI’s PAISA methodology to track fund flows and implementations processes at the Panchayat level. By focusing on understanding the state of fiscal devo...

by | On 13 Apr 2016

Study on Copyright Piracy in India

Worldwide it is recognized that copyright piracy is a serious crime which not only adversely affects the creative potential of the society by denying the creators their legitimate dues, it also causes...

by Ministry of Human Resource Development, GOI | On 12 Apr 2016

International Food Security Assessment, 2015-2025

Food security in the 76 low- and middle-income countries included in this report is expected to improve between 2014 and 2015. These countries are low- and middle-income countries as classified by the...

by Anthony Murray | On 12 Apr 2016

Inclusive Migration in India: A Study on Domestic Migration and Issues in Electoral Participation

The study compiled information from academic papers, government and non-government reports on the subject of domestic migration, with a specific emphasis on their political inclusion. In order to cond...

by | On 05 Apr 2016

Temporal Change Detection (2001- 2008): Study of Sundarban

Rate of coastal erosion in the Indian Sundarban have been measured to be about5.50 sq kms / year within the time frame of 2001 - 2009 and eventually it is most dominant in the south western edges of...

by Sugata Hazra | On 29 Mar 2016

Dynamics of Emigration and Remittances in Kerala: Results from the Kerala Migration Survey 2014

Kerala Migration Survey (KMS) 2014 is the sixth in the series of studies on international and internal migration from Kerala undertaken by the Centre for Development Studies as an ongoing project si...

by K.C. Zachariah | On 28 Mar 2016

India-APEC Products Trade: Importance of Trade in Intermediate Products and the Challenges Ahead

India’s principal trade partners are countries/economies in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region, and over the last decade the share of APEC in India’s trade has been growing. Specifica...

by Deeparghya Mukherjee | On 28 Mar 2016

Elections in Four Indian States: A Test for the BJP and Modi

Elections will be held in four States and one Union Territory in April and May 2016. The polls will be a crucial test for the governing Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre and a gauge of the populari...

by Ronojoy Sen | On 22 Mar 2016

Migration Remittances and Employment: Short-term Trends and Long-term Implications

This Working Paper gives the results of the 2007 round of the Migration Monitoring Studies (MMS) being conducted periodically by the Centre for Development Studies. It covers three areas: migration, r...

by | On 21 Mar 2016

Psychosocial Well-being in Vidarbha A Study of Communities in Distress

This study was undertaken under the aegis of the Sukhi Baliraja Initiative (SBI), funded by Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT) in six high distress districts, which has holi...

by Surinder Jaswal | On 21 Mar 2016

Linkages between Dispersed Urbanisation and Rural Industrialisation: A Case Study from West Bengal

In some poor parts of the world, rural areas are known as pastoral folk; for their heavily dependence on agricultural activities; and for having poor infrastructure, limited employment opportunities a...

by Subrata Dutta | On 20 Mar 2016

Is the Worst over for Banks?

Many stalled projects are about to get going again, providing potential relief to banks

by T.N. Ninan | On 19 Mar 2016

Money Matters Local Government Finance in the People's Republic of China

Public finance systems in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have evolved substantially over the last three decades. The evolution is continuing, with wide-ranging reforms in budget and debt managem...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 18 Mar 2016

Do Foreign Banks in India Indulge in Cream Skimming?

Foreign banks in developing countries are often found to indulge in cream skimming, a lending strategy that targets only wealthy segments of the credit market and exclude small and marginal borrowers...

by Mandira Sarma | On 16 Mar 2016

Environmental Policy in a Federation with Special Interest Politics and Inter-governmental Grants

The paper explores the potential effect of intergovernmental grants (IGG) on sub-national (local) environmental policy in a federal structure. In the model, a politically-inclined local government rec...

by Divya Datt | On 15 Mar 2016

Metaguidelines for Water and Climate Change For practitioners in Asia and the Pacific

The Metaguidelines for Water and Climate Change were developed by the Asia–Pacific Water Forum (APWF) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) in collaboration with the Global Water Partnership (GWP). This pu...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 15 Mar 2016

Financial Soundness Indicators for Financial Sector Stability in Vietnam

This report is the outcome of the regional technical assistance on Strengthening Institutional Capacity to Compile and Analyze Financial Soundness Indicators for Investment Climate Assessment (RETA 77...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 15 Mar 2016

Gender mainstreaming Case Study - North East Coastal Community Development Project and Tsunami Affected Areas Rebuilding Project

This case study covers two related projects funded by the Asian Development Bank: the North East Coastal Community Development Project (NECCDP), which aimed to improve sustainable livelihood and natur...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 15 Mar 2016

Financial Soundness Indicators for Financial Sector Stability in Bangladesh

This report describes the development of financial soundness indicators for Bangladesh and analyzes how these can help identify key challenges to support financial sector stability in the country.

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 15 Mar 2016

Japan’s ODA Still Going Strong

In the 1990s, Japan was the world’s top donor. This position was lost in 2001, after a prolonged economic slump, a deteriorating fiscal situation, and increasingly critical public view of ODA made the...

by | On 14 Mar 2016

Nuclear Energy Cooperation in Northeast Asia: Implications from the European Experience

Nuclear proliferation in Northeast Asia is shaping up to be one of the key security issues for the region. Following elections and leadership transitions in China, the US, South Korea and Japan, a rea...

by Sangsoo Lee | On 14 Mar 2016

Implications of MGNREGS on Labour Market, Wages and Consumption Expenditure in Kerala

This paper makes an attempt to evaluate the implications of MGNREGS in labour short economy of Kerala. The analysis of NSSO unit level data revealed inter-state differences in implementation of the sc...

by V. Dhanya | On 14 Mar 2016

Global Spillovers and Monetary Policy Transmission in India

Do global spillovers clog transmission channels of monetary policy through domestic financial markets? Drawing on stylised facts and using a dynamic factor model to develop an indicator of global spil...

by Michael Debabrata Patra | On 14 Mar 2016

Politics of ‘Good Governance’ in Sri Lanka’s Parliamentary Polls

Sri Lanka’s latest parliamentary election, slated for 17 August 2015, is important not only for the political-comeback bid by former President Mahinda Rajapakse but also for the focus on issues of ‘go...

by Ayesha Wijayalath | On 14 Mar 2016

Chief Minister Sayeed’s Death could upset Jammu and Kashmir’s Stability

The death of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has thrown into doubt the stability of the government in this strategically located Indian State. Sayeed’s death has brought into sh...

by Ronojoy Sen | On 14 Mar 2016

The Housing Market and Housing Policies in Japan

Housing policies in Japan after World War II were focused on the quantitative supply of houses with a wide range of targeted groups and public rental houses. The Japan Housing Corporation (now the Urb...

by Masahiro Kobayashi | On 14 Mar 2016

Debt Dynamics, Fiscal Deficit, and Stability in Government Borrowing in India: A Dynamic Panel Analysis

Despite the initiatives of the Finance Commission of India, fiscal performance has been deteriorating and increasingly diverging across Indian states. Given that the state governments are endowed with...

by Panchanan Das | On 14 Mar 2016

Basel I and Basel II Compliance: Issues for Banks in India

Random effects panel data analysis is applied to identify financial parameters that influence banks in India in complying with Basel I. The private sector and foreign banks are affected by credit risk...

by Sreejata Banerjee | On 13 Mar 2016

Shale Gas: The Key in the US’ Asia Pivot?

The “shale gas revolution” in the US could provide significant leverage in the US “pivot” to Asia. As China looks to absorb the technological know-how of shale gas extraction from North America, great...

by | On 12 Mar 2016

Invisible Ink: Looking for the Lost Trade between China, Russia, and Central Asia

China, Russia, and the Central Asian States have consistently engaged in economic relations. However, the bilateral trade statistics that are publicly available show a history of inconsistent and unre...

by | On 12 Mar 2016

A Changing Calculus Towards North Korea in Beijing?

North Korea’s advances in nuclear weapons and missile technology, in combination with its recent escalation of bellicose rhetoric against the US and its allies, have triggered a reassessment in variou...

by | On 12 Mar 2016

New Kid on the Block: South Korea as an Emerging ODA Player

South Korea has so far failed to fulfil its potential as an important player in Overseas Development Aid, with its aid having been too little and spread too thin. Meanwhile, China and other emerging d...

by | On 12 Mar 2016

Careful Stewardship: Managing Myanmar's Bumpy Road Ahead

Myanmar’s transition process has proceeded apace with significant results already achieved. However, bumps are to be expected on the road ahead which may temporarily throw Myanmar off track. Thus ther...

by | On 12 Mar 2016

Stagnation Traps

The provide a Keynesian growth theory in which pessimistic expectations can lead to very persistent, or even permanent, slumps characterized by unemployment and weak growth. We refer to these episodes...

by Gianluca Benigno | On 09 Mar 2016

Producing a Rationale for Dowry? Gender in the Negotiation of Exchange at Marriage in Kerala, South India

The allocation of scarce budgetary resources away from ‘alternative’ channels of social security underscores interlocking concerns: a) the financial drain that marriages of girls pose to families and...

by Praveena Kodoth | On 09 Mar 2016

Challenges for Urban Local Governments in India

The findings of this study show that urban local governments in India continue to remain plagued by numerous problems, which affect their performance in the efficient discharge of their duties. These...

by Rumi Aijaz | On 09 Mar 2016

Determinants and Challenges of Sustainable Forest Governance in India: An Analysis in Retrospect and Prospect

This paper looks into the role of community based natural resource management focussing on the Joint Forest Management (JFM) in India. The analysis presented is the result of triangulation of critical...

by Madhusudan Bandi | On 09 Mar 2016

Economic Nationalism, Network-based Coordination, and the Market for Corporate Control Motives for Political Resistance to Foreign Takeovers

Why does political resistance to foreign takeovers vary across countries and over time? Rational choice accounts of economic nationalism fail to provide an answer. The present article proposes an inst...

by | On 08 Mar 2016

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: What Can It Learn From, and Perhaps Teach To, the Multilateral Development Banks?

A striking phenomenon of recent global economic change is the emergence of new development actors, with alternative development experiences and development financing capacity. These actors are now cre...

by Stephany Griffith-Jones | On 08 Mar 2016

Mitigating the Financial Crisis in Asia

While there had been agreements that the current global financial crisis which originated from the United States (US) would not be akin to the Asian Financial Crisis back in 1997- 1998, the resultant...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 06 Mar 2016

Poverty and Diseases: A Dangerous Liasion?

In the second issue of the NTS Alert for February, we turn our attention towards the complex interactions between poverty and diseases. We briefly summarise the state of the world's health, identify l...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 06 Mar 2016

Nuclear-Public Relations Management In Southeast Asia

Due to the pragmatic need for ensuring energy security, governments of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have to date emphasised the potential economic and technological benefits of n...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 06 Mar 2016

‘Push’ And ‘Pull’: The Determinants Of Piracy Off The Horn Of Africa

Much attention has been given to the phenomenon of piracy off the Horn of Africa since 2008. The overwhelming response thus far has been the deployment of naval forces by some of the world’s major mar...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 05 Mar 2016

UN Climate Summit in New York

With less than 11 weeks to the UNFCCC meeting in Copenhagen, the United Nations Climate Summit was held on 22 September 2009, in a bid to rally international support and action against climate change....

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 05 Mar 2016

Disaster Preparedness in Southeast Asia

In the final quarter of 2009, Southeast Asia witnessed a number of disaster that affected sevevral countries in the region, attesting to the levels of national preparedness in dealing with disasters....

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 05 Mar 2016

‘Land Grab’ and its Discontents

In the last two years, there has been a proliferation of acquisitions of farmland in resource-rich but capital-starved countries in the Global South. International reports attribute this trend to gove...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 05 Mar 2016

Weather- ¬related Disasters

The second half of June 2010 witnessed several weather-related disasters in various parts of the world. Heavy rains in several Asian countries inundated both rural regions such as China’s Yunnan provi...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 05 Mar 2016

Transnational Organised Crime and its Ever¬- growing Threat

The United Nations, in its new report The Globalization of Crime, underscored the urgency of combating organised crime. The report examines major trafficking flows of drugs, firearms, counterfeit pro...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 04 Mar 2016

Responding to Transnational Organised Crime: Case Study of Human Trafficking and Drug Trafficking

Human trafficking and illicit drug trafficking are arguably the most intractable of all transnational crimes. They are an issue of both domestic and foreign policy concern and a subject of longstandin...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 04 Mar 2016

Demographic ‘Time Bomb’ or Demographic ‘Dividend’: Myths Surrounding Ageing Populations in Asia

According to the 2009 HSBC ‘The Future of Retirement’ report, the world’s ageing population will increase from 550 million today to 1.4 billion by 2050. Such a big number directly conjures up images o...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 04 Mar 2016

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR): Reducing Human Vulnerabilities To Natural Disasters

This issue of the NTS Alert offers an overview of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) as a means of improving long-term preparedness against the projected increase in frequency and intensity of natural haza...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 04 Mar 2016

Transparency International Releases Its Corruption Perceptions Index 2010

The 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index reveals that nearly three quarters of the 178 countries in the index have a score of below five, on a scale of 10 (highly clean) to 0 (highly corrupt). Denmark, N...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 03 Mar 2016

Exploring the Relationship between Health and Economic Development: The Case of China

Historical evidence suggests that economic development has been central to improving public health. This NTS Alert takes a closer look at the relationship between the two by reviewing the case of Chin...

by | On 03 Mar 2016

Critical Reflections on Anti¬-Human Trafficking: The Case of Timor¬Leste

Human trafficking is commonly seen as a heinous crime affecting millions of migrants from all parts of the globe. The struggle against this phenomenon is perceived as noble, moral and necessary. Howev...

by | On 03 Mar 2016

Enhancing Early Warning Systems for Disaster Management

A recent report by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) noted that Indonesia faces the highest risk from tsunamis worldwide. The evaluation was based on the number...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 02 Mar 2016

On The Fast Train to Nuclear Disaster? Bias And Phobia as Challenges to China’s Pursuit of Nuclear Energy

In 2011, China’s nuclear power ambitions were shaken, first by the Fukushima disaster which undermined public trust in nuclear energy worldwide, then by the spectacular crash of China’s flagship trans...

by | On 02 Mar 2016

Indradhanush-Banking Sector Reforms

The Indradhanush framework with its seven pronged plan was unveiled by Finance Minister Mr Arun Jaitley on 14th August 2015 for revamping Public Sector Banks (PSBs) of India. In this paper, we look at...

by Sakshi Bhardwaj | On 02 Mar 2016

Fiscal Policy Instruments and the Political Economy of Designing Programs to Reach the Poorest

This paper examines the fiscal instruments available to different levels of government and their interactions to enhance the effectiveness of public policies for the poorest and hungry groups. Address...

by Ehtisham Ahmad | On 01 Mar 2016

Madhya Pradesh Budget Analysis 2016-17

The Madhya Pradesh Finance Minister, Mr. Jayant Mallayya, presented the Budget for Madhya Pradesh for the financial year 2016-17 on February 26, 2016.

by Arvind Gayam | On 01 Mar 2016

Comparative Analysis of Indonesian and Korean Governance

This paper overviews governance issues in Indonesia and Korea from a comparative perspective. To do so, the WGI (World Governance Index) developed by the World Bank is employed for a more objective an...

by Prof. Yunwon Hwang | On 01 Mar 2016

Food Security and the Targeted Public Distribution System in India

Annual food production is enough to feed the 6.9 billion people in the world today. However, access and distribution of food in order that people do not have to die due to hunger continues to remain e...

by Ruth Kattumuri | On 01 Mar 2016

Environment And The Aging Experience Among South Indian Hunter-Gatherers

There has been much discussion on aging and peoples’ concerns for old age. However, few studies have been done on the aging experience from an emic perspective. This geroanthropological paper makes an...

by Seetha Kakkoth | On 01 Mar 2016

Access to Finance: A Functional Approach to Supply and Demand

This paper provides a comprehensive description of the financial environment for households and small businesses in a defined geographical region. It develops a new, functional approach to financial a...

by Greg Fischer | On 29 Feb 2016

Railroads of the Raj: Estimating the Impact of Transportation Infrastructure

How large are the benefits of transportation infrastructure projects, and what explains these benefits? To shed new light on these questions, I collect archival data from colonial India and use it to...

by Dave Donaldson | On 29 Feb 2016

Challenges and Developments in the Financial Systems of the Southeast Asian Economies

This paper discusses the economies and financial systems of Southeast Asia (SEA) and focuses on challenges and developments in the region. Despite the diversity of SEA economies and some important exc...

by Toshiyuki Shimada | On 29 Feb 2016

Climate Change and The Agriculture Crisis as a Solution Agroecology

India's policy on agriculture in the context of climate change, is foregrounded by the need to produce enough grain to meet the food requirements of the country. To promote sustainable agriculture, po...

by | On 29 Feb 2016

Human Security 20 Years On: The evolution of human security

The latter part of the 21st century witnessed a shift in the understanding of international security. As tensions between countries eased with the end of the Cold War, new and significant security c...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 27 Feb 2016

Women in Southeast Asia: From Equality to Development

2015 marks the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Conference on Women, held in Beijing in September 1995. While the world takes stock of how far we have come in terms of acknowledging women’s righ...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 27 Feb 2016

COP 21: Diplomatic Milestone or Half Measure?

Year 2015 ended with scenes of congratulatory jubilation in Paris. The world had for once come together to deliver what is now referred to as the Paris Agreement at the end of the 21st United Nations...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 27 Feb 2016

Basel Banking Norms – A Primer

This paper aims to first build a deeper understanding of the emergence of Basel banking norms (Basel I), and the transition to each of the subsequent regulations (Basel II and Basel III). The primary...

by Akshay Uday Shenoy | On 27 Feb 2016

Financing of Urban Local Bodies in India

The rising level of urbanisation in India draws attention to inadequate infrastructure levels in urban areas. While many factors play a role in infrastructure development, this paper examines the fina...

by Charan Singh | On 27 Feb 2016

Divergence and Convergence of Firm-level Best Practices: the Case of Bajaj and Hero-Honda in India’s Two-wheeler Industry

Literature in economic development shows how countries diverge and converge in economic growth owing to technological change and capital accumulation. This paper examines micro level issues of competi...

by Murali Patibandla | On 27 Feb 2016

Understanding the Response of Indian Banks to Macroeconomic Shocks: A Strategy Perspective

The vulnerability of banks to macroeconomic and financial shocks is an area of growing interest to policymakers, especially in emerging markets. Strong adverse aggregate shocks contribute heavily to l...

by Rohit Gupta | On 27 Feb 2016

Climate Change and the Muslim World: The OIC Can do with ‘Captain Planet’

WHILE the media incessantly highlights the Muslim world’s battle with Islamophobia and the political crises in Iraq, Gaza and Iran, another set of issues that is just as pertinent — but often overlook...

by Sofiah Jamil | On 26 Feb 2016

Rohingya Muslims:Myanmar’s Forgotten People

The stateless Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar have been discriminated and excluded by consecutive governments since the 1960s, causing an exodus to Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia and other count...

by | On 26 Feb 2016

Economic Survey 2015-16-Volume II

India’s growth story has largely remained positive on the strength of domestic absorption, and the country has registered a robust and steady pace of economic growth in 2015-16 as it did in 2014-15....

by Arun Jaitley | On 26 Feb 2016

Managing Water Security: Issues in the Greater Mekong Subregion

The Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) is often characterized as a water surplus region. However current trends suggest that there is an increasing pressure on water availability and accessibility which...

by | On 25 Feb 2016

Energy Development in ASEAN Countries and Sino-ASEAN Energy Cooperation

East Asia is one of the three main economic blocks in the world. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries – as New Industrial Economies (NIEs) – and China – as an emerging power – are...

by | On 25 Feb 2016

Post-Kyoto Protocol: Changing a Climate of Denial?

As governments gear up to meet in Copenhagen later this year to formulate a post-Kyoto Protocol framework on climate change, governments have been slow in translating scientific knowledge into policy...

by | On 25 Feb 2016

The Swine Flu Alert: Keeping Asia Safe

After years of concern about H5N1 bird flu, the new flu causing global alarm is a pig virus of the H1N1 family. As influenza reports erupt around the world, inevitable questions are arising. Is this t...

by Mely Caballero-Anthony | On 25 Feb 2016

Options for Supporting Rice Farmers under a Post-QR Regime: Review and Assessment

Under the World Trade Organization, the Philippines has maintained special treatment for rice, which expires on July 2017. Tariffication will involve greater competition from imports and the decline o...

by Roehlano M. Briones | On 25 Feb 2016

Exploring Priority Areas for Philippine APEC 2015 Hosting: Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World

This paper is an integration of the studies commissioned under the DFA-PIDS memorandum of agreement to explore the priority areas during the Philippines' APEC hosting in 2015 under the theme: "Buildin...

by Erlinda M. Medalla | On 25 Feb 2016

National Treatment on Internal Taxation: Revisiting GATT Article III:2

The principle of non-discrimination which comprises national treatment and most-favored-nation (MFN) treatment is an important pillar of the multilateral trading system. The World Trade Organization (...

by Sherzod Shadikhodjaev | On 25 Feb 2016

Trade Policy at the Cross-Roads

It is now widely agreed that the World Trade Organization (WTO) is in trouble, struggling to deliver the national rewards available from liberalising through multilateral negotiations. Prime Minister...

by Bill Carmichael | On 25 Feb 2016

Recent Trends in China’s Trade

Who would have thought thirty years ago China could become one of the world’s most influential trading nations? At that time the Chinese government was reluctant to open up its door for foreigners and...

by Alice Wang | On 24 Feb 2016

Pandemic Preparedness in Asia

It is not known when, or where, the next deadly infectious disease will emerge, or how it will spread around the world. Are Asian countries prepared for a pandemic? How are National Pandemic Preparedn...

by Mely Caballero-Anthony | On 24 Feb 2016

The US and China: Dangers of Premature Extrapolation

Many commentators assume that China will become the next world superpower. This may be a premature assessment. As Judo players know, size can be a weakness rather than a strength. It is the spirit of...

by | On 24 Feb 2016

Improving the Business Climate in NTT: The Case of Agriculture Trade in West Timor

Efforts to improve the business climate in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province are still facing significant obstacles. Moreover, a healthy business climate is needed to create conditions conducive to ha...

by Widjajanti Suharyo | On 24 Feb 2016

The Obama Doctrine and Southeast Asia

On 10 December 2009, the annual Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to US President Barack Obama. A controversial recipient, his acceptance speech outlined his world vision, and provided insight into US eng...

by Alistair Cook | On 24 Feb 2016

Lessons from the Past: Responding to Infectious Diseases Outbreaks

A recent conference in Singapore organised by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies examined the worldwide response to the outbreak of H1N1 influenza last year. The lessons learnt from ear...

by | On 24 Feb 2016

Responsibility to Protect: How Should Southeast Asia Respond?

The emerging doctrine of Responsibility to Protect may have been endorsed by world leaders. But the primary challenge remains how to get it implemented. RtoP may mean different things to different sta...

by | On 24 Feb 2016

Assessing the Potential for Reintroducing the Cheetah in India

In this report 10 sites from seven landscapes are assessed located in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, for their potential to harbour viable reintroduc...

by Wildlife Institute of India | On 24 Feb 2016

Cost Effectiveness Assessment of Green House Gas Mitigation Options: A Proposed Methodology

The World Bank has been requested by the government of India to undertake a study, “Strategies for Low Carbon Growth.” The study considers different options for low-carbon growth trajectories to fisca...

by Ministry of Environment and Forests GOI | On 24 Feb 2016

Growth and CO2 Emissions: How Does India Compare to Other Countries?

The key question therefore is what India, as a member of the global community which is to collectively address the global challenge of climate change, can be expected to do?and what it has been alread...

by World Bank | On 24 Feb 2016

Clean Coal Power Generation Technology Review: World Wide Experience and Implications for India

The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the clean coal technologies (CCT) used in power generation worldwide and draw preliminary recommendations regarding the utilization of CCT optio...

by World Bank | On 24 Feb 2016

Forest – Based Bamboo Trade in Mendha Lekha and Jamguda

This paper documents two different models that can be adopted by tribal villages for forest-based bamboo trade under the ambit of the FRA, 2006.

by Centre for Civil Society CCS | On 24 Feb 2016

Beyond Petroleum: Limits of Risk Management

The cost of the BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico has now surpassed the US$3bn mark. That may prove to be a drop in the ocean compared to what will come if governments, businesses and civil-society gr...

by | On 23 Feb 2016

Food (In)Security in Urban Populations

The food crisis at the end of the last decade and the resulting food riots that occurred in cities all over the world exposed the vulnerability and fragility of the current global food system and high...

by | On 23 Feb 2016

Facing Food Shortages: Urban Food Security in an Age of Constraints

Seventy per cent of the world’s population are expected to live in urban areas by 2050. Food production to feed this larger, more urban and richer population will have to be done in the face of changi...

by | On 23 Feb 2016

Pulp Friction: Southern Environment or Western Agendas?

Campaigns against big pulp and palm oil producers in Indonesia appear to be driven by local activists on the ground. In reality, they are facilitated by huge budgets and shaped by agendas emanating fr...

by | On 23 Feb 2016

Policy Reforms and Institutional Weaknesses: Closing the Gap

The World Bank (2005) reported that from 1985 to 2003, per capita gross domestic product increased only by about 0.7% per year, well below the 3.7% average of neighboring countries (Indonesia, Malaysi...

by Eduardo Gonzalez | On 23 Feb 2016

Civil Society from the BRICS: Emerging Roles in the New International Development Landscape

There is a burgeoning literature on the (re)emergence of the BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – as significant actors in international development. To date, however, mos...

by Adele Poskitt | On 23 Feb 2016

(Un)natural Disasters: Health Responses after Natural Hazards in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia is certainly no stranger to natural hazards, having experienced some of the world’s worst. This paper argues that the occurrence of a natural hazard does not inevitably lead to a natura...

by | On 22 Feb 2016

Food Production and Environmental Health in Southeast Asia: The Search for Complementary Strategies

Growing food demands and escalating environmental stresses create a series of challenges throughout Southeast Asia. Projected population and consumption patterns strongly suggest that food production...

by J. Ewing | On 22 Feb 2016

Report on “Inter-State Water Conflicts in Southern Asia”

Water conflicts are a subject of intense debate and discussion in Southern Asia, which comprises India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and China. Factors such as the history of partiti...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 22 Feb 2016

Agriculture and Food Security in Asia by 2030

Rapid trade-led economic growth in emerging Asia has been shifting the global economic and industrial centres of gravity away from the north Atlantic, raising the importance of Asia in world trade but...

by Kym Anderson | On 22 Feb 2016

Central Banking for Financial Stability in Asia

A key lesson of the 2007–2009 global financial crisis (GFC) was the importance of containing systemic financial risk and the need for a “macroprudential” approach to surveillance and regulation that c...

by Masahiro Kawai | On 22 Feb 2016

Asia’s Food Security Conundrum: More Apparent than Real?

There is enough food in the world to feed everyone, yet one billion people are hungry. Biotech approaches to food production will not enhance food security in Asia unless severe distortions in existin...

by | On 22 Feb 2016

Climate Change and Geoengineering Governance

This NTS Insight is a discussion paper prepared for a Pilot Workshop on ‘Governing Geoengineering in the 21st Century: Asian Perspectives’ to be held on 18-19 July 2011 in Singapore. The author, Profe...

by | On 22 Feb 2016

Deepening Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ Financial Markets

This paper discusses the financial landscape of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a region engaged in building an economic community (a “single market and production base”) by 2015....

by Choong Lee | On 21 Feb 2016

The Economic Effects of a Borrower Bailout Evidence from an Emerging Market

This paper studies the credit market implications and real effects of one the largest borrower bailout programs in history, enacted by the government of India against the backdrop of the 2008–2009 fin...

by Xavier Giné | On 21 Feb 2016

Impact of Changes in the Global Financial Regulatory Landscape on Asian Emerging Markets

This paper discusses the relevance of Basel III to Asian emerging markets. It reviews some of the proposed regulations of Basel III in order to evaluate their likely implications for, and their abilit...

by Tarisa Watanagase | On 21 Feb 2016

The Road to Rio+20: Ambitious Goals for Sustainable Development

The world’s biggest summit on environment and development in 20 years will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June this year. What are the opportunities and challenges for this global multilater...

by | On 20 Feb 2016

Roadmap for the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) in Asia: Personalities, Institutions and Processes

It is over six years since the 2005 UN World Summit endorsed the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP), thus recognising an individual state’s responsibility to protect its citizens from four mass atrociti...

by | On 20 Feb 2016

After Rio+20: What is ‘The Future We Want’?

The world’s biggest summit on environment and development in 20 years wrapped up last Friday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Has the outcome of Rio+20 managed to meet its promise?

by | On 20 Feb 2016

Rio+20 Incorporated? Assessing Diplomatic Outcomes and Private Sector Actions on Sustainable Development

The May 2012 NTS Alert entitled ‘Back to the future: Is Rio+20 a 1992 redux or is there cause for optimism?’ explored the prospects for the June 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20),...

by | On 19 Feb 2016

Fostering Resilience Through Community Based Innovation

Based on her work experience in post-Katrina New Orleans and post-Sandy New York City, the Municipal Art Society of New York’s Director of Urban Resilience and Livability, Mary Rowe, discusses the rol...

by Mary Rowe | On 19 Feb 2016

Urban Informality – Marginal or Mainstream?

In this lecture, Janice Perlman discusses urban informality against the background of 40 years of research in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. The lecture lays particular emphasis on how the changes ove...

by | On 19 Feb 2016

City Prosperity Initiative

The City Prosperity Initiative” presents UN-Habitat’s new global initiative that aims to reinforce local capacities for cities to improve well being and prosperity through a new monitoring tool (city...

by | On 19 Feb 2016

How Much Do We Know about the Impact of the Economic Downturn on the Employment of Migrants?

The employment shock of late 2008 in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) may have been a product of three different events: (i) the contractionary macroeconomic policies introduced by the government...

by Xin Meng | On 19 Feb 2016

The Notion Of Prosperity

Mohamed Halfani (UN-Habitat) outlines the notion of prosperity as it relates to the work of UN-Habitat. This introduction to the theme of urban prosperity highlights the disjuncture between current de...

by | On 19 Feb 2016

Transforming Cities with Transit

In rapidly urbanizing and motorizing cities of the world, massive investments are being made in high-capacity transit systems to fend off worsening traffic congestion. Most investments have been guide...

by | On 19 Feb 2016

Urban Economy in the New Millennium

Michael Cohen in this lecture illustrates data about economic growth that demonstrate how cities act as engines of national economic development. In 2008, for the first time in human history, half the...

by | On 19 Feb 2016

Gender perspectives in urban planning

Ana Falú from the National University of Cordoba – and the Coordinator of the UN-Habitat UNI Gender Hub – in this lecture discusses urban planning from a gender perspective, with emphasis on both who...

by | On 19 Feb 2016

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: Multilateralism On The Silk Road

China’s first attempt to establish a multilateral financial institution was met with some suspicion and caution in the west. According to one interpretation, China is frustrated with the United States...

by Mike Callaghan | On 19 Feb 2016

Budget 2016-17: Industry Expectations

The Government has to not only focus on the Indian Economic scenario but also at the World Economic scenario. The Budget will have to focus on both the long term and short term development plans and h...

by Kiron Nanda | On 18 Feb 2016

China as the World’s Largest Rice Importer: Regional Implications

After decades of near self-sufficiency, China is becoming the world’s largest importer of rice. What does this mean for greater Asia?

by | On 17 Feb 2016

Nuclear Energy in Southeast Asia: Public Engagement before Policies

Three years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster several Southeast Asian governments have revived their nuclear plans, with Vietnam leading the way for six nuclear plants. The moves have been galvanis...

by | On 17 Feb 2016

A Tale of Cities: Local Champions for Global Climate Action

Despite being the biggest contributors to climate change and home to majority of the world’s population, cities have so far had little say in global climate negotiations. As the frontlines of climate...

by | On 16 Feb 2016

Nepal Earthquake: Enhancing International Humanitarian Cooperation

The powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal on 25 April 2015 is the worst since 1934 and is once again a painful reminder of how vulnerable communities are to the destructive force of nature....

by | On 16 Feb 2016

COP21 Paris Climate Change Conference: Can Global Deal Be Achieved?

All eyes are on Paris where world leaders will meet for the much anticipated 2015 climate change conference. They are expected to reach a consensus on a legally-binding climate agreement for all count...

by | On 16 Feb 2016

Citizen-Led Accountability and Inclusivity in Pakistan

This ‘theory in practice’ paper examines the experiences of citizens groups seeking to hold Pakistan’s elected representatives and governance institutions accountable. A sustained period of democracy,...

by | On 16 Feb 2016

Determinants of Interest Spread in Pakistan

This study examines the determinants of interest spread in Pakistan using panel data of 29 banks. The results show that inelasticity of deposit supply is a major determinant of interest spread whereas...

by M. Idrees Khawaja | On 16 Feb 2016

X-efficiency, Scale Economies, Technological Progress and Competition: A Case of Banking Sector in Pakistan

This study aims at empirical investigation of the x-efficiency, scale economies, and technological progress of commercial banks operating in Pakistan using balance panel data for 29 banks.

by Abdul Qayyum | On 16 Feb 2016

National Finance Commission Awards in Pakistan: A Historical Perspective

This study explores the evolution of fiscal resource distribution in Pakistan. Pakistan is a federation comprising four provinces, federally administered areas, and the Islamabad Capital Territory. Be...

by Iftikhar Ahmed | On 16 Feb 2016

The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank: Should Asia Have Both?

The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) face three sets of challenges: those that are common to others in the official development finance community; those that are common to the World Ban...

by Vikram Nehru | On 16 Feb 2016

The Emerging “Post-Doha” Agenda and the New Regionalism in the Asia-Pacific

This paper considers emerging commercial policy challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region in light of the impasse reached at the Eighth World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Meeting in December 2...

by Michael Plummer | On 16 Feb 2016

Global Implications of the Renminbi’s Ascendance

This paper evaluates the prospects for the renminbi’s role as an international currency and the implications for global financial markets. Although the People’s Republic of China (PRC) does not have e...

by Eswar Prasad | On 16 Feb 2016

Financial Stability and Financial Inclusion

Developing economies are seeking to promote financial inclusion, i.e., greater access to financial services for low-income households and firms, as part of their overall strategies for economic and fi...

by Peter J. Morgan | On 16 Feb 2016

Effectiveness of the Easing of Monetary Policy in the Japanese Economy, Incorporating Energy Prices

Japan has reached the limits of conventional macroeconomic policy. In order to overcome deflation and achieve sustainable economic growth, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) recently set an inflation target of 2...

by Naoyuki Yoshino | On 16 Feb 2016

Hometown Investment Trust Funds: An Analysis of Credit Risk

In Asia, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for a major share of employment and dominate the economy. Asian economies are often characterized as having bank-dominated financial systems...

by Naoyuki Yoshino | On 16 Feb 2016

The Taylor Rule and the Macroeconomic Performance in Pakistan

A widely agreed proposition in modern economics is that policy rules have greater advantage over discretion in improving economic performance. Simple monetary policy instrument rules are feasible opti...

by Wasim Shahid Malik | On 15 Feb 2016

Monetary Policy Objectives in Pakistan: An Empirical Investigation

The Taylor rule (1993) focuses only on two objectives: output and inflation. In practice, the central bank’s loss function (especially in developing countries) contains objectives other than these two...

by Wasim Shahid Malik | On 15 Feb 2016

Dynamic Effects of Agriculture Trade in the Context of Domestic and Global Liberalisation: A CGE Analysis for Pakistan

This paper studies dynamic effects of agriculture trade in the context of domestic and global liberalisation. Being the largest sector of the economy, the agriculture sector contributes substantially...

by Rizwana Siddiqui | On 15 Feb 2016

A Primary Survey on Banks in Promoting Women Entrepreneurship in Bangladesh

Bangladesh Bank, the central bank of Bangladesh is contributing significantly to commercial banks to promote women entrepreneurship in Bangladesh. Various helpful policies are initiated to promote w...

by Bangladesh Bank BB | On 15 Feb 2016

Link between the financial inclusion and Economic Growth: Unconventional Monetary Policy in Bangladesh

Like other developing countries, Bangladesh initiated financial sector reform program during 1990’s. The main objectives of the financial sector reform programs were: i) Gradual B 3 | P a g e eliminat...

by Sayera Younus | On 15 Feb 2016

Impact Assessment of Bangladesh Bank's Re-finance Scheme for Financing Agricultural & Non-farm Rural Borrowers of Bangladesh Krishi Bank and Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank

The main objective of this study report is to find out the impact(s) of the refinance scheme of Bangladesh Bank (BB) through comparing the economic well-being of the target group people who have taken...

by Md. Julhas Uddin | On 15 Feb 2016

On the Communication Policy of the Bangladesh Bank

The current thinking on the subject of the central bank communication policy centres squarely on the transparency with which the bank conveys its beliefs on the evolving pattern of macroeconomic funda...

by Bangladesh Bank BB | On 15 Feb 2016

Notes on the Monetary Policy Strategy of the Bangladesh Bank

This document is designed to present a brief but comprehensive view of the real and monetary developments during the immediate past quarters and project the expected developments in the immediate futu...

by Bangladesh Bank BB | On 15 Feb 2016

Need to Push for Inclusive Growth

The major challenge facing the Indian economy at this juncture is to provide a big push to the growth momentum while striking a balance between the much-needed capital expenditure and fiscal consolida...

by S.D Naik | On 15 Feb 2016

Monetary Transmission through Bank Portfolio in Bangladesh

This paper examines whether monetary policy transmits through bank assets or liabilities or both. This is an important policy issue since in order to know the effectiveness of monetary policy it is ne...

by Sayera Younus | On 15 Feb 2016

Towards a Measure of Core Inflation in Bangladesh: Conceptual Issues

Identifying core inflation has become a very important issue for the Central Banks of the world for last few years. It has also become a practice to monitor the core inflation along side the headline...

by Md. Shahiduzzaman | On 15 Feb 2016

Kerala Budget 2016-17

Budget speech by Oommen Chandy.

by Oommen Chandy | On 15 Feb 2016

Interest Rate Spread in Bangladesh: An Analytical Review

Lower spread is a vital indicator of the efficiency and competition in the financial system and conducive to higher economic growth of a country via investment spending. In Bangladesh, the spread in t...

by Shamim Ahmed | On 15 Feb 2016

Future Prospects of Bangladesh’s Ready-Made Garments Industry and the Supportive Policy Regime

Emergence of the global market has heightened the role of trade in world economy and made industrialization as an integral system of global trade and production. Bangladesh economy at present is more...

by Md. Nehal Ahmed | On 15 Feb 2016

The Role of an Explicit Subordinate Debt Policy in the Smooth Transition to Basel II

The major concern for the banking sector of Bangladesh is that implementation of Basel II will cause banks to raise capital appreciably and thus undermine their existing capital position. In such a si...

by Md. Kabir Ahmed | On 15 Feb 2016

Measures of Monetary Policy Stance: The Case of Pakistan

In this paper two measures of the monetary policy stance are constructed. The stance of monetary policy, regarded as a quantitative measure of whether the policy is too tight, neutral, or too loose re...

by Farooq Pasha | On 14 Feb 2016

Income, Public Social Services, and Capability Development: A Cross-district Analysis of Pakistan

Is household income enough for human development or should government direct resources towards the provision of social services to improve capabilities of individuals? The former is emphasised by the...

by Rizwana Siddiqui | On 14 Feb 2016

Maximizing Chances for Success in Afghanistan and Pakistan

The following is a Campaign 2012 policy brief by Bruce Riedel and Michael O’Hanlon proposing ideas for the next president on America’s foreign policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan. Vanda Felbab-Brow...

by Bruce Riedel | On 14 Feb 2016

Business Principles for Countering Bribery: Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Edition

Much of the world’s business is carried out by small and medium enterprises, especially in emerging economies. This edition recognises that SMEs in many societies are frequently confronted with the pr...

by Transparency International TI | On 14 Feb 2016

Calibrating Law Enforcement and Its Purpose

In “Calibrating Law Enforcement and Its Purpose,” published by Addiction on November 10, 2014, Vanda Felbab-Brown comments on Harold Pollack and Peter Reuter’s article “Does tougher enforcement make d...

by Vanda Felbab-Brown | On 14 Feb 2016

Monetary Policy Transparency in Pakistan: An Independent Analysis

This paper analyses monetary policy transparency of the central bank (SBP) using the Eijffinger and Geraats (2006) index. The results show that the SBP scores 4.5 out of 15, which is lower than any of...

by Wasim Shahid Malik | On 14 Feb 2016

Growth Diagnostics in Pakistan

Following the Hausmann, et al. (2005) methodology, an attempt is done to identify the constraints to growth in Pakistan. It is argued that governance failure and institutional shortcomings are the h...

by Abdul Qayyum | On 14 Feb 2016

Human Capital vs. Physical Capital: A Cross-Country Analysis of Human Development Strategies

This study estimates a small simultaneous equation model using panel data from sixty-four countries for the years 1996 and 2004. The model is estimated by various techniques—OLS, TSLS, dummy variable...

by Rizwana Siddiqui | On 14 Feb 2016

Foreign Direct Investment in Health Services

The purpose of this paper is to document the emergence and growth of FDI in health services, and to discuss its drivers, potential benefits and risks associated with this FDI, as well as policy issues...

by Zbigniew Zimny | On 13 Feb 2016

Public Health in india: Challenges Ahead

As the world’s largest democracy and the second most populous country in the world, India has experienced sea change since its independence in various facets of development. However as per public heal...

by Anuj Sabharwal | On 13 Feb 2016

Public Policies For Facilitating Medical Tourism Industry In Asia

The paper attempts to analyze the role of public policy adjustments in facilitating the medical tourism sector in Asian countries in response to recent global economic events. While falling incomes ma...

by Vinay Singh | On 13 Feb 2016

Can Conditional Cash Transfers Improve Education and Nutrition Outcomes for Poor Children in Bangladesh?

This paper uses panel data from a pilot project and evaluates the impact of conditional cash transfers on consumption, education, and nutrition outcomes among poor rural families in Bangladesh. Given...

by Céline Ferré | On 12 Feb 2016

Corruption and the Private Sector

Supporting and encouraging business to do its part in tackling corruption has been a global priority for Transparency International (TI) since its inception. Our approach is firmly anchored in the bel...

by Transparency International TI | On 12 Feb 2016

Global Corruption Barometer 2009

Transparency International’s (TI) 2009 Global Corruption Barometer (the Barometer) presents the main findings of a public opinion survey that explores the general public’s views of corruption, as well...

by Transparency International TI | On 12 Feb 2016

After the Conflict: Nation-Building and Corruption

Globally, there are 26 ongoing armed conflicts and nearly one sixth of the world’s population lives in so-called ‘weak governance’ zones.1 In 2009 alone, the United Nations estimated that 42 million p...

by Transparency International TI | On 12 Feb 2016

Corruption and Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is thought to affect more than 12 million victims around the world. Corruption is seen as facilitating this flow of people and feeding the impunity that prevents the prosecution of t...

by Transparency International TI | On 12 Feb 2016

The Global Competitiveness Report 2013–2014

The Global Competitiveness Report 2013-2014 features a record number of 148 economies, and thus continues to be the most comprehensive assessment of its kind. It contains a detailed profile for each o...

by | On 11 Feb 2016

The Business Case for Migration

Globalization has made the free flow of goods and ideas an integral part of modern life. The world has benefited greatly from the accelerated exchange of products, services, news, music, research and...

by | On 11 Feb 2016

Intellectual Property Rights in the Global Creative Economy

This paper considers how technology trends and a globalized economy are reshaping the way we create, distribute and access content. The results of that study are intended to help everyone with an inte...

by World Economic Forum [WEF] | On 11 Feb 2016

Global Risks 2014

The Global Risks 2014 report highlights how global risks are not only interconnected but also have systemic impacts. Based on a survey of the World Economic Forum’s multistakeholder communities, the r...

by World Economic Forum [WEF] | On 11 Feb 2016

Matching Skills and Labour Market Needs: Building Social Partnerships for Better Skills and Better Jobs

Skills are critical assets for individuals, businesses and societies. Matching skills and jobs has become a high-priority policy concern, as mismatches, occurring when workers have either fewer or mor...

by World Economic Forum [WEF] | On 11 Feb 2016

Intellectual Property and Competition Law

Intellectual Property and Competition Law is one further contribution of the ICTSD Programme on Intellectual Property Rights and Sustainable Development to a better understanding of the proper role of...

by | On 10 Feb 2016

Fast-tracking Green Patent Applications: An Empirical Analysis

In recent years, innovation has topped the agenda of policymakers worldwide as they seek to promote green growth and advance sustainable development. As a result, several countries - including Austral...

by | On 10 Feb 2016

Wageindicator Living Wages - Methodological Note

WageIndicator living wage introduces a concept that allows users and stakeholders through web interface to share and compare living wages across countries and regions using a methodology that accounts...

by | On 10 Feb 2016

The Role of Informal Cross-border Trade in Myanmar

In a country where there are constraints in formal practices, informal activities normally arise. Informal practices are not necessarily illegal and bad, however some of them tend to occupy a grey are...

by | On 09 Feb 2016

China’s “New Multilateralism” and the Rise of BRIC: A Realist Interpretation of a “Multipolar” World Order

This paper is an attempt to verify the debate whether the association with BRIC is instrumental to China’s global strategy and key to its various global strategic objectives. The main thrust of this p...

by | On 08 Feb 2016

The PLA’s Evolving Global Role and New Security Initiatives

China’s increased openness, accelerating economic development, and the emergence of new security challenges and relationships in the post-Cold War world have cast the Chinese military and its role in...

by | On 08 Feb 2016

Representative versus Responsible Government

The changing circumstances in which parties compete in contemporary democracies, coupled with the changing circumstances in which governments now govern, have led to a widening of the traditional gap...

by | On 08 Feb 2016

An Index of Fiscal Democracy

Over the past four decades, the accumulation of policy legacies and public debt has led to a decline in fiscal flexibility in Germany and the United States. By applying an index of fiscal democracy to...

by | On 08 Feb 2016

Addressing Barriers to Digital Trade

This paper addresses the question of whether it is possible to balance the need for a free flow of information across borders with legitimate government concerns related to public order, consumer priv...

by | On 08 Feb 2016

Statement 22: Recognition of Budget for Children in India

This paper traces the process of recognition of children’s budget and the introduction of Statement 22- Budget Provisions for Schemes for the Welfare of Children in the Expenditure Budget Volume 1. I...

by HAQ Centre for Child Rights HAQCRC | On 08 Feb 2016

Can Welfare Conditionality Combat High School Dropout?

Based on administrative data, we analyze empirically the effects of stricter conditionality for social assistance receipt on welfare dependency and high school completion rates among Norwegian youths....

by Øystein Hernæs | On 07 Feb 2016

Leader Networks and Transaction Costs: A Chinese Experiment in Interjurisdictional Contracting

Do leader networks promote efficient intergovernmental contracts? We examine a groundbreaking policy in China where subprovincial governments freely traded land conversion quotas and investigate the r...

by Nancy H. Chau | On 07 Feb 2016

Local Labor Market Conditions and Crime: Evidence from the Brazilian Trade Liberalization

This paper estimates the effect of local labor market conditions on crime in a developing country with high crime rates. Contrary to the previous literature, which has focused exclusively on developed...

by Rafael Dix-Carneiro | On 07 Feb 2016

Qualitative Research on the Impacts of Social Protection Programmes on Decent Rural Employment: A Research Guide

The Social Protection and Decent Rural Employment research programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has grown out of the Social Protection Division’s research pla...

by Food and Agricultural Organization [FAO] | On 07 Feb 2016

Bribe Payers Index 2011

The 2011 Bribe Payers Index ranks 28 of the world’s largest economies according to the perceived likelihood of companies from these countries to pay bribes abroad. It is based on the views of business...

by Transparency International TI | On 06 Feb 2016

Daily Lives And Corruption: Public Opinion In South Asia

Between 2010 and 2011, more than 7500 people were interviewed in six South Asian countries – Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – on their views of corruption levels in their c...

by Transparency International TI | On 06 Feb 2016

Pakistan’s Wage Structure, during 1990-91–2006-07

This paper attempts to document changes in the wage levels of different categories of workers employed in various segments of the labour market during the period 1990-91–2006-07, according to the info...

by Mohammad Irfan | On 06 Feb 2016

Looking Beyond 2015: A Role For Governance

The year 2015 signals the end date for development commitments that global leaders first made at the United Nations (UN) in 2000: the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). As the world looks beyond 201...

by Transparency International TI | On 06 Feb 2016

Global Corruption Barometer 2013

The Global Corruption Barometer 2013 draws on a survey of more than 114,000 respondents in 107 countries. It addresses people’s direct experiences with bribery and details their views on corruption in...

by Transparency International TI | On 06 Feb 2016

Impact of Financial Liberalisation and Deregulation on Banking Sector in Pakistan

The study analyses market perception about the performance of Pakistani commercial banks due to financial liberalisation and deregulation measures taken by the central bank over the last two decades....

by Kalbe Abbas | On 06 Feb 2016

The Contemporaneous Correlation of Structural Shocks and Inflation— Output Variability in Pakistan

Monetary policy has changed in a number of ways during the last two decades. Along with the other characteristics, modern monetary policy is forward-looking, and the central banks respond contemporane...

by Muhammad Nasir | On 06 Feb 2016

Corruption Perceptions Index 2013

The Corruption Perception Index 2013 measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption in countries worldwide, scoring them from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). Covering 177 countries,...

by Transparency International TI | On 05 Feb 2016

Fighting Corruption in South Asia: Building Accountability

Hardly a speech is delivered in South Asia without mention of the need to fight corruption in the region. Yet despite the lofty promises, corruption is on the rise. This report shows how a serious lac...

by Transparency International TI | On 05 Feb 2016

WTO in Times of Major Changes

The relationship between these groups needs to be defined in order for the organization to move forward. The need for this is evident from the standoff in the Doha Round negotiations, where China, Bra...

by | On 05 Feb 2016

Corruption Perceptions Index 2014

Based on expert opinion from around the world, the Corruption Perceptions Index measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption worldwide, and it paints an alarming picture. Not one single c...

by Transparency International TI | On 05 Feb 2016

Local Governance Integrity: Principles and Standards

The purpose of the Anti-Corruption Principles and Standards for Local Governance Systems is to provide clear guidance as to how to prevent corruption and deal with it when it occurs. Most of them appl...

by Transparency International TI | On 05 Feb 2016

Transparency in Corporate Reporting: Assessing the World’s Largest Telecommunications Companies 2015

With currently more than 7 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide and 3.2 billion internet users, the growth of the telecoms sector has enabled unprecedented opportunities for social and economic deve...

by Transparency International | On 03 Feb 2016

People and Corruption: Africa Survey 2015 – Global Corruption Barometer

For the latest African edition of the Global Corruption Barometer, we partnered with the Afrobarometer, which spoke to 43,143 respondents across 28 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa between March 2014 a...

by Transparency International | On 03 Feb 2016

Iraq, From Security to Political Management

This study begins with an assessment of the years of US occupation in Iraq, focusing on its repercussions, explicating its outcomes, and exploring the horizons of political evolution in this country a...

by | On 03 Feb 2016

The New Role of the World Bank

The World Bank was founded to correct failures in international capital markets. That role has shifted over the past 70 years. Modern analyses should proceed from the premise that the Bank’s central g...

by Michael Clemens | On 03 Feb 2016

Choice of Monetary Policy Instrument under Targeting Regimes in a Simple Stochastic Macro Model

This paper analyzes the relative performance of inflation and price-level targeting regimes in an AS-IS-LM framework under alternative policy instruments used by the central bank.

by Haider Ali | On 03 Feb 2016

Does the Rise of the Middle Class Lock in Good Government in the Developing World?

The current size of the income-secure middle class and its likely future growth, suggest that optimism is indeed warranted for many of today’s middle-income countries. But it is not warranted for all...

by Nancy Birdsall | On 03 Feb 2016

Explaining the de facto Open-access of Public Property Commons

Public property common pool resources in many developing countries are manage them in a sustainable manner. While this explanation may have some merit, it is certainly inadequate. Instead, we argue th...

by Junaid Memon | On 03 Feb 2016

Infrastructure Investment, Private Finance, and Institutional Investors: Asia from a Global Perspective

This study evaluates infrastructure investment and finance in Asia from a global perspective. It provides an overview on infrastructure needs and the various sources of private finance, globally and w...

by Georg Inderst | On 02 Feb 2016

Developing Language and the Language of Development in the Arab World

This study analyzes some of the manifestations of the state of the Arabic language in contemporary Arab societies. Moreover, this study aims to explore and highlight the developmental potential of the...

by | On 02 Feb 2016

Discrepancies in Public and Private Sector Pay in Jordan, Qatar and the UAE

This study examines the challenges the labor market faces in a number of Arab countries with rentier economies - namely, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. One of the major challenges the lab...

by | On 02 Feb 2016

The Arab Opinion Project: The Arab Opinion Index

The Arab Opinion Index project is currently the largest of its kind. It covers 12 countries, representing 85 percent of the population of the Arab world. The Index compiles the findings of 16,173 face...

by Arab Center for Policy Studies | On 02 Feb 2016

Children Affected by Armed Conflict in South Asia: A Review of Trends and Issues Identified Through Secondary Research

‘Armed conflict’ is defined in this report as the use of armed violence to resolve local, national and/or international disputes between individuals and groups that have a political, economic, cultura...

by | On 02 Feb 2016

Disciplining Investment Incentives: A Lost Cause?

Investment incentives rank among the most important policy instruments governments employ to influence the locational decisions of multinational firms. In the wake of the recent increase in locational...

by International Centre for Sustainable Trade and Development | On 02 Feb 2016

Remittances: An Unrecognised Support Mechanism During Humanitarian Crises

Remittances – money sent home by migrants – can help families survive conflicts or natural disasters. However, humanitarian agencies often fail to consider remittances when planning interventions. Thi...

by Paul Harvey | On 01 Feb 2016

Making it Safer to Cross Waterways in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has about 120,000 engineered rural waterway crossings (such as bridges) and another 250,000 non-engineered crossings built and maintained by communities. Because of a lack of financial and h...

by Granie Jayalath | On 01 Feb 2016

Developing Technologies for Sustainable Fisheries in Asia

Governments in Asia must prioritise technologies that improve fishery productivity to meet the growing local and international demand for fish. This increased productivity must be sustainable, however...

by The WorldFish Center TWC | On 01 Feb 2016

The Story of Primary Health Care : from Alma Ata to the Present Day

The idea of primary health care (PHC) emerged in the 1960s, in recognition of the shortcomings of the health systems inherited by developing countries after independence. The urban, centralised and cu...

by Institute of Development Studies IDS | On 01 Feb 2016

Voices from the South: The Impact of the Financial Crisis on Developing Countries

This report presents snapshots of the financial crisis as seen by 21 thinkers, academics and policymakers in 14 developing countries. IDS invited them to present their views on the likely impacts and...

by Neil McCulloch | On 01 Feb 2016

Financial Reforms - Past and Present

Industrial countries are still struggling, with a few exceptions, to grow. Our fellow BRICS all have deep problems, with confidence about China waxing and waning. India appears to be better in this l...

by Raghuram G. Rajan | On 01 Feb 2016

Research Imperatives for the Indian Banking Sector

In emerging economies like India, banking sector is very important. But banking sector is at 'crossroads'. There are many issues which this sector is facing and research which would generate fresh i...

by S.S. Mundra | On 01 Feb 2016

Sri Lanka’s North : The Denial Of Minority Rights

Deepening militarisation and the lack of accountable governance in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province are preventing a return to normal life and threaten future violence. Scene of the most bitter fighting...

by International Crisis Group | On 31 Jan 2016

Massive, Globally Coordinated Fiscal Stimulus is Needed: Going From the Drawing Board to Swift Action

In just over a year, the mid-2007 sub-prime housing debacle in the United States has escalated into a global financial crisis and pushed the world economy into recession arguably the deepest since Wor...

by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs | On 31 Jan 2016

The Trillion Dollar Plan

The rapidly unfolding global financial and economic crisis will severely disrupt economic growth worldwide, affect the livelihoods of billions around the world and endanger progress toward the poverty...

by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs | On 31 Jan 2016

Off-shoring, Insecurity and the Protectionist Threat

The financial crash of 2008 threatens economic insecurity in industrialized countries to an extent not experienced since the Great Depression. But as discussed in the World Economic and Social Survey...

by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs | On 31 Jan 2016

Better Policy Coordination Needed to Avert another Global Slowdown

The United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects 2011 cautions that the lack of policy coordination could further weaken the already modest recovery, or even precipitate a new global recessio...

by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs | On 31 Jan 2016

Governments Need to Push for More Energy Efficient End-Use Technologies

About 2.7 billion people do not have access to modern energy. Without it, they have little chance of achieving a decent living standard. Much more economic progress is needed to lift the living standa...

by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs | On 31 Jan 2016

Can a Protracted Slowdown be Avoided?

The world economy is teetering on the brink of another major downturn. As in 2008, economic woes in the major developed economies are weakening economic prospects around the world. Th ere are multiple...

by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs | On 31 Jan 2016

The Potential of Financial Transaction Taxes for Development Financing

Difficulties in raising sufficient resources to finance internationally agreed development goals and global objectives, such as combating climate change, have led the quest for new and innovative sour...

by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs | On 31 Jan 2016

The Limited Promise of Agricultural Trade Liberalization

It has become an article of faith in international trade negotiations that farmers in developing countries have much to gain from agricultural trade liberalization. This paper assesses the evidence fo...

by Timothy A. Wise | On 31 Jan 2016

Savings Behaviour In South Asia

Savings behaviour is important because of the close relation between savings and growth. Further, the direction of causality between savings and growth is of critical importance for development policy...

by Ranjan Kumar Dash | On 30 Jan 2016

Trade Policy Responses to Food Price Volatility in Poor Net Food-Importing Countries

In recent years, high and volatile prices have contributed to acute shortages of basic foodstuffs in poor, net food-importing countries. This paper examines the new challenges these countries face, an...

by | On 30 Jan 2016

Potential Impact of Proposed 2012 Farm Bill Commodity Programs on Developing Countries

The United States is the largest exporter of many key commodities leading to a significant impact on international markets. In this paper Bruce Babcock and Nick Paulson examine what proposed changes i...

by | On 30 Jan 2016

Organizational and Institutional Issues in Climate Change Adaptation and Risk Management

This report provides some reflections and insights on the level of awareness, practices, and organizational and institutional issues being faced by countries as they adapt to climate change, based on...

by Catherine Ragasa | On 30 Jan 2016

Addressing Malnutrition Multisectorally: What Have We Learned From Recent International Experience?

Authors Jim Levinson and Yarlini Balarajan of UNICEF New York and Alessandra Marini of the World Bank present three major case studies from Peru, Brazil and Bangladesh, but also a historical review of...

by Jim Levinson | On 30 Jan 2016

Voice And Accountability In The Health Sector

The study was carried out in the Mbarali District of Tanzania. A qualitative study design was used. In-depth interviews and focus group discussion were conducted among members of the district health t...

by Health & Education Advice & Research Team HEART | On 30 Jan 2016

Revisiting the Global Food Crisis: Magnitude, Causes, Impact and Policy Options

The magnitude of the food crisis demands urgent action on the part of governments, multilateral agencies and all those who cherish the vision of a hunger-free world. A correct identification of the ca...

by Arindam Banerjee | On 30 Jan 2016

Strengthening Community Engagement of Higher Education Institutions

It was expected that education would address these problems to a large extent. However, inspite of enhanced investment on expenditure, leading to increased enrolment, these issues remain largely unatt...

by (Field Action Project on Homelessness and Destitut Koshish | On 30 Jan 2016

Strategic Gender Interventions and Poverty Reduction: Principles and Practice

This manual has been written as a source book for gender interventions, an analysis of appropriate interventions giving various practical steps, rather than as a set of prescriptions. While the manual...

by Govind Kelkar | On 29 Jan 2016

Challenges and Trends in Decentralised Local Governance in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has a rich legacy of establishing and promoting local government institutions, but the actual roles and contributions of these institutions to augment citizens’ participation and consolidat...

by Niaz Khan | On 29 Jan 2016

Recognition of Forest Rights and Livelihoods of Tribal Communities: A Study of Western Ghats Region, Kerala State

The study tries to examine the implementation process of the Forest Rights Act 2006 in Kerala, in terms of providing individual holding land rights and community rights over forest products. The stu...

by Jyothis Sathyapalan | On 29 Jan 2016

Trade Secrets, Innovation and the WTO

The intersection of trade secrets, innovation, and the World Trade Organization (WTO) forms a topic that is increasingly debated as part of the public discourse on intangible capital and intellectual...

by | On 28 Jan 2016

Climate Variability and Change in the Himalayas: Community Perceptions and Responses

Mountain communities in the developing world are often marginalised from political influence and economic opportunities and generally face high levels of poverty. The ecosystems they dwell in are amon...

by Mirjam Macchi | On 28 Jan 2016

New WTO Trade Rules for Bits and Bytes?

The major trading nations have been busy with trade agreements—free, preferential, and bilateral—incorporating Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)-plus and World Intellectual...

by | On 28 Jan 2016

A Legally Binding Agreement (LBA) - Growing Need for Air Pollution Reduction and Control in South Asia

With increasing urbanization and economic growth, air pollution is becoming an urgent concern in South Asian countries. The study upon which this paper is based has been conducted at SDPI, to look int...

by Mahmood Khwaja | On 28 Jan 2016

Global Regulatory Imperatives and Small Firms: Case of the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry

This paper enquires into the implications of the technological paradigm shift for small enterprises. Those who would not consider conforming to the regulatory framework (specifically enlisted under...

by Keshab Das | On 28 Jan 2016

The Guiding Visible Hand of Participatory Approaches to Irrigation Management

The paper argues that the difference in the mode of programme implementation between Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat exerts an influence on the function and performance of the local institutions created as...

by R. Parthasarathy | On 28 Jan 2016

Strengthening Public Health in Urban India: The Role of National Urban Health Mission

This note highlights the role of population-based public health; both in preventing disease outbreaks and managing those outbreaks whenever they occur. While its importance is well recognised in devel...

by Monica Das Gupta | On 28 Jan 2016

Management by Participation? Village Institutions and Drinking Water Supply in Gujarat

One of the critical dimensions of rural water supply has been participation by the local community in managing the source and finances. Drawing upon case studies of 20 villages (spread across 17 distr...

by Keshab Das | On 28 Jan 2016

Payments Banks: Support Policy Framework for Enhancing Viability and Inclusion

The paper reviews the payment guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank of India, global experiences for non-banks in payments and the lessons therefrom. It also outlines the recent developments in financ...

by | On 27 Jan 2016

UNDP Annual Report 2014-2015: Time for Global Action

Voices around the world are demanding leadership and action in 2015 on poverty, inequality and climate change. These universal challenges demand global action, and this year presents unprecedented opp...

by United Nations Development Programme UNDP | On 27 Jan 2016

Health Agriculture Labour Migrants (Denied) Access to Health Care in Andhra Pradesh

In most countries international migration has received more attention than internal agriculture labour migration. Even though internal agriculture labour migration has become an important livelihood...

by | On 27 Jan 2016

Small World of Inter-Firm Network and Firm's Acquisition Behaviour

This study finds that the inter-firm network in India on account of director interlocks is a small world and the network has become more integrated since the introduction of corporate governance regul...

by | On 27 Jan 2016

Trade Policy Uncertainty as Barrier to Trade

This paper studies the effects of trade policy uncertainty on the extensive and the intensive margins of trade for a sample of 149 exporters at the HS6 digit level. We measure trade policy uncertainty...

by Nadia Rocha | On 26 Jan 2016

Covered or not Covered: That is The Question - Services Classification and Its Implications for Specific Commitments under the GATS

This paper attempts to make contribution by providing an overview of services classification and highlighting its relevance to both trade negotiations and WTO dispute settlement. It consists of four s...

by Ruosi Zhang | On 26 Jan 2016

Best Practices in the Integrated Child Development Services: Some Lessons for its Restructuring and Strengthening

Some innovations within the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) have demonstrated significant improvements in the nutritional status of children. This note discusses four such innovations, as...

by Ashi Kohli Kathuria | On 26 Jan 2016

Internet Fragmentation: An Overview

A thriving and open Internet provides the foundation for the fourth industrial revolution. There has been growing concern that the Internet may be in danger of splintering into a series of bordered cy...

by World Economic Forum [WEF] | On 25 Jan 2016

Decentralisation in India: A Review of Panchayati Raj Institutions in Gujarat

This paper examines how the decentralisation process has evolved over time in India from the ancient times through to the British regime to modern era. It focuses specifically on Panchayati Raj Instit...

by Madhusudan Bandi | On 25 Jan 2016

Does Exchange Rate Intervention Trigger Volatility?

This study aims at investigating two important issues concerning the exchange rate intervention policy of the Reserve Bank of India: (1) whether there is any asymmetry in intervention; and (2) whether...

by M. Ramachandran | On 24 Jan 2016

From The Ground Up Changing The Conversation About Climate Change

The survey had two main aims – to provide a replicable baseline that could be measured over time and to inform the development of communication strategies in the future. The project has also developed...

by Stephan Faris | On 23 Jan 2016

Prospects and Challenges of Bond Market Development in Bangladesh

The thin bond market in Bangladesh faces manifold challenges emanating from several sources including excessive reliance on bank credit, government debt instruments dominated by primary auction based...

by Md. Akhtaruzzaman | On 23 Jan 2016

The SLR as a Monetary Policy Instrument in Bangladesh

The statutory liquidity requirement (SLR), as a monetary policy instrument, has experienced infrequent changes in Bangladesh. Past evidence shows that reduction in SLR produced positive impact on bank...

by Sayera Younus | On 23 Jan 2016

A Quick Analysis of Deposit Interest Rates Offered by Commercial Banks

The main purpose of the survey is to collect data on the extent of the mis-reporting of deposit interest rates, as accurate data is essential for effective financial and monetary policy.

by Md. Ezazul Islam | On 23 Jan 2016

Better Ask the Parrot

It may be time to look at the market forecasts that pundits had made earlier.

by T.N. Ninan | On 23 Jan 2016

Ensuring Access for the Climate Vulnerable in Bangladesh

Drawing on secondary literature and interviews and discussions with community members, local government officials, and various experts, the report proposes a mechanism through which LGIs could provide...

by International Centre for Climate Change and Develo ICCCAD | On 23 Jan 2016

An Analysis of Private Commercial Borrowing from Foreign Sources in Bangladesh

The intention of this study is to get an indication of the trends and uses of private sector commercial borrowing from external sources in Bangladesh. In this paper, an overall picture of the private...

by Sayera Younus | On 23 Jan 2016

Should Bangladesh Monitor Core Inflation for Conducting Monetary Policy?

Over the years, the Bangladesh Bank (BB) has been using changes in consumer price index (CPI) inflation as the operational guide to measuring price stability in Bangladesh. In recent years, it has how...

by Bangladesh Bank | On 23 Jan 2016

Rationalizing Interest Rate Spread in the Banking Sector: Some Policy Suggestions

Despite the removal of restrictions and reforms in the banking sector to facilitate the adoption of a market oriented interest rate policy, interest rates are yet to become fully responsive to the mar...

by Bangladesh Bank | On 23 Jan 2016

National Development Banks in the BRICS: Lessons for the Post-2015 Development Finance Framework

While there is now broad agreement that National Development Banks (NDBs) have the potential to contribute positively to development objectives, it is less clear how this can best be done in practice....

by Institute of Development Studies IDS | On 23 Jan 2016

East Asia in 2015

The future political landscape of Asia-Pacific would largely be decided, arguably, by happenings in the East Asian region. It is so because in East Asia, the interests of three important players of wo...

by Sandip Kumar Mishra | On 23 Jan 2016

Modeling Interest Rate Cycles in India

The present study tries to examine the behaviour of various Indian interest rates such as call money rate, and yields on secondary market securities with maturity periods of 15 to 91 days, 1-year, 5-y...

by B B Bhattacharya | On 22 Jan 2016

Rising Powers in International Development

The setting up of the New Development Bank was first suggested by India in early 2012 in order to fund its domestic energy and infrastructure needs, namely power transmission, 11 roads and ports. Fina...

by Stephen Spratt | On 22 Jan 2016

Infant-Feeding Patterns and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Young Adulthood: Data From Five Cohorts in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding from birth to 6 months, the introduction of nutritious complementary foods at 6 months and continued breastfeeding for 52 years.1...

by Karthikeya Naraparaju | On 22 Jan 2016

Access, Equity and Inclusion : Ethical Norms and S&T Policy Outcomes

In our research on science policy and inclusion and ethics in S&T policy we identified that in the Indian context Access, Equity and Inclusion (AEI) can be the norms to assess the policy outcomes and...

by Krishna Ravi Srinivas | On 21 Jan 2016

Accelerating Reductions in Undernutrition: What can nutrition governance tell us?

In order to accelerate progress on undernutrition reduction we need to understand how the governance of nutrition programmes leads to successful outcomes. Based on evidence from six countries: Banglad...

by Institute of Development Studies IDS | On 21 Jan 2016

Balancing State and Community Participation in Development Partnership Projects: Emerging Evidence from Indian SDPs in Nepal

This paper evaluates the impact and potential of development programmes known as Small Development Projects (SDPs), introduced by India as part of its development cooperation portfolio in Nepal. Throu...

by Sachin Chaturvedi | On 21 Jan 2016

Financial Crisis of 2008 and Shifting Economic Power Is there Convergence

This paper analyses shifts in economic power over the last almost five decades. Developing countries and regions have increased their share of incremental world income and incremental world exports ov...

by Manmohan Agarwal | On 21 Jan 2016

Whose Needs are Right? Refugees, Oustees and the Challenges of Rights-Based Approaches in Forced Migration

This paper examines the growing literature, in both refugee and oustee studies, that explores the application of rights-based approaches to forced migration. Introducing a rights regime to both oustee...

by | On 20 Jan 2016

India: Developing World’s Voice on Climate Issues

The Conference on climate change in Paris in December 2015 demonstrated what an uphill road it is for all nations to ‘come together and save the world’. India, the fourth-largest contributor to worldw...

by Chandrani Sarma | On 20 Jan 2016

2014 revision of the World Urbanization Prospects

Today, 54 per cent of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 66 per cent by 2050. Projections show that urbanization combined with the overall growth...

by United Nations (UN) | On 19 Jan 2016

Rural Sanitation Transformation in Himachal Pradesh

The relationship between poor sanitation, water borne disease, mortality and malnutrition is well documented. Statistics about the number of deaths due to diarrhea as well as stunting caused by malnut...

by Deepak Sanan | On 19 Jan 2016

Urbanization, gender and urban poverty: Paid work and unpaid carework in the city

This collaborative working paper, and the shorter technical briefing note derived from it, discuss hidden dimensions of urban poverty, and the different ways in which they impact men and women. This g...

by | On 19 Jan 2016

Impact of Climate Related Shocks and Stresses on Nutrition and Food Security in Selected Areas of Rural Bangladesh

This study attempts to break down ‘climate change’ into ‘climate related shocks and stresses in the course of time’ and conceptualizes the food security and nutrition outcomes as combination of the ad...

by Chris Béné | On 19 Jan 2016

Long-term care protection for older persons: A review of coverage deficits in 46 countries

This paper: (i) examines long-term care (LTC) protection in 46 developing and developed countries covering 80 per cent of the world’s population; (ii) provides (data on LTC coverage for the population...

by Xenia Scheil-Adlung | On 19 Jan 2016

Human Trafficking in Southeast Asia: Results from a Pilot Project in Vietnam

Human trafficking is one of the most widely spread and fastest growing crimes in the world. However, despite the scope of the problem, the important human rights issues at stake and the professed inte...

by Ngan Dinh | On 19 Jan 2016

The Laboratory and its Double: The Making of the Scientist-Citizen at TIFR

If the utopian ideals of Bhatnagar with which we began our journey saw science as existing without national boundaries, Bhabha’s institute which attempted to mirror that utopian ideal focused on erasi...

by Indira Chowdhury | On 19 Jan 2016

Does Clientelism Work? A Test Of Guessability In India

Research on clientelism broadly assumes that local political agents, or brokers, possess fine-grained information on voters’ political preferences, and often can directly or indirectly monitor their v...

by Mark Schneider | On 18 Jan 2016

Whose Side Are You On? Identifying The Distributive Preferences of Local Politicians in India

The literature on decentralized public programs suggests that errors in the targeting of anti-poverty programs are rooted in the capture of these programs by local elites or local politicians. Consist...

by Mark Schneider | On 18 Jan 2016

A Tale Of Two Villages: Kinship Networks And Political Preference Change In Rural India

This paper develops a theory on how voters form and change political preferences in democratic developing world contexts. In the developing world, where state institutions are often weak, voters tend...

by Neelanjan Sircar | On 18 Jan 2016

Group Violence, Ethnic Diversity, and Citizen Participation: Evidence from Indonesia

This paper addresses the impact of violent conflict on social capital, as measured by citizen participation in community groups defined for four activity types: governance, social service, infrastruct...

by | On 18 Jan 2016

Anemia in the Elderly Residing in a South Indian Rural Community

Anemia is defined as a reduction in the body’s red cell mass 1, reflected in a reduced oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. The World Health Organisation criterion for the diagnosis of anemia is a l...

by | On 18 Jan 2016

The Global Risks Report 2016

The Global Risks Report 2016 features perspectives from nearly 750 experts on the perceived impact and likelihood of 29 prevalent global risks over a 10-year timeframe. The risks are divided into five...

by World Economic Forum [WEF] | On 18 Jan 2016

Public Infrastructure, Location of Private Schools and Primary School Attainment in an Emerging Economy

The paper argues that access to public infrastructure plays a crucial role on the presence of private schools in a community, as it could not only minimise the cost of production, but also ensure a hi...

by Sarmistha Pal | On 15 Jan 2016

Rebalancing Growth in Asia

Rebalancing growth patterns of Asian economies is an important component of the overall rebalancing effort that will be required in the world economy. In this paper, I provide an empirical characteriz...

by Eswar S. Prasad | On 15 Jan 2016

Development

The study of international organizations inevitably leads to consideration of the role of several that have been at the heart of international efforts to promote development after World War II, primar...

by David Malone | On 13 Jan 2016

Social Institutions & Gender Index : 2014 Synthesis Report

Discrimination against women and girls carries a high development cost. This third edition of the SIGI captures and measures gender-based discrimination in social institutions- social norms, practices...

by OECD Development Centre | On 13 Jan 2016

Beyond Market Access: Trade-related Measures for the Least Developed Countries. What Strategy?

This paper assesses the effectiveness of non-tariff special and differential treatment (SDT) offered exclusively to the least developed countries by WTO agreements. SDTs are inefficient in at least fo...

by | On 11 Jan 2016

The Impact of the Global Economic and Financial Crisis on the Youth and Children

How can young people and their future education and employment be put at the forefront of the solution to the current crisis as they represent the future of the world? These are some of the issues tha...

by Emmanuel Akoto | On 11 Jan 2016

Trade and Development Report 2007

The Trade and Development Report 2007, subtitled "Regional cooperation for development", recommends that developing countries should strengthen regional cooperation with other developing countries, bu...

by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNCTAD | On 09 Jan 2016

Trade and Development Report, 2010

The Trade and Development Report 2010 focuses on the need to make employment creation a priority in economic policy. Unemployment is the most pressing social and economic problem of our time, not leas...

by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNCTAD | On 09 Jan 2016

Trade and Development Report, 2012

The Trade and Development Report (TDR) 2012 reviews recent trends in the global economy and explores the links between income distribution, growth and development. Global output growth is slowing down...

by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNCTAD | On 09 Jan 2016

Trade and Development Report, 2014

The Trade and Development Report 2014: Global Governance and Policy Space for Development examines recent trends in the global economy, with a focus on growth, trade and commodity prices.The Report hi...

by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNCTAD | On 09 Jan 2016

Gender, work and development in northwest Pakistan: working environments of Pakistani female development practitioners

The research identifies the development sector as a complex and often contested work environment. Many local residents perceive ‘development’ as an instrument of the ‘West’ for pursuing its interests,...

by Julia Grünenfelder | On 08 Jan 2016

Double Bubble Trouble

Sustaining anything in the region of 7% growth should be good enough in a troubled and risk-laden world.

by T.N. Ninan | On 08 Jan 2016

Patterns and Politics of Migration in South Asia

Migration is an important social and historical reality in South Asia. In the past decade, migration from one country to another and internal migration (i.e. migration within a particular country) hav...

by Sanjay Barbora | On 08 Jan 2016

Impact of Participatory Forest Management on Financial Assets of Rural Communities in Northwest Pakistan

The system of participatory (or joint) forest management was commenced in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan in 1996 through Asian Development Bank's funded project. These forest refo...

by Tanvir Ali | On 08 Jan 2016

World Population Prospects The 2015 Revision

Understanding the demographic changes that are likely to unfold over the coming years, as well as the challenges and opportunities that they present for achieving sustainable development, is important...

by United Nations (UN) | On 08 Jan 2016

Conflict through a Gender Lens

This brief suggests that those seeking an in-depth understanding of the social and political world need to apply a feminist curiosity – that is, a curiosity about the roles gender plays at all levels...

by | On 07 Jan 2016

Navigating a Changing World Economy: ASEAN, the People's Republic of China, and India

Most projections envision continued rapid growth in the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and India (collectively, ACI) over the next...

by Fan Zhai | On 07 Jan 2016

A Tortured History: Federalism and Democracy in Pakistan

This paper looks at the Pakistan Army’s ideological hegemony, especially in the country’s Punjabi-speaking heartland, the continuing focus on the state’s narrative of a religion-based unitary identity...

by | On 07 Jan 2016

Financing Development Cooperation in Northeast Asia

Infrastructure connectivity in Northeast Asia — comprising the northeastern People’s Republic of China, Japan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia, and the Russi...

by Masahiro Kawai | On 07 Jan 2016

Banking Crises and 'Japanization': Origins and Implications

Japan’s “two lost decades” perhaps represent an extreme example of a weak recovery from a financial crisis, and are now referred to as “Japanization.” More recently, widespread stagnation in advanced...

by Masahiro Kawai | On 07 Jan 2016

Modern Currency Wars: The United States Versus Japan

In 2013, through massive quantitative easing by the Bank of Japan (BOJ), the yen depreciated about 25% against the US dollar, stoking fears of Japan bashing by the US. However, this sharp depreciation...

by Ronald McKinnon | On 07 Jan 2016

Special Study on Sustainable Fisheries Management and International Trade in the Southeast Asia and Pacific Region

This paper analyzes the current status of fisheries and aquaculture in Southeast Asia and international trade. Analysis concludes that a policy of sustainable management for both capture fisheries and...

by Masayuki Komatsu | On 07 Jan 2016

Plurilateral Agreements: A Viable Alternative to the World Trade Organization?

The paper looks at some issue-based plurilateral agreements — such as the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), the Financial Services and Basic Telecommunication Services Agreements, and the Anti-C...

by Michitaka Nakatomi | On 07 Jan 2016

Developing Myanmar’s Information and Communication Technology Sector toward Inclusive Growth

Myanmar is expected to grow at least 6.8% per year in the coming years. Accompanying this growth will be an increase in demand for infrastructure services, including ICT-related services, both for co...

by Kee-Yung Nam | On 01 Jan 2016

Open Educational Resources: Enhancing Education Provision and Practice

Open educational resources made their appearance in early 2002 as a promising tool for enhancing the quality of and access to education and were perceived to have the potential to reduce costs by reus...

by Jouko Sarvi | On 01 Jan 2016

Public–Private Partnerships in Information and Communication Technology for Education

A study of how PPPs have been employed by ADB developing member countries in Asia and the Pacific identified seven initiatives that adopted the underlying principles of PPP in developing and deliverin...

by Jouko Sarvi | On 01 Jan 2016

Government and Garbage: Local Administration, Public Sanitation and the ‘Clean India’ Campaign

The paper examines a crucial component of public sanitation and waste management – the role of local government. It concludes that improvement of public sanitation in India, which is the goal of the B...

by Robin Jeffrey | On 30 Dec 2015

Do employers Prefer Migrant Workers? Evidence from a Chinese Job Board

We study urban, private sector Chinese employers’ preferences between workers with and without a local permanent residence permit (hukou) using callback information from an Internet job board. We find...

by | On 30 Dec 2015

International Financial Reforms: Capital Standards, Resolution Regimes and Supervisory Colleges, and their Effect on Emerging Markets

This paper focuses on the relevance to emerging economies of three major financial reforms following the global financial crisis of 2007–2009: the improved capital requirements intended to reduce the...

by Duncan Alford | On 30 Dec 2015

International Trade and Determinants of Price Differentials of Insulin Medicine

Empirical studies on pharmaceuticals pricing across countries have found evidence that prices vary according to per capita income. These studies are typically based on survey data from a subset of cou...

by Toshiaki Aizawa | On 29 Dec 2015

Deepening the Social Dimensions of Regional Integration

The present report presents an overview of some recent trends and future challenges regarding the deepening of the social dimensions of regional integration, in light of the Recommendations of the Rep...

by | On 29 Dec 2015

Southeast Asia and the Economics of Global Climate Stabilization

Southeast Asia is vulnerable to climate change, yet is also on a carbon intensive development trajectory.The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has analyzed the potential role the region can play in climate...

by Jindra Samson | On 29 Dec 2015

Strengthening Municipal Governance through Performance-based Budget Allocation in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, pourashavas are an alternative destination to large cities. With the influx of urban residents within the next decades, governments and development partners must lead pourashavas toward...

by Norio Saito | On 29 Dec 2015

Connecting South and Southeast Asia: Implementation Challenges and Coordination

With closer regional integration there is increasing interest within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and on the part of ASEAN's dialogue partners in the potential gains of closer co...

by Termsak Chalermpalanupap | On 29 Dec 2015

Ready for a Slowdown?

Are we worse off at the end of 2015 than at the start?

by T.N. Ninan | On 25 Dec 2015

Financial Inclusion, Regulation, and Education in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has achieved a high level of financial inclusion compared to other South Asian countries. Its financial sector comprises a wide range of financial institutions providing financial services s...

by Saman Kelegama | On 23 Dec 2015

Different Paths to Power: The Rise of Brazil, India and China at the World Trade Organization

New powers, such as China, India and Brazil, are challenging the traditional dominance of the US in the governance of the global economy. It is generally taken for granted that the rise of new powers...

by Kristen Hopewell | On 23 Dec 2015

Asymmetric Influence in Global Banking Regulation

Global regulatory standard setting is one of the most lucrative battlefields of the international political economy. Asymmetric influence and regulatory capture in setting such standards can undermine...

by Roman Goldbach | On 23 Dec 2015

Fiscal Decentralization And Tax Incentives In The Developing world

Many developing countries use tax incentives to attract foreign direct investment, sacrificing immediate revenue from foreign capital, even though the effects of tax incentives on investment, growth,...

by Quan Li | On 23 Dec 2015

Mobile Financial Services in Bangladesh: An Overview of Market Development

The objective of this report is to share a market level overview of the early stage progress of MFS in Bangladesh up through the first quarter of 2012. With this goal in mind Bangladesh...

by Bangladesh Bank | On 22 Dec 2015

Capital Structure, Ownership and Crisis: How Different Are Banks?

Employing data for 1992-2012, the article examines the factors affecting the capital structure of publicly listed Indian banks from a corporate finance perspective and compares the findings by exploit...

by Goutam Chatterjee | On 22 Dec 2015

Cricket and Indian National Consciousness

It is recognized that there are close links between sport and politics, and in particular between sport and national consciousness. The Olympic Games and the football, rugby and cricket World Cups hav...

by | On 22 Dec 2015

Doing Business Differently with Subnationals: Recommendations for Global Health Donors in Highly Decentralized Countries

This note builds on lessons learned from the Center for Global Development’s work on intergovernmental fiscal transfers for health and lays out three strategies for donors that fund organizations and...

by Amanda Glassman | On 21 Dec 2015

Now Corporate Paralysis

Public investment financed by the government's own or borrowed resources do not provide an adequate answer to the problem of relatively low investment.

by T.N. Ninan | On 18 Dec 2015

Global Financial Crisis: A Classic ‘Ponzi’ Affair?

This paper seeks to identify the roots of the financial crisis in US which is now has spread to the rest of the global economy. These include the dominance of uncertainty as a force in financial marke...

by Sunanda Sen | On 18 Dec 2015

Seaports, Dry ports, Development Corridors: Implications for Regional Development in Globalizing India

This paper highlights the emerging significance of newer and non-major ports and the consequent changes in the port system, both hierarchical and regional. The relevance of port focused development co...

by Gloria Kuzur | On 18 Dec 2015

China and Myanmar: Strategic Interests, Strategies and the Road Ahead

This research paper is divided into two parts to provide a more complete view of how both countries think in term of their ambitions and the methods they deem important to achieve them. This paper arg...

by | On 17 Dec 2015

The Brics Development Bank

This policy brief recommends that these include commitments to: ending extreme poverty and inequality, with a special focus on gender equity and women’s rights; aligning with environmental and social...

by Oxfam International | On 17 Dec 2015

Building Tax Capacity in Developing Countries

The agenda for the Third International Conference on Financing for Development suggests there will be less focus on aid, and more on how developing countries can generate their own financial resources...

by Mick Moore | On 16 Dec 2015

Engaging with Health Markets in Low and Middle-Income Countries

Many low and middle-income countries have pluralistic health systems with a variety of providers of health-related goods and services in terms of their level of training, their ownership (public or pr...

by Henry Lucas | On 16 Dec 2015

China's Fitful Economic Reforms

Back in 2004, when I ran the Chinadesk at the International Monetary Fund, my team some written questions to Beijing ahead of our meetings with Chinese officials. China’s central bank had claimed that...

by Eswar Prasad | On 16 Dec 2015

Merchants of Labor: Agents of the Evolving Migration Infrastructure

The special focus of this paper are the merchants of labour, the public and private agents who move workers over borders. The ILO Convention 97 (1949) recommended that migrants move over borders with...

by Philip Martin | On 15 Dec 2015

Financial Inclusion, Education, and Regulation in the Philippines

This paper discusses the current status of financial inclusion, education, and regulation in the Philippines and measures to foster financial inclusion. The primary policy challenge faced by the gover...

by Gilberto M. Llanto | On 15 Dec 2015

National Strategy Day on India: Delivering Growth in the New Context

The World Economic Forum along with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) convened the National Strategy Day on India on 3rd and 4th of November to provide a platform to boost economic growth and...

by | On 09 Dec 2015

Health Assessment of Ganga River at Haridwar During Kumbh 2013

With a view to undertake the exercise the of health assessment of Ganga River River during Kumbh 2013 a water quality monitoring was done during Kumbh 2013. The present report is based on the socio-cu...

by People's Science Institute PSI | On 08 Dec 2015

Look to the Forests: How Performance Payments can Slow Climate Change

This report argues that what is urgently needed is a tested but far from fully exploited approach to funding forest conservation: pay-for-performance transfers, under which public (and private) funder...

by Nancy Birdsall | On 03 Dec 2015

Monitoring Mortality in Forced Migrants—Can Bayesian Methods Help Us to Do Better with the (Little) Data We Have?

The global number of forced migrants is currently the highest since the Second World War. This is a major concern to public health: lack of access to safe water, food, sanitation, and inadequate shel...

by Peter Heudtlass | On 30 Nov 2015

Twenty Sixth Report on Insolvency Laws

The Report brings out the different aspects of the insolvency laws which has a two-fold purpose- (i) to give relief to the debtor from the harassment of his creditors whose claims he is unable to meet...

by Ministry of Law and Justice GOI | On 25 Nov 2015

The Indian Insolvency Regime in Practice – An Analysis of Insolvency and Debt

This paper analyses 45 cases of insolvency and bankruptcy resolution in order to measure the efficiency and problems of the present laws for firm bankruptcy in India. These cases have been selected t...

by Aparna Ravi | On 25 Nov 2015

The Global Gender Gap Report 2015

The Global Gender Gap Report quantifies the magnitude of gender based disparities and tracks their progress over time. While no single measure can capture the complete situation, the Global Gender Gap...

by World Economic Forum [WEF] | On 24 Nov 2015

Fiscal Seigniorage “Laffer-curve effect” on Central Bank Autonomy in India

It is often emphasised that seigniorage financing of public sector deficits is technically a “free lunch” if the economy has not attained the full employment levels. However, conservative macroecono...

by Lekha S. Chakraborty | On 16 Nov 2015

State Policy for Transgenders in Kerala, 2015

The documents states the Government's policy on Transgenders (TGs) its goals, objectives, approaches, implementation processes and highlights selected area of focus in Kerala' s socio-economic context...

by Social Justice Department Kerala | On 13 Nov 2015

Employment and Economic Class in the Developing World

This paper introduces a model for generating national estimates and projections of the distribution of the employed across five economic classes for 142 developing countries over the period 1991 to 20...

by | On 10 Nov 2015

Evaluation of Multipurpose Community Learning Centres of BRAC in Rural Areas of Bangladesh

This study aimed to evaluate the Multipurpose Learning Centres or Gonokendros (GK) operated by BRAC jointly with the local community in rural areas of Bangladesh. Two main goals were process evaluatio...

by | On 09 Nov 2015

Now Focus on the Economy

What the government should is to concentrate on economic issues with diversionary issues being put back in the cupboard.

by T.N. Ninan | On 07 Nov 2015

Whither the Co-operative Banking?

Current status of the urban co-operative banking in India, how it reached there, what recent initiatives the Reserve Bank has taken to strengthen the sector and what is the way forward. [Speech deliv...

by R. Gandhi | On 04 Nov 2015

Performance of Targeted Public Distribution System in Kerala

Targeted Public Distribution System was introduced in the country following the failure of the Universal PDS to serve below the poverty line and poorest of the poor households.It is being implemente...

by T Jayan | On 04 Nov 2015

Top Ten Urban Innovations

Humanity faces the mammoth task of adding over 2 billion people to the urban population before 2050. This is the equivalent of creating a city the size of London or San Francisco every month for the n...

by | On 03 Nov 2015

Beyond Drugs: TB Patients in Bangladesh need Urgent Attention for Nutrition Support during Convalescene

This study measures the nutritional status (using Body Mass Index or BMI) of TB patients before, at two months, and after completion of TB treatment (DOTS) to study the changes during treatment and it...

by Environmental Management & Policy Research Institute | On 29 Oct 2015

Inequality, Social Cooperation and Local Collective Action

This paper examines the relationship between inequality and collective action, and identifies a range of mechanisms that shape the association between income inequality and local collective action. Th...

by | On 29 Oct 2015

Development Central Banking: A Review of Issues and Experiences

The paper argues that central banks should play a broader role in helping developing countries meet their key challenges, such as generating productive employment, helping to allocate investment to pr...

by | On 28 Oct 2015

Impact of Migration on Poverty and Development

This paper reviews the literature on migration in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, East Africa and West Africa in order to highlight the complexity of migration patterns and impacts. It is...

by Tasneem Siddiqui | On 19 Oct 2015

China’s One Belt One Road Strategy: The New Financial Institutions and India’s Options

This paper attempts to discuss India’s options to collaborate with China at the event of the formation of new financial institutions and how should India engage with China’s new Silk Road strategy.

by Ajay Chhibber | On 16 Oct 2015

The Influence of Industry Financial Composition on the Exports from Pakistan

the influence of the industry financial composition on the export flow between Pakistan and its trading partners is determined. The importing countries are split according to their OECD membership st...

by Aadil Nakhoda | On 16 Oct 2015

Natural Interest Rate: Assessing the Stance of India’s Monetary Policy under Uncertainty

Using a theoretical framework that combines the essence of Ramsay’s growth model and the New-Keynesian macrodynamics, and applying the Kalman filter estimation technique, this paper finds that Indi...

by Harendra Behera | On 16 Oct 2015

E-Retailing and the Consumer Protection Bill, 2015: Drawing from the European Union Consumer Directives

E-retailing has exponentially grown in the past decade. Alongside, consumer grievances have also started surfacing. The Consumer Protection Bill, 2015 addresses this by giving the right to the consu...

by Akhileshwar Pathak | On 15 Oct 2015

Bihar Economic Survey 2014 - 15

Bihar clocked an economic growth rate of 9.92 per cent during financial year 2013-14, while its per capita Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) shot up to Rs 17,294 during this period from Rs 15,931 in...

by Government of Bihar | On 13 Oct 2015

Measuring Poverty

The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted in 2000 a set of “Millennium Development Goals” the first of which is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, more specifically to “reduce by half,...

by Angus Deaton | On 13 Oct 2015

Development Goals in an Era of Demographic Change

The 2015-16 Global Monitoring Report, produced jointly by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, details the progress the world has made towards global development goals and examines the impa...

by International Monetary Fund [IMF] | On 09 Oct 2015

Achievements of BRAC Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme Towards Millennium Development Goals and Beyond

BRAC WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) programme aims to facilitate, in partnership with the government of Bangladesh and other stakeholders, the attainment of the targets of UN Millennium Developm...

by Nepal C Dey | On 09 Oct 2015

The Interaction Between Social Protection and Agriculture - A Review of Evidence

This study explores the interaction between formal social protection and agriculture by proposing a theory of change and conducting an empirical review that identifies how social protection impacts ag...

by Nyasha Tirivayi | On 07 Oct 2015

The State of Food Insecurity in the World Meeting the 2015 International Hunger Targets: Taking Stock of Uneven Progress

This year’s annual State of Food Insecurity in the World report takes stock of progress made towards achieving the internationally established hunger targets and reflects on what needs to be done, as...

by Food and Agriculture Organization | On 07 Oct 2015

Now for the Reality Play

What the government needs to do, perhaps, is to spell out an action agenda for the next four months, in the run-up to the 2016 Budget.

by T.N. Ninan | On 02 Oct 2015

User Perceptions of Shared Sanitation among Rural Households in Indonesia and Bangladesh

The practice of sharing sanitation facilities does not meet the current World Health Organization/UNICEF definition for what is considered improved sanitation. Recommendations have been made to catego...

by | On 30 Sep 2015

Food Security, Productivity, and Gender Inequality

This paper examines the relationship between gender inequality and food security, with a particular focus on women as food producers, consumers, and family food managers. The discussion is set against...

by Bina Agarwal | On 29 Sep 2015

Surviving in Bihar

Can election change the condition of Bihar? At least improving the transport facilities....

by T.N. Ninan | On 26 Sep 2015

Environmental Regulations and Compliance in the Textile Processing Sector in Pakistan: Empirical Evidence

This paper, seeks to understand why firms in the garment and textile sector choose to comply with or ignore Pakistan’s environmental regulations and effluent standards. Based on survey of 60 firms, it...

by Ghulam Samad | On 23 Sep 2015

Seventh, after Seven

Seven years after the financial crisis, countries have done well. India is also doing well but there is a lot of difference in the programmes announced and how they are implemented.

by T.N. Ninan | On 19 Sep 2015

BRICS Development Bank an Instrument for Globalization

The establishment of a development bank by the BRICS association of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa is being described by both proponents and opponents of globalization as a rebellion...

by | On 18 Sep 2015

Comparative Notes on Indian Experiences of Social Democracy: Kerala and West Bengal

This paper compares, in historical perspective, the conditions for democracy, economic development and well-being in India and Scandinavia. Within India, it compares the states of Kerala and West Beng...

by | On 16 Sep 2015

Decentralized Local Governance and Citizen Participation in South Asia

This paper encompasses two major themes - local governance and citizens' participation in five neighbouring countries in South Asia, their trials, achievements and failures. Whether their experiences...

by | On 14 Sep 2015

The Conundrum of Profitability Versus Soundness for Banks by Ownership Type: Evidence from the Indian Banking Sector

Banks pursue profit like any business, but in their role as custodians of domestic savings, they are required to be cautious. Riskier but profitable advances may cause asset quality deterioration, thu...

by Sreejata Banerjee | On 14 Sep 2015

Water Resource Planning: Large Dams and Development

Large dams stand out as dramatic symbols of a particular approach to development and a certain relationship between humanity and nature. Starting with the crucial question of the need for such projec...

by Ramaswamy R. Iyer | On 11 Sep 2015

Rethinking Trafficking: Patriarchy, Poverty, and Private Wrongs in India

Human trafficking is a large and growing problem, and sex trafficking is a particularly egregious form of contemporary enslavement of the most vulnerable: women and children. Yet a decade of anti-traf...

by Aditee Maskey | On 10 Sep 2015

Global Nutrition Report: Actions and Accountability to Accelerate the World’s Progress on Nutrition

This report highlights the global nature of malnutrition and the successes and bottlenecks in addressing it. Malnutrition continues to affect the lives of millions of children and women worldwide. Eve...

by International Food Policy Research Institute | On 08 Sep 2015

Basel III Implementation- Challenges for Indian Banking System

In India, Basel III capital regulation has been implemented from April 1, 2013 in phases and it will be fully implemented as on March 31, 2019. Do we need Basel III for a country like India? What are...

by N.S. Viswanathan | On 08 Sep 2015

Kerala Perspective Plan 2030

The Kerala Perspective Plan 2030 (KPP) is a Government of Kerala initiative that will serve as the basis for implementation of a series of initiatives aimed at fostering sustainable and inclusive grow...

by Government of Kerala Govt | On 04 Sep 2015

Why do Migrants do Better Than Non-Migrants at Destination? Migration, Class and Inequality Dynamics in India

This paper explores why migrants at their destination fare better than nonmigrants, across different socio-economic classes in India, while the general perception of migrants is that they are less end...

by Vamsi Vakulabharanam | On 03 Sep 2015

Exploited Dreams: Dispatches from Indian Migrant Workers in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has attracted more low-paid Indian migrants over the last 25 years than any other country in the Gulf region. Every day, close to 1,000 Indian low-wage migrant workers are provided with e...

by Amnesty International AI, | On 31 Aug 2015

Strong Sustainable Growth for the Indian Economy

How is the RBI helping the government to create the conditions for a sustainable growth? Structural reforms will help strengthen this growth – two weeks ago, the Government announced Indradhanush, la...

by Raghuram G. Rajan | On 25 Aug 2015

Safety First

Global market is in a turmoil. How can India have a stable economy? There are no easy solutions but to play safe.

by T.N. Ninan | On 21 Aug 2015

South-South Cooperation: A Challenge to the Aid System?

It is essential to better understand the nature, shortcomings and potential of South-South development cooperation in order to inform and strengthen CSO advocacy for greater development effectiveness...

by The Reality of Aid Network | On 20 Aug 2015

Impact of Bank Credit on Economic Growth in Nepal

This study examines the impact of commercial bank credit to the private sector on the economic growth in Nepal from supply side perspectives. The study has applied Johansen co-integration approach and...

by | On 17 Aug 2015

The Sunday Edit: Monetary Policy Transmission: Visible Disconnect

Enhancing bank competition, among other measures, could adequately strengthen interest rate transmission; but the danger is in overreaching and losing leverage.

by Ramkishen S. Rajan | On 16 Aug 2015

Report of the Steering Committee on Rapid Poverty Reduction and Local Area Development (2007-2012)

This report of the steering committee on rapid poverty reduction and local area development for the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012). The first section attempts to examine the data on the poor, the...

by Planning Commission, India | On 14 Aug 2015

Initiatives and Achievements of the Department of Commerce, 2014 - 15

IMF in its World Economic Outlook (WEO) released in April 2015 has projected global growth for 2015 and 2016 to be at 3.5% and 3.8% respectively, a 0.1% increase for 2016 projection from the January 2...

by Ministry of Commerce and Industry Government of India | On 10 Aug 2015

Pathways of Transnational Activism: A Conceptual Framework

This paper presents a novel analytical framework to study transnational activism in the context of today’s international governance architecture. While there is a considerable amount of literature on...

by Sabrina Zajak | On 07 Aug 2015

IT Governance and IT Strategy: Board's Eye View

Banking in India and globally is undergoing and there are many challenges that are lying ahead. The basic underlying theme that runs through this changing landscape is the ever increasing reliance on...

by Harun R Khan | On 04 Aug 2015

Social Sector and Economic Reforms (With Special Reference to Public Health)

Social Sector performs an effective function in human resource development and hence it is very important to study how the economic reforms are influencing social sector expenditures. Any economic re...

by Runa Paul | On 03 Aug 2015

A Reality Check on Suicides in India

In this paper, we study the data from the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) of India and disaggregate across demographic and leading causes of suicides. We find that mental and physical health are t...

by Shamika Ravi | On 02 Aug 2015

Careful with Those Surveys

A survey's design determines its findings; understanding the logic behind measurement is key to interpretation.

by T.N. Ninan | On 01 Aug 2015

Monetary Policy Credibility: Is There a Magic Bullet?

This paper examines the concept of monetary policy credibility from both the theoretical and practical viewpoints. It also discusses the advantages of high credibility and explains measures that can b...

by Naveen Srinivasan | On 31 Jul 2015

Rationalisation of Agriculture in Kerala: Implications for Natural Environment, Agro-Ecosystems and Livelihoods

This paper takes on an older debate that the agriculture transformation in the regional economy of Kerala has been mainly driven by ‘peasant rationality’. It argues that the agrarian transformation...

by Viswanathan P K | On 31 Jul 2015

Impact of Trilemma Indicators on Macroeconomic Policy: Does Central Bank Independence Matter?

For a sample of 42 high and middle income countries analyzed over a period of 30 years ranging from 1982 till 2011, this paper shows that while an efficient trilemma policy choice can help lower inf...

by | On 31 Jul 2015

Resolving the Food Crisis – Assessing Global Policy Reforms Since 2007

The report looks beyond the proclamations and communiqués to assess what has really changed since the crisis erupted. While not exhaustive, the report looks at: Overseas Development Assistance, both i...

by | On 30 Jul 2015

Future and New Thoughts on Co-operative Banks

The co-operative movement in India is more than a century old; regulation thereof is also more than a century old with the first major impetus provided by the passage of the Co-operative Society Act i...

by R. Gandhi | On 29 Jul 2015

Study of the Global Crisis: A Question of Inevitability of the Euro Zone Crisis

The paper aims to analyse points of contention among economists and policymakers. This paper will discuss the pre-crisis conditions in the euro zone nations to gauge the extent of vulnerability of the...

by | On 28 Jul 2015

The State of Social Safety Nets, 2015

This report documents the state of the social safety net agenda in low- and middle-income countries. In recent years, a true policy revolution has been under way. Th e statistics in this report captur...

by World Bank | On 20 Jul 2015

Banking on Non-solutions

Can state owned banks revive Indian economy? Let's see what the managerial solutions to revive banks show us.

by T.N. Ninan | On 18 Jul 2015

Articulating a Vision for a Progressive BRICS Development Bank

Amidst calls for reform of international financial institutions and failure of existing development banks to satisfy the development financing needs of developing countries in general, and BRICS in pa...

by | On 16 Jul 2015

Safeguard Implementation: How Can We Make It More Meaningful?

The report presents the (i) safeguard systems of Bhutan, India and Nepal; (ii) differences in national safeguard laws and institutional processes with the Asian Development Bank’s safeguards policy; (...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 13 Jul 2015

The Role of Subsidy Uncertainty in Mission Drift of Microfinance Institutions of Asia

This study sheds light on the mission drift arguments for 149 MFIs working in continent Asia over the period 2003 to 2013. The mission drift is captured by average loan size, total number of borrower...

by | On 08 Jul 2015

Financial Frauds-Prevention: A Question of Knowing Somebody

Banks and financial institutions are easy prey to fraudsters. As long as banks and financial institutions handle huge sums of money as financial intermediaries they will always be the target of ingeni...

by R. Gandhi | On 06 Jul 2015

Can Foreign Banks Contribute to Financial Inclusion?

If the entry of foreign banks results in a concentrated banking sector, as has been the case in several Central and Eastern European countries, then the goals of achieving financial inclusion are adve...

by Ramkishen S. Rajan | On 05 Jul 2015

Reflections on India's Emergence in the World Economy

This paper attempts to capture how India embraced the world economy against the backdrop of the evolving domestic and international economic policy environment. It began with a brief overview of the...

by | On 24 Jun 2015

Urban Informal Workers: Representative Voice & Economic Rights

he purpose of this paper is to provide a summary analysis of five case studies prepared for the 2013 World Development Report team that illustrate why and how the representative voice and economic rig...

by Martha Chen | On 24 Jun 2015

Building a Sustainable Agricultural Trade Security System for Kerala

The present Report offers suggestions for the consideration of the Government of India, based on the UN Millennium Goals for Poverty Eradication, as well as on the principle that trade should strength...

by | On 17 Jun 2015

Health Policy Kerala 2013

Kerala has achieved good health indictors compared to other Indian states. In order to navigate the sector through the multiple challenges faced in the health sector Government of Kerala needs to arti...

by Health & Family Welfare Department Kerala | On 17 Jun 2015

Global Peace Index 2015

The 2015 Global Peace Index shows that the world is becoming increasingly divided with some countries enjoying unprecedented levels of peace and prosperity while others spiral further into violence an...

by | On 17 Jun 2015

Monetary Policy and Informal Finance

This article utilises state-level data for 1961–2012 to examine the interlinkage between informal finance and monetary policy. The analysis suggests that in response to a monetary contraction, borrowi...

by Saibal Ghosh | On 15 Jun 2015

World Report on Child Labour 2015: Paving the Way to Decent Work for Young People

The second volume of the ILO World Report on Child Labour series highlights the close linkages between child labour and good youth employment outcomes, and the consequent need for common policy approa...

by | On 12 Jun 2015

The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015: Meeting the 2015 International Hunger Targets Taking Stock of Uneven Progress.

This report discusses the need to eradicate hunger and achieve food security across all its dimensions. The report also identifies key factors that have determined success to date in reaching the MDG ...

by Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN UN | On 10 Jun 2015

When the Kerala Model of Development is Historicised: A Chronological Perspective

It is proposed in this study that the development experience in Kerala has resulted ultimately in weakening the material basis of public action. On limited evidence it is pointed out that the poor in...

by P.K.Michael Tharakan | On 10 Jun 2015

Impact of Interbank Liquidity on Monetary Transmission Mechanism: A Case Study of Pakistan

The transmission mechanism of policy-induced changes are is analysed in the discount rate and required reserves in Pakistan. The results suggest that the pass through to the lending rate is complete f...

by Muhammed Omar | On 05 Jun 2015

Report of the Sixty-Eighth World Health Assembly on Contributing to Social and Economic Development: Sustainable Action across sectors to Improved Health and Health Equity (follow-up of the 8th Global Conference on Health Promotion)

The framework provides guidance to Member States on taking country-level action across sectors for improving health and health equity. Such action includes the support of the health sector to other se...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 02 Jun 2015

Progress Report of the Sixty-Eighth World Health Assembly

The comprehensive mental health action plan 2013–2020 was adopted by the Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly in May 2013. The present report summarizes progress made in implementing the action plan. The...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 01 Jun 2015

Report of the Sixty-Seventh World Health Assembly on WHO Global Disability Action Plan 2014–2021

This provides guidance on the draft action plan for better health to disable people. There are more than 1000 million people with disability worldwide, about 15% of the global population. The prevalen...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 01 Jun 2015

Report of the Sixty-Seventh World Health Assembly on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition

This report describes progress in carrying out the comprehensive implementation plan on maternal, infant and young child nutrition, endorsed by the Health Assembly the global strategy for infant and y...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 28 May 2015

Report of the Sixty-Seventh World Health Assembly on Improving the Health of Patients with Viral Hepatitis

The Health Assembly adopted resolution on viral hepatitis, in which, inter alia, it urged Member States to support or enable an integrated and cost-effective approach to the prevention, control and ma...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 28 May 2015

Report of the Sixty-Eighth World Health Assembly on Global Technical Strategy and Targets for Malaria 2016–2030

Recalling resolutions on malaria control, and accelerating efforts to control and eliminate malaria in developing countries, particularly in Africa, by 2015. Acknowledging the progress made towards th...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 27 May 2015

Report of the Sixty-Seventh World Health Assembly on Global Vaccine Action Plan

In May 2012, the Sixty-fifth World Health Assembly endorsed the global vaccine action plan in resolution and requested the Director-General to monitor progress and report annually, through the Executi...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 27 May 2015

Draft Report of the Sixty-Seventh World Health Assembly on Global Strategy and Targets for Tuberculosis Prevention, Care and Control after 2015

At the Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly the executive board drafted a global strategy targets for tuberculosis prevention, with a aim to accelerate the global expansion of tuberculosis care and contr...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 26 May 2015

Report of the Sixty-Seventh World Health Assembly on Financing of Administrative and Management Costs

An external review, commissioned by the Programme, Budget and Administration Committee of the Executive Board, was prepared in May 2013, providing detailed analysis of WHO’s administrative and managem...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 26 May 2015

Report of the Sixty-Seventh World Health Assembly on Strategic Resource Allocation

At the Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly in May 2013, Member States requested the Director-General to propose, for consideration by the Sixty-seventh World Health Assembly, in consultation with Member...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 26 May 2015

Report of the Sixty-Seventh World Health Assembly on Framework of Engagement with Non-State Actors

At its 134th session, in the provisional agenda the Executive Board have requested the Director-General to develop a framework of engagement with non-State actors and separate policies on the engageme...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 25 May 2015

Report of the Sixty-Seventh World Health Assembly on Improved Decision Making by the Governing Bodies

At its 134th session, in the provisional agenda the Executive Board considered two reports by the Secretariat on options for improved decision-making by the governing bodies, which included four recom...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 25 May 2015

World Health Statistics 2015

World Health Statistics 2015 contains WHO’s annual compilation of health-related data for its 194 Member States, and includes a summary of the progress made towards achieving the health-related Millen...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 22 May 2015

WHO Reform: Progress Report on Reform Implementation

This report summarizes the progress of WHO reform since the report to the Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly. It provides an update on developments in each of the three broad areas of reform (programme...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 22 May 2015

Report of the World Health Assembly Executive Board on its 133rd and 134th Sessions

The Executive Board held its 133rd session on 29 and 30 May 2013 and its 134th session from 20 to 25 January 2014. This report summarizes the main outcomes.

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 22 May 2015

Accountability of Local and State Governments in India: An Overview of Recent Research

The paper discusses the notion of accountability, followed by an introduction to the Downsian theory of electoral competition. This serves as a point for classifying different sources of accountabilit...

by Dilip Mookherjee | On 14 May 2015

Kerala State Youth Policy- 2011

This policy reflects the commitment of the state of kerala for the holistic development of the young people of state on par with global scenario to cope with their needs and aspirations. Youth program...

by Government of Kerala Govt | On 12 May 2015

Report of the Expert Group to Recommend the Detailed Methodology for Identification of Families Living Below Poverty Line in the Urban Areas

The paper focuses on the objective of putting in place a uniform criteria to identify the BPL households in urban areas so that objectivity and transparency is ensured in delivery of benefits to the t...

by Planning Commission | On 27 Apr 2015

World Malaria Report 2014

The World Malaria Report 2014 summarizes information received from malaria-endemic countries and other sources, and updates the analyses presented in the 2013 report. It assesses global and regional m...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 24 Apr 2015

ASEAN Community 2015: Managing Integration for Better Jobs and Shared Prosperity

This joint study of the Asian Development Bank and the International Labour Organization examines the impact of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) on labor. It highlights the challenges and opportunit...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 22 Apr 2015

National Agroforestry Policy - 2014

The National Agroforestry Policy, which deals with the practice of integrating trees, crops and livestock on the same plot of land, was launched February 10, the first day of the World Congress on Agr...

by | On 21 Apr 2015

Prospects of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

AIIB is expected to accelerate economic development and integration of Asia through the promotion of investment in the infrastructure sector. AIIB have several priority areas include transport, energy...

by Makmun Syadullah | On 03 Apr 2015

World Urbanization Prospects 2014

This report presents the highlights of the 2014 Revision of World Urbanization Prospects, which contains the latest estimates of the urban and rural populations of 233 countries or areas from 1950 to...

by UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs UNDESA | On 01 Apr 2015

Two Decades of Indian Microfinance: Trajectory and Transformation

This paper critically reviews the major trends in the trajectory of evolution of Indian microfinance since the early 1990s. The debates on Indian microfinance reflect the myriad imaginations and perc...

by | On 31 Mar 2015

Banker-Borrower Interplay: Synergies and Challenges

A determining aspect of the banker-borrower relationship is built on trust and understanding. It is also important that these relationships neither get too cosy nor do they get too strained as either...

by S.S. Mundra | On 27 Mar 2015

The UN World Water Development Report 2015, Water for a Sustainable World

The 2015 edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR 2015), titled Water for a Sustainable World, will be launched at the official celebration of the World Water Day, on March 2...

by United Nations UN | On 26 Mar 2015

Investing in Health for Economic Development in Vietnam

This report present the findings from a mission undertaken by the authors in Vietnam in 2005. This report provides some of the particular aspects of the health sector from an economic perspective. It...

by | On 24 Mar 2015

IMI Konnect Volume 4 Issue 1 - January 2015

The January 2015 issue of IMI Konnect (Volume 4, Issue 1) contains the following articles - Does Monetary Policy Limit Lending Behaviour of Banks? by Samaresh Bardhan; Entrepreneurship Education in In...

by IMI Konnect | On 24 Mar 2015

World Social Science Report 2013 - Changing Global Environments

The World Social Science Report captures a world undergoing deep change, rocked by multiple crises, including in the environment. This World Social Science Report examines the social dynamics of the...

by UNESCO Publishing | On 18 Mar 2015

Kerala Budget 2015-16

Budget speech of Kerala Finance Minister K M Mani.

by K.M. Mani | On 13 Mar 2015

Malaysia - Workforce Development

Malaysia has embarked on an ambitious plan to transform the economy with the aim of becoming a developed economy by the year 2020. The country's technical and vocational education and training (TVET)...

by World Bank | On 13 Mar 2015

The World Water Development Report 2014: Water and Energy

The World Water Development Report is produced by the World Water Assessment Programme, a programme of UN-Water hosted by UNESCO, and is the result of the joint efforts of the UN agencies and entities...

by Environmental Management & Policy Research Institute | On 13 Mar 2015

Breaking New Frontiers for Gender Responsive Budgeting: the Kerala Model

Kerala is chartering a new course and addressing some of the long standing gaps that have existed in Gender Responsive Budgeting work in several countries. Although the state has initiated the process...

by Yamini Mishra | On 13 Mar 2015

Stability and Transitions in Emerging Market Policy Rules

Conditions for stability in an open economy dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model adapted to a dualistic labor market (SOEME) are the same as for a mature economy. But the introduction of mon...

by Ashima Goyal | On 11 Mar 2015

Addressing Inequality in South Asia

An outcome report of IMF-World Bank meetings held in October 2014, this report highlights the stark inequalities in human development in South Asia. Based on parameters such as monetary indicators, he...

by Martin Rama | On 17 Feb 2015

Financial Inclusion: Need for Differentiation between Access and Use

With no financial capacity to save and invest, a dismal record of use of bank accounts and the severe lack of trust in the current model of using business correspondents, it is extremely difficult to...

by | On 16 Feb 2015

Impending Water Crisis in India and Comparing Clean Water Standards among Developing and Developed Nations

This paper is an overview of the issues surrounding India’s water scarcity, and also comparison of clean water standards between developing and developed nations. Water security is emerging as an incr...

by | On 06 Feb 2015

Addressing Inequality in Southeast Asia through Regional Economic Integration

The paper mainly discusses the issues and policies relating to inequality in Southeast Asia. Policies to reduce inequality include more efficient fiscal policies, improve infrastructure and generating...

by Josef Yap | On 29 Jan 2015

World Employment and Social Outlook - Trends 2015

Formerly entitled Global Employment Trends, the World Employment and Social Outlook – Trends 2015 includes a forecast of global unemployment levels and explains the factors behind this trend, includin...

by International Labour Organisation ILO | On 22 Jan 2015

Role of Audit Committees in Financial Conglomerates

The speech tells us about the expectations of the regulators from the Audit Committees and highlight emerging trends in the regulatory/supervisory domain that should engage the minds of the Audit Comm...

by S.S. Mundra | On 21 Jan 2015

Logged On : Smart Government Solutions from South Asia

Mobile technology is helping to fight corruption in Pakistan, improve health delivery in Bangladesh, provide access to government by the ordinary citizen in India, and help monitor elections in Afghan...

by Zubair Bhatti | On 18 Dec 2014

Local Governments and the Inclusion of the Excluded: Towards a Strategic Methodology with Empirical Illustration

This paper tries to argue that local governments constitutionally mandated to ‘plan for economic development and social justice’ at the local level are eminently qualified to take up the task of wor...

by Oommen M A | On 17 Dec 2014

Empowerment of Women through Participation in Local Government: A case of Maharashtra

There is reservation for women in Maharashtra in the local governments. But their number is less. A case study is given.

by Ruby Ojha | On 12 Dec 2014

Nutritional Status and Morbidity among School Going Children: A Scenario from Rural India

School health has been regarded as a high priority intervention in developing countries. However it has not been prioritized in India for many years. Malnutrition is one of a major public health conc...

by JP Singh | On 09 Dec 2014

Trends in Child Immunization across Geographical Regions in India: Focus on Urban-Rural and Gender Differentials

Although child immunization is regarded as a highly cost-effective lifesaver, about fifty percent of the eligible children aged 12–23 months in India are without essential immunization coverage. Despi...

by Prashant Kumar Singh | On 13 Nov 2014

What are the Headwaters of Formal Savings? Experimental Evidence from Sri Lanka

When households increase their deposits in formal bank savings accounts, what is the source of the money? High-frequency surveys are combined with an experiment in which a Sri Lankan bank used mobil...

by Michael Callen | On 13 Nov 2014

Urban Water and Sanitation in Maharashtra

Measuring service levels of urban bodies implies measuring outcomes, and indirectly also reflects on institutional capacity, financial performance and other parameters. In addition, to facilitate comp...

by All India Local Self Government | On 11 Nov 2014

The Global Gender Gap Report 2014

Through the Global Gender Gap Report 2014, the World Economic Forum quantifies the magnitude of gender-based disparities and tracks their progress over time. While no single measure can capture the co...

by World Economic Forum WEF | On 29 Oct 2014

Banking Renaissance: Inclusion, Innovation and Implementation

Innovative measures needed in our banking sector which would render it more inclusive, vibrant, productive, efficient and above all, customer-centric. [ seventh Annual Banking Conference “Bank on it ,...

by S.S. Mundra | On 17 Oct 2014

Voice and Agency: Empowering Women and Girls for Shared Prosperity

Despite recent advances in important aspects of the lives of girls and women, pervasive challenges remain. These challenges reflect widespread deprivations and constraints and include epidemic levels...

by Jeni Klugman | On 14 Oct 2014

Statistics in the Reserve Bank of India

RBI has taken several steps to improve the processing of data. Information system will also be enhanced very soon. [Remarks at Reserve Bank of India at the 8th Statistics Day Conference, Mumbai].

by Deepak Mohanty | On 30 Sep 2014

Reducing Poverty by Closing South Asia’s Infrastructure Gap

“Reducing Poverty by Closing South Asia’s Infrastructure Gap” reveals that the region’s growing demands for infrastructure has enlarged an existing infrastructure gap. According to the report, address...

by Luis Andrés | On 22 Sep 2014

Assessing the Costs of Climate Change and Adaptation in South Asia

With a population of 1.43 billion people, one-third of whom live in poverty, the South Asia developing members of ADB face the challenge of achieving and sustaining rapid economic growth to reduce pov...

by Sanjay Upadhyaya | On 19 Sep 2014

What is Wrong with Kerala’s Education System?

Kerala's achievements in the field of education - near total literacy, free and universal primary education, low drop out rate at the school level, easy access to educational institutions, gender eq...

by K.K. George | On 18 Sep 2014

Science Education for a Different India

Education today is reinforcing the forces leading the species into self destruction. Instead, it has to play a liberative role, a transformative role, a creative role - a humanistic role. This essay e...

by M.P. Parameswaran | On 16 Sep 2014

Scaling up Rural Sanitation in India

The WHO-UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program (JMP) for Water and Sanitation, which tracks progress towards the water and sanitation targets of the Millennium Development Goals, estimates that 36% of the wo...

by Clarissa Brocklehurst | On 10 Sep 2014

Preventing Suicide: A Global Imperative

Every 40 seconds a person dies by suicide somewhere in the world. “Preventing suicide: a global imperative” is the first WHO report of its kind. It aims to increase awareness of the public health sign...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 09 Sep 2014

A BRIC Development Bank: A Dream Coming True?

BRICS leaders have approved creating a new development bank which would fund long-term investment in infrastructure and more sustainable development. This paper documents the scale of unmet needs in t...

by Stephany Jones | On 21 Aug 2014

World Economic and Social Survey 2013: Sustainable Development Challenges

New strategies are needed to address the impacts of rapid urbanisation around the world, including increasing demands for energy, water, sanitation, public services, education and health, according to...

by UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs UNDESA | On 21 Aug 2014

Debt Sustainability at the State Level in India

The debt position of the state governments in India, which deteriorated sharply between 1997-98 and 2003-04, has witnessed significant improvement since 2004-05, reflecting the impact of both favourab...

by Atri Mukherjee | On 19 Aug 2014

UN World Youth Report 2013 – Youth and Migration

THE WORLD YOUTH REPORT explores the situation of young migrants from the perspective of young migrants themselves. The report highlights some of the concerns, challenges and successes experienced by y...

by UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs UNDESA | On 12 Aug 2014

UN World Youth Report 2011 - Youth Employment: Youth Perspectives on the Pursuit of Decent Work in Changing Times

The World Youth Report 2011 explores the transition of young people from schools and training institutions into the labour market, a phase marking a critical period in the life cycle. The current empl...

by UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs UNDESA | On 12 Aug 2014

UN World Youth Report 2010 - The Youth and Climate Change

The World Youth Report focus on youth and climate change, and is intended to highlight the important role young people play in addressing climate change, and to offer suggestions on how young people m...

by UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs UNDESA | On 12 Aug 2014

Letting Girls Learn: Promising Approaches in Primary and Secondary Education

This paper analyses the benefits from female education (who gains and in what ways) and the constraints (direct and opportunity costs, reflecting economics and tradition). It then outlines promising a...

by Barbara Herz | On 01 Aug 2014

The Questions the Cotton Hill Incident is Raising

The Head Mistress of Cotton Hill School, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala (the biggest girls' school in Asia, student strength wise), expressed her concern over the losing of school hours as the children ar...

by Roshni Padmanabhan | On 28 Jul 2014

Reading the Malappuram Debate: Postcolonial State and the Ethics of Place

The district of Malappuram was formed on the 16th demographics and led to intense debates and agitation in the state, with each side accusing the other of communalism and partisanship. This paper is a...

by Mohamed Shafeeq K | On 24 Jul 2014

Who Goes? Failures of Marital Provisioning and Women's Agency among Less Skilled Emigrant Women Workers from Kerala

This paper draws upon a selection of narratives from interviews with over 150 less skilled emigrant and returnee women workers from Trivandrum district to argue that the conditions that structure i...

by Praveena Kodoth | On 14 Jul 2014

The World’s Youth – Data Sheet 2013

The Population Reference Bureau factsheet presents various facts about young people across the world. Some of the data refers to teenage pregnancy, childbirth, prevalence of child marriage in the worl...

by PRB Population Reference Bureau | On 17 Jun 2014

World Youth Report 2007 Young People’s Transition to Adulthood: Progress and Challenges

The Report highlights the unique aspects of youth development in various regions but emphasizes that young people the world over are ultimately constrained in their efforts to contribute to their own...

by United Nations UN | On 16 May 2014

The Employment Imperative: Report on the World Social Situation 2007

The report closely examines four areas of increasing concern that of particular importance when addressing the issue of employment: jobless growth, global informalisation of the labour market, economi...

by United Nations UN | On 16 May 2014

Columbo Declaration On Youth ‘Mainstreaming Youth in the Post-2015 Development Agenda’

This declaration is intended to be a framework for the outcome of the World Conference on Youth to be held in Sri Lanka in 2014. It is based on agreed principles from previous outcomes and is intend...

by World Conference on Youth 2014 | On 13 May 2014

Illness and Injury as Contributors to Bankruptcy

In 2001, 1.458 million American families filed for bankruptcy. To investigate medical contributors to bankruptcy, we surveyed 1,771 personal bankruptcy filers in five federal courts and subsequently c...

by Himmelstein DU | On 04 Mar 2014

CAO Audit of IFC Investment in Coastal Gujarat Power Limited , India

CAO received a complaint regarding IFC’s investment in CGPL from Machimar Adhikar Sangharsh Sangathan (MASS), the Association for the Struggle for Fishworkers’ Rights , representing fisher people li...

by O ffice of the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman CAO | On 26 Feb 2014

Global Burden of Disease Study 2010: A Comparative Risk Assessment

GBD 2010 provides an opportunity to re-assess the evidence for exposure and effect sizes of risks for a broad set of risk factors by use of a common framework and methods. The basic approach for the G...

by Stephen S Lim | On 24 Feb 2014

Banks Competition, Managerial Efficiency and the Interest Rate Pass-through in India.

If banks solve an inter-temporal problem under adverse selection and moral hazard, then bank specific factors, regulatory and supervisory features, market structure, and macroeconomic factors affect ...

by Jugnu Ansari | On 21 Feb 2014

The Potential Effects of Tobacco Control in China: Projections from the China SimSmoke Simulation Model

This paper studies the potential impact of the programme ‘SimSmoke Tobacco Control Policy’ in China. China is home to about one third of the world's smokers and reducing smoking in China could have an...

by David Levy | On 19 Feb 2014

Land, Politics, Work and Home-Life at Adimalathura: Towards a Local History

This paper focuses on the fishing hamlet of Adimalathura located on the coast of the Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala, which has been identified as an area of extreme developmental disadvantage...

by J. Devika | On 11 Feb 2014

Do Indian States have the Power to Devise their Own Policies? A Study on Fiscal Space

With the decentralization process of the 1990s, linked to economic liberalization, there emerged new decisional scope for regional governments to shape their own policies. But the decentralization pro...

by Kim Robin | On 24 Jan 2014

Internal Migration for Education and Employment among Youth in India

This paper sheds light on the issue of internal migration for education and employment among the youth. i.e those aged 15-32 years. The paper is a first step towards addressing the issue of whether ...

by Ajay Sharma | On 24 Jan 2014

Skill Development Initiatives in India

Structural changes in the Indian economy have precipitated changes in the patterns of demand for industrial labour. Recent trends in the composition of employment indicate that the Indian workforce is...

by Sandhya Srinivasan | On 22 Jan 2014

The Way Forward for Northeast India

This paper seeks to explain the idea of linking Northeast India to Southeast Asia, which gained popular imagination following the release of the North Eastern Region Vision 2020 document in 2008. Howe...

by Laldinkima Sailo | On 22 Jan 2014

Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Operational Plan, 2013–2020

Gender equity is one of the five drivers of change in the Asian Development Bank(ADB) Strategy 2020. ADB recognizes that without harnessing the talents, human capital and economics potential of women,...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 20 Jan 2014

Asian Development Bank Sustainability Report

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Sustainability Report has been issued every 2 years since 2007. The current Sustainability Report contains selected performance highlights of ADB’s operations and corp...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 20 Jan 2014

The Impact of Fiscal and Political Decentralization on Local Public Investments in Indonesia

The effects of the Indonesian decentralization and democratization process on budget allocation at the sub-national level is analyzed. Based on panel data for 271 Indonesian districts for the years...

by Krisztina Kis Katos | On 17 Jan 2014

Manual for Integrated District Planning: Report of the Task Force of the Planning Commission

This manual is a step by step guide to district planning which will assist planners at the local, district and State levels. District planning, by taking into account resources locally available, in...

by Planning Commission | On 07 Jan 2014

When and Why does Bangladesh’s Inflation Differ from India’s?

India and Bangladesh share a common historical background, geographical proximity, institutional similarities, and a policy shift towards economic liberalization since the early 1990s. Inflation betw...

by Biru Paksha Paul | On 05 Dec 2013

The World Trade Organization and the Post-Global Food Crisis Agenda

This policy note offers a preliminary assessment of the compatibility between the WTO and efforts to protect the human right to adequate food as part of the post-crisis food security agenda. Existing...

by Olivier Schutter | On 02 Dec 2013

Subnational-level Fiscal Health: Stability and Sustainability Implications for Kerala, Punjab, and West Bengal

The Government of India has recently announced that Kerala, Punjab, and West Bengal are fiscally unsound at the level of general category states. The study reviews this projection and assesses their...

by Nimai Das | On 26 Nov 2013

Special Report: Building National Resilience to Global Risks

Global risks would meet with global responses in an ideal world, but the reality is that countries and their communities are on the frontline when it comes to systemic shocks and catastrophic events....

by World Economic Forum WEF | On 22 Nov 2013

Economic Conditions of the In-Migrant Workers in Kerala: A Case Study in the Trivandrum District

The major objective of the paper is to examine the economic conditions of the in-migrant workers in Kerala. This has been done by analysing their savings, income and consumption pattern and nature o...

by Dilip Saikia | On 11 Nov 2013

Trade, Tastes and Nutrition in India

This paper introduces habit formation into an otherwise standard model of international trade. The liberalization of internal agriculture trade in India will generate short-run caloric losses unless...

by David Atkin | On 23 Oct 2013

Delivering Environmentally Sustainable Economic Growth: The Case of China

China has achieved miraculous economic growth over the past 30 years to become the world’s second largest single-country economy. The economic boom is attributed to China’s market-oriented reforms, wh...

by Dr. Junjie Zhang | On 23 Oct 2013

Asymmetric Information and Middleman Margins: An Experiment with West Bengal Potato Farmers

A study middleman margins, trading mechanisms and the role of asymmetric information about prices between potato farmers and local trade intermediaries, in West Bengal, India is conducted. Farmers in...

by Sandip Mitra | On 23 Oct 2013

Taming Food Inflation in India

High food inflation, which has averaged 10% during FY 2008-09 to December 2012, has been a major concern for policy makers in India. This is all the more important as an average household in India sti...

by Ashok Gulati | On 21 Oct 2013

Human Development in India: Cost of Inequality

The article shows how it is possible to achieve economic growth and equitable income distribution using human development approach through empirical evidence from the state of Kerala.

by Ankush Agrawal | On 14 Oct 2013

Far(M)ore = Farm (grow) + More (income-livelihood)

The project aims to grow fruits and vegetables on roof tops of community houses. This will be income generating for the community. [DRP].

by } Design Research Publication Cell DRP | On 10 Oct 2013

Transforming State-Citizen Relations in Food Security Schemes: The Computerized Ration Card Management System in Kerala

In this paper the application of ICTs to the improvement of state-citizen relations in a developing country context. To maximise the responsiveness of the government, ICTs need to target the structura...

by Silvia Masiero | On 07 Oct 2013

A Study on Fiscal Space

In the study states’ finances is analysed to see whether all states have been able to create a fiscal space and whether their fiscal capacities have increased over time. Then the states’ spending is l...

by Kim Robin | On 23 Sep 2013

Statement by Dr. Raghuram Rajan

Statement by Dr. Raghuram Rajan on taking office on September 4, 2013. [RBI Press release].

by Sabeeta Badkar | On 05 Sep 2013

Five Years of Leading the Reserve Bank: Looking Ahead by Looking Back

This Tenth Nani A. Palkhivala Memorial lecture lecture centres around the role and responsibility of a central bank in a democratic structure. Central banks make macroeconomic policy that influences t...

by Duvvuri Subbarao | On 30 Aug 2013

Vulnerability of Migrants and Responsiveness of the State: The Case of Unskilled Migrant Workers in Kerala, India

The paper examines how the state and other agencies in the host state (Kerala) responded to reduce the vulnerability of inter-state migrant workers. The paper also makes an assessment of a pioneering...

by N. Ajith Kumar | On 26 Aug 2013

Essays on Banking

This thesis comprises three essays on various aspects of the relationship between a firm or a country and its creditor banks. The first essay focuses on a firm's choice between borrowing from banks an...

by Raghuram G. Rajan | On 19 Aug 2013

The Documentary About Hiroshima and Nagasaki The U.S. Didn't Want Us to See

Sixty five years ago this week, immediately after two atomic bombs detonated over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing tens of thousands of people in an instant and leaving many more to die, the Japanese s...

by Alex Pasternack | On 10 Aug 2013

The Effects of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

When American troops arrived in Nagasaki and stumbled upon one of the cameramen, from the legendary film company Nippon Eiga Sha, shooting amidst the rubble, they promptly arrested him and confiscated...

by Motherboard TV MotherboardTV | On 10 Aug 2013

BREASTFEEDING- A PUBL IC HEALTH PRIORITY

Breastfeeding is widely accepted by the World Health Organization (WHO), Health Canada, and the Canadian Institute of Child Health as the optimal method for infant feeding because it provides the foun...

by Newsfoundland & Labrador Association of Social Workers | On 08 Aug 2013

Press Release: List of Current MLAs and MPs with Self-declared Serious Cases that have been Pending for More than 10 years

List of current MLAs and MPs with self-declared serious cases that have been pending for more than 10 years. [NEW]. URL:[http://adrindia.org/sites/default/files/List%20of%20current%20MLAs-MPs%20with%2...

by National Election Watch NEW | On 30 Jul 2013

A Good Model for Grievance Redressal? Kerala’s Award-Winning Mass Contact Programme

Kerala’s innovative programme for redressing grievances and rooting out corruption has won the chief minister accolades even as it served to connect people to political leaders directly.

by Amrutha Jose Pampackal | On 22 Jul 2013

Why Is Mobility in India So Low? Social Insurance, Inequality, and Growth

This paper examines the hypothesis that the persistence of low spatial and marital mobility in rural India, despite increased growth rates and rising inequality in recent years, is due to the existenc...

by Kaivan Munshi | On 22 Jul 2013

Agrarian Distress and Rural Livelihoods: A Study in Upputhara Panchayat, Idukki District, Kerala

This study examines the impact of agrarian distress on the different socio-economic groups, the strategies of livelihood adopted by households and the local institution in shaping these strategies. Th...

by K.N. Nair | On 28 Jun 2013

Land, Labour and Migrations: Understanding Kerala’s Economic Modernity

This paper seeks to map out the historical trajectory leading to a series of migrations in and from the erstwhile princely state of Travancore during 1900-70 in order to acquire and bring land under c...

by V. J. Varghese | On 26 Jun 2013

Refining State Level Comparisons in India

The performance of Indian States are analyzed across three critical sectors – health, education and infrastructure are analyzed. An index is constructed for each using the Principal Component Analys...

by Pranjul Bhandari | On 10 Jun 2013

Examining Private Participation in Embankment Maintenance in the Indian Sundarbans

This paper analyses the complementarities between land productivity and conservation investments in the context of river embankment maintenance in the Indian Sundarbans.[SANDEE]. URL:[http://www.san...

by Prasenjit Sarkhel | On 06 Jun 2013

What Is Wrong With Kerala’s Education System?

The question that is increasingly being posed is whether Kerala's education can continue to play a major role in the future without keeping up with the vast changes taking place in all disciplines. It...

by K.K. George | On 25 Apr 2013

Budget Analysis: Kerala Budget 2013-14

The Minister of Finance, K.M Mani , presented the General Budget 2013 to the State Assembly on March 15, 2013. In his address, he commented on the fiscal performance of the State in 2012-13 and laid...

by Vishnu Padmanabhan | On 09 Apr 2013

Report of China’s Local and Central Budgets 2013

Following is the full text of report on the implementation of central and local budgets in 2012 and on draft central and local budgets for 2013, which was submitted for review on March 5, 2013 at the...

by Ministry of Finance China | On 21 Mar 2013

Kerala Budget Speech 2013-14

Finance Minister Shri. K. M. Mani has presented the State Budget for the coming financial year 2013-14 in the Kerala Legislative Assembly on 15 March 2013. This is the eleventh budget by the minister...

by K.M. Mani | On 15 Mar 2013

A Reality Checkpoint for Mobile Health: Three Challenges to Overcome

It has been predicted that by 2017 there will be ‘‘more mobile phones than people’’ on the planet, and currently three-quarters of the world’s population have access to a mobile phone. Amidst the inte...

by PLoS Medicine | On 08 Mar 2013

Indian Banking Sector: Pushing the Boundaries

Asset quality of banks has come under increasing pressure with rising NPAs and Restructured loans. The Gross NPA ratio for the banking system, which was 2.4% in March 2011, increased to 3.6 per cent b...

by Chakrabarty K C | On 07 Mar 2013

Explaining Access to Credit by Rural Households: Results based on a Study of Several States in India

Against the backdrop of evolution of rural credit system in India as well as its observed failure to be inclusive in character, this paper makes use of a fairly large data set of the Center for Manage...

by Saugandh Datta | On 07 Mar 2013

Evaluation Study of Tribal/Folk Arts and Culture in West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhatisgrah and Bihar

The status of various forms of tribal and folk art and culture are explored. The influence of tribal and folk art & culture on the socio-economic conditions of the subjects covered under survey are...

by Gramin Vikas Seva Sanshtha GVSS | On 26 Feb 2013

Labour Market and Household Behaviour: A Case of Unorganised Saleswomen

The present study is an attempt to analyse the labour market of unorganized saleswomen (working in the registered as well as unregistered shops) in Ernakulam District, Kerala.

by Martin Patrick | On 25 Feb 2013

Open Budget Survey 2012

reveals that the national budgets of 77 of the 100 countries assessed – these 77 countries are home to half the world’s population – fail to meet basic standards of budget transparency; the average sc...

by International Budget Partnership IBP | On 14 Feb 2013

The Companies Bill, 2011: FIfty-Seventh Report

According to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, most of the recommendations made by the Committee in their earlier Report (21st Report) on the Companies Bill, 2009 have been accepted by the Government...

by Lok Sabha Secretariat | On 12 Feb 2013

The Companies Bill, 2011

A bill to consolidate and amend the law relating to companies. [PRS]. URL:[http://www.prsindia.org/uploads/media/Company/companies%20bill%202011.pdf].

by Parliamentary Research Service PRS | On 11 Feb 2013

Property Tax System in India: Problems and Prospects of Reform

This paper analyses the property tax system in India, examines the reasons for its low revenue productivity, reviews the recent reform initiatives and identifies further reform areas. [NIPFP Working P...

by M. Govinda Rao | On 06 Feb 2013

The New Great Walls: A New Guide to China's Overseas Dam Industry, Second Edition

Chinese hydropower companies and banks are now the largest dam builders in the world. Chinese banks have stepped in to fill the gap left by traditional dam funders such as the World Bank. The Chines...

by International Rivers Network IRN | On 15 Jan 2013

Building a Knowledge Base on Population Ageing in India: Report on the Status of Elderly in Select States of India, 2011

To understand the ageing in India, a primary survey was carried out in seven states – Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal – having a higher percentage of...

by United Nations Population Fund UNFPA | On 08 Jan 2013

Vital Stats: Parliament in Winter Session 2012

The first half of the Winter Session of Parliament, 2012 was dominated by disruptions over and discussion on the government's notification to allow 51% FDI in the retail sector. The issue was finally...

by Devika Malik | On 21 Dec 2012

Kerala-The Land of Development Paradoxes

An attempt has been made to understand the paradoxes of Kerala's development like the state's per capita consumer expenditure is more than the per capita state domestic product. But the nutritional i...

by K.K. George | On 18 Dec 2012

Corruption Perceptions Index 2012

The Corruption Perceptions Index is constructed by the Transparency International. The Corruption Perceptions Index measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption in countries worldwide. Ba...

by Transparency International TI | On 07 Dec 2012

Poverty, Human Development and Health Financing in India

This study aims at analyzing the differentials across rich and poor states and across rich and poorer strata and rural urban segments of 19 major Indian states. The study indicates that besides ind...

by Brijesh C Purohit | On 28 Sep 2012

Inflexion in Kerala's Gulf Connection: Report on Kerala Migration Survey 2011

The results of the Kerala Migration Survey (KMS) 2011. It is the fifth in the series of comprehensive studies on international and internal migration from Kerala being undertaken by the Centre for...

by K. C. Zachariah | On 20 Sep 2012

Gender Impact of Trade Reforms in Indian Plantation Sector: An Exploratory Ananlysis

This paper examines the potential gender impacts of the trade reforms in plantation agriculture in the emerging context of the two prominent FTAs, viz. the Indo-ASEAN and the proposed EU-India FTA....

by Viswanathan P K | On 14 Sep 2012

Financial Stability Report Issue No. 5

The report reflects the collective assessment of the Sub Committee of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) on potential risks to financial stability. [RBI]. URL:[http://rbidocs.rbi....

by Reserve Bank of India RBI | On 04 Sep 2012

Economic and Financial Developments in Uttarakhand

A brief outline of the economic and financial structure of the State and the various financial inclusion initiatives taken by the Reserve Bank is highlighted. But there are some policy challenges in s...

by Deepak Mohanty | On 03 Sep 2012

MTNL: Why the Slow Death?

What is the cause of deteriorating services from MTNL? Suggestions are given to improve its services.

by Alex George | On 03 Sep 2012

Recent Developments in Kerala State Finances

This paper covers recent trends in a series of broad indicators of the financial health of the Government of Kerala with its developmental policy as the backdrop. It examines fiscal balances in Kerala...

by Tapas K. Sen | On 30 Aug 2012

Revisiting the Devolution of ENR Functions

The devolution of environment and natural resource functions to local government units was a bold move in the history of environmental Management in the Philippines. However, the implementation of the...

by Senate Economic Planning Office SEPO | On 28 Aug 2012

Integrating Mental Health and Development: A Case Study of the BasicNeeds Model in Nepal

The BasicNeeds model of Mental Health and Development (MHD), Nepal emphasizes user empowerment, community development, strengthening of health systems, and policy influencing. The Nepal program was...

by Shoba Raja | On 24 Aug 2012

Mobile Financial Services in Bangladesh: An Overview of Market Development

The objective of this report is to share a market level overview of the early stage progress of (Mobile Financial Services) MFS in Bangladesh up through the first quarter of 2012. A series of short s...

by Bangladesh Bank BB | On 23 Aug 2012

Capital Market Bank Funding: (Not such a) Brave New World …

What degree the financial crisis and the resulting developments have impacted and will impact long-term, capital market bank funding. [DB research] URL:[http://www.dbresearch.com/PROD/DBR_INTERNET_EN-...

by Meta Zähres | On 23 Aug 2012

Economic and Financial Developments in Odisha

The economic and financial structure of Odisha is highlighted. Various financial inclusion initiatives are taken by the Reserve Bank with a particular reference to Odisha. The macroeconomic policy cha...

by Deepak Mohanty | On 22 Aug 2012

2012 London Olympics, 2 Silver and 4 Bronze Medals

India won 2 silver and 4 bronze medals at the 2012 London Olympics. [YAS]. URL:[http://www.yas.nic.in/writereaddata/linkimages/3037530130.pdf].

by Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs YAS | On 20 Aug 2012

Agricultural Credit - Accomplishments and Challenges

Agriculture’s share in GDP is less than 15 per cent but it still remains the direct domain of over half of the population whose economic prospects are linked to the performance of agriculture. There a...

by Duvvuri Subbarao | On 03 Aug 2012

The Quality of Governance How Have Indian States Performed?

What is ‘good’ governance? Can the quality of governance be measured? And how do state governments in India measure up by such a measure? [Working Paper no. 104]. URL:[http://www.nipfp.org.in/neww...

by Sudipto Mundle | On 02 Aug 2012

Are Embankments a Good Flood-­-Control Strategy? A Case Study of the Kosi River

This paper makes a first pass at evaluating embankments. Using two years or more of data from 504 households in 28 villages in the floodplain of the Kosi river in north Bihar, a comparison of the agri...

by E Somanathan | On 25 Jul 2012

Vital Stats: Pricing of Petroleum Products

Government owned Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) raised the price of petrol on 23rd May 2012. After the inclusion of local taxes, this amounted to a hike of Rs 7.54 per litre in Delhi. A snapshot of t...

by Karan Malik | On 24 Jul 2012

Obituary: Mrinal Gore (1928-2012)

Obituary: Mrinal Gore (1928-2012)

by Vibhuti Patel | On 23 Jul 2012

The Salween River Basin: Dam Cascades Threaten Biological and Cultural Diversity

F rom its headwaters in the Tibetan Plateau to its estuary in Burma, the Salween River supports over ten million people. For many decades, it was the longest free-flowing river in Southeast Asia. It...

by International Rivers Network IRN | On 17 Jul 2012

Reexamining the Finance–Growth Relationship for a Developing Economy: A Time Series Analysis of Post-reform India

The cross-country empirical literature on the finance-growth relationship has debated three propositions: (i) financial deepening has a strong impact on the growth process; (ii) measures of financia...

by Sabyasachi Kar | On 13 Jul 2012

Eat, Drink and be Healthy: A Paradigm Shift for Linking Food and Beverages Industry with People’s Knowledge and Institutions

The food and beverages industry has not yet established strong and vibrant linkages with the local communities to develop value added products and share the benefits. The paper lists seven models fo...

by Anil K Gupta | On 11 Jul 2012

Small Farmers in India: Challenges and Opportunities

This paper examines the roles and challenges of small holding agriculture in India. It covers trends in agricultural growth, cultivation patterns, participation of small holding agriculture, productiv...

by S. Mahendra Dev | On 06 Jul 2012

Cultural Proximity and Loan Outcomes

Evidence is presented to show that shared codes, religious beliefs, ethnicity - cultural proximity - between lenders and borrowers improves the efficiency of credit allocation. In-group preferential t...

by Raymond Fisman | On 05 Jul 2012

Homo Biometricus: Biometric Recognition Systems and Mobile Internet Services

Biometric procedures are already accepted by millions of people every day on a variety of (social) internet platforms. Biometric identification procedures and their potential applications in everyday...

by Thomas F Dapp | On 05 Jul 2012

Growth of Asian Pension Assets: Implications for Financial and Capital Markets

Pension assets have seen rapid growth world-wide over the past decades, although they suffered large losses during the global financial crisis of 2007–2008. Such growth is notably due to both structur...

by Yuwei Hu | On 02 Jul 2012

Income Related Inequality in Financial Inclusion and Role of Banks: Evidence on Financial Exclusion in India

This paper analyzes income related inequality in financial inclusion in India using a representative household level survey data, linked to State-level factors. This paper also provides estimates of...

by Rama Pal | On 27 Jun 2012

What Should Regulation do in the Field of Micro-finance?

Recent events in India have brought a fresh focus on the appropriate regulatory stance towards micro-finance. In this paper, facts and recent experience about Indian microfinance is reviewed. The puz...

by Renuka Sane | On 19 Jun 2012

Women in Indian Engineering: A Preliminary Analysis of Data from the Graduate Level Engineering Education Field in Kerala and Rajasthan

Are there substantial changes in the relationship between women and engineering in recent times? This is a fascinating question to explore especially since it has been so little studies especially in...

by Sreelekha Nair | On 11 Jun 2012

Asset Price Bubble and Banks: The Case of Japan

This paper analyses the behaviour of the Japanese banks at the outset of the asset price bubble in the late 1980s. The paper argues that with the advent of financial deregulations, the declining trend...

by Hossain Monzur | On 29 May 2012

Arsenic Contamination of Groundwater in Bangladesh

Shallow groundwater with high arsenic concentrations from naturally occurring sources is the primary source of drinking water for millions of people in Bangladesh. It has resulted in a major public...

by Imran Matin | On 28 May 2012

The Impact of 1998 and 2008 Financial Crises on Profitability of Islamic Banks

The paper investigates the profitability of 78 Islamic banks in 25 countries for the period of 1992-2009. The Fixed Effect Model (FEM) used to analyse profitability shows that profit efficiency is pos...

by NOR HAYATI BT AHMAD | On 24 May 2012

Black Money

The objective of this paper is to place in the public domain various facets and dimensions of black money and its complex relationship with the policy and administrative regime in the country. The pa...

by Ministry of Finance | On 22 May 2012

Role of Communication in Stigma and Discrimination

The objective of the study was to review media coverage (print ) related to HIV/AIDS in three states (Gujarat, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh) in order to determine the gaps in reporting. [CCMG Working Pa...

by Biswajit Das | On 10 May 2012

Dispute Settlement in the WTO, Developing Countries and India

The paper undertakes an examination of the experience of developing countries with dispute settlement vis-à-vis developed countries during the 17 years since the entry into force of the WTO Agreement....

by Anwarul Hoda | On 08 May 2012

The Political Economy of Deforestation in the Tropics

Tropical deforestation accounts for almost one-fifth of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and threatens the world.s most diverse ecosystems. The prevalence of illegal forest extraction in the tropi...

by Robin Burgess | On 08 May 2012

Up in Smoke: The Influence of Household Behavior on the Long-Run Impact of Improved Cooking Stoves

It is conventional wisdom that it is possible to reduce exposure to indoor air pollution, improve health outcomes, and decrease greenhouse gas emissions in the rural areas of developing countries thro...

by Rema Hanna | On 03 May 2012

Liberalisation of Technical Education in Kerala: Has a Significant Increase in Enrolment Translated Into Increase in Supply of Engineers?

Enrolments in engineering in Kerala increased from about 2800 in 1991 to about 28,000 in 2008. The study analyses whether this increase in potential supply of engineers has resulted in actual supply o...

by Sunil Mani | On 25 Apr 2012

Audiovisual Services in Korea: Market Development and Policies

This paper reviews economic development and the regulatory environment of audiovisual services in the Republic of Korea (hereafter, Korea). The paper specifically examines motion pictures and broadcas...

by Yeongkwan Song | On 19 Apr 2012

Labour Migration and Remittances in Uttarakhand

The type, volume, and mode of transfer of remittances in Uttarakhand is analysed. The impact of remittances, in terms of both financial flows and transfer of new skills and the perceptions in relat...

by Anmol Jain | On 18 Apr 2012

Innovative Approaches to Managing Longevity Risk in Asia: Lessons from the West

This paper discusses what is longevity risk, why it is important, approaches used by the West to manage longevity risk and what lessons can be learnt by Asian countries from the experiences of the Wes...

by Amlan Roy | On 18 Apr 2012

The Great Depression and the Great Recession: What have we Learned?

The Financial Crisis of 2007-2008 and the Great Recession of 2007-2009 are now in the past. Again there was the debt crisis of 2010-11. During the worst of the recent financial crisis/Great Recession...

by Michael D Bordo | On 13 Apr 2012

Historical and Contemporary Factors Govern Global Biodiversity Patterns

Jetz and Fine that we are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction event on this planet and the cause is us. By achieving greater understanding of the underlying causes and correlates of current-...

by Jonathan Chase | On 29 Mar 2012

Myanmar’s Ethnic Insurgents: UWSA, KNU and KIO

Since the elections of 2010, Myanmar’s political landscape has changed significantly; the old military junta has officially been dissolved and a new civilian government, led by President Thein Sein,...

by Christopher O’Hara | On 27 Mar 2012

Parliamentary chutzpah

The poverty line deviates from the reality. The government's redefinition is a good thing, but the danger is it won't go far enough. [BS Weekend ruminations]. URL:[http://www.business-standard.com/ind...

by T.N. Ninan | On 27 Mar 2012

Maharashtra Budget Speech 2012-13: Part I

Budget for the year 2012-13. [Government of Maharashtra]. URL:[http://maharashtra.gov.in/pdf/english_speech_part_I.pdf].

by Maharashtra Government | On 27 Mar 2012

National Budget of Bhutan-2011-12

Budget speech by the Finance Minister of Bhutan. [Budget Speech]. URL:[http://www.mof.gov.bt/downloads/Budgetreport2012.pdf].

by Minister of Finance Bhutan | On 22 Mar 2012

Kerala Budget 2012-13

Minister for Finance, Sri. K. M. Mani presented his 10th Budget for the year 2012-13. The Kerala government raised the retirement age of government employees from 55 years to 56 years. [Budget Spe...

by Government of Kerala Govt | On 20 Mar 2012

Annual Report (2011-12) on The Working of State Power Utilities and Electricity Departments

Major shifts in the policy initiated in the electricity sector are well documented, only then the effect of the policy change can be analyzed, especially from the point of view of laying down future p...

by Planning Commission | On 19 Mar 2012

Budget Speech 2012-2013: India

Speech of Pranab Mukherjee Minister of Finance, India. [Budget Speech]. URL:[http://indiabudget.nic.in/ub2012-13/bs/bs.pdf].

by Pranab Mukherjee | On 16 Mar 2012

Forty Eighth Report on The Lok Pal Bill, 2011

The report includes a specific recommendation to categorically have a statutory provision imparting genuine independence to the CBI by declaring, for the first time, that it shall not be subject, on...

by Rajya Sabha | On 14 Mar 2012

Final Report-Water Security and Climate Change: Challenges and Strategies

The main objectives of this seminar has been to contribute to the understanding of the development processes and problems related to water security and climate change; to focus on studies relating t...

by Gursharan Singh Kainth | On 12 Mar 2012

Theft and Loss of Electricity in an Indian State

Utilizing data from the power corporation of Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, the politics of electricity theft over a ten year period (2000–09) is studied. It is seen that electricity the...

by Miriam Golden | On 06 Mar 2012

The State of the World's Children 2012: Children in an Urban World

The experience of childhood is increasingly urban. Over half the world’s people – including more than a billion children – now live in cities and towns. This report adds to the growing body of eviden...

by United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF | On 01 Mar 2012

Beyond the Numbers: Describing Care at the End of Life

PLoS Medicine, Olav Lindqvist and colleagues describe the range of non pharmacological care giving activities provided by palliative care staff for cancer patients in the last days of life. Their find...

by Plos medicine Editors | On 01 Mar 2012

Capital Accumulation and Convergence in a Small Open Economy

Outward-oriented economies seem to grow faster than inward-looking ones. Does the literature on convergence have anything to say on this? In the dynamic Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson model, with factor-pr...

by Partha Sen | On 28 Feb 2012

More Money or More Development: What Have the MDGs Achieved?

What have the MDGs achieved? And what might their achievements mean for any second generation of MDGs or MDGs 2.0? We argue that the MDGs may have played a role in increasing aid and that developmen...

by Charles Kenny | On 24 Feb 2012

Study on Impact of Micro Finance in Reduction of Domestic Violence Against Women

The main objective of the study is to investigate whether there is any evidence to support the view that the disbursement of micro finance to women reduces the incidence of domestic violence, and if...

by Institute of Social Studies Trust ISST | On 23 Feb 2012

The Financial Structure and Performance of Philippine Credit Cooperatives

This study is an attempt to assess the importance and potential impact of any further development of the credit cooperative sector; identify development interventions that will result in a strong Fil...

by Gilberto M Llanto | On 13 Feb 2012

Comparing the Technical Efficiency of Indian Banks Operating Abroad and Foreign Banks Operating in India: A Stochastic Output Distance Function Approach

The aim of this paper is to compare the technical efficiency of Indian Banks operating abroad and foreign banks operating in India and to investigate the effect of openness of the country, ownership...

by Vivek Kumar | On 08 Feb 2012

Bank Lending and Monetary Shocks: Evidence from a Developing Economy

This paper investigates the role of credit market frictions in the transmission of monetary shocks in Pakistan. First, using macro data, it is shown that banking spreads are countercyclical, even it i...

by M. Ali Choudhary | On 08 Feb 2012

How is Financial Regulation Different for Micro- Finance?

What is the role of financial regulation in the field of micro- finance? This paper identifi es two features of micro- finance which call for unique treatment in policy considerations as compared...

by M Sahoo | On 03 Feb 2012

Banks, Policy and Risks

This paper assesses the sources of risk for Indian banks in the context of their history, structure, level of development, and policy environment and draws out implications for global and domestic pol...

by Ashima Goyal | On 18 Jan 2012

The HUNGaMA Survey Report – 2011

The HUNGaMA (Hunger and M alnutrition) S urvey conducted across 112 rural districts of India in 2011 provides r eliable estimates of c hild n utrition covering nearly 20% of Indian children. The H...

by HUNGaMa for Change HUNGaMa | On 12 Jan 2012

Poor Diet in Shift Workers: A New Occupational Health Hazard?

As the world of work becomes increasingly 24 hour, shift work will become more common. Shift work has the potential to accelerate the progression of the global epidemic of obesity and diabetes. Ob...

by PLoS Medicine Editors | On 06 Jan 2012

State Focus Paper 2012-13: Karnataka

The State Focus Paper (SFP) consolidates the PLPs of all the 30 districts and highlights the potential for flow of credit to various sectors in agriculture and rural development. The credit potential...

by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Devt NABARD | On 06 Jan 2012

Inter-connectedness of Banks and NBFCs in India: Issues and Policy Implications

The recent global financial crisis (2007-09) has clearly highlighted the gravity of high financial inter-connectedness within the financial system. In the Indian context, this brief study attempts to...

by Karunagaran A | On 05 Jan 2012

Strengthening Banking Regulation: Amending the BSP Charter

This Policy Brief discusses the proposed amendments to Republic Act No. 7653 (RA 7653). The first part briefly presents the mandate of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). It then describes the fi...

by Senate Economic Planning Office SEPO | On 29 Dec 2011

Economic and Financial Developments in Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The Reserve Bank has stepped up its efforts in recent years to enhance the penetration of the formal financial sector and promote financial inclusion with a view to improving the well-being of our soc...

by Deepak Mohanty | On 26 Dec 2011

Mullaperiyar – the Issue and the Politics

Discussions and debates are going on in Kerala over the Mullaperiyar dam. A solution is proposed here to solve the issues associated with the dam.

by Santhakumar V | On 19 Dec 2011

Monetary Neutrality in the Nepalese Economy during 1975-2008

One of the methods of measuring the effectiveness of monetary policies is via inspection of monetary neutrality in the economy. It is a concept from classical economics and it suggests that changes...

by Mukesh Khanal | On 16 Dec 2011

Public Sector Performance: A Global Perspective

The public sectors of different countries are shaped by many factors, but they share common challenges. Those challenges make public sector performance management more complex than it is in the privat...

by Louise Ross | On 14 Dec 2011

Data from State Assemblies: Some trends

How often do our State Assemblies meet? Do MLAs get enough opportunity to scrutinize Bills? Are all budget demands discussed on the floor of the House? PRS studied the work done by 13 State Assemblies...

by Parliamentary Research Service PRS | On 07 Dec 2011

Rejigging the Elephant Dance

India's development challenges. The India growth story was thrown off track by the global financial crisis which engulfed virtually every country in the world. We recovered from the crisis sooner than...

by Duvvuri Subbarao | On 30 Nov 2011

The Challenge of Food Inflation

The trends in food inflation over the past 60 years are given. Having thus set the context, the factors driving structural food inflation, which should give us a perspective of the underlying dynam...

by Duvvuri Subbarao | On 24 Nov 2011

Are Cities in Kerala Safe for Women? Summary of the Research Findings of the Study Conducted in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode Cities, Kerala

Among the cities in Kerala, Kozhikode (Calicut) has the highest crime record followed by Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum). The Kerala State Economic Review (2008) showed that atrocities against wome...

by SAKHI Women's Resource Centre SAKHI | On 11 Nov 2011

Millenium Development Goals: How is India Doing?

This paper evaluates the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) as a framework for measuring development and, subject to qualifications arising from that evaluation, assesses how India is doing in terms o...

by Sudipto Mundle | On 11 Nov 2011

Brand India: No Equity for Children

India has embarked upon an economic model driven by the free market incorporating processes of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation. Our children today live, in what some describe as “Brand...

by HAQ Centre for Child Rights HAQCRC | On 10 Nov 2011

The Public Procurement Bill, 2011

An Act to regulate public procurement with the objective of maximising economy and efficiency, promoting competition among suppliers and contractors while ensuring a fair, transparent and equitable...

by Planning Commission | On 08 Nov 2011

Monetary Operating Procedures: Principles and the Indian process

As markets deepen and interest elasticities increase it is optimal for emerging markets to shift towards an interest rate instrument since continuing monetization of the economy implies money demand...

by Ashima Goyal | On 04 Nov 2011

Economic and Financial Developments in Goa

Goa is celebrating the Golden Jubilee Year of its Liberation. The recent economic achievements of the state are highlighted. The economic and financial structure of the state as well as the various fi...

by Deepak Mohanty | On 04 Nov 2011

The Financial Accelerator: An Emerging Market Story

In support of the financial-accelerator theory, evidence is found on countercyclical price-cost banking margins possibly explaining the amplifications of business cycles in Pakistan. [WP 41]. URL:[ht...

by Shah Hussein | On 03 Nov 2011

The Pricing Problem of Public Transport in Kerala

The mainstay of the public transport system in Kerala is the private stage carriages (PSC), the economics of operation of which is the subject of this paper. The long run sustainability of the secto...

by Narayana D | On 28 Oct 2011

Emigration of Women Domestic Workers from Kerala: Gender, State Policy and the Politics of Movement

Restrictions imposed by the Government of India on the emigration of women in ‘unskilled’ categories such as domestic work are framed as measures intended to protect women from exploitation. Specia...

by Praveena Kodoth | On 24 Oct 2011

Kakkanadan: the Oracle of Strength in Malayalam

Born on 23rd April, 1935, Kakkanadan, a Malayalam language short story writer and novelist from Kerala state, South India passed away on 19th October 2011. He is often credited with laying the foundat...

by Alex George | On 24 Oct 2011

Production and Marketing of Coconut in India

The production and marketing scenario of coconut in the country has witnessed a phenomenal development, particularly in the field of production such as development of improved high yielding dwarf va...

by Ministry of Agriculture GOI | On 21 Oct 2011

Gender, Governance and Women’s Rights in South Asia

This study focuses on gender equality and democratic governance in the five largest states of the South Asian region, namely, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Beginning with a general...

by Seema Kazi | On 20 Oct 2011

What is driving the Indian middle class towards electoral politics? Evidence from Delhi

Neighborhood Associations have assumed an important role in public policy decision making as the principal voice of the middle class across urban India. In recent years, these associations have sought...

by Poulomi Chakrabarti | On 20 Oct 2011

Voice and Accountability: The Role of Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health Committee

The study aims to explore how the MNCH committee encouraged community participation and how its communication activities empowered the community people to ensure the healthcare needs of the poor and...

by Margaret Leppard | On 17 Oct 2011

Recent Global Crisis and the Demand for Gold by Central Banks: An Analytical Perspective

When India purchased 200 tonnes of gold under the International Monetary Fund's limited gold sales programme, it was interpreted inter alia that it may further inflate the gold price when the price...

by Karunagaran A | On 17 Oct 2011

Evaluation of Value-Added Agricultural Advisory Services: Case Study of Agriclinics in Southern India

The Indian national program of agriclinics and agribusiness centers, started in 2002, aims to provide farmers with a reliable alternative to the private input dealer by subsidizing technically trained...

by Claire J Glendenning | On 14 Oct 2011

Global Economic Crisis: Impact and Restructuring of the Services Sector in India

The Indian economy has shown considerable resilience to the global economic crisis by maintaining one of the highest growth rates in the world. The services sector accounted for around 88 per cent of...

by Abhijit Das | On 13 Oct 2011

Loan-to-Value Ratio as a Macro-Prudential Tool: Hong Kong's Experience and Cross-Country Evidence

This study assesses the effectiveness and drawbacks of maximum loan-to-value (LTV) ratios as a macroprudential tool based on Hong Kong’s experience and econometric analyses of panel data from 13 eco...

by Eric Wong | On 03 Oct 2011

Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict

The Optional Protocol (OP) on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict was ratified by India on November 30, 2005, and is in effect since December 30, 2005. This is t...

by Government of India Ministry of Women and Child Development | On 29 Sep 2011

Monetary Policy Dilemmas: Some RBI Perspectives

Over the last decade, the profile of central banks has gone up. First, we had the Great Moderation - a period of extraordinary benign macroeconomic environment globally, characterized by steady growth...

by Duvvuri Subbarao | On 27 Sep 2011

Integrated Financial MIS for Local Government Public Expenditure Management - A Case Study of Khajane in Karnataka

Expenditure Management is critical to effective public service delivery, especially at the local government level. Leveraging on information systems to aid in expenditure management is viewed as an ...

by Sandeep M S | On 20 Sep 2011

The New Great Walls: A Guide to China's Overseas Dam Industry

The purpose of this guide is to support groups addressing the impacts of dams built by Chinese companies and financiers. The guide is intended for use by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and in...

by International Rivers Network IRN | On 19 Sep 2011

Pakistan: 10 Year Banking Strategy Paper for the Banking Sector Reforms

This paper maps out a strategy for banking sector reforms over the next decade. It is formulated by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and is centered on reforms involving the SBP. But the Banking Secto...

by State Bank of Pakistan SBP | On 15 Sep 2011

Report of the Expert Committee on Licensing New Urban Co-operative Banks

With a view to increasing the coverage of banking services amongst local communities, it was proposed in the Annual Policy Statement for the year 2010-11 to set up a Committee comprising of all stakeh...

by Reserve Bank of India RBI | On 15 Sep 2011

Slower Growth in China: How Much of a Drag on the Global Economy?

China’s expected growth slowdown - from 10.3 per cent yoy in 2010 to 8.9 per cent this year and 8.3 per cent in 2012 - will impact the global economy. An in-depth look at how important China really is...

by Steffen Dyck | On 09 Sep 2011

Why Big Dams are the Wrong Response to Climate Change

International Rivers strongly supports policy measures that can promote a rapid expansion of renewable energy sources. But these measures need to be based on a holistic understanding of sustainabili...

by International Rivers Network IRN | On 07 Sep 2011

Working Group on the Issues and Concerns in the NBFC Sector: Report and Recommendations

The Working Group was constituted to review the existing regulatory and supervisory framework of non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) with special focus on the risks in the sector. The approach adopt...

by Reserve Bank of India RBI | On 30 Aug 2011

Status of Micro Finance 2009-10

The data presented covers information relating to savings of Self Help Groups (SHGs) with banks as on 31 March 2010, loans disbursed by banks to SHGs during the year 2009-10, loans outstanding of th...

by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Devt NABARD | On 29 Aug 2011

Infrastructure Investment and Regional Economic Growth: A Case Study of Maharashtra

The study initially reviews the infrastructure facilities for the 33 districts of Maharashtra for one year i.e.1999-2000. Using this, the extent of disparities between these regions is found. Further...

by A M Swaminathan | On 29 Aug 2011

Impact of the Global Recession on Migration and Remittances in Kerala: New Evidences from the Return Migration Survey (RMS) 2009

The Research Unit on International Migration at the Centre for Development Studies undertook this study on the request of Department of Non-Resident Keralite Affairs (NORKA), Government of Kerala. ...

by K. C. Zachariah | On 24 Aug 2011

Technology in Banking- In Pursuit of Excellence

The contribution of technology to the Indian banking industry, the role played by IDRBT and the significance of banking technology awards, in fostering the technological developments of banks. Issues...

by Anand Sinha | On 23 Aug 2011

Tackling Malnutrition: What can Targeted Nutritional Interventions Achieve?

A key queestion is: which groups should receive priority in a situation of constrained resources? Ideally the twin dangers of leaving out malnourished groups from the purview of the policy, and cov...

by Gopalakrishna Kumar | On 17 Aug 2011

Identifying Systemically Important Financial Institutions (SIFIs)

In this study the analytical framework for identifying and benchmarking systemically important financial institutions is discussed. First, the main concepts underlying the SIFI definition are laid out...

by Christian Weistroffer | On 12 Aug 2011

India-Pakistan Trade

On the basis of a survey conducted in three cities viz., Delhi, Mumbai and Amritsar the paper examines the characteristics of firms engaged in Indo- Pakistan trade. It also estimates the transaction...

by Nisha Taneja | On 11 Aug 2011

Indian Education System – Issues and Challenges

The role played by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the banking system in India in strengthening education system. Realizing the importance of education for the economic development and the overall liv...

by Chakrabarty K C | On 10 Aug 2011

Financial Inclusion in India: A case-study of West Bengal

The study seeks to examine the extent of financial inclusion in West Bengal. It is observed from the study that although there has been an improvement in outreach activity in the banking sector, the...

by Sadhan Kumar Chattopadhyay | On 03 Aug 2011

Efficiency and Productivity Growth in Indian Banking

This paper attempts to examine technical efficiency and productivity performance of Indian scheduled commercial banks, for the period 1979-2008. A model is constructed using multiple output/multiple i...

by S S Rajan | On 03 Aug 2011

Performance Evaluation of Cooked Mid-Day Meal (CMDM)

The study covered 17 states and 48 districts. Two blocks from each district were selected. Five schools from each block was selected. A village where the sample school was located stood selected as...

by Planning Commission, India | On 02 Aug 2011

Tracking India Growth in Real Time

This paper compares different approaches to the short term forecasting (nowcasting) of real GDP growth in India and evaluates methods to optimally gauge the current state of the economy. Univariate ...

by Rudrani Bhattacharya | On 02 Aug 2011

World Trade Report 2011- The WTO and Preferential Trade Agreements: From Co-existence to Coherence

The ever-growing number of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) is a prominent feature of international trade. The World Trade Report 2011 describes the historical development of PTAs and the current...

by World Trade Organisation WTO | On 22 Jul 2011

Shocks, Economic Growth and the Indian Economy

This paper analyses the impact of domestic and external shocks on the Indian economy. A macro-modelling framework is developed that evaluates the impact of two domestic shocks (rainfall shortfall an...

by B B Bhattacharya | On 15 Jul 2011

A Thousand Industries In A Thousand Days? State Business Relations and The Puzzle of Orissa's Industrial Performance

In this paper, the phenomenon of 'two types of industrialisation' in Orissa is documented where a fast growing resource based manufacturing sector has co-existed with a stagnant non-resource based...

by Alivelu G | On 11 Jul 2011

Primary School Teachers: The Twists and Turns of Everyday Practice

The paper examines the role played by of classroom environment in the development of a teacher. The paper studies the concept of 'teacher development' in India. URL:[http://www.eruindia.org/files/Tea...

by Vimala Ramachandran | On 08 Jul 2011

Mutual Funds and Market Development in India

A brief description of the role of Mutual Funds in money markets and government securities makets are provided. Some of the regulatory issues that arise are discussed. The role of Mutual Funds in fina...

by Subir Gokarn | On 08 Jul 2011

A Study on Gender Based Violence in Kerala

The paper presents gender-based violence and theories its causes and correlates; it then reviews global information on the prevalence of gender-based violence against women and its health consequences...

by SAKHI Women's Resource Centre SAKHI | On 05 Jul 2011

Fisher’s Equation: Some Methodological Doubts

The Fisher's equation has become a foundation stone of modern macroeconomic, monetary and financial theories. Here it is shown that despite the estabilished status of Fisher's equation, it stands on...

by Rajas Parchure | On 04 Jul 2011

U.S. Trade Policy and Global Development

Polls show that many Americans increasingly see the country’s trade openness asmore of a threat than an opportunity, and the bipartisan political consensus in favor of openmarkets is badly frayed....

by Kimberly Ann Elliot | On 01 Jul 2011

Unemployment in Kerala at the Turn of the Century: Insights from CDS Gulf Migration Studies

This Working Paper is about the unemployment situation in Kerala. It is based on the findings of the two Gulf Migration Studies, Kerala Migration Study (KMS) and South Asia Migration Study (SMS), c...

by K. C. Zachariah | On 27 Jun 2011

Loss of Load Probability of a Power System: Kerala February 2010

By virtue of the vital nature of electric power, both to our economic and personal well being, a power system is expected to supply electrical energy as economically as possible, and with a high deg...

by N. Vijayamohanan Pillai | On 22 Jun 2011

New Sources of Development Finance: Funding the Millennium Development Goals

As a result of the Five Year Review of the World Summit for Social Development, the UN General Assembly in September 2000 adopted a resolution calling for 'a rigorous analysis of the advantages, disad...

by A. B. Atkinson | On 20 Jun 2011

Poverty Reduction Strategy as Implementation of the Right to Development in Maharashtra

The basic concern of the development process started after the world wars was improvement in level of living of the people. This concern was expressed in aggregative terms of national income growth...

by Manoj Panda | On 20 Jun 2011

The Global AIDS Transition

This landmark essay proposes a new paradigm for combating AIDS and a new objective around which international donors and recipient governments can coordinate their efforts. CGD senior fellow Mead Over...

by Mead Over | On 20 Jun 2011

Macroprudential Policies: Indian Experience

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been using macroprudential polices, more notably the countercyclical policies, since 2004 as a toolkit for ensuring financial stability though it had used them sporadic...

by Anand Sinha | On 16 Jun 2011

Report of the Working Group on Human Resource Policy for Short-Term Cooperative Credit Structure

For the revival of rural cooperative credit institutions, a Working Group was constituted by NABARD to formulate and suggest comprehensive human resource guidelines for the State Cooperative Bank (...

by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Devt NABARD | On 15 Jun 2011

Book Review: Empowering Human Capital though Education

Education for Sustainable Development: Challenges, Strategies and Practices in a Globalizing World, Edited by Nikolopoulou, Anastasia, Taisha Abraham and Farid Mirbagheri, Sage, Publications Pvt. Ltd,...

by Lakshmi Narayanan | On 15 Jun 2011

City Governments and Public Water Supply in India: Analysing the Institutional Economics

Given that the 74th amendment to the Indian Constitution stipulates that the water supply service is to be transferred to the city/urban governments this note analyses the institutional economics of...

by Centre for Global Development | On 15 Jun 2011

Frontier Issues on the Global Agenda- Emerging Economy Perspective

The article is a report of RBI Minister Duvvuri Subbarao on issuesing concerning the G-20 countries and also issues effecting all the countries collectively.

by Duvvuri Subbarao | On 13 Jun 2011

Rethinking the Conceptual Foundations of Kerela's Decentralization in the Light of the Experience during the Past Decade

Though the decade-long decentralization in Kerala has made remarkable achievements in terms of consistent devolution of financial resources, and improvement in the implementation of poverty eradica...

by Centre for Womens Development Studies | On 10 Jun 2011

Non-financial Reporting – What, Why and How - Indian Perspective

The importance of non-financial reporting in the overall assessment of a company's performance, its risk-return trade off is steadily gaining ground, both globally and in India. [Address by Dr K. C...

by Chakrabarty K C | On 10 Jun 2011

Is it Desirable to Take a World Bank Loan for Strengthening Local Governments in Kerela?

This note analyses the desirability of a loan from the World Bank for strengthening local governments of Kerala under two scenarios. First, is the case where the loan supplements the resources of th...

by Centre for Global Development | On 09 Jun 2011

From Kerala to Kerala Via the Gulf: Emigration Experiences of Return Emigrants March 2011

This paper about return emigrants in Kerala is based on information on return emigrants collected by the Centre for Development Studies (CDS) through several of its recent large-scale household sur...

by K. C. Zachariah | On 08 Jun 2011

Procedural Changes Required for Making Local Self Government's Role Effective in Rural Housing in Kerela

This study analyses the implementation of housing schemes for the poor through the Panchayats in Kasargod District of Kerala. It brings to light the severity of the housing problem in this part of t...

by Centre for Development Studies | On 06 Jun 2011

Business Group Ownership of Banks: Issues and Implications

This paper introduces the phenomenon of business groups in the theory of financial intermediation by banks, developed by Diamond (1984) with a view to analyzing their impact on the result of finan...

by Ashish Taru Deb | On 19 May 2011

Economic Survey: Fiscal Year 2009-10

The world economy, which grew by 3.0 percent in 2008, is estimated to turn negative by 0.6 in 2009. The economic growth rates in all the groups of advanced economies, emerging and developing econ...

by Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal | On 16 May 2011

Monetary Operations and Central Bank Balance Sheets in a World of Limited Government Securities

The limited supply of government securities in some industrial countries has important ramifications for the operating techniques used by central banks to implement monetary policy, provide credit to...

by Mark Zelmer | On 16 May 2011

National Environment Policy

The National Environment Policy, 2006 is the out come of extensive consultations with experts indifferent disciplines, Central Ministries, Members of Parliament, State Governments, Industry Associa...

by Ministry of Environment and Forests | On 12 May 2011

History in Bengali Literature: A Study of Selected Bengali Novels

Great novelists through their writings placed the history of the Indian national and social awakening movement in literature.The context of this article is great three novels of three great littérat...

by Sarmistha Ghoshal | On 09 May 2011

The Wrong War

In a week when the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said that combating inflation is now its primary focus, it is important to ask: is RBI fighting yesterday’s war, instead of peering into the future t...

by T.N. Ninan | On 08 May 2011

New media: problems and prospects

The author advocates liberal and secular ideas in a country, Pakistan, too-often torn by religious extremism and strives for the defence and promotion of press freedom under difficult circumstances an...

by Najam Sethi | On 08 May 2011

What do you want from us?

In the past three years, two journalists for El Diario have been killed by drug-cartels and since 2000 more than 64 journalists have been killed throughout the country. The armed conflict between orga...

by Rocio Gallegos | On 08 May 2011

Who Cares about the Chinese Yuan?

The rise of China in the world economy and in international trade has raised the possibility of a rise of the Yuan as an international currency, particularly after the Chinese authorities have under...

by Vimal Balasubramaniam | On 05 May 2011

"Free Dawit Isaak"

The author joined the World Press Freedom Day campaign this year, 2011, to highlight the plight of WAN-IFRA's 2011 Golden Pen of Freedom laureate, Dawit Isaak, incarcerated without charge for nearly a...

by Peter Englund | On 04 May 2011

An Irreversible Gain in Freedom of Expression

In this World Press Freedom Day editorial, the authors explore the events taking place in the Middle East and North Africa and the positive outcomes for freedom of expression the peoples' revolutions...

by Martti Ahtisaari Ahtisaari | On 04 May 2011

Half Yearly Monetary and Financial Stability Report (March 2011)

The Hong Kong economy grew strongly in the second half of 2010. The unemployment rate has now dipped below the trend rate of the past 10 years and the momentum of rising consumer prices has picked...

by Hong Kong Monetary Authority | On 04 May 2011

Monetary Policy Statement 2011-12

This Statement sets out the Reserve Bank’s assessment of the current macroeconomic situation and projections. URL:[http://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/notification/PDFs/APS030511F.pdf].

by Duvvuri Subbarao | On 03 May 2011

Report of the Task Force on Plantations Sector

Today there is no credible alternative facility available to a grower to meet the risks of price movements and the art of price risk management is unknown to the small growers. (In this entire report,...

by Ministry of Commerce and Industry GOI | On 02 May 2011

Deregulation of Savings Bank Deposit Interest Rate: A Discussion Paper

The paper is an attempt to deal with pros and cons of deregulating savings deposit interest rate and take on board the suggestions of various stakeholders for either maintaining the status quo or dere...

by Reserve Bank of India RBI | On 02 May 2011

Report of the Task Force on Credit Related Issues of Farmers

The Task Force visited 45 villages across 17 states and held state and regional level consultations to understand from women and men farmers, bankers, civil society, academicians, planners, activists,...

by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Devt NABARD | On 27 Apr 2011

Find Me the Money: Financing Climate and Other Global Public Goods

In this paper, four categories of existing resource-mobilization options are examined, including (1) transportation levies; (2) currency and financial transaction taxes; (3) capitalization of IMF S...

by Nancy Birdsall | On 21 Apr 2011

Statement by Governor, RBI

There have been significant developments in the global economy since we met in the fall of 2010. The IMF too has moved on several fronts under its mandate which has strengthened its position in a chan...

by Duvvuri Subbarao | On 20 Apr 2011

Do Local Elections in Non-Democracies Increase Accountability? Evidence from Rural China

Unique survey data is used to study whether the introduction of local elections in China made local leaders more accountable towards local constituents. A simple model is developed to predict the e...

by Monica Martinez Bravo | On 18 Apr 2011

Our Tahrir Square

The government has alienated the public through months of scandal on a scale not seen till now. URL:[http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/t-n-ninan-our-tahrir-square/431532/]

by T.N. Ninan | On 13 Apr 2011

Micro-loans, Insecticide-Treated Bednets and Malaria:Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Orissa (India)

Many severe health risks in developing countries could be substantially reduced with access to appropriate preventive measures. However, the associated costs are often high enough to restrict access...

by Alessandro Tarozzi | On 12 Apr 2011

Declining Child Sex Ratio: Addressing the Imperatives

A discussion about the declining sex ratio in India is given. The various reasons for declining sex ratio are outlined.

by Anwesha Sen | On 09 Apr 2011

An Alternative to Conventional Public Water Service: "User Group Networks" in a Mumbai Slum

This article is a research on the water services available in north eastern parts of Mumbai. It aims as highlighting the ability of communities to design and run functional systems to overcome the sho...

by Rémi de BERCEGOL | On 08 Apr 2011

Socio-Economic and Ecological Benefits of Mangrove Plantation: A Study of Community Based Mangrove Restoration Activities in Gujarat

A comprehensive assessment of the multiple benefits of mangrove ecosystems and their restoration efforts in Gujarat is made. The study is important and contextual as there are very limited empirical...

by P.K. Viswanathan | On 29 Mar 2011

Foretelling the Mekong: Key Findings of the MRC’s Strategic Environmental Assessment on Mekong Mainstream Dams

With 11 large hydropower dams proposed to block the Lower Mekong River’s mainstream, the future of the river lies at a crossroads. To inform decision-making, in October 2010, the Mekong River Commiss...

by International Rivers Network IRN | On 29 Mar 2011

Budget 2011-12, Meghalaya

Budget 2011-12 presented by the Finance Minister.

by Government of Meghalaya Govt | On 28 Mar 2011

Parliament Session Wrap: Budget Session – February 21 to March 25, 2011

Nine legislative Bills were introduced during the session. Five Bills were passed and one Bill was withdrawn during the session. Several hours were lost due to interruptions on the issues of appointme...

by Kusum Malik | On 28 Mar 2011

Japan's Role in the Cambodian Peace Settlement (1977-1993)

The importance of Japan's role in Cambodia's peace settlement lies in the fact that it was one of the earliest political tasks Tokyo undertook in a region which had been known for its antipathy to...

by K.V. Kesavan | On 28 Mar 2011

What Regulatory Policies Work for Emerging Markets?

This paper discusses the banking regulatory and supervisory practices in People’s Republic of China (PRC) with reference to the international standard for banking supervision, namely, the Basel Core P...

by Luo Ping | On 28 Mar 2011

World Malaria Report 2010

The World Malaria Report 2010 summarizes information received from 106 malaria-endemic countries/areas and other partners and it updates the analyses presented in the 2009 Report. It highlights con...

by World Health Organisation | On 25 Mar 2011

Towards a Human Security Approach to Peacebuilding

In recent decades, international peacebuilding and reconstruction after civil wars have managed to promote stability and contain conflict in many regions around the world, ending violence and enabling...

by Madoka Futamura | On 24 Mar 2011

Banking Laws Amendment Bill

The government introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that seeks to align voting rights in private banks with shareholding, enhance the central bank’s regulatory powers over banks and give grea...

by Economic Times ET | On 23 Mar 2011

The Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2011

A BILL further to amend the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1970 and the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertak...

by Parliamentary Research Service PRS | On 23 Mar 2011

IDA at 65: Heading Toward Retirement or a Fragile Lease on Life?

Even under conservative assumptions, IDA will likely face a wave of country graduations by 2025. We project that it will lose more than half of its client countries and that the total population l...

by Todd Moss | On 22 Mar 2011

Relationship Banking and Its Role in Corporate Governance

Bank-based systems of corporate governance are certainly an alternative in many Asian economies. In spite of the great efforts directed to strengthening corporate governance along the Anglo- America...

by Sang-Woo Nam | On 18 Mar 2011

Banking and Beyond: New Challenges before Indian Financial System

A very basic and core issue for the Indian banking system and that is the challenge of achieving Financial Inclusion. Without being inclusive, financial and economic stability cannot be sustainable. F...

by Chakrabarty K C | On 17 Mar 2011

Protecting Rivers and Rights: The World Commission on Dams Recommendations in Action

The briefing kit highlights key examples of policies, regulations and laws that reflect these WCD recommendations and references specific projects that demonstrate them in action. [IRN brief]. URL:...

by International Rivers Network IRN | On 17 Mar 2011

Cambodia enters the WTO: Lessons learned for Least Developed Countries

The Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia applied for accession to the World Trade Organization in October 1994. At its meeting on 21 December 1994, the Preparatory Committee for the WTO establishe...

by Sok Siphana | On 16 Mar 2011

The State of the World’s Children 2011 Adolescence – An Age of Opportunity

The State of the World's Children 2011 examines the global state of adolescents; outlines the challenges they face in health, education, protection and participation; and explores the risks and vulner...

by United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF | On 14 Mar 2011

Enhancing Development through Policy Coherence

Policy coherence implies that donors in pursuing domestic policy objectives should avoid adversely affecting the development prospects of poor countries. To achieve policy coherence donors and multila...

by Amelia U. Santos Paulino | On 14 Mar 2011

Poverty Targeting in Asia: Experiences from India, Indonesia, the Philippines, People’s Republic of China and Thailand

Poverty targeting, defined as the use of policy instruments to channel resources to a target group identified below an agreed national poverty line, is used by all governments in Asia in one form or...

by John Weiss | On 11 Mar 2011

Safe City Free of Violence against Women and Girls Initiative Trivandrum City, Kerala

Sakhi Women’s resource centre has been addressing this issue of safety in public spaces of Trivandrum city through surveys, public meeting with officials, and collaborating in the training for bus con...

by SAKHI Women's Resource Centre SAKHI | On 10 Mar 2011

Future Role of Foreign Banks in Asia

Although the Asian Crisis has brought consensus on the necessity of strong domestic financial systems, there is less agreement as to the role of foreign banks in achieving the goals of economic grow...

by Heather Montgomery | On 10 Mar 2011

Gender Responsive Budgeting: The Case of Kerala

This paper we make an attempt to understand and analyze the budget from a gender perspective. The paper looks into the different areas of allocations, how far it is ‘pro woman’ budget or a ‘gender re...

by Aleyamma Vijayan | On 08 Mar 2011

Women Safety in Delhi

This study focuses on the nature of safety violence in Delhi, the perceptions of safety among women and men, infrastructure to redress their causes and their outcomes. URL: [http://wcd.nic.in/].

by Society for Development Studies | On 08 Mar 2011

Round-Tripping Foreign Direct Investment in the People’s Republic of China

There is no doubt that part of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) FDI belongs to the return of Chinese capital that has gone abroad. The World Bank and o...

by Xiao Geng | On 08 Mar 2011

Targeting Subsidies for Insecticide Treated Mosquito Nets (ITNs): A Conceptual Framework, Experience from other Sectors and Lessons for ITNs

A number of interventions for preventing and treating malaria have now been shown through a combination of clinical trials and economic analysis to be highly cost-effective (Goodman, Coleman et al....

by Eve Worrall | On 07 Mar 2011

Renminbi Revaluation: Lessons and Experiences

Japan experienced sharp appreciations of the yen twice after World War II, the first followed by hyperinflation and the second by the “economic bubble” in the late 1980s. The country then underwent...

by Toshiki Kanamori | On 07 Mar 2011

Governing Globalization: Issues and Institutions

This policy brief is intended to outline suggestions and stimulate discussion at a time when the world community is thinking about, and is engaged in, a debate on global governance. The policy brief n...

by Deepak Nayyar | On 04 Mar 2011

Governance in Indonesia:Some Comments

Governance is often a difficult process. Proper governance ideally involves formulating an overall strategy of operations, translating this strategy into specific policies and decisions, and then im...

by Peter McCawley | On 03 Mar 2011

Indian Railway Budget 2011-12

Railway Budget 2011-12.

by Mamata Banerjee | On 25 Feb 2011

Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP): Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factors Survey

The overall objective of the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) risk factors survey was to improve the information available to the Government health services and care providers on a set of high-priority...

by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare H & FW | On 24 Feb 2011

The Impact of Climate Change on Indian Agriculture

In India, as elsewhere in the world, climate change is now high on the political and public agenda. In the subcontinent, particular attention is being paid to the impact of climatic changes on agri...

by K.S. Kavi Kumar | On 22 Feb 2011

Profitability of Foreign Banks vis-à-vis Other Bank Groups in India – A Panel Data Analysis

The paper analysed the financial performance of foreign banks in comparison with other bank groups in India. The study assumes importance in the context of the on-going preparation of roadmap for th...

by P B Rakhe | On 22 Feb 2011

Economic Liberalization and Indian Economic Growth: What's the evidence?

By the end of the 1970’s, India had acquired a reputation as one of the most protected and heavily regulated economies in the world. Starting in the mid-1970s and then later on in the 1980s, a few t...

by Ashok Kotwal | On 21 Feb 2011

Central Bank Lessons from the Global Crisis

Nine preliminary lessons from the Great Recession for monetary and financial policies are presented. [3rd P. R. Brahmananda Memorial Lecture].

by Stanley Fischer | On 18 Feb 2011

Family Suicide in Kerala : An Explorative Study into Pattern , Determinants and Consequences

The paper is a study of the family suicide cases in Kerala. The aim of the study is to gather information about demographic details, method adopted and causes of suicides that happened in Kerala durin...

by K Praveenlal | On 16 Feb 2011

Punishing the Poor? A Look at Evidence and Action Regarding User Fees in Health Care

This policy brief aims to summarise evidence and discuss various concerns about charging user fees from a low-income perspective.

by ... CEHAT | On 16 Feb 2011

The Malaise of the Indian Financial System: The Need for Reforms

The world over, the financial sector is faced with adjustment problems of facing up to rapid changes in the environment. The Indian financial system cannot be immune to this universal phenomenon. What...

by S.S. Tarapore | On 16 Feb 2011

Kerala Budget 2011-12

The Minister for Finance, Dr. T. M. Thomas Issac presented the Budget for the financial year 2011-2012.

by Government of Kerala Govt | On 14 Feb 2011

Understanding the Kole Lands in Kerala as A Multiple Use Wetland Ecosystem

Wetlands which face several anthropogenic and other threats are complex ecosystems providing substantial benefits to human society. This paper is an attempt to understand the ecological and economic...

by Jeena T Srinivasan | On 09 Feb 2011

Valuing the Environment in Developing Countries: Modeling the Impact of Distrust in Public Authorities’ Ability to Deliver on the Citizens’ Willingness to Pay for Improved Environmental Quality

This paper employs the choice experiment method to estimate local  citizens’ valuation of a public intervention which proposes to improve the  quality of an important environmental resource, namel...

by Ekin Birol | On 09 Feb 2011

Reforming the Indian Financial System

The key features of Indian finance is summarised. With a growing savings rate and a growing share of private corporate capital forma- tion, and with a high growth rate of GDP, Indian finance is rapi...

by Ajay Shah | On 03 Feb 2011

Cost-effectiveness Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Options: A Proposed Methodology

The World Bank has been requested by the government of India to undertake a study, “Strategies for Low Carbon Growth.” The study considers different options for low-carbon growth trajectories to fis...

by Ministry of Environment and Forest | On 03 Feb 2011

Transperancy in Government Procurement

While in their purchase operations, as in all other activities, governments endeavour to maximize the use of scarce financial resources, the 'cost minimising objective underlying competitive bidding r...

by Anwarul Hoda | On 03 Feb 2011

Third Quarter Review of Monetary Policy 2010-11

This statement sets out the Reserve Bank’s assessment of the current macroeconomic situation and forward projections.

by D Subbarao | On 31 Jan 2011

Singapore's Exchange Rate-Based Monetary Policy: A Critical Evaluation

The exchange rate-based monetary policy followed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is outlined. Possible theoretical frameworks, including a reaction function is outlined. The way the MAS h...

by Partha Sen | On 31 Jan 2011

Central-Bank Government Relationship in the Context of Emerging Economic Environment

This is a analysis of relationship between the Central Bank of Sir Lanka and the Sri lankan Government. It views the relationship in context of emerging economic environment and global economy.

by P. B. Jauasundera | On 30 Jan 2011

Report of the Sub-Committee of the Central Board of Directors of Reserve Bank of India to Study Issues and Concerns in the MFI Sector

While this growth is impressive, a number of studies both in India and abroad have questioned whether growth alone is effective in addressing poverty and what the adverse consequences of a too rapid g...

by Reserve Bank of India | On 30 Jan 2011

Estimation of the Affordability, of Land for Housing Purpo Lucknow City, Uttar Pradesh (India): 1970-1990

It is in the early 1990s that we come across studies on some Third World cities that have begun to address the question of land affordability for housing purposes in greater details than what have bee...

by ., Amitabh | On 28 Jan 2011

WHO/PLoS Collection ‘‘No Health Without Research’’: A Call for Papers

The World Health Report (WHR) for 2012 will be on the theme of ‘‘No Health without Research’’. The WHR 2012 aims to provide impetus for a change to the problematic state of affairs of health researc...

by Tikki Pang | On 27 Jan 2011

Presence of Foreign Banks in India

This discussion paper on the form of presence of foreign banks in India has been prepared taking into account, inter-alia, the lessons learnt from the recent global financial crisis and the practice...

by Reserve Bank of India | On 26 Jan 2011

Rethinking Food Security Strategy: Self-sufficiency or Self-reliance

This Policy Brief discusses whether Bangladesh should continue to pursue a national food security strategy based on self-reliance or return to its earlier policy of food self-sufficiency through ...

by Uttam Kumar Deb | On 17 Jan 2011

The Disinterested Government: An Interpretation of China’s Economic Success in the Reform Era

In the last 30 years, China has achieved high economic growth and successfully transformed its economy from a planned economy to a market-based system. The country, to a large extent, has attaine...

by Yang Yao | On 10 Jan 2011

The Race Against Drug Resistance

The Center for Global Development’s Drug Resistance Working Group urges pharmaceutical companies, governments, donors, global health institutions, health providers, and patients to collectively and...

by Rachel Nugent | On 10 Jan 2011

Two Studies on the Impact of Meghna-Dhonagoda Flood Control, Drainage and Irrigation Project

The Meghna-Dhonagoda Embankment (MDE) is an example of a flood control scheme which also regulates irrigation and drainage of the area inside it. This intervention in the natural functioning of the e...

by Saira Ansary | On 06 Jan 2011

Monetary Policy, Capital Flows, and the Exchange Rate

The use of monetary policy in India has been constrained by a loose fiscal policy and capital flows. Capital inflows have the potential to cause a Dutch Disease-type situation. The RBI has carried out...

by Partha Sen | On 06 Jan 2011

Pentavalent and other New Combination Vaccines: Solutions in Search of Problems

The pentavalent vaccine and many other combination vaccines waiting to enter Universal immunization Programme (UIP) have brought into sharp focus the gaping gap between lofty slogans of ‘evidence ba...

by Y Madhavi | On 05 Jan 2011

Learning about Schools in Development

There has been considerable progress in school construction and enrollment worldwide. Paying kids to go to school can help overcome remaining demand-side barriers to enrollment. Nonetheless, the qual...

by Charles Kenny | On 29 Dec 2010

Effects of Socio-economic Development on Health Status and Human Well-being

Bangladesh is popularly described in the literature as a ‘test case for development’ in view of the complex nature of its socioeconomic and cultural problems, coupled with severe resource constraints...

by Mushtaque Chowdhury | On 29 Dec 2010

The Economy of Thiruvananthapuram

The major objectives of the paper is to:- * to locate the Thiruvananthapuram district in the economic map of the State; *to document the structural and sectoral transformation of the district; *to...

by Oommen M A | On 22 Dec 2010

Monetary Policy Considerations after the Crisis: Practitioners’ Perspectives

Economic stability can be seen as an essential component of any strategy for inclusive development. To the extent that central banks play a role in providing that stability, the experience of the cris...

by Subir Gokarn | On 21 Dec 2010

Economic Aspects of Access to Medicines after 2005: Product Patent Protection and Emerging Firm Strategies in the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry

An analysis of the innovation in the Indian pharmaceutical industry is done. This section traces the origins, the strengths and weaknesses of the innovation system in the pharmaceutical sector in In...

by Padmashree Gehl Sampath | On 17 Dec 2010

Hygiene, Sanitation, and Water: Forgotten Foundations of Health

Health evidence confirms that the burden of disease associated with inadequate Hygience, Sanitation, Water (HSW) is overwhelmingly (although not exclusively) carried by the poor and disadvantaged...

by Jamie Bartram | On 16 Dec 2010

Globalization, Development, and Mobility of Technical Talent: India and Japan in Comparative Perspectives

The objective here is to understand how the mobility of technical talent might be changing the structural relationship between rich and poor countries. This paper examines the under-researched relat...

by Anthony P. D'Costa | On 15 Dec 2010

Capability Traps? The Mechanisms of Persistent Implementation Failure

Many countries remain stuck in conditions of low productivity that many call “poverty traps.” Economic growth is only one aspect of development; another key dimension of development is the expansion...

by Lant Pritchett | On 15 Dec 2010

People’s Republic of China and its Neighbors: Partners or Competitors for Trade and Investment?

The very rapid economic growth of the People’s Republic of China (henceforth PRC), its dramatic success in world export markets and its heavy receipts of foreign direct investment (FDI) have generat...

by John Weiss | On 10 Dec 2010

Kuttanad Development Project: An Economic Evaluation

This paper attempts an economic evaluation of the Kuttanad Development Project (henceforth referred to as KDP) whioh is part of an overall programme of the Government of Kerala to augment the Produ...

by K. P. Kannan | On 07 Dec 2010

E-Grantz Revolution

This short commentary is about the introduction of e-grantz, an online scheme of distribution of educational assistance to dalit students in Kerala. At the time of admission to a course, students fil...

by Rajesh Komath | On 02 Dec 2010

Linking Vertical and Horizontal Markets for Innovations at Grassroots: Sustainability Imperative

The supply chain management is at the core of globalising world. Today the large corporations are able to source materials from all around the world and sell it in the most interior parts of the dev...

by Anil K Gupta | On 01 Dec 2010

World Programme of Action for Youth

This is a ready reference for organizations, youth policy practitioners and young people to the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY), its 15 priority areas and their corresponding proposals for...

by United Nations UN | On 29 Nov 2010

Thailand’s Commercial Banks’ Role in Financing Dams in Laos and the Case for Sustainable Banking

This paper puts forward the case for Thailand’s commercial banks to move towards more sustainable banking practices that proactively contribute towards socially and environmentally sustainable and j...

by Carl Middleton | On 25 Nov 2010

Regional Sources of Growth Acceleration in India

Gujarat, West Bengal, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu were the major contributors to the growth acceleration in India after 1991-92. Although the Regional Disparity may increase tempor...

by Ravindra H. Dholakia | On 25 Nov 2010

Loans or Grants?

In this paper they argue that cancelling the debt of the poorest countries was a good thing, but that it should not imply that the debt instrument should be foregone. Debt and debt cancellations...

by Daniel Cohen | On 25 Nov 2010

Gulf Migration Study: Employment, Wages and Working Conditions of Kerala Emigrants in the United Arab Emirates

This is the fourth in a series of Working Papers published by the CDS on Kerala migration. Unlike the other three, this one is financed by the Kerala Government and the data were collected in UAE. ...

by K. C. Zachariah | On 18 Nov 2010

The Asian Development Bank Loan for Kerala (India): The Adverse Implications and Search for Alternatives

The privileging of internal resources over external finance is not only the most democratic but also the most politically desirable option. The implications of the ADB loan for Kerala is situated ag...

by K. Ravi Raman | On 09 Nov 2010

The WTO Agreement on Rules of Origin: Implications for South Asia

From neutral trade policy devices employed to identity country of origin of commodities, the rules of origin are emerging as protectionist tools. Nation-states, as they are increasingly denied of co...

by K N Harilal | On 09 Nov 2010

Monetary Policy Strategies in the Asia and Pacific Region: What Way Forward?

Monetary policy frameworks in the Asia and Pacific region have performed well in the past decade as judged by inflation outcomes. We argue that this is due to three principal factors: (i) central bank...

by Andrew Filardo | On 08 Nov 2010

Kerela's Gulf Connection: Emigration, Remittances and their Macroeconomic Impact 1972-2000

This paper attempts to construct a time series estimation of remittances from abroad to the Kerala economy for the period 1972 to 2000. It is now widely acknowledged that foreign remittances in the ...

by K. P. Kannan | On 04 Nov 2010

The Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization: Origin, Development and Outlook

This paper discusses the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization (CMIM); its origin, development and future outlook. It puts forward a number of proposals to make the liquidity support role of the C...

by Chalongphob Sussangkarn | On 02 Nov 2010

Estimation of Tax Leakage and its Impact on Fiscal Health in Kerala

This paper is an attempt to analyse the tax leakage in the broader context of fiscal crisis in Kerala, highlighting the relationship between the two. Tax leakage by causing a revenue drain may adver...

by Rakhe PB | On 27 Oct 2010

The Welfare Fund Model of Social Security for Informal Sector Workers: The Kerala Experience

This paper examines the evolution of the institution of ‘Welfare Funds’ for informal sector workers in the State of Kerala in India. The Kerala experience, which is now thirty years old, reflects wh...

by K. P. Kannan | On 25 Oct 2010

The Rationale and the Result of the Current Stabilisation Programme

Apart from the episode of the mid-sixties, macroeconomic crises have not played a major part in India's economic development. A certain sort of stability had accompanied the lack-lustre grow...

by Pulapre Balakrishnan | On 23 Oct 2010

Financial Crisis and Crisis Management in Sweden. Lessons for Today

This paper gives an account of the Swedish financial crisis covering the period 1985–2000, dealing with financial deregulation and the boom in the late 1980s, the bust and the financial crisis in the...

by Lars Jonung | On 23 Oct 2010

Going Beyond Gender as Usual: Why and How Global HIV/AIDS Donors Can Do More for Women and Girls

This brief shows how three of the biggest donors to global HIV/AIDS programs can go beyond their stated commitments to address gender inequality and more effectively combat HIV and AIDS.

by Christina Droggitis | On 20 Oct 2010

Mekong Mainstream Dams: Threatening Southeast Asia's Food Security

The Mekong is under threat. The governments of Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand are considering plans to build eleven big hydropower dams on the Mekong River’s lower mainstream. If built, these dams wou...

by International Rivers Network IRN | On 19 Oct 2010

“Gaining Public Acceptance (GPA)” for Large Dams on International Rivers: The Case of Tipaimukh Dam in India and Concerns in Lower Riparian Bangladesh

The construction of Tipaimukh dam by India on the international Barak river has raises a number of questions in relation to successful implementation of World Commission on Dams (WCD) recommendation o...

by Zakir Kibria | On 19 Oct 2010

Asset Creation and Local Economy under NREGs: Scope and Challenges

The paper examines the potential impact of wages and assets created under NREGS on local economies and discusses policy implications for ensuring realization of the potential. The specific objectiv...

by Amita Shah | On 18 Oct 2010

Looking Beyond Literacy: Disparities in Levels of and Access to Education in a Kerala Village

This paper makes an attempt at understanding why inequalities continue to exist in the educational profile of the population despite high literacy, universal enrollment in schools and relatively be...

by Suma Scaria | On 12 Oct 2010

Transparency in Government Procurement

While in their purchase operations, as in all other activities, governments endeavour to maximise the use of scarce financial resources. Some of these objectives are to promote the development of a do...

by Anwarul Hoda | On 07 Oct 2010

Developing Asia’s Competitive Advantage in Green Products: Learning from the Japanese Experience

Right now, governments around the world are spending record amounts of money to kick- start their economies in response to the financial crisis. Fortunately, a great opportunity exists for this fis...

by Fukuya Lino | On 06 Oct 2010

The Syrian Christians of Kerala: Demographic and Socioeconomic Transition in the Twentieth Century

The twentieth century has witnessed a process of significant transition of the Syrian Christian community in Kerala in terms of its demographic and socio-economic status. In this paper, the transitio...

by K.C. Zachariah | On 05 Oct 2010

Electricity Demand Analysis and Forecasting- The Tradition is Questioned

The present paper seeks to cast scepticism on the validity and value of the results of all earlier studies in India on energy demand analysis and forecasting based on time series regression, on three...

by N. Vijayamohanan Pillai | On 05 Oct 2010

Nutrition in India: Facts and Interpretations

The Indian economy has recently grown at historically unprecedented rates and is now one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Real GDP per head grew at 3.95 percent a year from 1980 to 2...

by Angus Deaton | On 05 Oct 2010

Determinants of Firm-level Export Performance: A Case Study of Indian Textile Garments and Apparel Industry

A major reform process in the Indian economic policy regime away from a four- decade-long inward orientation has been under way since July 1991 in response to a serious macro-economic crisis. The n...

by T.A. Bhavani | On 05 Oct 2010

Asia’s Role in the Global Financial Architecture

The global economic and financial landscape has been transformed over the past decade by the growing economic size and financial power of emerging economies. The new G20 summit process, which includes...

by Masahiro Kawai | On 05 Oct 2010

Pricing of Drinking Water: An Application of Coase Two-part Tariff

An efficient and equitable rate structure for drinking water based on a modified version of Coase two-part tariff is developed and estimated for an urban water supply scheme in Kerala State, India...

by G. Murugan | On 04 Oct 2010

Risk-return Efficiency, Financial Distress Risk, and Bank Financial Strength Ratings

This paper investigates whether there is any consistency between banks’ financial strength ratings (bank rating) and their risk-return profiles. It is expected that banks with high ratings tend to ear...

by Changchun Hua | On 04 Oct 2010

Estimates of External Trade Flows of Kerela: (1975-76 and 1980-81)

Kerela is a region that is deeply integrated with the Indian and the world economy through various ways such as commodity flows, financial movements, labour migration and operations of national and in...

by T.M. Thomas Issac | On 01 Oct 2010

Role of Private Hospitals in Kerala : An Exploration

This is an attempt to understand the characteristics of private hospitals and the equity in accessing their services, using secondary data available for the period 1986-2004. The data indicates that...

by T.R. Dilip | On 30 Sep 2010

Home to Market: Response,Resurgence and Transformation of Ayurveda from 1980's to 1920

The article explores the early transformation of Ayurveda into a) a system of medicine, which has two components, one, a knowledge base and two, institutionally recognized professionals b) an indust...

by M. S. Harilal | On 30 Sep 2010

The Role of the State in Managing and Forestalling Systemic Financial Crises: Some Issues and Perspectives

This paper reviews recent state interventions in financial crises and draws lessons for crisis management. A number of areas are identified where crisis management could be strengthened, including...

by Charles Adams | On 29 Sep 2010

Macro-prudential Approach to Regulation - Scope and Issues

It is being acknowledged that a macro prudential perspective is critical in designing and pursuing micro prudential regulation of institutions and markets. Two distinct but highly inter-related constr...

by Shyamala Gopinath | On 28 Sep 2010

Wage Determination in a Casual Labour Market: The Case of Paddy Field Labour in Kerela

The wage rate in s casual labour market, paddy field labour, is estimated from a reduced form version of a supply and demand model after incorporating literacy, caste and the degree of m...

by K. Pushpangadan | On 27 Sep 2010

HANTEX: An Economic Appraisal

Most Governments in the Third World Countries have actively promoted cooperatives in the traditional sectors of the economy with a view to overcome the diseconomies of small size. Characterised as the...

by Mridul Eapen | On 27 Sep 2010

Tackle the inflows

An issue that has attracted surprisingly little notice is the size and growth of the trade deficit. Even more worrisome is the flat trajectory for exports — which escapes notice because comparisons ar...

by T.N. Ninan | On 24 Sep 2010

Peasant Women Organise For Empowerment: The Bankura Experiment

Organisations are accepted as an instrument to provide collective strength, or greater bargaining power, or to articulate the voice of an interest group. They may also be recognised as a constituenc...

by Vina Mazumdar | On 15 Sep 2010

Measurement of Inflation in India: Issues and Associated Challenges for the Conduct of Monetary Policy

In India, there is a large divergence between CPI and WPI inflation trends in the past, wide dispersion in inflation across commodity groups within WPI, and significant volatility in headline WPI in...

by Nadhanael G V | On 08 Sep 2010

The Evolution of Singapore Business: A Case Study Approach

This volume contains summaries of 12 case studies for three categories of business organisations defined by ownership, i.e. foreign, state and (local) private. The case studies explore the history a...

by Anisha Sabhlok | On 06 Sep 2010

Rice Economy of Kerala: A Disaggregate Analysis of Performance

This working paper discusses the rice economy of Kerala, with a disaggregate analysis of its performance. [Working Paper No. 231]

by P.S. George | On 31 Aug 2010

Book Review: Promoting Economic Cooperation in South Asia

Review of 'Promoting Economic Cooperation in South Asia'; S. Ahmed, S. Kalegama and E. Ghani (Editors). Published by Sage Publications, New Delhi, 2010

by Sandhya S . Iyer | On 17 Aug 2010

Addressing Key Issues in the Light of Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in Health and Family Welfare Sector in India

The policies including that of ‘World Bank’ and the recent ‘Indian Health Report (WHO) 2000’, now recognise the importance of investing in health & also providing for a ‘safety net’ for the poor and...

by Samir K. Mondal | On 12 Aug 2010

Hydrogen Energy For Indian Transport Sector: A Well-To-Wheel Techno-Economic and Environmental Feasibility Analysis

With the alarming rate of growth in vehicle population and travel demand, the energy consumption has increased significantly contributing to the rise of GHG emissions. Therefore, the development of a...

by P. Balachandra | On 30 Jul 2010

European Views on Asia and Europe-Asian Relations

This paper examines in its first part, the views of leading European academics, politicians, lobbyists and opinion-makers on the issue of relations with Asia. The second part of this paper looks at...

by Venil Ramiah | On 29 Jul 2010

Radio drug advertisement situation and regulation in Thailand

Drug consumption in Thailand is high in comparison with other countries. A key factor influencing this over consumption is advertising. Radio is the media that can easily reach a lot of people, in...

by Tanattha Kittisopee | On 23 Jul 2010

Private Sector in the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme: A Study of the Implementation of Private-Public Partnership Strategy in Tamil Nadu and Kerala (India)

During the past one decade, the concept of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) has gained much prominence in healthcare sector in India. The foremost objective of such partnerships has been to improve th...

by Vangal R Muraleedharan | On 23 Jul 2010

Sand in the Wheels of International Finance: Revisiting the Debate in Light of the East Asian Mayhem

The turmoil that has characterised the global financial markets since the 1990s, and particularly the crisis in East Asia, has generated a great deal of support for proposals to add some frictions t...

by Ramkishen Rajan | On 21 Jul 2010

Political Economy of Directed Credit

Imagine you are a bank manager and you have to decide to whom you will lend money. One prospect is an industrial company and the other is a farmer. As someone who wants the largest possible profits,...

by Mark Miller | On 19 Jul 2010

Big Industry Before Independence: 1860-1950

The world over, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, private sector units were of a laissez-faire variety i.e., the private sector was completely free of state interference. Private enterprise...

by Anupriya Singhal | On 16 Jul 2010

Unintended consequences?

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) seems to have decided, somewhat belatedly, to fight for its own autonomy. Well, it’s better late than never, and there is much to recommend in the suggestion by RBI to...

by T.N. Ninan | On 14 Jul 2010

Collective Action in Diverse Sierra Leone Communities

Scholars have pointed to ethnic and other social divisions as a leading cause of economic underdevelopment, due in part to their adverse effects on public good provision and collective action. We inve...

by Rachel Glennerster | On 13 Jul 2010

Residential Location and Youth Unemployment: The Economic Geography of School-To-Work

In response to increased international policy attention to youth unemployment this study investigates post-secondary school transitions of school leavers. Multinomial log it models are estimated for m...

by Regina T. Riphahn | On 09 Jul 2010

Analysis of Internet Patenting Strategies of E-commerce Firms

Patents and patent applications are important indicators of innovative activity in industrial R & D, especially in areas such as Information Technology (IT), where technology growth is rapid. Within...

by Biju Paul Abraham | On 22 Jun 2010

Industrial Tariffs and South Asia I Interpreting for Development

This paper analyses one of the most contentious issues in ongoing negotiations on Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) under the purview of the World Trade Organisation (WTO): the tariff reduction mo...

by Prabhash Ranjan | On 22 Jun 2010

NAMA Tariff Negotiations: What Are South Asia's Best Options?

This paper looks at the possible impact of ongoing tariff negotiations on South Asian countries, namely Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, at an aggregate level or at the Multilateral T...

by Prabhash Ranjan | On 21 Jun 2010

Theun-Hinboun: Expanding Failure

The Theun-Hinboun Expansion Project – a dam and diversion project under construction in Central Laos – violates the Equator Principles and Lao law, according to this report. It documents how Lao villa...

by Ikuko Matsumoto | On 17 Jun 2010

Understanding Vietnam: A Look Beyond Facts and Figures

Vietnam's (re) discovery in recent years by the international investor community gives the country a second chance to become and Asia tiger. The article looks into the economic, social, political, per...

by Tamara Trinh | On 16 Jun 2010

Capital Adequacy Regime in India: An Overview

In this paper an analytical review of the capital adequacy regime and the present state of capital to risk-weighted asset ratio (CRAR) of the banking sector in India has been presented. In the curre...

by Mandira Sarma | On 14 Jun 2010

Book Review:Women's Health: Grounded in Work

Review of Women Work and Health: Current Concerns, Amita Sahaya and Sunita Kaistha (Editors). Published by The Women Press, New Delhi-110007 in association with Women Work and health Initiatives (...

by Ruby Ojha | On 03 Jun 2010

School Educational Attainment in Kerela: Trends and Differentials

This paper examines the trends and differentials in school educational attainment in Kerala, the State that ranks right on top in terms of human development in India. The trend analysis is based on...

by T.R. Dilip | On 02 Jun 2010

Private Sector Industrialization in China: Evidence from Wenzhou

The purpose of this study to help shed light on the entrepreneurship, entrepreneurs and enterprise growth in Wenzhou. The study is done by relying on a probabilistic firm survey that we carried out i...

by John Strauss | On 08 Apr 2010

Implementation of Monetary Policy in India

How does the Reserve Bank of India implement monetary policy? The objectives and framework of monetary policy, as they have evolved, the operational aspects of monetary policy have been discussed. Th...

by Deepak Mohanty | On 08 Apr 2010

Family Planning as ‘Liberation’: The Ambiguities of ‘Emancipation From Biology’ in Keralam

The overall effort of the paper is to highlight the ambiguities of ‘liberation’ in 20th century Keralam and to problematise the tradition/modernity binary that too often organises the writing of th...

by J Devika | On 02 Apr 2010

Planning for Human Settlements in India-Spatial Perspective

This paper examines the basis upon which rural and urban areas are classified as such. It looks into various criteria for the above all over the world and re-iterates the Indian definition of an ‘urba...

by V.K. Dhar | On 22 Mar 2010

Kerala Budget 2010-11

Budget speech by finance minister Dr. Thomas Issac

by Government of Kerala Govt | On 05 Mar 2010

State Aid and Competition in Banking: The Case of China in the Late Nineties

A reduced form model where banks can pursue other goals than profit maximization is presented. This allows us to test for behavioral changes of banks over time. This model provides a framework to e...

by Xiaoqiang Cheng | On 23 Feb 2010

Globalisation Lived Locally: New Forms of Control, Conflict and Response Among Labour in Kerala, Examined Through a Labour Geography Lens

With the support of the labour geography framework, this study tries to analyse how the economic geography of capitalism is shaped by the spatial practices of labour. The model that is taken up is n...

by Neethi P | On 22 Feb 2010

The World Bank: Toward a Global Club

In the light of this simple idea of the bank as a global credit club, what are the issues that arise with respect to its current governance structure? How might various proposals for reform strength...

by Nancy Birdsall | On 11 Feb 2010

Exchange Market Pressure and Monetary Policy

The objective of this study is to examine empirically the impact of monetary policy on exchange market pressure (EMP) in Bangladesh. EMP is measured as the sum of percentage change of international re...

by Sayera Younus | On 29 Jan 2010

Third Quarter Review of Monetary Policy 2009-10

The Reserve Bank has pursued an accommodative monetary policy beginning mid-September 2008 in order to mitigate the adverse impact of the global financial crisis on the Indian economy. The measures ta...

by D Subbarao | On 29 Jan 2010

Assessing the Fiscal Capacity of Indian Governments

The record of different post reform governments in meeting their targets and improving both delivery and finances is assessed. A variety of indices are constructed, and consistency checks devised to m...

by Ashima Goyal | On 27 Jan 2010

Microfinance and the Millennium Development Goals in Pakistan: Impact Assessment Using Propensity Score Matching

Using data from a survey of clients of a microfinance bank, Khushhali Bank, in 2005, the study revisited the survey data and found that despite the Bank’s strict poverty-targeting program used in cl...

by Sununtar Setboonsarng | On 25 Jan 2010

Water Democracy: Reclaiming Public Water in Asia

This collection of 19 new essays written by civil society activists, trade unionists and other water practitioners, presents examples of ongoing struggles against water privatization and commercia...

by Focus on the Global South FGS | On 22 Jan 2010

Measures of Inflation in India: Issues and Perspectives

A review of the various primary measures of inflation with a particular reference to the divergence between WPI and CPI. Focus is also given on different secondary (derived) measures of inflation, par...

by Deepak Mohanty | On 21 Jan 2010

Why Bihar is Poor?

Bihar has achieved double-digit economic growth over the past five years is a wonder

by T.N. Ninan | On 21 Jan 2010

Market-Based Approaches to Environmental Management: A Review of Lessons from Payment for Environmental Services in Asia

Market-based approaches to environmental management, such as payment for environmental services (PES), have attracted unprecedented attention during the past decade. PES policies, in particular, hav...

by Bhim Adhikari | On 20 Jan 2010

Book Review: Microfinance-Is it a means of Empowering Women?

Multiple Meanings of Money: How Women See Microfinance by Smita Premchander, V. Prameela, M. Chidambaranathan, L. JeyaseelanSage publication, 2009, Pp 264, Rs. 595/-

by Sanchita Das | On 20 Jan 2010

Social Security Nets for Marine Fisheries

This paper attempts to explain the provision of social security in the fisheries sector of Kerala State in south India. It enumerates the salient achievements and the problems faced by the state in pr...

by John Kurien | On 14 Jan 2010

Key Copenhagen Messages

Climate change is one of the most important issues of the next decades and has the potential to severely impact societies, economies and human wellbeing.

by Caio Koch-Weser | On 16 Dec 2009

A Marketing Scheme for Making Money off Innocent People: A User’s Manual

Firms often give away free goods with the product that they sell. Firms often give stock options to their top management and other employees. Mixing these two practices—giving stock options to consu...

by Kaushik Basu | On 15 Dec 2009

Mobile Commerce, Mobile Banking - The Emerging Paradigm

What is m-banking, Basic characteristics of m-commerce/e-commerce, Evolution of electronic financial services (e-banking/e-commerce/m-banking/m-commerce), Role of non-banks in Indian Payment Scenario....

by Chakrabarty K C | On 14 Dec 2009

Public Private Partnership in Uttar Pradesh Health Care Delivery System- UPHSDP as an Initiative

The objective of the study is to find out the primary reason to encourage public private participation in health care delivery system in Uttar Pradesh and the study also aim to analyse UPHSDP -a Wor...

by Bibi Ishrat Jahan | On 07 Dec 2009

GenNext Banking: Issues and Perspectives

The speech covers the macro setting for GenNext banking by way of discussing the demographic composition of India’s population and the nexus between low dependency ratio and saving. It also provides...

by Chakrabarty K C | On 30 Nov 2009

Should Banking Be Made Boring? - An Indian Perspective

Ills of the banking system that caused the crisis. An extensive analysis of the causes is given. A brief synopsis to provide a backdrop for the ‘boring banking’ discussion is given. [Speech at the Int...

by Duvvuri Subbarao | On 25 Nov 2009

Agricultural Subsidies and Negotiations: Strategies and Options

The paper points out that some provisions of the framework will allow developed countries to maintain and, in some cases, even increase domestic farm support and still remain WTO-compliant. In most ca...

by Parthapratim Pal | On 25 Nov 2009

HIV Prevention in Vulnerable Indian States: Lessons from the Chayan Project

This document highlights the results and associated processes from Chayan’s implementation experience under the RACHNA program. The programmatic framework, designed for low-prevalence contexts in In...

by CARE India | On 20 Nov 2009

Low Income Shelter Financing in Slum Upgrading: India Urban Initiatives

This report summarises findings from the USAID-sponsored project on models of financing for slum upgrading in India, undertaken on behalf of SPARC,a Mumbai-based NGO involved in slum upgrading and th...

by Sally Merrill | On 19 Nov 2009

Gendering Human Development Indices: Recasting the Gender Development Index and Gender Empowerment Measure of India

Gender-related Development Index (GDI) and Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM) developed by UNDP need to be recast to realistically capture the gender gaps in development and empowerment in the Third Wo...

by Government of India Ministry of Women and Child Development | On 10 Nov 2009

Philosophy and Practice of Financial Sector Regulation – Space for Unorthodoxy

Evolution of the financial sector regulation in India, particularly focusing on the elements of the policy framework which have contributed to the broader stability in the financial sector is depicted...

by Shyamala Gopinath | On 05 Nov 2009

Intellectual Property Rights in Indian Agriculture

This paper distinguishes the Intellectual Property Rights relevant to agriculture and explain these rights. The international intellectual property law for these rights will be described. India's in...

by Jayashree Watal | On 03 Nov 2009

The Deluge of Debt: Understanding the Financial Needs of Poor Households

This paper is about the financial lives of poor households. It examines the different sources of income and expenditure of the poor households residing in a coastal settlement in Kerala. The method...

by B. S. Suran | On 29 Oct 2009

Second Quarter Review of Monetary Policy 2009 -10

The repo rate has been kept unchanged at 4.75%. The reverse repo rate left steady at 3.25%. The bank rate has been retained unchanged at 6.0%. The cash reserve ratio (CRR) of scheduled banks has been...

by D Subbarao | On 27 Oct 2009

Learning from Crises

Recollect and recount lessons from crises. The key lessons are how to anticipate and take pre-emptive action and equally important, once you are in the middle of it, how to respond effectively namely,...

by Usha Thorat | On 22 Oct 2009

Emerging Market Concerns: An Indian Perspective

From the perspective of Emerging Market Economies (EMEs) and particularly for that of India, five concerns are expressed. These are: first, timing of exit from the accommodative monetary policy in the...

by D Subbarao | On 15 Oct 2009

Coping with Rising Food Prices: Policy Dilemmas in the Developing World

Rising food prices cause considerable policy dilemmas for developing country governments. Letting domestic prices adjust to reflect the full change in international prices generates inflationary pres...

by Nora Lustig | On 09 Oct 2009

Kerala Fights Clock in ASEAN Free-Trade Deal

The paper discusses the impacts of free-trade policy on the agricultural exports of Kerala.

by Ranjit Devraj | On 08 Oct 2009

Assessing the Impact of Fiscal Policy on Poverty

Fiscal policy measures are a key means by which governments can influence distribution and poverty, but in fact the relationships between fiscal policy and poverty are not well understood. The most c...

by Andrew McKay | On 05 Oct 2009

Size, Efficiency and Financial Reforms in Indian Banking

The study seeks to answer two very basic questions in the Indian context: first, are there economies of scale and scope in Indian banking? In other words, are bigger banks better for India? And, se...

by Pradeep Srivastava | On 23 Sep 2009

Global Warming and Agriculture: New Country Estimates Show Developing Countries Face Declines in Agricultural Productivity

There is a growing recognition that global warming is a problem, but little attention has been paid to the likely impact at the country level, especially in the developing world. The stakes for worl...

by William R Cline | On 23 Sep 2009

Survival Lessons Water Management Traditions in the Central-Western Himalayas

India is home to fantastic water harvesting traditions that have evolved over millennia. The central western Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are no exceptions to these traditions....

by People's Science Institute PSI | On 21 Sep 2009

A Social Cost Approach to Choice at Technology in Building Construction: A Study of Some Alternative Technologies in Kerala

This paper is an attempt to apply the technique of social cost - benefit analysis to the problem of choice of technology in building construction in Kerala. [WP No. 30].

by K P Kannan | On 21 Sep 2009

UCLG Policy Paper on Local Finance

The Policy Paper seeks to give voice to a local government vision on financing and stems from a shared understanding of the challenges we face. The Policy Paper contains 25 concrete recom- mendations...

by UCLG Committee on Local Finance and Development UCLG | On 12 Sep 2009

Food Security in South Asia: Issues and Opportunities

The study aims to identify issues relating to food security, the policy initiatives taken to tackle these issues, evaluate these policies and suggest measures to overcome identified constraints in ord...

by Surabhi Mittal | On 11 Sep 2009

What Is the Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the Banking System in East Asia?

This paper assesses the condition and outlook of the financial sectors—in particular, the banking sector—in the East Asia region in the aftermath of the current global financial crisis. The risks in t...

by Michael Pomerleano | On 07 Sep 2009

Ethics and the World of Finance

How do we, as individuals, approach issues of ethics and values? Are our approaches different in our personal and professional lives? Are issues of ethics different in the financial sector? What are t...

by Duvvuri Subbarao | On 02 Sep 2009

Do Remittances Impact the Economy? Some Empirical Evidences from A Developing Economy

The study attempts to examine the impact of remittances on macroeconomic activities (private consumption and investment) and its implications on economic growth in India for the period from 1966-67 to...

by Hrushikesh Mallick | On 01 Sep 2009

Morbidity Patterns In Kerala: Levels and Determinants

This paper examines the levels, patterns, and determinants of morbidity in Kerala. This study is based on a community survey conducted in 2004, in three districts of the state namely Thiruvananthap...

by Navaneetham K | On 14 Aug 2009

Strengthening Decentralization - Augmenting The Consolidated Fund of the States by the Thirteenth Finance Commission: A Normative Approach

The present study examines issues related to fiscal federalism at the third tier in general and grants to local bodies in particular. The study presents a normative framework to estimate the requireme...

by Abhay Pethe | On 14 Aug 2009

A Glimpse of the Tiger: How Much are Indians Willing to Pay for It?

The recreational demand for the Indian Sundarban, which is a World Heritage site and a complex mangrove ecosystem that borders India and Bangladesh is estimated. Two alternative methodologies exist f...

by Indrila Guha | On 13 Aug 2009

Technology, Financial Inclusion and Role of Urban Cooperative Banks

The focus should be to simplify the technology which can operate on any platform. The technology solution to the business needs should be user-friendly without much third-party or IT vendor interventi...

by Chakrabarty K C | On 11 Aug 2009

Village Development Boards (VDBs) in Nagaland

The article describes the constitution and functions of Village Development Boards (VDBs) in NAGALAND where VDBs are considered as “Financial Intermediaries” or “Non-Banking Financial Intermediaries”....

by Karmakar K G | On 06 Aug 2009

A Model of Market Clearing Exchange Rates

This paper formulates a model of exchange rate determination that describes the market processes by which the foreign exchange markets are cleared and international receipts of countries are brought...

by Rajas Parchure | On 06 Aug 2009

Hong Kong's Banks During the Financial Crisis

Despite the negative impact of the current crisis and many remaining uncertainties about the actual economic recovery path, the medium-term outlook for Hong Kong’s banks remains favourable.

by Robert Mülhaupt | On 15 Jul 2009

Self-help Co-operatives, Deposit Mobilisation and Supply of Credit

The paper is aimed at exploring as to how such co-operatives (i) function and deal with members while delivering micro finance; (ii) mobilise funds, and (iii) get shaped and reshape the contents of me...

by Gagan Bihari Sahu | On 09 Jul 2009

What Rachna Has Done So Far: Program Description

This paper provides an overview of the background, objectives, interventions and impact hypotheses of Integrated Nutrition and Health Project (INHP-II) and Chayan rural, the implementation approaches...

by Rachna Program | On 07 Jul 2009

Labour and Trade Unions in the Financial Sector: Challenges and Perspectives in Contemporary Brazil

The configuration of the liquid wealth involved a reorganization of society and the financial system with on labour and trade union organization in Brazil. The changes involved the redefinition of the...

by Jose Ricrado Goncalves | On 06 Jul 2009

Report of the Internal Working Group on Debt Management

Establishing a debt management office would consolidate all debt management functions in a single agency, and be the catalyst for wider institutional reform and transparency about public debt. It is i...

by Ministry of Finance | On 04 Jul 2009

Reserve Bank of India Statistics Day- Governor's Inaugural Address

The third Annual Statistics Day Conference of the Reserve Bank. It has now become a tradition for to mark the Statistics Day as a tribute to late Professor P.C. Mahalanobis and his colossal contributi...

by D Subbarao | On 02 Jul 2009

Preliminary Note on Financial Crisis and Trade and Investment Treaties

North-South free trade agreements (FTAs), bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments often contain a number of provisions that can increase the likelihood of a...

by Third World Network | On 28 Jun 2009

Subnational Taxes in Developing Countries: The Way Forward

It is critical to emphasize that intergovernmental fiscal relations must be thought of as a system and that all the pieces in the system must fit together if decentralization is to work properly. Vari...

by Richard.M. Bird | On 16 Jun 2009

Access to Banking Services and Poverty Reduction: A State-wise Assessment in India

Financial inclusion is the broad based delivery of banking and other financial services at affordable cost to the poorest sections of the society. In India, financial inclusion emphasizes to include m...

by Amit. K. Bhandari | On 16 Jun 2009

A New Debt Crisis? Assessing the Impact of the Financial Crisis on Developing Countries

This report is intended as a wake-up call to anyone who thinks the developing world debt crisis has been resolved. In fact, it assesses fears of a new debt crisis, more serious than before, spreading...

by Sarah Edwards | On 11 Jun 2009

Initiatives of NGOs in Kutch Region

Many NGOs occupy a space between public and private sector organisations, and the papers in this special issue demonstrate that the mechanisms required for effective accountability by these NGOs are u...

by Kalpana C Satija | On 06 Jun 2009

The Relationship Between Socio-Economic Status and Malaria: A Review of the Literature

Malaria is frequently referred to as a disease of the poor or a disease of poverty. A better understanding of the linkages between malaria and poverty is needed to guide the design of coherent and eff...

by Eve Worrall | On 03 Jun 2009

Background Paper: Investment Liberalization in the EU-ASEAN FTA

This background paper focuses on the implications of investment liberalization on ASEAN nations. [FGS OP NO 5]

by Ignacio Jose Minambres | On 31 May 2009

Trading our Way Out of the Financial Crisis: The Need for WTO Reform

In the context of the deepening global crisis that is pushing millions more women, children, and men into poverty in developing countries, development should be the centerpiece of reforming the global...

by Kevin P. Gallagher | On 29 May 2009

Information Technology and Banking – A Continuing Agenda

Speech is about the role of IT in the Indian financial sector [Keynote address at the Banking Technology Awards 2008 of the Institute for Development & Research in Banking Technology, Hyderabad].

by D Subbarao | On 25 May 2009

Aids In India

This paper revolves around the Public health related aspects of industrial and intellectual property rights policies in a developing country with respect to Aids in India. It also focusses on its prev...

by Samira Guennif | On 22 May 2009

Summary of the Welcome Remarks by Dr.Bimal Jalan, Governor, at the 11th C.D. Deshmukh Memorial Lecture

Dr. Bimal Jalan, Governor gave a welcome remark to Prof. Charles Goodhart on his 11th C. D. Deshmukh Memorial Lecture on 'Whither Central Banking ?' This paper revolves around Dr. Jalan's summary and...

by Dr Bimal Jalan | On 21 May 2009

Macroeconometric Policy Modeling for India: A Review of Some Analytical Issues

Macroeconomic modelling is generally motivated by two objectives: forecasting and more significantly, policy analysis. In pursuit of both these objectives, every model must ideally satisfy four crite...

by V. Pandit | On 16 May 2009

Backward Linkages of Foreign Subsidiaries in Guangdong, China: A Country- of –Origin Analysis

Multinational companies exercise their impact on the economic development of the host countries and regions through Foreign Direct Investments (FDI). The host countries tap the benefits from these FDI...

by Filip De Beule | On 15 May 2009

Global Burden of Disease Measures for Depression - Time for a Rethink

This paper reassesses the nature of the epidemiological evidence underpinning one of the Global Burden of Disease topics: the estimate for the global burden of depression. Specifically, we look at the...

by Petra Brhlikova | On 14 May 2009

The Two Waves of Service-Sector Growth

This paper will hopefully provide an important methodological tool for all researchers who may be attempting to analyze and explain the growth of the service sector and its share in the Indian GDP o...

by Barry Eichengreen | On 08 May 2009

Gender and Innovation in South Asia

To understand how gender, women’s rights and citizenship intersect with innovation in SouthAsia, one must begin by considering some of the main features of life for South Asian women, about a half of...

by Sujata Byravan | On 06 May 2009

Globalisation Produces Good Outcomes, Enhance Them: Prof Bhagwati

This paper talks of good outcomes of Globalisation which needs to be further inproved wherein Institutional response mechanisms should be designed to address any problems that may arise in specific ar...

by Jagdish Bhagwati | On 03 May 2009

Promoting Sustainable Agriculture: Experiences from India and Canada

Agriculture sector, world over, has experienced a phenomenal growth since the mid-twentieth century. The growth, driven by Green Revolution technology, has made a significant dent on aggregate supply...

by Amita Shah | On 02 May 2009

Press Freedom: World Review:June-December 2008

Attacks on journalists throughout the world -- by organised crime groups in Latin America, autocratic regimes in the Middle East, repressive governments in Africa and by combatants in war zones -- pos...

by World Association of Newspapers WAN | On 28 Apr 2009

Making the Politician and the Bureaucrat Deliver: Employment Guarantee in India

The paper examines the division of tasks required between politicians and bureaucrats to run an effective rural employment guarantee scheme (EGS) in India, in the context of Indian history and habits.

by Ashima Goyal | On 21 Apr 2009

Reserve Bank of India Platinum Jubilee Celebrations - Governor’s Address to Staff

The main question that the Governor is asking to the RBI staff is "how can I do my job better so that I can make a positive difference to the country?"

by Duvvuri Subbarao | On 08 Apr 2009

Karnataka Budget 2009-10

Budget speech by finance minister of Karnataka

by Government of Karnataka GoK | On 24 Feb 2009

Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on India Collateral Damage and Response

The impact of economic crisis on India has been analysed in the speech. [Speech delivered at the Symposium on 'The Global Economic Crisis and Challenges for the Asian Economy in a Changing World'].

by Duvvuri Subbarao | On 24 Feb 2009

Kerala Budget Speech 2009-10

Budget speech by finance minister Dr. Thomas Issac

by Government of Kerala Govt | On 23 Feb 2009

Addressing 'Stagdeflation' with Nouriel Roubini

Nouriel Roubini, professor of Economics at the Stern School of Business, New York University, christened Dr.Doom by the US business media, is not given to wearing rose coloured glasses. He does not se...

by Charles Krusen | On 24 Jan 2009

Costs of Basic Services in Kerala, 2007, Education, Health, Childbirth and Finance (Loans)

The focus of this study is to analyze the pattern and costs of services in four areas, which critically affect most households in Kerala . The major concerns of this paper include answers to questio...

by Zachariah KC | On 12 Jan 2009

Report on the GLobal Financial Crisis and Kerala Economy: Impact and Mitigation Measures

This preliminary report has been prepared with a view to assist the state government in understanding the implications of the crisis, so that appropriate policies and programmes could be chalked to de...

by Centre for Development Studies CDS | On 02 Jan 2009

Child Labour in Kerala's Coir Industry-Study of Few Selected Villages

The objective of this study is to report on the extent and nature of involvement of children in the coir industry. For this purpose, it was decided to study only those operations of the industry in w...

by Leela Gulati | On 24 Dec 2008

Environmental Standards as Strategic Outcomes: A Simple Model

This paper examines the strategic nature of choice of environmental standards under different degrees of openness of countries. It also compares and contrasts equilibrium environmental standards and...

by Rabindra N Bhattacharya | On 23 Dec 2008

The Global Financial Turmoil and Challenges for the Indian Economy

Perspective on the current global turmoil, its impact on India, the outlook for the Indian economy and the challenges that lie ahead for the Indian banking system, in particular. [Speech delivered at...

by D Subbarao | On 19 Dec 2008

Reducing Currency and Maturity Mismatch

The main objectives of this report are to identify and propose policies, factors and conditions that could mitigate or avoid double mismatches. policies here means any course of action pursued and ad...

by Khee-Giap Tan | On 19 Dec 2008

Educational Reforms in India: Universalisation of Primary Education in Kerala

The history and evolution and the factors underlying the success of primary education in Kerala. [CDS WP 189].

by P R Gopinathan Nair | On 10 Dec 2008

Global and Regional Shocks: Challenges to Asian

Two major economic problems are currently shadowing Asian economies. On the one hand, the slowdown in the US economy, ignited by the subprime mortgage crisis, may not be confined to the US region...

by Kwanho Shin | On 05 Dec 2008

Reporting on Violence: New Ideas for Television, Print and Web

This handbook gives information about violence like domestic or family violence and youth violence. It also provides suggestions to public health departments on the ways to deal with such crimes. Addi...

by Jane Ellen Stevens | On 04 Dec 2008

Heterogeneity, Commons and Privatization: Agrarian Institutional Change in Goa

A case study in Goa is used to examine whether tenure security and asset re-distribution can lead to environmentally sustainable outcomes.

by Pranab Mukhopadhyay | On 28 Nov 2008

Contemporary International and Domestic Banking Developments and the Emerging Challenges

A broad overview, from the Indian perspective, of the factors underlying the credit market crisis in the west, the implications of the crisis for the financial sector, lessons learnt from it, the var...

by Leeladhar V | On 25 Nov 2008

Values and Meanings of Citizenship

What does citizenship mean to poor and socially excluded people? How do their views help us understand and analyse what 'inclusive' citizenship means?

by Naila Kabeer | On 20 Nov 2008

Ensuring ‘Collective Action’ in ‘Participatory’ Forest Management

This paper is based on a qualitative analysis of three case studies, each belonging to one of three types of institutional structures: Self-initiated, NGO-promoted, and Government-sponsored JFM. The b...

by Rucha Ghate | On 14 Nov 2008

Trade in Health Services

The paper provides an overview of the nature of trade in health services in the world economy. It oulines some of the general implications of trade in health services for national health systems for a...

by Rupa Chanda | On 13 Nov 2008

World Development Report 2007 Development and the Next Generation

The Report examines five pivotal phases of life that can help unleash the development of young people’s potential with the right government policies: learning, working, staying healthy, forming famili...

by World Bank | On 11 Nov 2008

Semi-Feudalism and Perpetual Indebtedness

The implications of removing some of the restrictive assumptions of a model of semi-feudalism formulated by A.Bhaduri are examined. [WP no. 16].

by N. Krishnaji | On 10 Nov 2008

Electricity and Rural Development Linkages

This paper discusses the criticality of electricity the vital modern economic infrastucture concerning its role in and nexus with rural development. Introducing broad issues in rural infrastructure an...

by Keshab Das | On 06 Nov 2008

World Urban Youth Forum, Nanjing: Concept Note

The Fourth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF4) will be held in China, Nanjing 03-06 November 2008. The forum is convened pursuant to the resolution of 18th session of the Commission on Human Set...

by UN-HABITAT UNHABITAT | On 31 Oct 2008

India’s Macroeconomic Performance and Policies Since 2000

The paper reviews India’s macroeconomic performance and policies since 2000. The first section briefly summarizes key macroeconomic developments regarding economic growth, inflation, external balance...

by Shankar Acharya | On 29 Oct 2008

Dynamics of Rural Water Supply in Coastal Kerala: A Sustainable Development View

This paper examines empirically within sustainable development framework the dynamics of coverage in rural drinking water supply of 180 demand-driven schemes from Malappuram, predominantly a coastal...

by K Pushpangadan | On 27 Oct 2008

Deconstructing China’s and India’s Growth: The Role of Financial Policies

This paper uses the standard one-sector neoclassical growth model to investigate why China’s consumption has been low and investment high. This paper looks into the role played by the financial sector...

by Jahangir Aziz | On 07 Oct 2008

Issues Before the Thirteenth Finance Commission

The paper argues that irrespective of the wording of the Terms of Reference (ToR), the Commission would do well to focus on its primary task of recommending transfers to serve the objective of equit...

by M.Govinda Rao | On 06 Oct 2008

Agriculture and NAMA Negotiations: Searching for the Landing Zone.

This Centad working paper takes a critical look at the Hong Kong Ministerial text on agriculture and NAMA. On the basis of this analysis, the paper suggests specific and important negotiating points f...

by Prabhash Ranjan | On 30 Sep 2008

Payment and Settlement System in India

The lecture is about the payment system in India, which is an important element of the financial sector infrastructure. The lecture also shows the evolution and objectives of the Indian payment system...

by Leeladhar V | On 25 Sep 2008

Findings oF the Jury Independent People's Tribunal on the World Bank in India

It was considered important to undertake a broad-spectrum enquiry into the World Bank and the functioning of its allies and to review their impacts nationally. This is the origin of the Independent Pe...

by Independent People's Tribunal | On 24 Sep 2008

Pakistan Budget in Brief 2008

Budget in Brief is designed to summarize the detailed information into an overview comprising essential information about expenditure and receipt and the resulting budget balance.

by Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan, | On 22 Sep 2008

Malnutrition among Women in Kerala: An Analysis of Trends, Differentials and Determinants

This paper attempts to examine the trends in the shift from underweight to overweight and identify the major determinants of the co-existence of ‘double burden’ of malnutrition among women of reproduc...

by P Ramesh | On 19 Sep 2008

Financial Inclusion and Information Technology

Today banks have centralised operations, more and more banks and branches are moving to CBS , network based computing, new delivery channels such as networked ATMs, internet banking, smart card based...

by Usha Thorat | On 16 Sep 2008

Rising Inequality With High Growth Isn't This Trend Worrisome? Analysis of Kerala Experience

The relation between growth, inequality and poverty is the central theme of the paper. While the fast economic growth under the neo-liberal policy regime helps reduce poverty, it increases inequality...

by KK Subrahmanian | On 16 Sep 2008

Nepal's Community Forestry Funds:Do They Benifit the Poor?

Funds generated through community forestry offer crucial and significant resources for rural in Nepal. This study examines forestry funds in 100 communities in three districts to assess how large they...

by Ridish K. Pokharel | On 11 Sep 2008

Educational Attainment of Youth and Implications forIndian Labour Market: An Exploration through Data

The link between education and labour market has a profound intellectual lineage, spanning across schools. An integrating view shared by these perspectives is the significance of education as a pivo...

by G.D Bino Paul | On 10 Sep 2008

Does Tourism Contribute to Local Livelihoods? A Case Study of Tourism, Poverty and Conservation in the Indian Sundarbans

This study examines the contribution of tourism towards improving the livelihoods of local people in a remote island village of the Indian Sundarbans.

by Indrila Guha | On 18 Aug 2008

WCD Thematic Review 1.3:Social Aspects: Contributing Paper: Displacement, Resettlement, Rehabilitation, Reparation and Development

This paper seeks primarily to establish some benchmarks for policy and law for displacement and rehabilitation in India. It will do this by looking briefly at the actual experience of displacement due...

by Ravi Hemadri | On 14 Aug 2008

The Indian Banking Industry – A Retrospect of Select Aspects

A broad overview of the achievements and progress made by the Indian banking sector in the last two decades and the emerging frontiers of the Indian banking system, in the post-reform era. [Address d...

by Leeladhar V | On 11 Aug 2008

Banking Sector Reforms and Equity a Sub-Regional Analysis in Andhra Pradesh

In this study an attempt is made to examine the equity aspect due to reforms in the banking sector at sub-regional level in the state of Andhra Pradesh covering the period 1985 to 2004. [CESS WP 68]...

by K S Reddy | On 04 Aug 2008

Distress Debt and Suicides among Agrarian Households: Findings from Three Villages in Kerala

The factors and process underlying agrarian distress in Kerala by undertaking the case studies of three villages situated in Wayanad and Idukki districts namely, Cherumad, Kappikkunnu and Upputhara. T...

by K.N. Nair | On 31 Jul 2008

Macroeconomic and Monetary Developments First Quarter Review 2008-09

The Reserve Bank released the document “Macroeconomic and Monetary Developments: First Quarter Review 2008-09” to serve as a backdrop to the First Quarter Review of Annual Policy Statement for 2008-0...

by Reserve Bank of India | On 28 Jul 2008

Facts about Adolescence from the Demographic and Health Survey

In the mid 1990s the issue of adult fertility was of great concern for those who were working on the adolescence issues. Particularly fertility outside marriage. As an international scientific organi...

by Population Council | On 04 Jul 2008

Draft Modalities for Non-Agricultural Market Access: Second Revision

The chair of the Non Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) negotiating group, ambassador Don Stephenson, released on 19 May 2008 the revised draft negotiating text to focus further discussions towards mod...

by World Trade Organisation WTO | On 19 Jun 2008

Interest Rate Modeling and Forecasting in India

The interest rate is a key financial variable that affects decision of consumers, businesses, financial institutions, professional investors and policymakers. Timely forecast of interest rates can the...

by Pami Dua | On 13 Jun 2008

Children’s Perception of Sarkar: A Critique of Civics Textbooks

Where do we locate the value of political education in our country, which has largely been imparted under the category of civics? Since textbooks are on possible site for finding answers, this study...

by Alex M. George | On 29 May 2008

Gujjar protest and Reservation Politics

Successive governmental commissions have held that Gujjars do not meet the criteria for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes. The Gujjar protest has ramifications beyond the States where they live. If th...

by Asian Centre for Human Rights ACHR | On 28 May 2008

Towards a Less Imperfect State of the World: The Gulf Between North and South

Many developing countries assert a claim to the privilege of managing world order on a shared basis but exhibit a strong reluctance to accept the responsibility flowing from such privilege, for exampl...

by Ramesh Thakur | On 14 May 2008

Medical Ethics Education in Britain, 1963-1993: Volume 31

Medical ethics did not become a recognized subject in the syllabus of Britain's medical schools until 1993. This Witness Seminar transcript records the development of international ethical codes, the...

by The Wellcome Trust Centre for History of Medicine WTC UCL | On 02 May 2008

Clinical Research in Britain, 1950–1980: Volume 7

The growth of clinical research in the UK since the Second World War is examined, including the 1953 Cohen Report and the subsequent creation of the Medical Research Council’s Clinical Research Board....

by The Wellcome Trust Centre for History of Medicine WTC UCL | On 02 May 2008

Draft Report of the Committee on financial Sector Reforms

The financial sector has built capabilities such that, with appropriate policy changes, it can grow tremendously, both domestically and internationally. the report touches upon two reasons for financi...

by Raghuram G. Rajan | On 14 Apr 2008

Tamil Nadu Budget 2008-09

Speech of Prof. K. Anbazhagan, Minister for Finance, Government of Tamil Nadu, presenting the Budget for 2008-2009 to the Legislative Assembly on 20th March, 2008.

by Tamil Nadu Government | On 25 Mar 2008

ICT and Employment Promotion Among Poor Women: How Can We Make It Happen? Some Reflections On Kerala's Experience

This paper deals with the integration of gender in policies relating to information and communication technology to empower socially excluded poor women as producers of this technology. In this contex...

by Mohanan Pillai P | On 25 Mar 2008

Stagflation Cometh

The good times may be ending. There have been worries for years about the global imbalances caused by America’s huge overseas borrowing. America, in turn, said that the world should be thankful: by li...

by Joseph E. Stiglitz | On 17 Mar 2008

Stagflation Cometh

The good times may be ending. There have been worries for years about the global imbalances caused by America’s huge overseas borrowing. America, in turn, said that the world should be thankful: by li...

by | On 17 Mar 2008

Inclusive Growth - The Role of Banks in Emerging Economies

Speech describes India’s experiences on ‘Inclusive Growth’ - a topic which is both current and close to the hearts of public policymakers and central bankers of emerging economies. [Independence Comme...

by Usha Thorat | On 14 Mar 2008

Kerala Budget Speech 2008-09

Budget speech 2008-09 by Finance Minister Dr. Thomas Issac

by Government of Kerala Govt | On 07 Mar 2008

Trends in Religious Differentials in Fertility, Kerala, India: An Analysis of Birth Intervals

The paper examines fertility differentials among the three religion groups, Hindu, Muslim and Christian, and trends in these based on data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-1). [WP No. 167]...

by Manoj Alagarajan | On 26 Feb 2008

Alinging Development, Air Quality and Climate Policies for Muliple Dividends

This paper focuses on the policy direction required to achieve socio-economic growth in developing countries while addressing air pollution concerns at both local and global levels. While greenhouse g...

by Deepa Menon Choudhary | On 25 Feb 2008

Current Issues in Agriculture Credit in India: An Assessment

This paper attempts to analyse the issues in agricultural credit in India. The analysis reveals that the credit delivery to the agriculture sector continues to be inadequate. It appears that the banki...

by Ramesh Golait | On 22 Feb 2008

Regulation of Informal Financial Institutions: A Study of Money Lenders in Kerala

The working of money lenders in Kerala are analysed. Based on a sample survey, the paper has estimated the volume of deposits and credits extended by money lenders in Kerala and has brought out the un...

by P D Jeromi | On 13 Feb 2008

Speech of the Finance Minister at the Annual Economic Editors’ Conference

Shows how the macro economic variables of Indian Economy are performing.

by P Chidambaram | On 11 Feb 2008

Livelihood Risks and Coping Strategies: A Case Study in the Agrarian Village Of Cherumad, Kerala

The various dimensions of livelihood risk as informed by a in-depth case study of an agrarian village namely, Cherumad in Kerala is examined. [WP no. 394].

by K.N. Nair | On 06 Feb 2008

Gender Planning, Budgeting and Auditing

This manual is intended to help local governments to uphold the human rights of women, by involving them in identifying their needs and with their participation, to find possible solutions and move to...

by Aleyamma Vijayan | On 04 Feb 2008

What is Middle Class About the Middle Classes Around the World?

Household surveys from 13 developing countries are used to describe consumption choices, health and education investments, employment patterns and other features of the of the economic lives of the “m...

by Abhijit Banerjee | On 31 Jan 2008

Municipal Finance in India:An Assessment

This study, entitled “Municipal Finance in India – An Assessment”, undertaken for the Development Research Group (DRG), Reserve Bank of India examines the performance of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in I...

by P K Mohanty | On 29 Jan 2008

Who Can Rule?

As the title of the article says, the question asked here is who can fight terrorisn in Pakistan?

by T.N. Ninan | On 21 Jan 2008

Managing Migration in thePhilippines: Lessons for India

The significance of international migration in the Philippines economy and society is discussed. The Government of Philippines plays a supportive and regulatory role promoting internationational migr...

by S. Irudaya Rajan | On 19 Jan 2008

Migration, Remittances and Short-term Trends and Long-term Implications

The results of the 2007 round of the Migration Monitoring Studies (MMS) being conducted periodically by the Centre for Development Studies. It covers three areas: migration, remittances and employment...

by Zachariah KC | On 09 Jan 2008

Agrarian Distress and Rural Livelihoods A Study in Upputhara Panchayat Idukki District, Kerala

This study examines the impact of agrarian distress on the different socio-economic groups, the strategies of livelihood adopted by households and the local institution in shaping these strategies. Th...

by K.N. Nair | On 02 Jan 2008

PPP at Work

Two years later Delhi will have an airport that can handle 40-50 million passengers-making it one of the 10 largest in the world. And it will have been built in barely half the time that it took Singa...

by T.N. Ninan | On 19 Dec 2007

The Growing Importance of Emerging Economies in the Globalised World and its Implications for the International Financial Architecture

The growing importance of India and other emerging economies in the globalized world are given in this lecture. This group of economies is not easy to define. However, some reflections on the implicat...

by Jean-Claude Trichet | On 30 Nov 2007

Bancassurance : A Feasible Strategy for Banks in India ?

The scope for bancassurance models as feasible source of sustainable income to banking sector is explored by exploiting the synergy in the context of India having the largest banking network on the on...

by Karunagaran A | On 27 Nov 2007

Fasten Your Seatbelts! Monetary Policy Challenges in Turbulent Times

One of the burning issues at the moment relates to increasing the “voice” or representation of emerging-market economies in international financial institutions such as the IMF and World Bank. There a...

by Mboweni T.T. | On 13 Nov 2007

Monetary Conditions Index for India

The authors attempt to construct a monetary conditions index (MCI) for India in order to take both interest rate and exchange rate channels simultaneously into consideration while evaluating the stanc...

by Kannan R | On 08 Nov 2007

Thirty Ways to Improve the Health of the World’s Poorest People

Only when (and if) the “haves” develop genuine empathy for the “have-nots,” and come to acknowledge their own long-term interdependence with all other humans, will the global economy be improved to an...

by PLoS Medicine | On 06 Nov 2007

Book Review: Managing Natural Resources: Civil Society Initiatives

Review of Community-based Natural Resource Management Issues and Cases from South Asia by Ajith Menon, Praveen Singh, Esha Shah, Sharachchandra Lele, Suhas Paranjape, K.J. Joy Sage Publications, New D...

by Santhakumar V | On 05 Nov 2007

Customer Centricity and the Reserve Bank

The Reserve Bank, as the regulator of the banking sector, has been actively engaged, from the very beginning, in the review, examination and evaluation of customer service in the banks. It has been re...

by Leeladhar V | On 26 Oct 2007

‘A People United In Development’: Developmentalism In Modern Malayalee Identity

The attempt is to draw upon public sphere debates in Malayalee society in the immediate post-independence decades, more specifically on speech and writing accruing around the distinctiveness of Malaya...

by J Devika | On 23 Oct 2007

Non Deliverable Foreign Exchange Forward Market: An Overview

Recognising the growing activity in the non deliverable forward (NDF) market in the recent years, the paper attempts to present a detailed analysis of the NDF market with special focus on Indian rupee...

by Sangita Misra | On 22 Oct 2007

Report on National Mineral Policy

Even after five years of after the liberalisation of the investment regime India has failed to attract FDI to come to the mining sector. In the last decade, many developing countries have significantl...

by Planning Commission, India | On 18 Oct 2007

A Review of Trends in Banking Indicators in North Eastern Region of India

The rapid growth in banking indicators in the North Eastern region of India following nationalisation of 14 major banks in 1969 and another six in 1980 based on social banking was sustained or not are...

by Amarendra Sahoo | On 16 Oct 2007

Recent Financial Market Developments and Implications for Monetary Policy

The nature of the financial turbulence that happened recently in US and Europe, why it happened, where it happened, and the implications for central banks. Some of the forces that led up to and charac...

by Rakesh Mohan | On 12 Oct 2007

Why Don’t Small and Medium Enterprises Innovate More : Creating a Cooperative Learning Environment at Individual, Firm and Regional Level

In a globalising economy, regional or national benchmarks do not suffice any more. Be it technology or business method or practices, Indian small scale entrepreneurs will have to benchmark their curre...

by Anil K Gupta | On 10 Oct 2007

Elements of Effective Central Banking: Theory, Practice, and History

The key elements of effective central banking that account for much of the improvement in monetary policy around the world today are outlined and explained. The past quarter of the century has been a...

by Marvin Goodfriend | On 09 Oct 2007

Report of the Working Group on Preparing Guidelines for Access to Payment Systems

The Reserve Bank had constituted an internal working group to review the existing access criteria and suggest changes that may be adopted for access to Payment and Settlement Systems. The Group has pr...

by Reserve Bank of India | On 05 Oct 2007

The Indian Economic Journal, January 2007

CHIUNG-JU HUANG : Wagner's Law : Empirical Evidence for China and Taiwan CHIAO-YI CHANG, CHING-FU CHEN AND I-YUAN CHUANG : Does Asian Financial Crisis Change Price Co-Movements in East Asia. G. RAM...

by Department of Economics DoE, Allahabad University | On 01 Oct 2007

Tracking Functional Devolution by States to Panchayats

The Eleventh Schedule added to the Constitution by the Seventy-third Amendment lists twenty-nine functions devolvable by States to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). States were free to set the sp...

by Indira Rajaraman | On 28 Sep 2007

Liberation, August 2007

Presidential Polls 2 Woman President, Women's Empowerment 3 1857 4 Corruption in Kerala CPI(M) 7 Crackdown in Campuses 9 Mining Policy 11 Dollar Millionaires in India 12 Public Transport...

by Liberation | On 20 Sep 2007

Holding Companies in Banking Groups

RBI seeks comments from the public for this paper. Comments may be sent to the Chief General Manager-in-Charge, Department of Banking Operations and Development, Reserve Bank of India, Central Office,...

by Reserve Bank of India | On 19 Sep 2007

India’s Preparedness for Basel II Implementation

Evolution of the revised framework, its broad structure, preparatory measures taken by the RBI for implementing this framework and the challenges that will need to be tackled in migration to Basel II...

by Leeladhar V | On 14 Sep 2007

Get a Life!

The life of an investment banker in New York who is dealing in the collateralised debt obligation (CDO) market.

by T.N. Ninan | On 28 Aug 2007

Demand and Supply Factors in the Determination of India's Disaggragated Manufactured Exports: A Simultaneous Error-Correction Approach

An investigation of the demand and supply factors underlying the long-term behaviour of India’s disaggregated manufactured exports. An imperfect substitutes demand-supply model of export determination...

by Saikat Sinha Roy | On 20 Aug 2007

Pesticide Use in the Rice Bowl of Kerala: Health Costs and Policy Options

The pesticide use in Kuttanad, India, an ecologically sensitive area often referred to as the rice bowl of Kerala is examined. Using primary data collected from pesticide applicators and farm labor, t...

by Indira Devi P | On 17 Aug 2007

On the Relevance of the Median Voter to Resource Allocation amongst Jurisdictions

Allocation of local public good over three jurisdictions with individuals with heterogeneous tastes, in a model with democratic institutions and majority rule. The nature of electoral uncertainty, the...

by Santhanu Gupta | On 16 Aug 2007

The Micro Financial Sector (Development and Regulation) Bill, 2007: Legislative Brief

While the Bill promotes the activities of MFOs, there are differing opinions on the cost efficiency of the MFO model. �� NABARD is designated as the regulator of the micro financial s...

by Kaushiki Sanyal | On 08 Aug 2007

The Micro Financial Sector (Development and Regulation)Bill 2007

The Micro Financial Sector (Development and Regulation) Bill, 2007 seeks to promote the sector and regulate micro financial organisations (MFO). 􀂐 National Bank for Agriculture and Rural D...

by Ministry of Law | On 08 Aug 2007

First Quarter Review of Monetary Policy: Underlying Macroeconomics

An overview of domestic and global macroeconomic developments [Valedictory address at the High Powered Macroeconomic Workshop organised by the State Bank of India].

by Rakesh Mohan | On 08 Aug 2007

Essays: Monetary Policy: Satisfy China’s Demand for Money

A talk with Nobel economics laureate Robert Mundell on how Beijing can keep the yuan’s value fixed and still avoid inflation. China’s high balance of payments surplus and pressure on the yuan could be...

by Hugo Restall | On 04 Aug 2007

Development Disparity in Education Sector: An Inter District Temporal Analysis in Kerala

This study aims to identify the trend and disparity in development in the education sector at the district level; examine the factors that led to this inter district variation in education sector deve...

by V. Nagarajan Naidu | On 03 Aug 2007

Impact of Special Economic Zones on Employment, Poverty and Human Development

There are three channels through which SEZs address these issues: employment generation, skill formation (human capital development), and technology and knowledge upgradation. It examines how the imp...

by Aradhna Aggarwal | On 02 Aug 2007

First Quarter Review of the Annual Policy Statement on Monetary Policy for the Year 2007-08

*Bank Rate kept unchanged *Cash Reserve Ratio to be increased by 50 basis points to 7.0 per cent with effect from the fortnight beginning August 4, 2007 *GDP growth projection for 2007-08...

by Y V Reddy | On 31 Jul 2007

Economic and Social Dynamics of Migration in Kerala, 1999-2004 Analysis of Panel Data

Panel studies based on the same set of sample households or individuals at two points of time 5 or 10 years apart are time consuming and are relatively rare in social science research. Such a method,...

by Zachariah KC | On 23 Jul 2007

eHealth – eCommunication- A Vision to Overcome the Gap Between Developed and Under Developed World

e-Health and e-communication helps to overcome the gap between the developed and underdeveloped world. e-health is helping the access of health care easily from one country to another[Power Point Pres...

by Hubert Hagg | On 12 Jul 2007

Glimpses of Indian Economy and its Financial Sector

A brief introduction to Reserve Bank of India, followed by glimpses of the Indian economy. A detailed account of reforms in India’s financial sector, in particular, the banking sector, and financial m...

by Y V Reddy | On 05 Jul 2007

Reflections on Global Account Imbalances and Emerging Markets Reserve Accumulation

The lecture focuses on some implications -- both positive and normative -- of the most surprising development in the international financial system over the last half dozen years. That development is...

by Lawrence H. Summers | On 05 Jul 2007

Impact of U.S. Federal Interest Rate and Movement of MSCI on Indian Capital Markets

The relationship between Indian macro-economic factors and economic growth has been analyzed by a number of empirical studies. This paper re-examines the sources of variability in the Indian economy f...

by Bharat Chadha | On 26 Jun 2007

Industrial Growth in Kerala: Trends and Explanations

The study traces the trends in industrial growth against the backdrop of the overall economic growth in Kerala under the influence of the ongoing economic reforms and evaluates it against the performa...

by KK Subrahmanian | On 14 Jun 2007

Productivity and Efficiency at Public and Private Sector Banks in India

A comparison between PSBs and their private sector counterparts based on measures of efficiency and productivity that use quantities of outputs and inputs. Efficiency measures a firm’s performance rel...

by TT Ram Mohan | On 04 Jun 2007

In Conversation with Mohammed Yunus

In Mumbai to open an office of the Grameen Foundation, Professor Yunus spoke on the growing role of microfinance in the global economy, the challenges the sector faces in moving from the informal t...

by Kala Rao | On 14 May 2007

Trade Facilitation: A Brief Negotiating History

This article traces the history of negotiations in the WTO on Trade Facilitation, the only Singapore issue that has survived beyond Doha and Cancun. Last ten years of sustained work by the negotiators...

by Shashank Priya | On 27 Mar 2007

State Budget, 2007-08: Kerala: New Development Agenda: Will the State Overcome Obstacles?

The Budget for 2007-08, the year being the first year of the Eleventh Plan, has done reasonable justice to support the Plan and take Kerala on a higher growth path. However, there are external constr...

by K.Ramachandran Nair | On 27 Mar 2007

Kerala Budget Speech

Kerala State Budget 2007-08. Speech by Finance Minister Dr. T M Thomas Issac.

by Government of Kerala Govt | On 13 Mar 2007

Kerala Budget 2007-08

Government of Kerala Buget in brief

by Government of Kerala Govt | On 12 Mar 2007

Assessing the Applicability of Geographical Indications as a Means to Improve Environmental Quality in Affected Ecosystems and the Competitiveness of Agricultural Products

the objective of this report is to analyse the existing and potential links that can be established between current Geographical Indications (GIs) and regional sustainable development. A case study a...

by Mariano Riccheri, | On 24 Feb 2007

Women Politicians, Gender Bias, and Policy-making in Rural India

Despite the importance of this issue for the design of institutions around the world, little is known about the relative performance of women as policy makers, about their impact on child development...

by Lori Beaman | On 16 Feb 2007

Social Medicine in the Twenty-First Century

In its launch issue in October 2004, PLoS Medicine signaled a strong interest in creating a journal that to the social conditions in which people live and work. The socially disadvantaged have less...

by Scott Stonington | On 23 Jan 2007

Health Is Still Social: Contemporary: Examples in the Age of the Genome

Social medicine is as important now as it has ever been. The fi eld of social medicine includes various social and cultural studies of health and medicine , and in this article, the focus is o...

by Timothy H. Holtz | On 23 Jan 2007

Banking Sector Developments in India, 1980-2005: What the Annual Accounts Speak?

Banking sector in India is currently passing through an exciting and challenging phase. The reform measures have brought about sweeping changes in this vital sector of the country's economy. This pa...

by Ramasastri A.S. | On 10 Jan 2007

How Did Social Medicine Evolve, and Where is it Heading?

This essay briefl y examines some of the diverse developments of social medicine as an academic discipline and its links to political conceptualizations of the role of medicine in society. The...

by Dorothy Porter | On 10 Jan 2007

The Performance of Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) in India:Has Past Anything to Suggest for Future?

Since their inception, regional rural banks (RRBs) have taken deep roots and have become a sort of inseparable part of the rural credit structure in India. The financial viability of the RRBs has, h...

by Biswa Swarup Misra | On 10 Jan 2007

Food Retailing, Supermarkets and Food Security: Highlights from Latin America

The importance of supermarkets in the world food economy has increased radically since the early 1990s. They are now major sellers and buyers of food items not only in developed but also in developin...

by Mehmet Arda | On 27 Dec 2006

Impact of Reservations of Panchayat Pradhans on Targeting in West Bengal

The effect of randomized reservations of Pradhan (chief executive) positions in West Bengal local governments (panchayats) for women and members of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) following t...

by Pranab Bardhan | On 27 Dec 2006

Pro-Poor Targeting and Accountability of Local Governments in West Bengal

A commonly alleged pitfall of decentralization is that poverty, socio-economic inequality and lack of political competition allow local elites to capture local governments. This hypothesis is empirica...

by Pranab Bardhan | On 27 Dec 2006

Fiscal Decentralisation and Local Level Gender Responsive Budgeting in Morocco: Some Observations

During the last few years there has been a significant attempt to change the status of women in Morocco. Considerable efforts have been made to incorporate mainstream gender in socio-economic policies...

by M.Govinda Rao | On 27 Dec 2006

Fiscal Decentralisation and Local Level Gender Responsive Budgeting In The Philippines: An Empirical Analysis

With the strengthening of the fiscal decentralisation process in the Philippines, local government units (LGUs) were provided with more opportunities in terms of local level gender responsive budge...

by Lekha S. Chakraborty | On 27 Dec 2006

Economic Development in a Changing Globalised Economy: The Case of Developing Countries

In the context of the changing economic environment, this analysis is of particular relevance to Third World countries, who are currently being asked and/or actively encouraged to implement the "globa...

by Mozammel Huq | On 22 Dec 2006

Rights-based Strategies in the Prevention of Domestic Violence

This study is an attempt to broaden the discussion about the prevention of domestic violence against women, informed by a rights based strategy. The study discusses the critical elements of a human ri...

by Pradeep Kumar Panda | On 19 Dec 2006

Modernity with Democracy?: Gender and Governance in the People's Planning Campaign, Keralam

This paper takes advantage of the possibility of a critical perspective afforded by the feminist perspective in analyzing the interactions between political and civil societies in the shaping of spe...

by J Devika | On 19 Dec 2006

GATS Negotiations and India: Evolution and State of Play

India’s negotiating position on services has undergone a paradigm shift since the Uruguay Round. From being a leading opponent of the GATS in the early stages, India has now emerged as one of the cham...

by Kasturi Das | On 16 Dec 2006

State Level Reform and Role of Research

The role of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in the current stage of reform is crucial. The need for research and information collection not just at the national level but at the state-level has never...

by Vidya Pitre | On 05 Dec 2006

Alternative Dispute Resolution Procedure for Agreements on Trade Facilitation

This paper outlines a facilitative procedure for settlement of disputes in the area of trade facilitation when the party against which a complaint has been lodged in a dispute happens to be a developi...

by C. Satapathy | On 23 Nov 2006

Commercial Aspects of SHG Banking in India

Nabard’s Linking Banks and Self-Help Groups: with an outreach to 500,000 SHGs and a population of 40m rural poor, it is the largest non-directed microsavings & microcredit programme in the developing...

by Hans Dieter Seibel | On 21 Nov 2006

Reforming the Local, Constructing China: Place Identity in a North China Province

Reform in the People's Republic of China has seen a dramatic change in the discourse of localism, which has now moved from being a political crime to being a technique for encouraging entrepreneuriali...

by David S. G. Goodman | On 21 Nov 2006

Gender Equality as Smart Economics: A World Bank Group Gender Action Plan (Fiscal Years 2007-10)

An action plan to emplement World Bank's strategies.

by World Bank | On 08 Nov 2006

Midterm Review of Annual Policy Statement for the year 2006-07

* Repo Rate increased to 7.25 per cent from 7.0 per cent. * The flexibility to conduct overnight repo or longer term repo including the right to accept or reject tender(s) under the LAF, wholl...

by Reserve Bank of India | On 31 Oct 2006

Studies on Self-Help Groups of the Rural Poor

In pursuance of a recommendation made by the Asian and Pacific Regional Agricultural Credit Association (APRACA), the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, in collaboration with some...

by | On 23 Oct 2006

Linking Banks and (Financial) Self Help Groups in India: An Assessment

A review of the progress and impact of the overall strategy for scaling up the SHG Bank Linkage Programme over the last decade. [Paper presented at the Seminar on SHG-bank Linkage Programme at New Del...

by Erhard. W. Kropp | On 23 Oct 2006

Withering Valli: Alienation, Degradation and Enslavement Of Tribal Women In Attappady

Various policies and programmes implemented avowedly for the benefits of the tribal people have resulted in alienation and degradation of tribesfolk. This detailed study of Kerala's Irular tribal comm...

by Mariamma J. Kalathil | On 20 Oct 2006

The Teaching of English in the Government/Aided: Primary Schools in Kerala under DPEP

Launched in 1993 as a national initiative to achieve Universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE) through district-level intervention, the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) was started in...

by Sreedevi K. Nair | On 05 Oct 2006

Does Repayment Indicate the Success of Micro-Finance Programme?

This paper examines the patterns of loan utilisation and repayment among micro-finance group members for Wayland district of Kerala. It argues that 100 per cent repayment by members need not always in...

by Emil Mathew | On 12 Aug 2006

Tomorrow's Cities, Today's Youth: Perspectives from UN World Youth Forum

The cities of tomorrow are in poor countries, where the largest proportion of the population is below 25 years old and where young women are becoming particularly vulnerable. It is youth who will inhe...

by Kaveri Prakash | On 09 Jul 2006

Ways of Paying for Global Public-Goods

simple schedule of governmental contributions, of paying for global public-goods and common purposes: use of IMF Special Drawing Rights (SDRs); the United Kingdom’s International Finance Facility (IFF...

by Anthony Clunies-Ross, | On 02 Jun 2006

An evaluation of the developmental implications of the World Bank and IMF lending policies

This paper dwells on the essential requirements of economic development and the role of international credit,. It is also an incursion into the operational principles and strategies of the World Ba...

by Musa Jega Ibrahim | On 01 Jun 2006

Integrating poverty reduction in IMF-World Bank Models

This paper outlines the Fund-Bank analytical frameworks and presents a critical appraisal indicating the importance of both demand and supply constraints in the countries undertaking Fund adjustment p...

by Brigitte Granville | On 27 Apr 2006

De-colonising the Aesthetic Sense:The story of craft revival in Aruvacode potters’ village

Experiential knowledge is what indigenous knowledge is all about. Unfortunately again the Western intellectuals are reframing indigenous knowledge to suit their purposes. In the course of living with...

by Jinan K.B. | On 21 Apr 2006

Technological Change in Kerala Industry:Lessons from Coir Yarn Spinning

Technological backwardness is a crucial fact of Kerala's industrial life. The major industries in Kerala, coir processing, handloom weaving, and beedi-making are marked by the use of low productive te...

by K.T. Rammohan | On 20 Apr 2006

Understanding ‘Crises’ in a Traditional Industry: Case of Coir in Kerala

The paper attempts to critically analyse the issues that are an offshoot of the open market regime pursued in the industry. Intense competition between exporters for developed country suppliers along...

by I. Kalamani | On 28 Mar 2006

Chronicles of Tragedies and Harbingers of Hope: Resistance to Neo-Liberalism-- People’s Movements and Alternatives

Neo-liberal economic policies have threatened land security, security of employment opportunities and food security. In the background representatives of the peasantry have to transform themselves int...

by Vijoo Krishnan | On 26 Mar 2006

Coping with Risk or Courting More Risk?report on changing rural livelihoods during agrarian distress in Kerala

This paper deals with the agrarian distress experienced in parts of rural Kerala from the latter half of the 1990s, and the ways in which the distress affected the livelihoods of cultivating household...

by R. Ramakumar | On 26 Mar 2006

International Young Scholars’ Seminar: Rich Nation, Poor People

Critical Perspectives on the Neo-liberal Regime in India 4–5–6 April 2006 Conference Room, Nehru Guest House, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi Organized by Academy of Third World Studies, Jamia...

by LeftWord Books | On 25 Mar 2006

The Extent of Exchange Rate Flexibility in India: Basket Pegger or Closet US Dollar Pegger?

This paper examines the degree of de facto exchange rate flexibility for India over the last two decades. While there is a diversity of methods that measure de facto exchange rate regimes, none indivi...

by Tony Cavoli | On 08 Mar 2006

Economic Survey 2005-06, chapter 3

Monetary and Banking Developments

by Ministry of Finance | On 27 Feb 2006

Weapons of Mass Destruction? Or, of Mass Deception? Media in Iraq War and After

The close relationship, a symbiotic one, between the media and the government of the day has long existed. In the run up to the Iraq war and afterwards, the Bush Administration and legislators in t...

by Yasemin Inceoglu | On 16 Feb 2006

Reproductive Health Services and Role of Panchayats in Karnataka

The paper presents an analysis of the reproductive health care services available to women in rural areas in Karnataka, and the various factors influencing them. Based on survey data on the status o...

by Poornima Vyasulu | On 19 Jan 2006

Corruption and Local Governance: Evidence from Karnataka

The paper examines corruption in the institutions of local government in Karnataka, using a Logit model. One of the arguments in favour of decentralisation in developing countries is that it provide...

by V. Vijayalakshmi | On 09 Jan 2006

Dynamics of Local Governance in Karnataka

The objective of this paper is to unpack the dynamics of local governance in Karnataka by studying the interaction between two sets of rural institutions, (a) the formal, elected Gram Panchayats(GPs...

by Kripa Ananthpur | On 09 Jan 2006

The Mystery of China’s Sinking Stocks

The article exposes the shortcomings of China’s stock markets and examines the failed attempts by the government to introduce meaningful stock-market reform. China has largely avoided major policy blu...

by Weijian Shan | On 07 Jan 2006

Controlled Capital Account Liberalisation: A Proposal

This paper outlines a proposal for a controlled approach to capital account liberalization for economies experiencing large capital inflows. The proposal essentially involves securitizing a portion o...

by Eswar S. Prasad | On 09 Dec 2005

‘Urban Bias’ in the Flow of Funds and Deposit Mobilisation:Evidence from Karnataka, India

Until banking sector reforms were introduced in India in 1991, the emphasis in the credit provision through formal banking system was to meet the targets at the expense of the quality of credit and vi...

by Gagan Bihari Sahu | On 08 Dec 2005

Banking on Limited Freedom

Successive finance ministers have been calling the public sector banks “to brace for a wave of consolidation” to become global players. However, calling for world-beaters does not produce them; vision...

by Aruni Mukherjee | On 22 Oct 2005

Coir, Plus...:Challenges of Change

A sleepy village has transformed itself by accepting the challenges of diversification to vegetable cultivation in order to cope with the uncertainty of coir cultivation and manufacture.

by M.K. Das | On 22 Oct 2005

Trends in Anti-dumping: First Decade of WTO

There has been a significant decline in anti dumping initiations. This is a welcome trend as there is scant support in economic literature for anti-dumping action. The trend might well indicate the ef...

by C. Satapathy | On 04 Oct 2005

I G.Patel: Qua Economist and Policy Maker

In tribute, a brief note on the rich intellectual trajectory described by I. G. Patel

by Deena Khatkhate | On 28 Sep 2005

Kerala Notebook: THE NEW ENTREPRENEURS

A silent revolution, engineered either by individuals or NGOs, is happening in the state's backyards. These new entrepreneurs reflect a new trend in Kerala, long used to cosy state patronage for ever...

by M.K. Das | On 10 Sep 2005

Property Legislation In Kerala: Aspects And Policy Challenges

This note takes stock of relevant gender aspects of contemporary personal laws and land legislation in Kerala, sums up the shift to marriage as the dominant site of property relations for women; and i...

by Praveena Kodoth | On 31 Aug 2005

Domestic Violence Aganist Women In Ernakulam District

Gender discrimination manifests itself as violence in the family, community, and society. It takes the forms of female foeticide, female infanticide, abuse of the girl child, social harassment, mental...

by Celine Sunny | On 16 Aug 2005

Constraints On Women Entrepreneurship Development In Kerala: An Analysis Of Familial, Social, And Psychological Dimensions

Irrespective of special incentives offered by the state, women enterprises encounter several problems. Often, women are merely fronts for men to obtain concessional credit, subsidies, and other ince...

by Nirmala D'Cruz | On 13 Aug 2005

Crop Insurance Scheme: A Case Study Of Banana Farmers In Wayanad Districts

Crop insurance is recognised to be a basic instrument for maintaining stability in farm income, through promoting technology, encouraging investment, and increasing credit flow in the agricultural sec...

by Manoj Kumar K | On 11 Aug 2005

Developing A Quantitiative Framework For Determining Devolution Of Funds From The State Government To Local Bodies

This paper is concerned with devising an approach to intergovernmental transfers, from State Governments to Urban Local Bodies. Our approach will comprise of five cardinal principles abbreviated as P...

by Ajit Karnik | On 05 Aug 2005

Towards Bank Financing of Urban Infrastructure

Provision of quality urban infrastructure is an area of major concern for the Indian Economy. The financing of this component of infrastructure may turn out to be a somewhat tractable problem, even in...

by Abhay Pethe | On 05 Aug 2005

Voice Lessons:Local Government Organizations, Social Organizations, and the Quality of Local Governance

As part the Local Level Institutions study of local life in villages in rural Indonesia information was gathered on sampled household’s participation in social activities. We classified the reported a...

by Lant Pritchett | On 31 Mar 2005