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3rd Urban Economy Forum 2021:The Brampton Resolution

The 3rd Urban Economy Forum is one of the world’s most premier urban gatherings on sustainable urban economies and urban management. The collaborative approach for collective action taken by the organ...

by | On 07 Jan 2022

Climate finance for Cities and Urban Governments

Ambitious actions taken to reduce urban emissions and increase resilience can enhance cities’ quality of life and social equity in far-reaching ways.4 However, building just cities in an era of clim...

by | On 09 Nov 2021

Impact of Covid-19 on the Indian Economy: An Analysis of Fiscal Scenarios

Amidst the economic slowdown triggered by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in India there have been many demands for the government to announce a large fiscal stimulus to support the economy. E...

by Ila Patnaik | On 08 Oct 2020

The Sunday Edit: How Will Latin America Weather the Covid-19 Storm?

With most of their fiscal firepower spent and with their political capital draining away, Latin American governments are grappling with the challenge of gradually opening up their economies even befor...

by | On 21 Jun 2020

Rapid Policy Briefing: Fair and equitable access to COVID-19 treatments and vaccines

• The development of an effective treatment and vaccine for COVID-19 is key to ending the pandemic and resuming social and economic activity. An international research effort to this end is underway. ...

by | On 02 Jun 2020

Post Covid-19: Recovering and Sustaining India’s Growth

The paper discusses past virtuous growth cycles in India and argues that the post Covid-19 macro-financial package is an opportunity to trigger another such cycle, by raising marginal propensities t...

by Ashima Goyal | On 14 May 2020

The COVID-19, Migration and Livelihood in India

Sudden eruption of migration crisis resulting from the out-break of COVID-19 again reminds us the urgency of the matter. This policy paper presents how our understanding of migration and livelihood...

by R. B. Bhagat | On 08 May 2020

Inter-Governmental Fiscal Transfers in the Presence of Revenue Uncertainty: The Case of Goods and Services Tax (GST) in India

A comprehensive multistage Value Added Tax (VAT) system, viz., Goods and Services Tax (GST), is introduced in India since 1 July 2017. GST encompasses various taxes from Union and State indirect tax b...

by Sacchidananda Mukherjee | On 02 Apr 2019

The Political Economy of Gender Budgeting: Empirical Evidence from India

Gender budgeting is a public policy innovation to transform the gender commitments into budgetary commitments. The political economy process of gender budgeting in India has encompassed four distinct...

by Lekha Chakraborty | On 02 Apr 2019

Gender and Corporate Success: An Empirical Analysis of Gender-Based Corporate Performance on a Sample of Asian Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

The paper will provide policy suggestions, such as establishment of credit guarantee funds for easing the female-owned SMEs’ access to finance in Asia. Implementation of supportive policies for female...

by Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary | On 01 Apr 2019

Impact of Changes in Fiscal Federalism and Fourteenth Finance Commission Recommendations Scenarios on States Autonomy and Social Sector Priorities

This paper compares the additional gains from higher tax devolution in the post 14th FC period, with the additional burden due to the withdrawal of certain central schemes and the changes in the shar...

by Amarnath H. K. | On 30 Mar 2019

Improving Subnational Government Development Finance in Emerging and Developing Economies: Towards a Strategic Approach

This paper reviews the rationale and potential for improving subnational development finance, outlines the overall landscape of institutional arrangements available for this purpose, and considers bro...

by Paul Smoke | On 18 Feb 2019

Innovation, Efficiency and Inclusion: Integration of Digital Technologies in the Indian Microfinance Sector

This paper explores how these mechanisms - innovation, inclusion and efficiency – have been integral to microfinance operations in the past, and how innovations in digital technology may be yet anothe...

by Saon Ray | On 04 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

Why is Green Finance Important ?

In 2017, global investment in renewables and energy efficiency declined by 3% and there is a risk that it will slow further; clearly fossil fuels still dominate energy investment. This could threaten...

by Jeffrey D. Sachs | On 28 Jan 2019

Green Finance in Singapore: Barriers and Solutions

This study reviews how green finance in Singapore is working, examines existing barriers, and suggests some solutions. Singapore, a well-established financial hub in Asia, aims to be a hub for green f...

by Youngho Chang | On 20 Jan 2019

Impact of Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers on Gender Equality in India: An Empirical Analysis

Intergovernmental fiscal transfers (IGFT) are, in theory, neither good nor bad for tackling gender inequalities. Fiscal federalism with asymmetry in revenue and expenditure assignments inevitably lead...

by Janet G. Stotsky | On 14 Jan 2019

Does Regional Integration Matter for Inclusive Growth? Evidence from the Multidimensional Regional Integration Index

This paper employs a multidimensional approach to gauge the degree of regional integration and analyze impact on growth, inequality, and poverty. It constructs a multidimensional regional integration...

by Cyn-Young Park | On 26 Oct 2018

Skewed Credit and Growth Dynamics after the Global Financial Crisis

A large empirical literature finds that financial development is beneficial for economic growth, although some recent evidence suggests otherwise. The paper contributes to the finance–growth literatur...

by Gemma Estrada | On 19 Oct 2018

Harnessing Technology for Moe Inclusive and Sustainable Finance in Asia and the Pacific

This brief report documents facts of financial innovation in Asia and the Pacific that include: • Fintech redefines a specific sector at the intersection of financial services and technology sectors....

by Asian Bank | On 09 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

Governing the Commons? Water and Power in Pakistan’s Indus Basin

Surface irrigation is a common pool resource characterized by asymmetric appropriation opportunities across upstream and downstream water users. Large canal systems are also predominantly state-manage...

by Hanan G. Jacoby | On 04 Oct 2018

An Assessment of the Fiscal Features of the PDP Laban Model of Philippine Federalism 1.0 and the Gonzales-De Vera Federal Model

The paper highlights the importance of the design of the fiscal features of the federal system of government in ensuring that the potential benefits from its adoption are realized. The economic litera...

by Rosario G. Manasan | On 03 Oct 2018

Fiscal Challenges to Financing Social Protection to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals: A Case of Three Countries

This working paper summarizes the findings from three of the countries chosen by the study—Mongolia, Myanmar, and Timor-Leste—to represent the range of challenges countries face and need to contend wi...

by Sri Wening Handayani | On 27 Sep 2018

Traditional Procurement versus Public–Private Partnership: A Comparison of Procurement Modalities Focusing on Bundling Contract Effects

This paper studies the optimal structure of procurement contracts between public and private sectors by mainly comparing two typical procurement types: traditional procurement and public–private partn...

by Hojun Lee | On 27 Sep 2018

Infrastructure Financing in South Asia

This paper discusses public and private sector financing of infrastructure, and examines the factors driving infrastructure investment in this subregion. Using a panel of three large South Asian count...

by Shikha Jha | On 26 Sep 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

Evaluating India's Exchange Rate Regime Under Global Shocks

The paper assesses the performance of India's managed float with respect to maintaining a real competitive exchange rate, its effect on trade, on stability of currency and financial markets, and on in...

by Ashima Goyal | On 24 Aug 2018

Public–Private Partnership Development in Southeast Asia

Infrastructure development in Southeast Asia has been financed mainly by public funds, which leave wide gaps in majority of countries. Governments have tried to attract the private sector by offering...

by Fauziah Zen | On 16 Aug 2018

Managing Credit Risk and Improving Access to Finance in Green Energy Projects

The cost of finance has a relatively high impact on the returns and viability of clean energy projects compared with fossil fuel-based energy projects, because the operating costs for renewable energy...

by Purkayastha Dhruba | On 13 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

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

Designing the Fiscal Features of a Federal Form of Government: Autonomy, Accountability, and Equity Considerations

The paper provides estimates of the cost of shifting to a federal form of government under different scenarios in terms of the number of regions. Finally, it concludes with the discussion of why adopt...

by Rosario G. Manasan | On 03 Jul 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

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

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

People, Policy and Partnership for Disaster Resilience Development: Proceedings

The report says that the Bunkar Samiti was establised to create a common platform for sustainable livelihoods.

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

The Underground Economy and Tax Evasion in Pakistan: A Fresh Assessment

Recently, not only economists but also sociologists, political leaders, policy-makers, non-governmental organizations, and the press are taking a lively interest in the size of the under ground econom...

by Zafar Iqbal | On 28 Mar 2018

Law, Culture and Innovation

This chapter reviews theoretical and empirical research on the relationship between legal systems and innovation and culture and innovation. We highlight legal and cultural forces that encourage inn...

by | On 23 Mar 2018

Understanding Gendered Empowerment Through a Government-run Microfinance Programme: The case of Stree Shakti in Karnataka

The report indicated a widespread stagnation of women’s work participation in poorer districts, a narrowing of their work, income, prospects and opportunities, growing wage differentials between men a...

by Centre for Budget and Policy Studies CBPS | On 23 Mar 2018

The Water Gap – The State of the World’s Water 2018

In a startling reminder that our world’s most precious resource is becoming increasingly scarce for too much of the population, reminding us of the need for better and fairer management of Earth’s...

by Water Aid NGO | On 22 Mar 2018

Would UDAY Brighten Up Rajasthan Finances?

Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) required number of State governments to take over debt of power distribution companies in their books of accounts. Though this one time intervention made both debt...

by Pinaki Chakraborty | On 19 Mar 2018

Rehabilitation of Child Labour in India Lessons Learnt from the Evaluation of NCLPs

The paper says that the children continue to form a sizeable section of the labour force in several fields of employment around the world.

by | On 13 Mar 2018

Budget 2018: Uttar Pradesh Budget Speech

The Finance Minister of Uttar Pradesh Mr. Rajesh Agarwal presented the budget for Uttar Pradesh, for the financial year 2018-19, on 16 February 2018. The total outlay for the year is Rs. 4,28,384.52 c...

by Ministry of Finance | On 12 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

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

Regaining the Constitutional Identity of the Finance Commission: A Daunting Task for the Thirteenth Commission

The paper argues that the Thirteenth Finance Commission has got to find its own track if it does not want to remain as a pale shadow of its constitutional self. It should ignore those terms of referen...

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

Micro Finance and Poverty Alleviation:The Case of Kerala's Kudumbashree

This paper says that micro finance is an emerging reality in contemporary development discourse and has come to occupy a significant place in financial intermediation in India.

by M.A. Oommen | On 27 Feb 2018

Militarisation and Armed Conflict

India's claim that all human rights violations are redressed stands sharply refuted by the report of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) which in its report to UPR2 stated that AFSPA remains i...

by Working Group on Human Rights (WGHR) | On 21 Feb 2018

A Study on Illegal Immigration into North-East India: The Case of Nagaland

Migration is a global phenomenon; and it will continue to do so in the near future. All through human history, it has been a significant factor influencing population change. Migration involves the...

by | On 20 Feb 2018

Conflict-Related Sexual Violence: A Cross-National Comparison of Circumstances Related to State Forces’ Use of Sexual Violence in Armed Conflicts

This study aims to explore and identify circumstances related to the use of sexual violence by armed groups, and by state forces in particular. The overall purpose is to contribute to an understandi...

by Matilda Carlsson | On 20 Feb 2018

On Some Currently-Fashionable Propositions In Public Finance

The paper says that putting the matter differently, the price-system plays multiple roles: it acts as a signal for the use of available resources for producing at any particular point on the Productio...

by Prabhat Patnaik | On 19 Feb 2018

Budget 2018: Chhattisgarh Budget Speech

Budget presented Chhattisgarh Finance Minister.

by Finance Ministry Chhattisgarh | On 19 Feb 2018

Centre-State Relations, Finance Commissions and Kerala’s Fiscal Crisis

The paper takes a look at the past record of vertical transfers viz., transfers from the Centre to the States as a whole.

by K.K. George | On 16 Feb 2018

Karnataka Electricity Demand Forecasting FY17-22

A study was conducted to forecast the electricity consumption and demand for Karnataka (as seen by the utilities) for 2017-2022.

by Arijit Chanda | On 13 Feb 2018

Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) in North East India

The report says that the ISI has been equally thorough and ruthless in repressing political opponents to the military regimes that have ruled over Pakistan for more than half of its fiftyseven years o...

by Harinder Sekhon | On 12 Feb 2018

Factors Affecting the Academic Achievement: A Study of Elementary School Students of NCR Delhi, India

The foremost aim of the study was to investigate and analyze the relationship of General Mental Ability, Interest and home environmentwith Academic Achievement.Methods:The participants were 110 stude...

by | On 12 Feb 2018

A Shift from Crime to Terrorism: Assessing D-Company

This paper offers an analysis of the causes behind the changing philosophy and practices of one of the well-known crime organizations from India to move closer towards terrorism to support its crimina...

by Ajey Lele | On 09 Feb 2018

Proceedings of the Workshop: State of the Art of Local Governance - Challenges for the Next Decade

The discussions in the workshop ranged from scrutinizing overall models of governance via technical and administrative applications to philosophical debates about the core values of democracy

by Bent Jörgensen | On 07 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

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

State of State Finances 2018

Several states such as Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka raise a majority of their revenue from their own taxes. On the other hand, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, and Bihar rai...

by Mandira Kala | On 01 Feb 2018

China’s Development Finance to Asia: Characteristics and Implications

The paper ends with a discussion of the implications of possible shift in China's overseas development finance strategy since 2011.

by Oh Ah | On 31 Jan 2018

Arctic Council and Asian Initiatives

The paper also examines the Indian narrative on the Arctic and argues that it is important to monitor the evolving developments in the Arctic region.

by Vijay Sakhuja | On 24 Jan 2018

Federalism and Foreign Direct Investment: How Political Affiliation Determines the Spatial Distribution of FDI – Evidence from India

This paper links the foreign economic engagement of India’s states with the literature on federalism, thereby contributing to an understanding of the political economy of FDI in- flows in a parliame...

by Chanchal Kumar Sharma | On 22 Jan 2018

Nuclear Weapon: Issues, Threat and Consequence Management

The brief says that invention of nuclear weapons, the ultimate among the three weapons of mass destruction, has given rise to completely novel conditions that have fundamentally affected the concept o...

by Animesh Roul | On 22 Jan 2018

Two Decades of OPCW

This issue brief takes a broad overview of the journey of CWC and OPCW during the last two decades.

by Ajey Lele | On 17 Jan 2018

People, Policy and Partnership for Disaster Resilience Development

The paper narrates about the proceedings that were centered on a wide range of community level risk reduction efforts that are effectively reducing vulnerabilities as well as influencing development p...

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

Military Courts in Pakistan: Will they return? What are the implications?

This paper narrates that during the first week of January 2017, many in Pakistan were surprised, when the government allowed the earlier Parliamentary legislation on the military courts to elapse.

by D. Chandran | 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

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

Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary Barriers to Trade and its Impact on the Environment

This study has shown that while most shrimp farmers are aware of the risks in business, they are not actively adopting the standards.

by A. Enamul Haque | On 29 Dec 2017

Exploring the Relationship Between Geographical Indications and Traditional Knowledge

The case studies undertaken mainly from India revealed that a large number of local and village communities and also from backward communities are involved in the production of the GIs products.

by N. Gopalakrishnan | On 28 Dec 2017

Intellectual Property Rights and Diaspora Knowledge Networks: Can Patent Protection Generate Brain Gain from Skilled Migration ?

This paper studies the mechanism through which intellectual property rights (IPR) protection can influence the impact of skilled migration on innovation activities in developing countries. We argue th...

by | On 18 Dec 2017

Filipino Women In Leadership: Government And Industry

This Policy Note presents current statistics on female representation in key leadership positions in the Philippine government and industry.

by Clarissa C. David | On 12 Dec 2017

Response of Firms to Listing: Evidence from SME Exchanges

Public equity markets have increasingly become accessible to small and medium firms with the introduction of dedicated exchange that lower listing criteria to allow such firms to list their equity. Th...

by | On 11 Dec 2017

PPP Infrastructure Finance: An Empirical Evidence from India

Financing of infrastructure is vital for the creation and maintenance of adequate infrastructure. The present paper has attempted to analyse various infra financing methods practised in India, namely,...

by | On 04 Dec 2017

Relationship Between Fiscal Deficit Composition and Economic Growth in India: A Time Series Econometric Analysis

High and persistent fiscal deficit is one of the major macroeconomic problems in India since the mid-1980s. Fiscal consolidation is in the forefront of policy discussion in India not only at present b...

by | On 04 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

Socially Disadvantaged Groups and Microfinance 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 | On 08 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

Daily Stock Market Movements: From the Lens of News and Events

This study analyzes the effect of daily movements in KSE-100 Index due to different policies announced as well as incidents/events happened in the country.

by Shahid Raza | On 31 Oct 2017

Opening the Black Box: Managing the Aid Policy Process in Pakistan

This research responds to this gap in the literature by exploring how donors and the Pakistan government interact in game and network settings to manage foreign aid in the complex aid policy network.

by Faheem Jehangir Khan | On 27 Oct 2017

BRICS AND Illicit financial flows

There is a growing sense of anguish among the citizens across the world with the increasing number of public disclosures exposing how a small group of global elite (individuals as well as MNCs) have b...

by | On 25 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

Bolder Disinvestment or Better Performance Contracts? Which Way Forward for India’s State-Owned Enterprises

This paper analyses the performance of India’s Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) using measures of labour and overall efficiency and productivity indicators as opposed to financial returns. Using meth...

by Ajay Chhibber | On 03 Oct 2017

Women in Politics and the Subject of Reservations

This paper, however, demonstrates that the effective history of thinking about political representation in the form of reservations for women is as old as the women’s movement itself. Feminist enga...

by Mary E. John | On 28 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

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

Federalism and the Formation of States in India

In recent days, the process of federalization within the Indian Union has become more debatable due to the unequal federal development at various levels. In this context, the issues of state formation...

by Susant Kumar Naik | On 14 Sep 2017

The Political Historiography of Modern Gujarat

The focus of this paper is on the political history of modern Gujarat, which has been an intriguing one. The paper identifies and discusses in the broad landscape of Gujarat’s politics three notable d...

by Tannen Neil Lincoln | On 14 Sep 2017

Public Health Innovation and Intellectual Property Rights

The World Health Organization considered that its mission demanded it should play a part in this debate, with the objective of illuminating how intellectual property rights might affect public health...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 14 Sep 2017

Indian Defence Budget 2016-17: A Curtain Raiser

The report narrates about, should India’s national defence budget be discussed and deliberated in public domain?

by Deba Mohanty | On 28 Aug 2017

Strengthening India’s External Intelligence Infrastructure: An Assessment

This paper attempts to outline a number of points, which would help to develop a more superior external intelligence infrastructure.

by Shantanu Bansal | On 28 Aug 2017

Economic Integration and Development Partnerships: Southern Perspectives

Regional integration (RI) is a process by which countries enter into an agreement to upgrade cooperation through common institutions and rules. The objectives of the agreement could range from economi...

by Research and Information System for Developing Countries | On 24 Aug 2017

Transformation Pathways And Investment Needs For The MultiPurpose Agricultural Sector

To meet the challenges of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, agricultural and food systems requires fundamental changes. The FAO, the IFAD and the WFP (2015) estimate that around 60% of the...

by Marie-Hélène Schwoob | On 23 Aug 2017

Settling for Academia? H-1B Visas and the Career Choices of International Students in the United States

The yearly cap on H-1B visas became binding for the first time in 2004, making it harder for college-educated foreigners to work in the United States. However, academic institutions are exempt from th...

by Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes | On 17 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

Devolution, Democracy and Development in Kenya

The report says that the practice of local democracy has so far mirrored the problems at the national level, with vote-buying, compromised primaries and allegations of vote-rigging in many gubernatori...

by Agnes Cornell | On 10 Aug 2017

A Political Economy Analysis of the Southeast Asian Haze and Some Solutions

This paper studies the political economy of the Southeast Asian haze and discusses the obstacles that, unless overcome, could prevent a permanent and effective solution to this transboundary pollution...

by Parkash Chander | 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

Measuring Women’s Self-Help Group Performance in India

Women’s SHGs increasingly facilitate the decentralized delivery of agriculture and nutrition interventions around the world. Since their origins in the microfinance revolution of the 1980s, SHGs i...

by | On 04 Aug 2017

What is Causing Radicalism in the MENA?

The emergence of Al-Qaeda as a global terrorist organization carrying out devastating strikes across the USA, Europe, Middle East and Africa shed a spotlight on terrorism, and by extension on radicali...

by Fadi Farasin | On 03 Aug 2017

A Situational Theory of Pork Barrel Politics: The Shifting Logic of Discretionary Allocations in India

A rich panel dataset on Indian states is used to propose a situational theory of distributive politics which states that incentives for exclusive targeting of affiliated states in dominant party syst...

by | On 02 Aug 2017

Can Bihar Break the Clientelist Trap? The Political Effects of Programmatic Development Policy

It is widely recognized that politics affects policy-making, but there is little knowledge about how politics can be made more conducive to effective governance. This study reverses the relationship...

by Jonathan Phillips | On 02 Aug 2017

SG 50 and Beyond: Protecting the Public Space in the New Era of Singaporean Pluralism

Over the last ten years or so it have begun to see public lobbying over moral and cultural issues such as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) rights, Sanctity of Life issues including aborti...

by Johannis Bin Abdul Aziz | On 02 Aug 2017

The NCAER State Investment Potential Index (N-SIPI 2017)

The NCAER State Investment Potential Index 2017 (N-SIPI 2017) is the second edition in the annual series of rankings of states on their growth and investment potential. It is a systematic and evidence...

by Research National Council of Applied Economic | On 31 Jul 2017

Rethinking the Development of Post-War Sri Lanka Based on the Singapore Model

This study explores three major points, namely, Singapore's development process,Singapore's model of economic development, and the economic challenges of post-war Sri Lanka. This study explores pages...

by Sanika Sulochani Ramanayake | On 25 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

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

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

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

Maldives: Overcoming the Challenges of a Small Island State

This report provides support to the Maldivian government in formulating its high-priority policies by identifying the critical constraints to achieving inclusive growth. The report also provides polic...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 12 Jul 2017

Gender Mainstreaming Case Study: Sri Lanka - North East Coastal Community Development Project and Tsunami-Affected Areas Rebuilding Project

This case study looks at the gender dimensions of two projects that focus on the community development component that advocated community participation, social inclusion, and gender equality in commun...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 05 Jul 2017

Fossil Fuel Subsidies in Indonesia: Trends, Impacts, and Reforms

This study measures the size of fossil fuel subsidies such as underpricing of petroleum products and electricity, tax exemptions, and subsidized credit; examines the potential economic, energy, and en...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 04 Jul 2017

Fossil Fuel Subsidies in Thailand: Trends, Impacts, and Reforms

This study measures the size of fossil fuel subsidies such as tax breaks for diesel and natural gas, market price support for natural gas for vehicles, and free electricity for low-income consumers as...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 04 Jul 2017

Fiji: Building Inclusive Institutions for Sustained Growth

This study, using an inclusive growth framework, has identified the critical constraints that Fiji needs to address to strengthen investor sentiment even further and achieve inclusive growth.

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 27 Jun 2017

Timor-Leste: Development Effectiveness Brief

The report narrates that the related technical assistance has focused on infrastructure management, financial and private sector development, preparations for regional economic integration, and region...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 23 Jun 2017

Transitions to K–12 Education Systems: Experiences from Five Case Countries

The paper says that preparing and implementing a K–12 transition absorbs considerable financial and human resources. It follows that the reasons for restructuring must be compelling.

by Jouko Sarvi | On 21 Jun 2017

Thailand: Industrialization and Economic Catch-Up

This report identifies some of Thailand’s critical development constraints and discusses policy measures and economic reforms needed to accelerate economic transformation toward a more modern and serv...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 20 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

Book Review : Other Women, Other Lives

Book Review of We Are All Revolutionaries Here: Militarism, Political Islam and Gender in Pakistan, By Aneela Zeb Babar; Sage Yoda Press, Pp.196, Rs 695.

by Meena Menon | On 12 Jun 2017

Disaster-Resilient Microfinance: Learning from Communities Affected by Typhoon Haiyan

The report sets out the experience, analysis and conclusions of VisionFund International and their Philippine microfinance operation Community Economic Ventures Incorporated (CEVI). This analysis foll...

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

Myanmar Transport Sector Policy Note: River Transport

Myanmar has an extensive river network that is well positioned to serve the country’s main transport corridors, including the link between Yangon and Mandalay. However, main rivers are difficult to na...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 31 May 2017

Safety and Intelligent Transport Systems Development in the People’s Republic of China

This report identifies factors which contribute to collisions that can be addressed by intelligent transport systems technologies in the People’s Republic of China. It examines opportunities for estab...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 24 May 2017

Tajikistan: Promoting Export Diversification and Growth

Tajikistan has sustained high economic growth since its civil war ended in 1997. Real gross domestic product (GDP) during 1997–2015 grew at an average 7.2% a year, driven mainly by agriculture and ser...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 24 May 2017

Bangladesh: Consolidating Export-led Growth - Country Diagnostic Study

This study argues that some of the policies that allowed Bangladesh to prosper in the last few years will become less effective, and the economy will need to “switch gears” to consolidate the growth m...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 23 May 2017

Financing Asian Irrigation: Choices Before Us

The paper says irrigation schemes in the region are aging and underperforming, and, with land in short supply, there is little scope for creating major new schemes. Persistent inability to attract ade...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 19 May 2017

Probabilistic Patents, Alternative Damage Rules and Optimal Trade Policy

This paper analyzes interdependencies between optimal trade policy and 'preferred' liability doctrine to assess infringement damages, when intellectual property rights are probabilistic, in a model of...

by Apurva Dey | On 16 May 2017

ASEAN+3 Bond Market Guide 2016: Thailand

The paper says that the government has continued to issue bonds since then with the primary objectives being to finance the annual budget deficit, support social and economic development, and restruct...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 16 May 2017

Philippines: Management of Contingent Liabilities Arising from Public-Private Partnership Projects

The paper says that the government has already initiated reforms to strengthen the institutional framework for managing contingent liabilities arising from PPP projects. Among these reforms are (i) es...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 10 May 2017

Accelerating Financial Inclusion in South-East Asia with Digital Finance

The research focuses on financial exclusion in three segments: base of pyramid (BoP); women; and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). From our research, we estimate that addressing this oppor...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 09 May 2017

District Cooling in the People’s Republic of China: Status and Development Potential

This paper says that district cooling is feasible in the PRC and deserves further development because it can significantly improve the efficiency of energy use, as well as indoor climate, with energy...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 09 May 2017

Bangladesh: Development Effectiveness Brief 2017

The project has dramatically changed the life of Rabeya Sultana, chair of the women-led slum improvement committee formed under the project in Cox's Bazar. "Managing people and money gave me more co...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 08 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

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

Macroeconomic Impact of Demonetisation-A Preliminary Assessment

Demonetisation announced on November 8, 2016 was aimed at addressing corruption, black money, counterfeit currency and terror financing. Although demonetisation holds huge potential benefits in the me...

by Reserve Bank of India RBI | On 15 Mar 2017

Budget 2017-18: Business as Usual

Budget 2017-18 was presented at the time when the global situation is inhospitable, marked with protectionism and domestic environment is constrained by the twin balance sheet crisis. The investment ...

by M Govinda Rao | On 10 Mar 2017

Unexplored “Bill of Rights” : A Magna Carta for Gender Justice and Budgeting in India

This paper explores the “Bill of Rights” in the Justice Verma Committee Report as an analytical framework for gender budgeting in justice. Gender budgeting in justice, as a public good, needs effectiv...

by Lekha Chakraborty | On 03 Mar 2017

Leave No One Behind : A Call to Action for Gender Equality and Women’s Economic Empowerment

The report captures the importance of shaping macro-economic policies so they support inclusive growth, and ensuring that women entrepreneurs have access to technology and finance. It also highlights...

by | On 21 Feb 2017

Assam Budget: 2017-18

The Finance Minister of Assam , MrHimanta Biswa Sarma presented the Budget for Assam for financial year 2017-18 on February 7, 2017.

by Government of Assam | On 09 Feb 2017

What Do the Numbers Tell? An Analysis of Union Budget 2017-18

Budget 2017-18 is placed at an important juncture when there has been a thrust by the government for a digitised and a consequent cashless economy with the demonetisation of high value currency note...

by Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability CBGA | On 03 Feb 2017

Improving Farmers’ Income and Employment through Budget 2017

The 2017 Budget would be special in two ways – first, it would be presented by Finance Minister on 1st February, 2017. Usually, it was presented in the last week of February each year. It will give...

by Amarnath Tripathi | 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

Children 's Protein Consumption in Southeast Asia: Consideration of Quality as Well as Quantity of Children 's Protein Consumption in Southeast Asia

Inadequate dietary intake and prolonged undernourishment can lead to short term and long term consequences, which can deplete financial, physical, and social capital, further exacerbating the cycle of...

by | On 18 Jan 2017

Local Institutional Structure and Clientelistic Access to Employment: The Case of MGNREGS in Three States of India

This work is a contribution, first, toward measuring and characterizing some features of rural clientelistic institutions and then toward exploring its impact on household access to an employment sc...

by Anindya Bhattacharya | On 30 Dec 2016

Maharashtra Public Universities Bill, 2016

A bill to provide for academic autonomy and excellence, adequate representation through democratic process, transformation, strengthening and regulating higher education and for matters connected...

by Higher and Technical Education Dept Government of Maharashtra | On 19 Dec 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

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

State of State Finances

Finances of states have been changing due to (i) increased devolution of central taxes, (ii) rationalisation of the Centrally Sponsored Schemes, (iii) the introduction of the UDAY scheme, and (iv) the...

by Arvind Gayam | On 09 Nov 2016

Nonviolent Resistance in 1916-1947

The speech talks about the nationalist struggle against the British rule led by Gandhi, as well as a range of other contemporary protest campaigns. In particular, this movement is examined in the ligh...

by David Hardiman | On 28 Oct 2016

Ease of Doing Business

When arriving at the ‘Doing Business’ rankings, the World Bank ranks 11 parameters that impact businesses across various stages of their lifecycle – at start-up, getting a location, getting financing,...

by | On 28 Oct 2016

Doing Business

Against the backdrop of the global financial and economic crisis, policy makers around the world took steps in the past year to make it easier for local firms to start up and operate. This is importan...

by World Bank [WB} | 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

On Measuring Uncertainty: Snakes and Ladders

The Global Crisis demonstrated to the world that Ratings Agencies had misled the public about the stability of financial institutions. The Finance literature had decided that it was impossible to have...

by | On 18 Oct 2016

Intellectual Autonomy, Intellectual Property and the New Enclosures

If the public institution is committed to public interest, then privatization of research and teaching cannot be allowed. Work done should be seen, heard and critiqued. Innovation in knowledge can com...

by Pramod K. Nayar | On 13 Oct 2016

Does Classroom Gender Composition Affect School Dropout?

Measuring the gender peer effects on student achievement has recently attracted a lot of attention in the literature. Yet, the results are inconclusive. A substantial amount of research shows that hav...

by | On 12 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

Growth and Distribution: Understanding Developmental Regimes in Indian States

Economic and political processes differ widely across states in India. Some states have seen rapid economic growth and development while others are facing economic stagnation. The differences in outco...

by | On 07 Oct 2016

Campaign for Release of Political Prisoners

A large number of people are being imprisoned largely under ordinary laws, just because they happen to live in regions where conflict/movement is going on. People are randomly picked up and booked und...

by Coordination for Democratic Rights Organisations CDRO | On 03 Oct 2016

Problems Pertaining Migration of Female Tribal Population: A Demographic Perspective on Their Migratory Patterns and Struggle

Migration is a complex issue which has been a subject of keen interest for many years to sociologists, anthropologists, demographers, economists and political scientists. The migrants who work out of...

by | On 29 Sep 2016

Role of Institutions and Policies in Diffusion of Micro-irrigation in Gujarat, Western India

the role of institutional innovations and subsidy policy interventions in the diffusion of micro-irrigation across the state in the recent years. While the first part makes a comprehensive review o...

by Chandra Sekhar Bahinipati | On 26 Sep 2016

World Social Science Report

Economic inequalities in income and wealth, social inequalities in health, education and access to welfare services, gender and racial inequalities, cultural and religious discrimination, barriers to...

by | On 22 Sep 2016

Two Centuries of Finance and Growth in the United States, 1790-1980

Do efficient financial markets and institutions promote economic growth? Have they done so in the past? This essay, to be included in the Handbook of Finance and Development (edited by Thorsten Beck a...

by Howard Bodenhorn | On 22 Sep 2016

A Vision for the Least Developed Countries Fund in a Post-Paris Climate Regime

The 48 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are the only country grouping to have a dedicated article in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Article 4.9 commits all parties to the conv...

by | On 22 Sep 2016

Introduction: Academic Freedom in Crisis

This essay is the first in a series on Academic Freedom in Crisis curated by socialsciencespace. In the current context of the apparent retreat of academic freedom across the world, the series of shor...

by Daniel Nehring | On 11 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

Does Development Aid Undermine Political Accountability? Leader and Constituent Responses to a Large-Scale Intervention

Comprehensive program evaluation requires capturing indirect effects of an intervention, such as changes in leaders’ efforts and constituents’ attitudes towards leaders. We study political economy r...

by | On 30 Aug 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

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

Combating Haze: Holding One’s Breath A Year On

Indonesia’s efforts to combat forest fires have thus far shown some signs of progress. Doubts over Indonesia’s commitment and the effectiveness of its measures however seem to remain.

by | On 19 Aug 2016

Brain Drain Versus Brain Gain: The Study of Remittances in Southeast Asia and Promoting Knowledge Exchange Through Diasporas

The study attempts to identify the macroeconomic determinants of remittance inflows in South Asian countries. It uses additively separable utility function as theoretical framework and the Arellano-Bo...

by | On 16 Aug 2016

Can “Make In India” Make Jobs? The Challenges of Manufacturing Growth and High–Quality Job Creation in India

A new “Make in India” campaign to “transform India into a global manufacturing hub” aims to use manufacturing as a vehicle for job growth. Is this strategy realistic? This paper helps answer the quest...

by | On 10 Aug 2016

GST in India: A Big Leap in the Indirect Taxation System

The replacement of the Central excise duty of the government of India by Central Value Added Tax (CENVAT) and sales tax system of the State governments by the VAT marked a major mile stone in the refo...

by | On 05 Aug 2016

First Discussion Paper on Goods and Services Tax in India

If the Value Added Tax (VAT) is considered to be a major improvement over the pre-existing Central excise duty at the national level and the sales tax system at the State level, then the Goods and Ser...

by Government of India | On 05 Aug 2016

Tobacco Regulation and Cost-Benefit Analysis: How Should we Value Foregone Consumer Surplus?

This paper outlines the history of the FDA’s recent attempts to regulate cigarettes and other tobacco products and how they have valued foregone consumer surplus in cost-benefit analyses. It discusses...

by Helen Levy | On 03 Aug 2016

Contemporary India and the Discourse of Social Justice: Examining the Colonial Legacy

Contemporary Indian society has witnessed a pervasiveness of claims for and debates about social justice with two enduring aspects to it: on the one hand, injustice and discrimination has become an ov...

by | On 28 Jul 2016

Empowering India with Gender Equality

Achieving gender equality has become a development challenge for India. Women are entitled to live with dignity in society and enjoy freedom from humiliation, fear, exploitation and every type of viol...

by Sanghamitra Deobhanj | On 28 Jul 2016

Distributional Effects of Means Testing Social Security: Income Versus Wealth

This paper compares Social Security means tests that would reduce benefits for recipients who fall in the top quarter of the income distribution with means tests aimed at those in the top quarter of t...

by Alan Gustman | On 20 Jul 2016

Reimagining India’s Urban Future: A Framework for Securing High-Growth, Low-Carbon, Climate-Resilient Urban Development in India

This paper reviews the current state of the literature on Indian urbanization to analyze existing urban development trajectories at the state level in order to understand the challenges Indian cities...

by Meenu Tewari | On 15 Jul 2016

Understanding the BRICS Evolving Influence and Role in Global Governance and Development

The BRICS Summit process was inaugurated in 2009 as a signal that the global governance system of the future would need to be constituted to reflect a politically diverse, multipolar world. At this...

by | On 15 Jul 2016

Indonesian Labor Migrants in Malaysia: A Study from China

Malaysia is now a major receiving country with estimated over 2 million migrant workers. Such large inflow was caused by scarcity of jobs in plantation, construction and domestic growth. Migrant worke...

by | On 08 Jul 2016

The Case for Cyber and Cyber-Physical Weapons: India’s Grand Strategy and Diplomatic Goals

This briefing document articulates a grand strategy for India to pursue the development of cyber and cyber-physical weapons, with a view to manage conflicts and the future balance of power in Asia.Ind...

by | On 07 Jul 2016

Ad(d)venture with Knowledge: Stepping ahead with Intellectual Property Rights

Human society has witnessed adventure with knowledge resulting in scientific understanding of the secrets of nature and converting them into technological innovations resulting in metamorphosis of...

by Prabuddha Ganguli | On 30 Jun 2016

Global Economic Prospects at 25

Although global growth is projected to accelerate gradually, a wide range of risks threaten to derail the recovery, including a sharper-than-expected slowdown in major emerging markets, sudden escalat...

by World Bank [WB] | On 29 Jun 2016

Capabilities and Skills

This paper discusses the relevance of recent research on the economics of human development to the work of the Human Development and Capability Association. The recent economics of human development b...

by James J. Heckman | On 28 Jun 2016

Peace, Terrorism, or Civil Conflict? Understanding the Decision of an Opposition Group

This paper models an opposition group’s choice between peace, terrorism, and open conflict. Terrorism emerges if executive constraints are intermediate and rents are sizeable. Open conflict is predict...

by Michael Jetter | On 27 Jun 2016

The Drought and Humanitarian Crisis in Central and Southwest Asia: A Climate Perspective

A persistent multi-year drought in Central and Southwest Asia has affected close to 60 million people as of November 2001. Chronic political instability in many parts of this region and the recent mil...

by | On 24 Jun 2016

The Challenges for India’s Education System

India’s education system turns out millions of graduates each year, many skilled in IT and engineering. This manpower advantage underpins India’s recent economic advances, but masks deepseated problem...

by | On 22 Jun 2016

India and Afghanistan: A Development Partnership

India’s expanding partnership with Afghanistan has grown into multi-sectoral activities in all parts of Afghanistan. India’s reconstruction and developmental programmes in Afghanistan follow prioritie...

by Ministry of External Affairs, GoI MEA | 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

Elucidation of the Fifth National Report on Convention to Combat Desertification

This document covers the initiatives and contributions of Government of India, Science and Technology Institutions and Civil Society Organisations in addressing the issues of desertification, land de...

by Ministry of Environment and Forests GOI | On 17 Jun 2016

Budget Speech Jammu and Kashmir: 2016-17

The Finance Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. Haseeb A. Drabu, presented the Budget for Jammu and Kashmir for financial year 2016-17 on May 30, 2016.

by Hasseeb A. Drabu | On 13 Jun 2016

The Revival of the Silk Roads (Land Connectivity) in Asia

This paper argues that contrary to popular belief, in the bygone era, there was not one but two Silk Roads in Asia – the Northern and the less well-known South-western Silk Road (SSR). The SSR connect...

by | On 10 Jun 2016

Role of Finance with a Special Focus on Microfinance in Enhancing Clean Energy Access

A number of initiatives have been taken by the government as well as the private sector to address the challenge of energy access in India. In this context, WWF-India conducted a study to measure/asse...

by | On 09 Jun 2016

The Effect of Political and Labour Unrest on Productivity: Evidence from Bangladeshi Garments

The paper examines the effects of political strikes and labour unrest on production in 33 large ready-made garment factories in Bangladesh. We find that the political strikes (hartals) lasting one or...

by | On 08 Jun 2016

The Economics of Copyright and the Internet: Moving to an Empirical Assessment Relevant in the Digital Age

Technology and the Internet have triggered important changes to how creative works are created, accessed and how creators and copyright-based industries generate their revenues. In this chapter, the e...

by Sacha Wunsch-Vincent | On 08 Jun 2016

Campaigns, Digital Media and Mobilization in India

Early research in western contexts finds evidence of online participation leading to political engagement. The paper tests this hypothesis in a non-western campaign context, and discusses India’s comp...

by | On 07 Jun 2016

Education Through the Lens of Sustainable Human Development

If human development is defined as a comprehensive economic, social, cultural and political process aiming to improve the well-being of populations and individuals, then the one element that can serve...

by Gianna Alessandra Sanchez Moretti | On 06 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

Intellectual Property Rights and Preferential Trade Agreements: Data, Ceoncepts and Research Avenues

Today, more than half of international trade is regulated through preferential trade agreements (PTAs). While in the past, these agreements served as tools to eliminate further tariffs between the pa...

by | On 01 Jun 2016

Seeking Judicial Power: With a Special Focus on Burma's Judiciary

This paper discusses the underlying common concept of the rule of law as it bolsters courts, giving them their institutional status and enabling them to move toward a redesigned judiciary from diverse...

by Aung Htoo | On 31 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

Impact of Social Risks on Indian Businesses

This report has tried identifying the various social risks associated with and caused by businesses and other players, that may have negative social impacts on the stakeholders associated with the fu...

by Oxfam India | On 27 May 2016

Aid and Conflict in Afghanistan

This report examines the international community’s assistance to Afghanistan, with particular focus on U.S. efforts. It assesses the impact of the U.S.-devised counter-insurgency strategy on Afghans’...

by International Crisis Group | On 26 May 2016

Political Conflict, Extremism and Criminal Justice in Bangladesh

Political repression is reaching new highs in Bangladesh. The government’s abuse of rule of law institutions for political ends has created an atmosphere of injustice that is increasingly exploited by...

by International Crisis Group | On 26 May 2016

Organised Forest-Farm Producers Mitigate Climate Change Through Adaptive Resilience

Climate mitigation programmes and finance mechanisms like Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) must engage millions of forest farmers if they are to halt deforestation...

by Jeffrey Campbell | On 25 May 2016

Achieving More Together: Empowered Forest and Farm Producer Organizations

Getting organized puts smallholders in charge. Through farmers groups, cooperatives and networks, forest and farm producers can help each other not only through marketing advantages and access to fina...

by Jeffrey Campbell | 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

Institutionalising Civilian Control of the Military in New Democracies: Theory and Evidence from South Korea

This paper aims to answer the question of how and under what circumstances civilian control can be established in newly democratised nations. To do this, the paper proposes a new theoretical argument...

by | On 23 May 2016

Scheme for Facilitating Start-Ups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP)

SIPP is envisaged to facilitate protection of patents, trademarks and design of innovative and interested startups.

by Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion DIPP | On 20 May 2016

Discussion Paper on Standard Essential Patents and their Availability on FRAND Terms

This paper aims to sensitize the stakeholders, concerned organization and citizens towards need and importance of regulating SEPs as well as facilitating their availability at Fair, Reasonable and N...

by Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion DIPP | On 19 May 2016

National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy

Creativity and innovation have been a constant in growth and development of any knowledge economy. There is an abundance of creative and innovative energies flowing in India. India has a TRIPS compl...

by Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion DIPP | On 19 May 2016

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

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

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 19 May 2016

Building a Design Economy in India

The interministerial group will rework its strategy on labour laws and tweak it in such a manner that it maximises benefits for both workers and employers. In this paper, we outline the manner in whi...

by Shamika Ravi | On 18 May 2016

Know the Biological Diversity Act (2002) and the Rules (2004) Better!

The Act covers conservation, use of biological resources and associated knowledge occurring in India for commercial or research purposes or for the purposes of bio-survey and bio-utilisation. It prov...

by National Biodiversity Authority NBA | On 17 May 2016

Game Theoretical Approach to Regulate the Public-Owned River Water Utilities: A Case Study of Cauvery River

Management of regulated water systems has become increasingly complex due to rapid socio-economic growth and environmental changes in river basins over recent decades. This paper focusses on the publ...

by Zareena Begum Irfan | On 17 May 2016

Plan vs. Performance Budget Session – February 23 to May 13, 2016

The Budget Session was originally planned to be held in two parts: from February 23 to March 16 and April 25 to May 13. However, at the end of March, the government decided to convert these into two...

by Kusum Malik | On 17 May 2016

Quality of Social Science Research in India

There is a growing recognition of the importance of academic research in India and is being monitored by public institutions. However the focus in these assessments has remained largely confined to...

by Amit S. Ray | On 16 May 2016

Economic Incentives for the Conservation of Bharathapuzha River: Focus on Sand Mining

Rivers in Kerala are assailed by pollution, sedimentation, sand mining, and constriction of flows. The indiscriminate and unscientific sand mining, even in the midst of many regulatory and protective...

by Lakshmi Sreedhar | On 04 May 2016

Spatial Convergence in Public Expenditure across Indian States: Implication of Federal Transfers

Using the spatial econometrics approach, this study analyses such spill- over effect in public expenditure. Econometric estimates suggest significant spatial spill- ove...

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

Analyzing the Impact of Global Financial Crisis on the Interconnectedness of Asian Stock Markets using Network Science

This study shows how 13 important stock markets in Asia namely, India, Bangladesh, Philippines, China, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Pakistan, South Korea and Thailand...

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

Is there a Case for Exchange Rate Coordination in South Asia?

This paper evaluates the case for greater exchange rate coordination in South Asia. With inter-regional integration in South Asia progressing at a faster pace than the region's integration with the wo...

by Rajeswari Sengupta | On 02 May 2016

Reassessing Exchange Rate Overshooting in a Monetary Framework

This paper revisits the Dornbusch exchange rate overshooting in a different model setting.

by Taniya Ghosh | On 02 May 2016

Weathering the Storm: Ownership Structure and Performance of Microfinance Institutions in the Wake of the Global Financial Crisis

This study investigates the effects of the 2008 global financial crisis on the performance of different microfinance ownership types. The analysis in this study relies on a novel methodological frame...

by Mahinda Wijesiri | On 02 May 2016

A SVAR Approach to Evaluation of Monetary Policy in India

This paper rediscovers the efficacy of K&R contemporaneous restriction (customized for the Indian economy which is a developing G20 nation unlike advanced G6 nations that K&R worked wi...

by | On 02 May 2016

‘Credit’ Transfer, ‘Capital’ Gains and Intellectual Property in the University: Points from a Case Study

An absolute insistence on profits in numbers is increasingly driving the modern University system today. The insistence on metrics as an index of scholarship has entailed a shift toward the market mod...

by Pramod K. Nayar | On 02 May 2016

Political Intolerance in Bengal

Political intolerance is a bigger problem than religious intolerance in West Bengal. How will this affect the 2016 Assembly elections in West Bengal?

by | On 29 Apr 2016

Tamil Nadu: State Income Report

This government report provides information about the state income of Tamil Nadu

by Tamil Nadu Government | 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

The Patents (Amendment) Act, 2005

A Patent Act is a country's legislation that controls the use of patents. A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or assignee for a limited period of time in...

by Ministry of Law, Justice and Company Affairs GOI | On 27 Apr 2016

The Patents (Amendment) Act, 2002

A Patent Act is a country's legislation that controls the use of patents. A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or assignee for a limited period of time in...

by Ministry of Law, Justice and Company Affairs GOI | On 27 Apr 2016

Joint Recommendation Concerning Provisions on the Protection of Marks, and Other Industrial Property Rights in Signs, on the Internet

The provisions aim at providing a clear legal framework for trademark owners who wish to use their marks on the Internet and to participate in the development of electronic commerce. They are intended...

by WIPO WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION. | On 26 Apr 2016

The Case Against Intellectual Property

In this paper, the author examines the assertion that the establishment of secure property rights is a fundamental pillar of a well functioning market economy.

by | On 26 Apr 2016

Are Patents and Copyrights Morally Justified? The Philosophy of Property Rights and Ideal Objects

In this paper, the author is examining the popular conceptions behind Patents and Copyrights and questioning whether they are legitimate forms of property.

by Tom Palmer | On 26 Apr 2016

Intellectual Property Law in India

This paper analyzes and deals with the IP law regime in India and the protections provided thereunder.

by | On 26 Apr 2016

Intellectual Property Conventions and Indian Law

This paper reviews the Indian Laws in the light of international convention on Intellectual Property and agreements and shows where we stand today.

by Mahima Puri | On 26 Apr 2016

Questions and Answers on the European Commission Communication: The Paris Protocol – A Blueprint for Tackling Global Climate Change beyond 2020

The Communication sets out the EU's vision for a transparent and dynamic, legally binding United Nations climate change agreement that sets the world on a pathway to prevent global warming from reachi...

by European union | On 26 Apr 2016

Copyright Enforcement and Quality Differentiation on the Internet

Right-holders can create differences between their cultural goods to attract consumers with varying levels of willingness to pay. Some Internet intermediaries propose similar choices but do so without...

by | On 15 Apr 2016

Gender and Land Statistics

The Gender and Land Rights Database (GLRD) is an on-line platform that was launched by FAO in February 2010 with the objective of highlighting the major political, legal and cultural factors that infl...

by Food and Agricultural Organization [FAO] | On 12 Apr 2016

Multidimensional Measurement of Household Water Poverty in a Mumbai Slum: Looking Beyond Water Quality

In addition to negatively affecting health, the qualitative findings reveal that water service delivery failures have a constellation of other adverse life impacts—on household economy, employment,...

by Ramnath Subbaraman | On 12 Apr 2016

State Finances: A Study of Budgets of 2015-16

Empirical findings across a swathe of countries, advanced and emerging, confirm that the composition of government expenditure can have perceptible growth implications.

by Reserve Bank of India RBI | On 12 Apr 2016

New Expression Meets Old Repression: Ending the Cycle of Political Arrests and Imprisonment in Myanmar

Despite five decades of agonizing slog, from an authoritarian military rule towards a more open political system, activists continue to face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment for their peaceful act...

by Amnesty International AI, | On 11 Apr 2016

Human Development in Telangana State: District Profiles

Telangana emerged as the 29th state of the Indian Union from undivided Andhra Pradesh after a prolonged struggle for statehood for nearly six decades. The social structure in Telangana is uniquely sk...

by Center for Economic and Social Studies CESS | On 31 Mar 2016

Budget Speech Uttarakhand: 2016-17

Budget speech of Uttarakhand finance minister.

by Finance Minister Uttarakhand | On 30 Mar 2016

Budget Speech Uttar Pradesh: 2016-17

Budget speech of the finance minister of Uttar Pradesh.

by Uttar Pradesh Government UP | On 22 Mar 2016

Budget Speech Odisha Part II: 2016-17

Part II of the Budget speech of the finance minister.

by Pradip Kumar Amat | On 21 Mar 2016

Impact of JNNURM and UIDSSMT/ IHSDP Programmes on Infrastructure and Governance Outcomes in Cities/ Towns in India

The paper is based on a review of the available official data and the existing literature on the Missions. It is divided into three broad sections. The first analyzes data available from the official...

by Lalitha Kamath | On 21 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

Dynamics of Political Budget Cycle

Using the method of optimal control, when an incumbent politician derives utility from voting support and dis-utility from budgetary deficit, the equilibrium time paths of both voting support and budg...

by Ganesh Manjhi | On 17 Mar 2016

Impact of Strengthening Intellectual Property Rights Regime on Income Inequality: An Econometric Analysis

This paper examines the impact of strengthening Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) on within-country income inequality for a cross-section of 65 developed and developing countries for the time period...

by Swati Saini | On 16 Mar 2016

The Enigma of the ‘Indian Model’ of Development

The paper is an attempt to unveil the enigma of the ‘Indian model’ of development. After discussing the evolution of India’s development policies over the last six decades, the paper attempts to unfol...

by Amit S. Ray | 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

R & D Sector Outsourcing, Human Capital Formation and Growth in the Context of Developed versus Developing Economies

This paper theoretically examines the impact of R & D outsourcing from an economy which is in the innovation-only regime to an economy which is in the imitation-innovation regime. It shows that depend...

by Sujata Basu | On 15 Mar 2016

Science Research and Knowledge Creation in Indian Universities: Theoretical Perspectives and Econometric Evidence

This paper presents an economic analysis of science research and knowledge creation in Indian universities. We posit that faculty’s research effort is an outcome of her optimum time allocation decisio...

by Sabyasachi Saha | On 15 Mar 2016

Can the Organised and Unorganised Sectors Coexist: A Theoretical Study

In the past debates around protection are usual couched in terms of protection of the manufacturing sector from imports and are centered around the so called “infant industry” argument. This paper has...

by Manoj Pant | On 15 Mar 2016

Asia SME Finance Monitor 2014

Asia has been continuously growing, and this growth has alleviated poverty and increased the number of middle income countries in the region. However, the recent regional and global economic slowdown...

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

After the Death of Kim Jong Il: Everything and Nothing has Changed

The death of Kim Jong Il has sent shivers down the spine of many leaders in Asia and the world. In South Korea, the armed forces have been put on alert and Seoul has asked the U.S. to increase surveil...

by | On 14 Mar 2016

A New Divide in the South China Sea

Nazery Khalid evaluates the prospect of peace in the South China Sea based on how the recent spat between China and Philippines is panning out.

by | On 14 Mar 2016

North Korean Economic Reform: New Changes or Old, Empty Promises?

In June, North Korean authorities announced agricultural reforms called the “6.28 policy,” which promises to recalculate the ratio of distributed planned products (70 percent to the country, 30 percen...

by | On 14 Mar 2016

Porous Borders The Study of Illegal Markets from a Sociological Perspective

State concerns about crime and security issues have strongly affected conceptions of economic action outside the law, a traditional field of research in sociology. This increasing encroachment by poli...

by Matías Dewey | On 14 Mar 2016

The Methodology of Polanyi's Great Transformation

The goal in this article is to articulate the methodology used in this book to bring out the several dimensions on which it differs from current approaches to social science. Among the key differences...

by Asad Zaman | 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

Towards Rules of the Monetary Game

There are few areas of robust growth around the world, with the IMF repeatedly reducing its growth forecasts in recent quarters. This period of slow growth is particularly dangerous because both ind...

by Raghuram G. Rajan | On 14 Mar 2016

Dependence of States on Central Transfers: Aggregate and State-wise Analysis

This paper examines the dependence of states on central fiscal transfers. It particularly focuses on the role of transfers through tax devolution under the recommendation of the Finance Commissions. T...

by D K Srivastava | On 13 Mar 2016

North Korea: Nukes, Nationalism & Negotiations

As South Korea this month takes up the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council, concerns over North Korea’s nuclear program grow. Pyongyang’s recent rocket tests, its anticipated th...

by Sangsoo Lee | On 12 Mar 2016

Arctic Ambitions: China, India, and the Arctic Council

May 14-15, 2013, the Arctic Council will decide on whether to admit India and China as observers to the organization.India and China consider the Arctic as a region of increasing global importance, an...

by | On 12 Mar 2016

Striking a Balance: Myanmar and the Issue of Intellectual Property Rights

Strengthening the protection of intellectual property rights in Myanmar has the potential to act as a catalyst for economic growth, spurring foreign direct investment and in the long run helping the c...

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

Desecuritizing the Kurdish Question and Emerging Regional Dynamics

Desecuritizing the Kurdish question has become a priority for Turkey’s AKP government as it seeks to enter into a domestic “solution process” with the PKK. However, emerging dynamics in Iraq and Syria...

by | On 12 Mar 2016

Missiles and Reunions: Thaw or Freeze on the Korean Peninsula?

Family reunions between North and South Korea may be an encouraging sign of a thaw in tensions on the Korean Peninsula, which could lead to further trust-building activities and economic cooperation....

by | On 12 Mar 2016

China's Stakes in the Ukraine Crisis

The crisis in the Ukraine and Russia’s intervention in the Crimea throws an important spotlight on China’s position and stakes regarding the issue. While it has refrained from openly critcizing Russia...

by | On 12 Mar 2016

Tensions in Cyberspace: Toward a Code of Conduct

The row between the United States and China, caused by the indictment of five Chinese military officers on account of cyberespionage against private companies in the U.S., illustrates the importance o...

by | On 12 Mar 2016

People's or Party's Army in Vietnam?

While the Vietnam Communist Party’s grip over the army remains strong, Zachary Abuza examines the growing calls challenging the Vietnam People’s Army’s duty to defend the ruling party over national in...

by | On 11 Mar 2016

Empowering Tamil Women: Recovery in Post-conflict Sri Lanka

More than five years after the Sri Lankan government’s victory over the LTTE insurgency, billions of dollars have been invested in infrastructure development projects in war-ravaged northern Sri Lanka...

by | On 11 Mar 2016

Remorse and Reform: Abe's Stormy Spring

From apologizing for Japan’s wartime past to collective defense and FTA negotiations with the United States, Japan faces a number of contentious issues in the coming months that call into question Pri...

by | On 10 Mar 2016

Politicking and the Philippine Peace Process

Three months after a deadly clash in Mamasapano, the Philippine peace process is in danger. The hard-won gains of negotiations over the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL)—the implementing piece of le...

by | On 10 Mar 2016

Mitigating Militancy in Northwest Pakistan

Nearly three months on from the launch of Operation Zarb e Azb by Pakistan’s armed forces, this policy brief explores the problem of militancy in North Waziristan in northwest Pakistan. The author arg...

by | On 10 Mar 2016

Epistemic Communities and Social Movements Transnational Dynamics in the Case of Creative Commons

While the existence of transnational communities is increasingly recognized in globalization studies, very little is yet known about their impact on global governance. Studies investigating the role o...

by Sigrid Quack | On 09 Mar 2016

Institutions in History: Bringing Capitalism Back In

The paper explores possible frontiers of historical-institutionalist analysis. It argues three points: that progress will require a return from a static to a dynamic perspective in which change is no...

by Wolfgang Streeck | On 09 Mar 2016

Neoliberal Restructuring in Turkey: From State to Oligarchic Capitalism

How have neoliberal reform policies changed Turkey’s political economy? The aim of this paper is to counter claims of convergence towards a liberal capitalist order. Given the historical dynamics of t...

by | On 09 Mar 2016

Taking Capitalism Seriously: Toward an Institutionalist Approach to Contemporary Political Economy

This paper outlines an institutionalist political economy approach to capitalism as a specific type of social order. Social science institutionalism considers social systems to be structured by sancti...

by Wolfgang Streeck | On 09 Mar 2016

German Employers and the Origins of Unemployment Insurance: Skills Interest or Strategic Accommodation?

This paper analyzes the attitudes of industrial employers during the German Empire and the Weimar Republic towards the adoption of public unemployment insurance. While employers initially opposed unem...

by | On 09 Mar 2016

German Varieties of Capitalism and Varieties of Macroeconomic Policy: Are Some Economies More Procyclical Than Others?

The role of macroeconomic policy in the different varieties of capitalism has been largely ignored. Recent contributions to the literature have argued that nonliberal economies should be expected to h...

by | On 09 Mar 2016

In the Shadow: Illegal Markets and Economic Sociology

Illegal markets differ from legal markets in many respects. Although illegal markets have economic significance and are of theoretical importance, they have been largely ignored by economic sociology....

by | On 09 Mar 2016

Transboundary Pollution as an Issue in Northeast Asian Regional Politics

The paper investigates the political aspects of the coorperation between China, South Korea and Japan to address transboundary pollution in Northeast Asia. Investigating the motivations, modalities an...

by Reinhard Drifte | On 09 Mar 2016

Towards a Comprehensive Welfare State in South Korea: Institutional Features, A New Socio-Economic and Political Pressures, and the Possibility of the Welfare State

The paper analyse the institutional designs for welfare system in Korea and their possible effects on the establishment of a welfare state. The paper also discusses some possible effects of the recent...

by Yeon-Myung KIM | On 09 Mar 2016

Contrarian Lives: Christians and Contemporary Protest in Jharkhand

This paper is a preliminary attempt to assess the impact of Christian social activists on issues facing adivasis in the state of Jharkhand in contemporary India. This has been prompted by a few factor...

by Sushil J. Aaron | 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

Fiscal Austerity and Public Investment: Is the Possible the Enemy of the Necessary?

In most rich democracies one finds a tendency for the share in public finance that is available for discretionary spending to shrink. This is because tax revenues do not keep pace with simultaneous in...

by | On 08 Mar 2016

Capitalism as a System of Contingent Expectations Toward a Sociological Microfoundation of Political Economy

Political economy and economic sociology have developed in relative isolation from each other. While political economy focuses largely on macrophenomena, economic sociology focuses on the level of soc...

by | On 08 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

Who Cares about Financialization? Explaining the Decline in Political Salience of Active Markets for Corporate Control

Why is unprecedented financialization failing to provoke a strong political backlash? The role of financial markets, motives, actors, and institutions has expanded continuously in recent decades, but...

by | On 08 Mar 2016

The Politics of Public Debt: Neoliberalism, Capitalist Development, and the Restructuring of the State

Rising public debt has been widespread in democratic-capitalist political economies since the 1970s, generally accompanied among other things by weak economic growth, rising unemployment, increasing i...

by | On 08 Mar 2016

Bringing Power Back In: A Review of the Literature on the Role of Business in Welfare State Politics

What is the impact of business interest groups on the formulation of public social policies? This paper reviews the literature in political science, history, and sociology on this question. It identif...

by | On 08 Mar 2016

Porous Borders: The Study of Illegal Markets from a Sociological Perspective

State concerns about crime and security issues have strongly affected conceptions of economic action outside the law, a traditional field of research in sociology. This increasing encroachment by poli...

by | On 08 Mar 2016

Are We Still Modern? Inheritance Law and the Broken Promise of the Enlightenment

The regulation of the transfer of property mortis causa has been a major concern of social reformers since the Enlightenment. Today, by contrast, the issue of the bequest of wealth from generation to...

by | On 08 Mar 2016

Transnational Organised Crime In Southeast Asia: Threat Assessment

Transnational organised crime is considered one of the major threats to human security, impeding the social, economic, political and cultural development of societies. Much attention has been given...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 04 Mar 2016

Landmark Verdict by The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia

On 26 July 2010, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) delivered its first verdict against a former official of the Khmer Rouge regime, KaingGuekEav (also known as ‘Duch’). The E...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 04 Mar 2016

Libya – The Risky Business of Internal Conflict

What started off as a peaceful protest has descended into a full-scale armed insurrection, pitching opposition forces in the east against loyalist forces (estimated at 8,000 and 40,000 respectively)....

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 04 Mar 2016

New Institutional Developments In ASEAN: Towards A More Effective (Genuine) Security Architecture?

The recent establishment of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) as an integral part of the ADMM, a forum created in 2006 as a means of fostering defence and security dialogue and coo...

by | On 02 Mar 2016

Myanmar’s National Reconciliation Process: A Positive for the Region?

Since taking office in March 2011, Myanmar’s new government has implemented a host of reforms. These include the release of some political prisoners,a lifting of restrictions on media freedoms, the...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 02 Mar 2016

Japanese-Chinese Territorial Disputes in the East China Sea – Between Military Confrontation and Economic Cooperation.

This paper analyses the various legal, political, military and economic circumstances of the two territorial disputes in the ECS, and it evaluates the approaches by both sides to turn the ECS from a `...

by Reinhard Drifte | On 01 Mar 2016

Effective Carbon Taxes and Public Policy Options: Insights from India and Pakistan

In this paper, we take as given the need for public action on climate change (see Stern, 2007), and that carbon taxation is one of the key instruments for influencing both behaviour of consumers and p...

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

The Political-economy of Tax Reforms in Pakistan: The Ongoing Saga of the GST

Should tax reforms be guided by rules of thumb suggested by the IMF, or directions or reform based on analytical approaches, such as optimal tax theory? In many cases, the applications of the directio...

by Ehtisham Ahmad | On 01 Mar 2016

Liberalization, Globalization And The Dynamics Of Democracy In India

In the closing decades of the twentieth century there has been an almost complete intellectual triumph of the twin principles of marketization (understood here as referring to the liberalization of do...

by D M NACHANE | On 01 Mar 2016

Contesting Identities in Bangladesh: A Study of Secular and Religious Frontiers

The birth of Bangladesh in 1971 was an epoch-making event within the post-colonial order of South Asia. Led by the middle classes, a bitter and bloody war of Liberation from Pakistan was fought, based...

by Sanjay Bhardwaj | 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

Budget for Children 2016-2017: Not Even Halfway through its Demographic Dividend

The share of children in the Union Budget 2016-17 goes up to 3.32% showing a slight increase from 3.26% in the last years Budget 2015.

by HAQ Centre for Child Rights HAQCRC | On 01 Mar 2016

Conditional Cash Transfer Programs: An Effective Tool for Poverty Alleviation?

The paper highlights a number of issues that countries need to explore in assessing the feasibility of a CCT program: a country needs to assess the current level of specific human capital outcomes and...

by Hyun H. Son | On 29 Feb 2016

GEF India Enabling Transformations

The GoI, in collaboration with Global Environment Facility (GEF), has been addressing critical gaps related to policy, regulation, capacity, technology, management and finance. The completed GEF proje...

by Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Chang GOI | On 29 Feb 2016

"Direct Access" to Climate Finance: Lessons Learned by National Institutions

Implementation of the Adaptation Fund and GCF direct access modalities is still in a relatively early stage. (The Adaptation Fund accredited its first implementing entities in 2010; the GCF did so in...

by Indira Masullo | On 29 Feb 2016

Narendra Modi, Mark II

Has Narendra Modi re-set his political sights? What's there in the Budget?

by T.N. Ninan | On 29 Feb 2016

Corporate Debt Market in India: Key Issues and Some Policy Recommendations

This paper presents an overview of the corporate debt market in India. A study of the structure and the status of the corporate debt market along with the current policies initiated by Securities and...

by M. T. Raju | On 28 Feb 2016

The New Economic Case for Migration Restrictions: An Assessment

In this paper, a review of the literature on the global efficiency consequences of migration and assess a new strand of that literature. This is the new economic case for migration restrictions, which...

by Michael Clemens | On 27 Feb 2016

Traditional Security as a Source of Non¬traditional Insecurities – The Case of Okinawa

Tensions over the US military bases in Okinawa are rooted in the conception of the state as the only referent of security, with national security being defined in military terms. Under this tradition...

by Lina Gong | On 27 Feb 2016

The Green Climate Fund: An Opportunity to Rationalise Climate Finance?

Is the new Green Climate Fund (GCF) set to be yet another unwieldy addition to the climate finance web? While the form of the GCF, and its functions, has yet to be fully determined, it has been framed...

by Sofiah Jamil | On 27 Feb 2016

Post¬Arab Spring: Political transitions in retreat?

A recent cover of the Economist magazine asked: ‘Has the Arab Spring failed?’ More questions along this line will certainly come as the international community follows closely the political developm...

by Mely Caballero-Anthony | On 27 Feb 2016

Can Indonesia advance the peace process in Mindanao?

In light of the recent violence that shook Zamboanga city in Mindanao in the southern Philippines, Indonesia’s offer to act as a peace broker between Manila and the Misuari¬led Moro National Liberat...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 27 Feb 2016

20 Years of Human Security: A Special Focus on Political Security

Security used to be defined in military terms with the state as the referent of security. From this state-centric lens, political security means the stability of the state’s political regime and socia...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 27 Feb 2016

Energy Security in the 21st Century: A Human Security Perspective

Energy security is no longer just about the security of supply; it is multifaceted and inextricably linked to public health and environmental issues. Amidst political instability in oil-producing regi...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | 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

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

The Myanmar Nargis Aftermath: A Disaster in Governance

Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, which made headline news across the globe, triggered denunciations of the military regime in delaying the international humanitarian relief efforts. The cyclone-struck count...

by | On 26 Feb 2016

Whither Civil Society in Thailand?

Civil activism is looming over the Samak government. Although the Royal Thai army has remained in the barracks since the 2007 elections, they may become restive again. What is the position of civil so...

by | On 26 Feb 2016

Governance and Institutions: The role of multilevel fiscal institutions in generating sustainable and inclusive growth

Differences in political ideology might lead to different views about the role of the state in the provision of public services across countries, or even in the same country over time.2 At the same ti...

by Ehtisham Ahmad | On 26 Feb 2016

Local Property Taxation and Benefits in Developing Countries - Overcoming political resistance?

While property taxation has existed since ancient times, and the taxation of land has been a mainstay of public finances through the Middle Ages, in both Europe and Asia, it has all but ceased to be a...

by Ehtisham Ahmad | On 26 Feb 2016

Involving the Private Sector and PPPs in Financing Public Investments: Some Opportunities and Challenges

Given that public investment requirements far exceed available resources in most developing countries, there is a need to both channel public resources wisely and also best leverage the opportunities...

by Ehtisham Ahmad | On 26 Feb 2016

Social Innovation: A Guide to Achieving Corporate and Societal Value

As a central effort in the Global Challenge Initiative on Economic Growth and Social Inclusion, this is a “how to guide” for companies to create social and business value. Drawn from a series of works...

by World Economic Forum [WEF] | On 26 Feb 2016

Accra Conference on Aid Effectiveness Perspectives from Bangladesh

The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), established in 1993, is a civil society initiative to promote an ongoing dialogue between the principal partners in the decision-making and implementing process....

by Dialogue Centre for Policy | On 25 Feb 2016

Protest Culture in Thailand

As the current anti-government demonstrations in Thailand enter a critical stage, the trend in Thai protests against the establishment, set since 1932, has been reinforced. The protesters are seeking...

by | On 25 Feb 2016

Resolving Internal Conflict in Myanmar: A Human Security Approach

National security in Myanmar has always been equated with state security by the ruling military junta. However, the drive to protect the state has led to insecurities for its people. This paper argues...

by | On 25 Feb 2016

The Economic Crisis and Labour Migrants: A Test for Human Security?

As the current global economic crisis deepens, labour migrants have begun to experience the consequences of both political and economic insecurity. How effective are legal frameworks in protecting the...

by | On 25 Feb 2016

Development Policies and Democratic Disruptions: Predicaments of the Marxist Left

This paper argues that development policies operate in Indian democracy at the interstices of two largely different yet interconnected worlds – of technical formulation and political formations. The I...

by | On 25 Feb 2016

Power and Piety: Religion, State and Society in Muslim Countries

There is the logical possibility of the creation of a Muslim society that is characterised by high levels of trust in and esteem for the State, and in which there is also a high level of trust in reli...

by Riaz Hassan | 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

Prospects of Wheat and Sugar Trade between India and Pakistan: A Simple Welfare Analysis

Due to a long history of strained political relations between India and Pakistan, trade possibilities between the two neighbouring countries have rarely been studied [Nabi and Nasim (2001), Mukherji (...

by Abid Burki | On 24 Feb 2016

Towards Comprehensive Economic Co-operation between India and Central Asian Republics

Despite some recovery in recent years, Central Asian Republics (CARs) remain in difficult economic situation and they present a serious challenge to Asia. It is in the mutual interest of both CARs and...

by Ramgopal Agarwala | On 24 Feb 2016

The AICHR Framework for Action

On 23 October 2009, ASEAN formally launched the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights at the 15th ASEAN Summit in Thailand. The ASEAN leaders also announced the ‘Cha-am Hua Hin Declaratio...

by | On 24 Feb 2016

Workshop Report on “Starving Tigers?: Impact of Climate Change in South East Asia”

The Copenhagen Summit in December 2009 failed to yield a concrete, politically-binding agreement among states to reduce carbon emissions in order to mitigate climate change. This is so despite the wid...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 24 Feb 2016

Strategies for Intellectual Property and Preventing Technology Leakage in China: A Comparison of Strategies Used in Japan, America, and Europe

Japanese corporations and American and European corporations take different approaches when it comes to business in China in general: (i) American corporations are concentrated in the music, motion pi...

by Yoshio Iteya | On 24 Feb 2016

Impact of Management Practices on Employee Effectiveness in South Asia

South Asian organizations in countries like Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka are trying to professionalize management practices in recent years. Inspite of such efforts, employees indiscipli...

by Zafar Qureshi | On 24 Feb 2016

Scaling Up Carbon Finance in India

India’s performance in the early carbon market are analysed, and proposes a series of actions to be undertaken by both the Government of India, and the private sector, if India is to take full advanta...

by World Bank | On 24 Feb 2016

The Puzzle of Small Farming in Japan

Japan’s small farming represents a puzzle. Currently nearly three-quarters of farmland is operated by farmers whose farm size is well under optimal size. Being too small is the main reason for the hig...

by Yoshihisa Godo | 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

Australia and Climate Change: The Changing Weather in Climate Politics

The rise of Julia Gillard as Australia’s prime minister has given Kevin Rudd the dubious honour of being probably the first political leader to fall victim to climate change. What does this mean for A...

by | On 23 Feb 2016

Indonesia’s National Defence Forces: Recent Strategic Changes and Implications

Following President SusiloBambangYudhoyono’s re-election in November 2009, the Indonesian National Defence Forces (TNI) have been undergoing several significant structural changes. What are the implic...

by | On 23 Feb 2016

Water Regime Resilience and Community Rights to Resource Access in the Face of Climate Change

This paper begins by arguing that an analysis of social vulnerability seeking to enhance social resilience must take into account the social construction of vulnerability, namely, the economic, instit...

by | On 23 Feb 2016

Non-Traditional Security Challenges, Regional Governance, and the ASEAN Political-Security Community

Much of the attention on institutional development within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has focused on the progress in establishing the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC)....

by | On 23 Feb 2016

Parliament Session Alert-Budget Session: February 23 – May 13, 2016

The Budget Session of Parliament will be held between February 23, 2016 and May 13, 2016. The session will have a recess from March 17 to April 24, when the Standing Committees will examine the Dema...

by Kusum Malik | On 23 Feb 2016

Security Sector Governance and Conflict Management in Southeast Asia

Security sector governance (SSG) poses a huge challenge to states transitioning to democracy, particularly in cases where the military and other components of the security sector had been very influen...

by | On 22 Feb 2016

Tamil Nadu Interim Budget Speech 2016-2017

Budget speech by the Hon’ble Minister for Finance and Public Works, Government of Tamil Nadu

by O Panneerselvam | On 22 Feb 2016

A Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium Model for India

Over the last decade, the Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) framework has become a workhorse for macroeconomic analysis in both academic and policy circles. Following this emerging trend,...

by Parantap Basu | On 21 Feb 2016

Thailand’s Floods: Political and Security Impact

The devastating floods in Thailand add another dimension to the range of security threats to the country. What are the political and security implications of the floods on Thailand?

by | On 20 Feb 2016

The US and Myanmar: Need for Rapprochement

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s ground-breaking visit to Myanmar signals a shift in US attitude towards that country. Quicker rapprochement could benefit both countries as well as Southeast Asia.

by | On 20 Feb 2016

From Kyoto to Durban: The Fits and Starts of Global Climate Change Negotiations

The 2011 outcomes from the UN’s annual climate change meetings have again been met with both cautious optimism and charges that the process shows few signs of effectively addressing global climate cha...

by | On 20 Feb 2016

Burmese Refugee Women and the Gendered Politics of Exile, Reconstruction and Human Rights

This research paper examines the predicament of Burmese women refugees in India and explores the complexities of the female refugee experience. Combining theoretical perspectives with personal narrati...

by | On 20 Feb 2016

The Military along the Security-Development Frontier: Implications for Non-traditional Security in the Philippines and Thailand

The militaries of developing countries have often gone beyond the mission of external defence, to perform unconventional roles ranging from disaster relief and economic management to law enforcement a...

by | On 20 Feb 2016

Euthanasia Regime: A Comparative Analysis of Dutch and Indian Positions

Euthanasia has always been in limelight as a subject matter of debate in the field of medicine and law. The euthanasia debate, being a value debate, seems to have no concrete solution, at least in the...

by Sandeepa Bhat B | On 20 Feb 2016

The Goods & Services Tax Debate in India: Concepts and Issues

The chequered but ongoing political efforts to introduce a uniform Goods & Services Tax (GST) throughout India should actually be seen through a larger economic prism. The current sense of urgency, re...

by | On 19 Feb 2016

Mass housing requires mass housing finance

In this lecture Marja Hoek Smit argues that housing finance is critical to solve the housing problem, increasing, as it does, the number of households that can afford to acquire a house in the formal...

by | On 19 Feb 2016

A Strategic Analysis of The Australian Foreign Investment Regime and The Prospect of Reform

This paper uses a strategic framework developed by Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government to assess whether Australia’s foreign investment regime is sufficiently delivering on its four main objectives...

by Alan Fels | On 19 Feb 2016

Bureaucracy and Pro-poor Change

This paper takes a political economy perspective in analysing the nature and causes on the decline in bureaucratic conduct.

by Ali Cheema | On 18 Feb 2016

Integrated Farming Systems And Resilient Agricultural Landscapes

Asia’s rapid change across socio-economic and political spheres, amid population growth and rising demand for food, feed and energy supplies, is unprecedented. To strike a balance between economic gro...

by Research Consultative Group on International Agricultural | On 18 Feb 2016

Workshop Report: National Planning for Phase 1 of the CCAC Paddy Rice Component in Vietnam

This workshop was conducted as part of the mitigation strategies in rice production project, implemented with support from the agriculture initiative of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition. The projec...

by B. Sander | On 18 Feb 2016

Something in the Air? Pollution, Allergens and Children’s Cognitive Functioning

Poor air quality has been shown to harm the health and development of children. Research on these relationships has focused almost exclusively on the effects of human-made pollutants, and has not full...

by Dave Marcotte | On 17 Feb 2016

Denuclearisation Talks with North Korea: Time for China and Russia to Act?

Recent diplomatic engagements between North Korea and Russia have raised the prospect of resuming denuclearisation talks between Pyongyang and the international community. What is the prospect of Nort...

by | On 16 Feb 2016

UN Development Goals: Sustaining the Southeast Asian Fisherman

The UN Sustainable Development Goals highlight the need to protect the oceans, coastlines and small-scale fishermen. However, this may be in conflict with ASEAN’s bid to reach the targets set out in t...

by | On 16 Feb 2016

State and Region Public Finances in Myanmar

This paper focuses on understanding the role of state and region governments in relation to Myanmar's public finances. This has been done to take stock of existing research, better understand the comp...

by The Asia Foundation | 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

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

Towards “Trade Policy Analysis 2.0”: From National Comparative Advantage to Firm-Level Trade Data

This paper makes the case for the need to “upgrade” current analytical tools used for trade policy analysis and complement them with more detailed firm-level data. Such an upgrade should be based on t...

by Lucian Cernat | On 16 Feb 2016

Thailand’s Economic Integration with Neighboring Countries and Possible Connectivity with South Asia

Thailand’s increasing importance as a regional co-production base and as an intra-regional trade and border trade hub is due mainly to recent changes in its economic structure, namely, the lack of ope...

by Suthiphand Chirathivat | On 16 Feb 2016

Financial Inclusion, Financial Education, and Financial Regulation: A Story from Indonesia

Many reforms have taken place in Indonesia following the Asian financial crisis of 1997– 1998. The government has embarked upon institutional transformation, making the country one of the region’s mos...

by Georg Inderst | On 16 Feb 2016

Well-being and Public Attitudes in Afghanistan: Some Insights from the Economics of Happiness

Afghanistan is a context where individuals have to cope with the most adverse of circumstances. In this paper, we use the tools provided by a new approach in economics, which relies on surveys of happ...

by Soumya Chattopadhyay | On 16 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

Mainstreaming Children in the Union Budget 2016-17: The ‘Mantra’ of Inclusive Development

in order to ensure the inclusion and social security of children, the Central government must pay attention to the concerns raised by Sates and the upcoming Union Budget must include some of the point...

by Kumar Shailabh | 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

Accountability and Transparency in Political Finance

When money corrupts campaigns and candidates, political finance can undermine the same democratic values and good governance that it also supports. To prevent and address the problem, transparency and...

by Transparency International TI | On 14 Feb 2016

Judicial Accountability and Discipline

The judiciary needs to be independent of outside influence, particularly of political and economic entities such as government agencies or industry associations. But judicial independence does not mea...

by Transparency International TI | On 14 Feb 2016

Promoting Fairness in Judicial Appointments

Where political power plays a significant role in the appointment, promotion and conditions of service of judges there is a risk that judicial candidates, as well as sitting judges, will feel compelle...

by Transparency International TI | On 14 Feb 2016

Toward Reconciliation in Afghanistan

How can we make sense of where the United States is in Afghanistan today? A poor country, wracked by 30 years of civil war, finds itself at the mercy of insurgents, terrorists, and narco-traffickers....

by Michael O'Hanlon | On 14 Feb 2016

Pakistan Seeks Control of Its Afghanistan Endgame

Encouraging Taliban attacks on NATO, leaders of the Pakistan military and its intelligence service are impatient for the US to abandon the war in Afghanistan. The Pakistani goal is to prevent a pro-In...

by Bruce Riedel | 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

The Afghanistan–Pakistan Challenge: Meeting Humanitarian Needs

For Campaign 2012, Bruce Riedel and Michael O’Hanlon wrote a policy brief proposing ideas for the next president on America’s foreign policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan. The following paper is a r...

by Elizabeth Ferris | On 14 Feb 2016

Standards on Political Funding and Favours

When corruption distorts political party and campaign financing, candidate competition is warped, elections are undermined and the quality of government is compromised. This paper sets forth standards...

by Transparency International TI | On 14 Feb 2016

Political Finance Regulations: Bridging the Enforcement Gap

Political finance regulations have been introduced in a majority of democracies to promote fair political competition, but all too often political party and campaign finance laws are breached with imp...

by Transparency International TI | On 14 Feb 2016

Fragile States: A Donor-Serving Concept? Issues with Interpretations of Fragile Statehood in Afghanistan

Current conceptions and models of fragile statehood in conflict-affected contexts can serve the purposes of international donor governments over and above reconstruction and statebuilding. First, desp...

by Sultan Barakat | On 14 Feb 2016

Crime-War Battlefields

In her new article, “Crime-War Battlefields,” published in the June-July issue of Survival, Vanda Felbab-Brown discusses the evolution of war since the end of the Cold War and the eventual rise of pol...

by Vanda Felbab-Brown | On 14 Feb 2016

The Political Games in the Taliban Negotiations

That the Taliban has agreed to negotiations is not surprising. It has much to gain from participating in negotiations – yet almost no incentives to agree to any sort of a deal before 2015. Nor should...

by Vanda Felbab-Brown | On 14 Feb 2016

Afghanistan After ISAF

Summer 2013 brought one of the most violent fighting seasons in Afghanistan since the US military and state-building effort began in 2001. On the cusp of the momentous 2014 presidential elections and...

by Vanda Felbab-Brown | On 14 Feb 2016

Afghanistan’s Deep Challenges and Transition Opportunities

The continued withdrawal of ISAF forces and the handover of responsibilities to Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) along with a strong Taliban military push dominated the security realm. The ANSF...

by Vanda Felbab-Brown | On 14 Feb 2016

Security and Political Developments in Afghanistan in 2014 and After : Endgame or New

The excerpt below introduces a book chapter written by Vanda Felbab-Brown for the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior anthology, Afghanistan 2014, published in March 2014. In this chapter, Dr. F...

by Vanda Felbab-Brown | On 14 Feb 2016

Blood and Hope in Afghanistan : A June 2015 Update

As the United States tries to wind down its military participation in Afghanistan’s counterinsurgency after more than a decade of struggles against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, Afghanistan’s future remai...

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

The Government Budget : A Critical Appraisal with Reference to Transparency and Accountability

Budget is the major economic policy document of the government for a particular year and perhaps beyond. Therefore, it is imperative to study the processes, institutional mechanisms, and decision-maki...

by Muttukrishna Sarvananthan | On 13 Feb 2016

Social Capital in India: Networks, Organizations, and Confidence

Using original data from a newly collected nationally representative survey for 40,000 households in India, we examine associations of various dimensions of social capital with each other and with con...

by Reeve Vanneman | On 13 Feb 2016

2015 and Beyond: The Governance Solution for Development

There are fewer than 1000 days remaining until the 2015 deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Based on current progress, many will not be achieved. For Transparency Internati...

by Transparency International TI | On 12 Feb 2016

India and Central Asia: Trade Routes and Trade Potential

In an environment of increasing importance of South–South bilateral trade partnerships, we assess the potential for improving bilateral trade between India and five Central Asian countries in this pap...

by Pradeep Agrawal | 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

Literature Survey on Intellectual Property Rights and Sustainable Human Development

This version of the literature survey updates and expands a working draft produced in ugust 2000 as part of a project funded by the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID). It will contin...

by | On 10 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

Cross-Retaliation in TRIPS: Options for Developing Countries

The possibility for developing WTO Members to suspend concessions in the field of trade-related intellectual property rights (TRIPS) to redress an injury suffered with respect to trade in goods or ser...

by | On 10 Feb 2016

Intellectual Property Training and Education: A Development Perspective

This paper underlines that the WIPO DA presents a timely and valuable opportunity to re-evaluate the design and delivery of IP training and education. It points to possible lessons to be learned by lo...

by | On 10 Feb 2016

The Influence of Preferential Trade Agreements on the Implementation of Intellectual Property Rights in Developing Countries: A First Look

This paper finds that PTAs are clearly drivers of significant IP reform in developing countries and that the implementation challenge for these countries is real and complex. The challenge does not on...

by | On 10 Feb 2016

Protecting Shared Traditional Knowledge: Issues, Challenges and Options

Shared and widely distributed traditional knowledge, among communities and across national borders is often the norm rather than the exception. However, it remains an area for which policy and legal s...

by | On 10 Feb 2016

North Korea’s Third Hereditary Succession: Determining Factors and Hidden Meanings

North Korea appointed Kim Jong Un, the youngest son of Kim Jong Il, to the position of vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) at the third Party Conventi...

by | On 09 Feb 2016

Bangladesh: Bangladesh: The Adolescence of an Ancient Land Ancient Land

On January 11, 2007, a state of emergency was declared in Bangladesh. A new caretaker government which condoned greater military involvement in the governing of Bangladesh was installed. This is the t...

by | On 09 Feb 2016

Indonesia: Development Scenarios 2020–2030

This report provides a background and analysis of trends of some of the most pressing issues facing Indonesia and outlines scenarios for 2020–2030. In thus doing, the report’s focus is thematically or...

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

China’s Rising Military Power & Its Implications

China’s rising military power and its implications is of significant concern that has been widely discussed in the international community and among political elites across the globe. This paper explo...

by | On 08 Feb 2016

Rivalry and Cooperation: A New "Great Game" in Myanmar

Myanmar since its reform and opening up has become the locus for a new "Great Game" between the world's major powers. This brings with it new challenges for China which has hitherto been the preeminen...

by | On 08 Feb 2016

Legitimacy and Compliance in Transnational Governance

Power, rule, and legitimacy have always been core concerns of political science. In the 1970s, when governability appeared to be problematic, legitimacy was discussed both in the context of policy res...

by | On 08 Feb 2016

Trade, Finance & Development: Overview of Challenges and Opportunities

Although there is an extremely robust positive correlation between various measures of trade and financial development on the one hand, and economic growth, on the other, the evidence concerning the d...

by | On 08 Feb 2016

2009 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development: Women's Control over Economic Resources and Access to Financial Resources, including Microfinance

The World Survey on the Role of Women in Development is the flagship publication of the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women. It is presented to the Second Committee of the General Ass...

by UN Women | On 08 Feb 2016

Progress of the World's Women 2000

Launched in June of 2000, "Progress of the World's Women" is UNIFEM's biennial investigation of progress made towards a world where women live free from violence, poverty and inequality. The first iss...

by UN Women | On 08 Feb 2016

Does Joining the EU Make You Happy? Evidence from Bulgaria and Romania

We examine the effect of joining the European Union on individual life satisfaction in Bulgaria and Romania in the context of the 2007 EU enlargement. Although EU membership is among the most importan...

by Milena Nikolova | On 07 Feb 2016

Determinants of Urban Poverty: The Case of Medium Sized City in Pakistan

Urban poverty, which is distinct from rural poverty due to demographic, economic and political aspects remain hitherto unexplored, at the city level in Pakistan. The determinants of urban poverty in S...

by Masood Sarwar Awan | On 06 Feb 2016

Fiscal Federalism in Pakistan: The 7th National Finance Commission Award and Its Implications

Pakistan is a federal country. Distribution of resources has a profound impact on income, development, backwardness, and poverty. The paper briefly discusses the federation, its needs and importance i...

by Usman Mustafa | On 06 Feb 2016

Protecting Climate Finance: An Anti-Corruption Assessment of the Adaptation Fund

Protecting Climate Finance: An Anti-Corruption Assessment of the Adaptation Fund is the first in a series of reports by Transparency International aimed at analysing the policies and practices that se...

by Transparency International TI | On 05 Feb 2016

Protecting Climate Finance: An Anti-Corruption Assessment of the Climate Investment Funds

Protecting Climate Finance: An Anti-corruption Assessment of the Climate Investment Funds is the second in a series of reports by Transparency International aimed at analysing the policies and practic...

by Transparency International TI | On 05 Feb 2016

Protecting Climate Finance: An Anti-Corruption Assessment of the Global Environment Facility's Least Developed Countries Fund & Special Climate Change Fund

Protecting Climate Finance: An Anti-corruption Assessment of the Global Environment Facility’s Least Developed Countries Fund and Special Climate Change Fund is the third in a series of reports by Tra...

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

Nepal National Integrity System Assessment 2014

Transparency International Nepal’s (TIN) National Integrity System Assessment Nepal 2014 describes the latest status of 11 pillars of NIS in terms of their capacity, governance and role besides pointi...

by Transparency International TI | On 05 Feb 2016

Palestine National Integrity System Assessment 2013

During the period covered by this study, Palestine faced a number of positive and negative developments. The most significant was the continued political divide, resulting in an ongoing disruption to...

by Transparency International TI | On 05 Feb 2016

Curbing Illicit Financial Flows to Unlock A Sustainable Future

Achieving the sustainable development goals and countering climate change will require considerably more resources than what public finances alone can afford. By curbing illicit financial flows and re...

by Transparency International | On 05 Feb 2016

Egypt 2014: National Integrity System Assessment

Between 2011 and 2014, Egypt experienced perhaps the most turbulent and uncertain phase in its modern history. The elimination of widespread corruption was one of the key issues galvanising Egyptians...

by Transparency International | On 05 Feb 2016

Tax Systems: A Channel for Corruption – Or A Way To Fight It?

Fighting tax evasion, corruption and opaque money flows should be seen as advancing the same end point: more equitable and better governed countries. When a tax system works right, it can create an ef...

by Transparency International | On 04 Feb 2016

Together Against Corruption: Transparency International Strategy 2020

Together against Corruption provides the strategic framework for Transparency International’s collective ambition and actions for the years 2016-2020. Our movement’s fourth strategy, it builds on the...

by Transparency International | On 03 Feb 2016

Israeli Interference in Sudan

As part of its initial publications, the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies will soon issue a book in Arabic, titled The Secession of Southern Sudan: Risks and Opportunities. The book is the...

by | On 03 Feb 2016

Truth, Power and the Rehabilitation of the Facts

This paper is an attempt to analyze the age-old phenomenon of leaks - the deliberate disclosure of secret information - and its relationship with the principle of transparency in a democracy. Secrets...

by | On 03 Feb 2016

The Process of National Security Decision-Making in Israel and the Influence of the Military Establishment

This study researches the decision-making process in national security matters in Israel; and examines the influence and role of the military establishment in this process. To achieve this purpose, th...

by | On 03 Feb 2016

The Tribe and Democracy: The Case of Monarchist Iraq (1921-1958)

This study attempts to examine the perpetual political usage of the tribe, and is concerned with the ways in which the tribe has been politically exploited in the processes of political change in the...

by | 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

Market Imperfections and Dividend Policy Decisions ofManufacturing Sector of Pakistan

Dividend policy is an important issue of corporate finance and the present study examines the effect of market imperfections such as asymmetric information, agency costs and transaction cost of issuin...

by Darakhshan Younis | 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

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

Financial Incentives to Industry

This paper provides details of the decisions made by the Environment Standards Committee (ESC) on Financial Incentives to industry. It also documents the progress made so far in the implementation of...

by Abdul Khan | On 02 Feb 2016

Apostasy and the Freedom of Belief: A New Islamic Perspective

This paper offers a novel perspective on the concept of freedom of conscience in Islam and the rules of apostasy in which the author, YehyaJad revises the notion of the death penalty for the apostate....

by | On 02 Feb 2016

Syria and Turkey: A Turning Point or a Historical Bet

Syrian-Turkish relations represent a regional and international phenomenon that has attracted a considerable amount of political and media attention; however, research on the dynamics and wagers invol...

by Aqil Mahfoudh | On 02 Feb 2016

Re-reading the Myth of Fayyadism: A Critical Analysis of the Palestinian Authority’s Reform and State-building Agenda, 2008-2011

ayyadism is a term coined by New York Times columnist Tom Friedman that has gained widespread usage in the media and the quasi-academic literature emanating from various high-profile English-language...

by | On 02 Feb 2016

Patents and Clean Energy: Bridging the Gap between Evidence and Policy

Climate change is the most pressing challenge of our time. Addressing it requires an unprecedented mobilisation of human and financial resources to alter our patterns of production, consumption and en...

by International Centre and Sustainable Development | On 02 Feb 2016

Corruption Perceptions Index 2015

Based on expert opinion from around the world, the Corruption Perceptions Index measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption worldwide. Not one of the 168 countries assessed in the 2015 i...

by | 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

The Political Economy of Undernutrition National Report: Pakistan

In this report, we use political economy analysis to demonstrate that nutrition in Pakistan has remained off the policy agenda because of large disconnects between key sectors, a lack of integrated cr...

by Shehla Zaidi | On 02 Feb 2016

The Contribution of Palestinian Civil Society Organisations toward Achieving National Reconciliation in Palestine, 2007-2010

This study is an attempt to comprehensively examine the contribution of Palestinian Civil Society organizations toward ending Palestinian division and achieving national reconciliation. To this end, a...

by | On 01 Feb 2016

Palestinian Refugees and the Syrian Revolution

Relying on statistics collected in the field, this study examines the involvement of Palestinians in the Syrian Revolution. Politically, this issue has generated heated debates among observers due to...

by | On 01 Feb 2016

Sudan and Iran: The Journey of Rapprochement in light of the Current Arab Landscape

This study examines Sudan's relationship with Iran in light of the numerous Israeli air raids being launched against it, and explores whether the Sudanese regime has a preference for Iranian or Arab a...

by | On 01 Feb 2016

The Ottoman Tanzimats and the Constitution

This study is rooted in the various contexts in which the Ottomans adopted the Tanzimat, a series of reforms in the 19th century, which later gave rise to a constitution. The philosophy behind the Ott...

by | On 01 Feb 2016

On the Intellectual and Revolution

This essay is not an attempt to provide a comprehensive historical or sociological treatment of the subject of intellectuals and their role in revolution; rather, it is a conceptual contribution that...

by | On 01 Feb 2016

The Armed Syrian Opposition: Common Aim but No Vision

In response to the dearth of academic studies written on the Syrian opposition, this study reviews the various Syrian military organizations that are currently active against the Syrian regime, and di...

by | On 01 Feb 2016

Foreign Labor and Questions of Identity in the Arabian Gulf

Numerous studies have concluded that the large presence of foreign labor in the Gulf could eventually lead to a loss of national identity. Large concentrations of foreigners, composed of numerous ethn...

by | On 01 Feb 2016

People, Policy, and Partnership for Disaster Resilient Development

The National Alliance of Disaster Risk Reduction (NADRR) was launched at a two-day workshop held in New Delhi on November 3rd and 4th, 2007. The workshop brought together over 150 participants represe...

by National Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction NADRR | 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 01 Feb 2016

A Taste of Success: Examples of the Budget Work of NGOs

This report is a compilation of examples of the budget work undertaken by nongovernmental organizations from around the world. Although many of these organizations are new to budget analysis, they h...

by International Budget Partnership IBP | 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

Finance for Forests and Climate Change

In addition to providing multiple services and goods, forests can play a key role in tackling climate change. Forestry, as defined by the IPCC accounts for around 17.4 per cent of global GHG emissions...

by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs | On 31 Jan 2016

Till Debt do us Part: the Urgency of a Sovereign Debt Workout Mechanism

The danger to global economic recovery posed by the European debt turmoil throws a spotlight on a key missing international institution critical to global finance a sovereign debt resolution mechanism...

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

India’s Role in East Asia: Lessons from Cultural and Historical Linkages

India’s presence in the East Asia Summit signals not only a victory for New Delhi’s “Look East” policy but also an implicit “Look West” policy on the part of India’s neighbors to the east. This conver...

by Ellen L. Frost | On 31 Jan 2016

The Politics Of What Works In Service Delivery: An Evidence-Based Review

This paper examines the evidence on the forms of politics likely to promote inclusive social provisioning and enable, as opposed to constrain, improvements in service outcomes. It focuses on eight rel...

by Claire Mcloughlin | On 30 Jan 2016

State Capacity and Inclusive Development: New Challenges and Directions.

This paper takes stock of recent advancements in the literature on state capacity and connects them tothe study of inclusive development. Specifically, four particular lines of argument are presented....

by Matthias Hau | On 30 Jan 2016

Value Chains and Tropical Products in a Changing Global Trade Regime

In the last decade, the commodity issues have re-emerged as central to development initiatives and poverty alleviation strategies. The objective of this Issue Paper by Charles Mather is to contribute...

by | On 30 Jan 2016

The Future and the WTO: Confronting the Challenges: A collection of short essays

Mutually agreeable solutions have yet to be found for moving the WTO’s stalled Doha Round forward. This collection of short essays aims to help in the search for consensus by providing brief but thoro...

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

Situational Analysis of Women's Representation in National Politics

The paper reviews the party declarations, election manifestos, party structures and level of women's presence within five different political parties as mentioned above. The election manifestos and co...

by . BRAC | On 30 Jan 2016

National Discourses on Women’s Empowerment in Bangladesh: Continuities and Change

This paper explores how these perceptions and narratives around women’s empowerment have evolved in Bangladesh from 2000 to date. It studies the concepts of women’s empowerment in public discourse and...

by Sohela Nazneen | On 30 Jan 2016

Climate Change, Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Rights

In this discussion paper, the question of technology transfer, intellectual property rights is addressed in the context of climate change. Technology development and transfer has been identified as a...

by K.Ravi Srinivas | On 30 Jan 2016

Expansion and Evaluation of Social Science Disciplines in Public Sector Universities of Pakistan from 1947 to 2013

The purpose of this research study was to examine the expansion and to evaluate the social sciences in Pakistan. The sample consisted of 60 departments of social sciences from five disciplines (Econom...

by Muhammad Arslan Haider | On 30 Jan 2016

A Report on the Status of Pardhis in Mumbai City

Owing to a dearth of government data and research studies on the urban existence of Pardhis, one of the principal aims of this study was to render visibility to the issue.

by Paankhi Agrawal | On 30 Jan 2016

Palestinian Public Opinion: Attitudes towards Peace Negotiations and National Reconciliation

This report presents selected results of the 2014 Arab Opinion Index from Palestine (the West Bank and the Gaza Strip). The Arab Opinion Index is the largest opinion poll of its kind in the Arab regio...

by | On 29 Jan 2016

Hamas: Between Efforts to Politicize the Court and Demands of Justice

For the two contending sides in any conflict, the give-and-take of pain-inducing blows is somewhat a given. Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, has suffered a good many such blows over the course...

by | On 29 Jan 2016

A Political History of Relations between Russia and the Gulf States

Russia’s contemporary development of political relations with a number of players in the Gulf – namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the UAE – is taking place as though a continuation of relations...

by | On 29 Jan 2016

Russian Intervention in Syria: Geostrategy is Paramount

Russia’s military intervention in Syria is the only direct military intervention there by a state from outside the region. Iran was there first, but its intervention took different forms. No state, be...

by | 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

Elite Politics and Dissent in Sri Lanka

The year 2015 has been dramatic for politics in Sri Lanka. A Presidential, as well as a General, Election within the first eight months of the year saw the country having a new President and a new gov...

by | On 29 Jan 2016

To Fuse or Not To Fuse? Assessing the Case for Convergent Disciplines on Goods and Services Trade

With the rise of global value chains (GVCs) and the growing prominence of services as both facilitators or very objects of supply chain dynamics, it has become commonplace for goods and services to be...

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

Rethinking International Intellectual Property Law: What Institutional Environment for the Development and Enforcement of IP Law?

The establishment of the WTO Agreement on TRIPS (Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) and the proliferation of plurilateral, bilateral and regional agreements have significantly cont...

by | On 28 Jan 2016

Services Trade Agreement in South Asia Contours and Modalities

Available literature on regional trade integration in South Asia points to a variety of economic and non-economic factors that have slowed the integration process. The major non-economic factors inclu...

by South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics & Environment SAWTEE | On 28 Jan 2016

China and its Peripheries: Limited Objectives in Bhutan

Of all the nations that border China, its comparison with Bhutan would appear to be a paradox. In comprehensive power terms, Bhutan is almost a nonentity to China. Bhutan’s biggest disadvantage is its...

by Tilak Jha | On 28 Jan 2016

The Parameters of a National Minimum Hourly Wage

Both academic and political debates over the minimum wage generally focus on the minimum wage rate. However, the minimum wage is a complex institution composed of a wide variety of parameters. In t...

by Vinish Kathuria | On 28 Jan 2016

TRIPS and Pharmaceutical Industry: Issues of Strategic Importance

Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) brings in uniformity in the standards of intellectual property rights among the member countries of the WTO irrespective of their developmental statu...

by N. Lalitha | On 28 Jan 2016

Uneven Development and Regionalism: A Critique of Received Theories

This paper attempts at critically examining various theoretical approaches concerning uneven development and regionalism. Major theories propounded by the neo-classical regional school, institutionali...

by Sudarshan Iyengar | 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

Can Mandated Political Representation Increase Policy Influence for Disadvantaged Minorities? Theory and Evidence from India

A basic premise of representative democracy is that all those subject to policy should have a voice in its making. However, policies enacted by electorally accountable governments often fail to refle...

by Rohini Pande | On 28 Jan 2016

Women as Policy Makers: Evidence from a Randomized Policy Experiment in India

This paper uses political reservations for women in India to study the impact of women’s leadership on policy decisions. Since the mid-1990’s, one third of Village Council head positions in India hav...

by | On 28 Jan 2016

Promoting Agricultural Growth in Myanmar: A Review of Policies and an Assessment of Knowledge Gaps

This paper reviews the agricultural policy environment in Myanmar up until 2014 with an eye towards identifying policies that can help to accelerate productivity and profitability in the agricultural...

by Ulrike Nischan | On 28 Jan 2016

Triple Wins for Sustainable Development

As countries prepare for the ‘Rio+20’ United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, UNDP is pleased to share this report. It sets out national examples of progress toward sustainable developme...

by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) | On 27 Jan 2016

Innovative Financing for Development: A New Model for Development Finance?

This Discussion Paper explores recent experiences with innovative sources of development finance in order to capture lessons learned for the more effective implementation of both current and future in...

by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) | On 27 Jan 2016

Synthesis of Important Discussions on Microfinance and Livelihood Support to Small and Marginal Farmers

This publication incorporates all the discussions on marginal and small farmers such as micro financing for agricultural value chains, MahilaKisanSashaktikaranPariyojna, MF for small farmers through e...

by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) | On 27 Jan 2016

Consolidated Replies on State of the Sector Report 2012 for Microfinance

This document incorporates outputs of two discussions conducted on State of the Sector Report 2012. The summaries of the two discussions on SOS 2012 also find place in the State of the Sector Report...

by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) | On 27 Jan 2016

Financial Inclusion and Livelihood Promotion of Rickshaw Pullers in India

The research study highlights the financial inclusion needs of cycle rickshaw pullers in India. These include access to service sectors; improvement of asset base; employment of their women; increase...

by | On 27 Jan 2016

Financial Inclusion of Excluded Segments - Learning from Experience Delivery of Financial Services to People with Disabilities

The case study focuses on the unique initiative in India undertaken by the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion International in partnership with v-shesh Learning Services Pvt. Ltd. and three Micr...

by | On 27 Jan 2016

The Microfinance Bill: Need for a Fresh Outlook

This policy paper presents the past efforts of regulating the Microfinance sector, analyses the merits and demerits of various attempts beginning from the report of the Task Force1 in 1999 and present...

by | On 27 Jan 2016

Agriculture and Food Security: New Challenges and Options for International Policy

New challenges are facing the global food and agriculture trading system in the 21st century. The present paper identifies options for how policies and international trade rules can respond to this ne...

by | On 27 Jan 2016

Intellectual Property Provisions in Regional Trade Agreements: Revision and Update

The paper assembles detailed information about the IP provisions contained in active RTAs notified to the WTO. The goal was to expand beyond the more commonly studied RTAs, to review the full array of...

by Maegan McCann | On 27 Jan 2016

Unravelling Commitment? An Empirical Assessment of Political Commitment to Reduce Hunger and Undernutrition in Five High Burden Countries

In recent years, the global hunger and nutrition community has increasingly come to view political commitment as an essential ingredient for pushing food and nutrition security higher up public policy...

by | On 26 Jan 2016

The Relationship Between Services Trade And Government Procurement Commitments: Insights From Relevant WTO Agreements And Recent RTAS

To date, government procurement has been effectively carved out of the main multilateral rules of the WTO system. This paper examines the systemic and other ramifications of this exclusion, from both...

by Robert Anderson | On 26 Jan 2016

Infrastructure Provision , Trade And Development Prospects: Potential Role And Relevance Of The WTO Agreement On Government Procurement (GPA)

The paper, nonetheless, acknowledges that delivering these benefits would involve significant practical and political challenges. It concludes that if the challenges can be overcome and the mutual ben...

by Kodjo Osei-Lah | On 26 Jan 2016

Intellectual Property Rights Protection and Export Diversification: the Application of Utility Model Laws

We examine in this paper the impact of the tightening of IPRs, notably patents rights, and the adoption of utility model laws on export diversification. To perform our analysis, we used panel data cov...

by Kimm Gnangnon | On 26 Jan 2016

Improving The Availability Of Trade Finance In Developing Countries: An Assessment Of Remaining Gaps

While conditions in trade finance markets returned to normality in the main routes of trade, the structural difficulties of poor countries in accessing trade finance have not disappeared – and might h...

by Marc Auboin | On 26 Jan 2016

TRIPS Plus Agreements and Issues in Access to Medicines in Developing Countries

Harmonisation of intellectual property rights among the members of WTO has in the recent years seen informed debates on access to medicines. While the developing countries are lured to such agreements...

by Samira Guennif | On 26 Jan 2016

The Telangana Turmoil: Apprehensions and Hope

The paper addresses the apprehensions relating to state bifurcation among people of different regions in the state and the country. The paper argues that a new state can not be a threat either to the...

by Madhusudan Bandi | On 26 Jan 2016

Power to Women through Finance: Revisiting the Microfinance Promise

The relationship between women’s access to credit and their empowerment is a theme that seems to have lost much of its sheen and sharpness during the phase of commercialization of microfinance in Indi...

by Tara Nair | On 26 Jan 2016

Contemporary Myanmar: Challenges to Political Process and Reconciliation

This paper outlines the political reforms and reconciliation process presently underway in Myanmar and the challenges posed to it. A detailed analysis of changing power dynamics in Myanmar, and the re...

by | On 25 Jan 2016

Ageing in Emerging Markets

This report describes the outcomes of a 2015 symposium on Ageing in Emerging Markets convened by the Emerging Markets Symposium at Green Templeton College, Oxford. It focusses on the causes and conseq...

by | On 25 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

Protecting IPRs of Siddha Practitioners through People’s Biodiversity Register

Siddha system of medicine (SSM) focuses on addressing the root cause of the disease rather than treating the disease symptoms, and combinations of herbs, medicinal plants, animal and marine resources...

by N. Lalitha | 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

Regulating Microfinance through Codes of Conduct: A Critical Review of the Indian Experience

The paper critically reviews the course of events that led to the development of codes of conduct for the microfinance industry in the country and examines their effectiveness in motivating microfinan...

by Tara S Nair | On 25 Jan 2016

External Shocks

After the global financial crisis, India was exposed to many external shocks from commodity prices and foreign capital flows. Although capital flow fluctuations were largely due to global risk-on risk...

by Ashima Goyal | On 24 Jan 2016

Enhancing Disaster Management Capacity in South Asia

As the Himalayan ecosystem is susceptible to natural disasters due to the global climatechange patterns, the earthquake that struck Nepal recently might not be the last or the deadliest. An important...

by | On 23 Jan 2016

Political Risks in India-North Korea Ties

North Korea’s latest expression of interest in humanitarian help from India has brought into new focus the whole issue of economic engagement between the two countries. India may well have to weigh th...

by | On 23 Jan 2016

Sri Lanka’s Transformational Election

Maithripala Sirisena’s unexpected victory against his former boss and the incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Sri Lanka’s presidential election held on 8 January 2015 signifies a major political...

by | On 23 Jan 2016

Sri Lanka: Towards a ‘National Purpose’

After the heat and dust of the recent parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka, the accord between the country’s two main political parties for a ‘national unity government’ seems to offer the best chance...

by | 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

Building Mutual Understanding for Effective Development

In recent years a number of countries, referred to collectively as the rising powers, have achieved rapid economic growth and increased political influence. In many cases their experience challenges r...

by Institute of Development Studies IDS | On 23 Jan 2016

What are the Factors Enabling and Constraining Effective Leaders in Nutrition? A Four Country Study

This study of individuals identified as influential within nutrition in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya and India examines why particular individuals champion nutrition policy, and how they operate in the...

by Nicholas Nisbett | On 23 Jan 2016

Scenarios of Waste and Resource Management: for Cities in India and Elsewhere

The report identifies four future scenarios of this complex waste/resource management landscape using tools from Foresight methods and political economy analysis. We also identify the dynamics within...

by Ashish Chaturvedi | 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

Intellectual Property and the Availability of Pharmaceuticals in Poor Countries

There continues to be widespread criticism of the extension of patent rights on pharmaceuticals in the developing world as required by World Trade Organization membership. This paper examines argument...

by | On 22 Jan 2016

The E15 Initiative: Strengthening the Global Trade and Investment System in the 21st Century

World trade has experienced a significant slowdown since the 2008 financial crisis. Over this period, the global ratio of trade expansion to income growth has halved. An effective global trade and inv...

by World Economic Forum [WEF] | On 22 Jan 2016

The Coordination of Climate Finance In India

In India, institutional arrangements around climate finance have mostly followed national policy responses to climate change. This paper maps the emergence of climate change policy in India and subseq...

by Vyoma Jha | On 21 Jan 2016

India and APEC An Appraisal

This Study surveys the progress that APEC has made towards promoting regional economic cooperation and integration. It examines the desirability of India joining APEC and looks at possible benefits an...

by V. S. Seshadri | On 21 Jan 2016

Political Commitment In India’s Social Policy Implementation: Shaping The Performance of MGNREGA

This paper contributes to the empirical understanding of the concept of commitment and the role it plays in shaping India’s social policy implementation. Taking the case of the landmark policy, the Ma...

by Deepta Chopra | On 21 Jan 2016

Climate Change and Cities

This paper is a study of climate change discourse in urban India. It suggests that the policies being articulated to deal with climate issues are premised on incremental changes rather than radical re...

by Abhiroop Mukhopadhyay | On 21 Jan 2016

China’s Dams & Regional Security Implications An Indian Perspective

This brief provides a historical-cum-ongoing account as well as an assessment of the future of China’s dam-building exercise, its rationale and consequences at all levels – geographically, environment...

by Dhanasree Jayaram | 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

India 2050: Can We Celebrate the Centenary of the Republic as a Developed Country?

The paper argues that there is great disparity of incomes between developed and developing countries. Relative income gap of the developing countries which was 10.8 per cent in 2000 was 15.1 per cent...

by | 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

People Matter Civic Engagement in Public Governance

The World Public Sector Report 2008, People Matter, Civic Engagement in Public Governance presents a picture of the evolution of current governance challenges, especially from the point of view of the...

by UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs UNDESA | On 20 Jan 2016

Role of Private Sector in Higher Education

The Standing Committee on Human Resource Development is currently examining the subject 'Role of Private Sector in Higher Education'. In this context, an analysis of the role of the private sector...

by Apoorva Shankar | On 20 Jan 2016

Mapping of Nutrition Teaching and Training Initiatives in India: The Need for Public Health Nutrition

India also tops the charts globally in the prevalence of risk factors for several chronic diseases. Although Public Health Nutrition (PHN) - both as an academic field as well as a means to improved he...

by Shweta Khandelwal | On 19 Jan 2016

Global Capitalism, Deflation and Agrarian Crisis in Developing Countries

The issue of land rights and that of gender equality are strongly affected by the prevalent economic and social policy regimes, at both national and global levels. The dominant policy regimes decide t...

by | On 19 Jan 2016

Examining the Catalytic Effect of Aid on Domestic Resource Mobilization for Social Transfers in Low-Income Countries

Social transfers, a non-contributory form of social protection, present a great potential to tackle poverty and inequality, and support inclusive socioeconomic development. Yet, they also represent a...

by | On 19 Jan 2016

Profile of the Protestors

This report presents the findings of a short survey of pro- and anti-government demonstrators in Bangkok conducted on November 30, 2013. The aim of the survey is two-fold: 1) to learn about the demogr...

by The Asia Foundation | On 19 Jan 2016

Myanmar 2014: Civic Knowledge and Values in a Changing Society

This is an Asia Foundation survey to document public knowledge and awareness of new government institutions and processes, and to gauge the political, social, and economic values held by people from d...

by The Asia Foundation | On 19 Jan 2016

Nepal: Finding a Way Forward

Nepal is no stranger to Constitution drafting, having gone through six such rounds since 1948, with the seventh culminating in September 2015. This recent exercise, however, was unique as it was condu...

by Rakesh Sood | On 19 Jan 2016

Evolution of Capital Structure in East Asia: Corporate Inertia or Endeavours?

The present paper examines the capital structure adjustment dynamics of listed non-financial corporations in seven East Asian countries during 1994-2002. Compared to firms in the least affected countr...

by Sarmistha Pal | On 19 Jan 2016

Complaining to the State: Grievance Redress and India’s Social Welfare Programs

Poor implementation of social welfare programs is a chronic challenge in developing countries such as India. Yet, despite the large number of people affected and the serious consequences of implementa...

by Nicholas Robinson | On 18 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

From Congress-System to Non-hegemonic Multi-party Competition: Politics in Maharashtra

The paper reviews the changing nature of politics in the state of Maharashtra – an important subnational state in India. Politics in the state underwent a shift in 1978 and later again in 1990s. The p...

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

Housing Policies in China: Issues and Options

This article consists in three parts. The first part deals with theory. We evaluate the pros and cons of government involvement in urban housing and of renting versus ownership. In the second part, we...

by Yves Zenou | On 14 Jan 2016

Introductory Guide to Gender and Climate Change

For years, civil society organisations and researchers have highlighted that, as weather patterns become increasingly unpredictable and extreme events such as floods, heatwaves or storms become more c...

by A Otzelberger | On 13 Jan 2016

Medical Education in India- Gender Distribution

The medical profession in India has experienced major changes in terms of woman participation in medicine. In the last few decades, the number of women joining medicine has revealed a noticeable growt...

by Rituparna Dutta | On 13 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

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

Recent Downturn in Emerging Economies and Macroeconomic Implications for Sustainable Development: A Case of India

The paper discusses the progress of Indian economy and its policies since the broadbased structural reforms initiated in 1991 with a special focus on the recent downturn following the global financial...

by | On 11 Jan 2016

Absorbing Innovative Financial Flows: Looking at Asia

This paper explores the scope for Innovative Development Finance (IDF) to compensate for declining Official Development Assistance (ODA) and/or to enhance the efficiency of ODA. It shows that IDF has...

by | On 11 Jan 2016

The Contexts of Social Inclusion

In light of the emphasis on “inclusion” in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this paper contends that social exclusion and inclusion are context-dependent concepts in at least three senses. Fi...

by | On 11 Jan 2016

The Least Developed Countries Report, 2004

The Least Developed Countries Report 2004 assesses the relationship between international trade and poverty within the LDCs, and identifies national and international policies that can make trade a mo...

by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNCTAD | On 09 Jan 2016

The Least Developed Countries Report, 2011

The least developed countries (LDCs) are a group of countries that have been classified by the United Nations as least developed in terms of their low gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, weak hum...

by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNCTAD | On 09 Jan 2016

Malaise in Maldives: A Pristine Paradise or a Painful Purgatory?

The implications of recent events in Maldives go far beyond the pristine shores of that enchanting archipelago. The paper discusses the larger geopolitical implications of the suspension of democracy,...

by Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury | On 09 Jan 2016

An Aspirational ‘new wave’ of India-Pakistan Dialogue

The success of the new “comprehensive bilateral dialogue”, between India and Pakistan on terrorist strike at an Indian military installation if launched by mid-January 2016 as anticipated, is not ass...

by P S Suryanarayana | On 09 Jan 2016

Competitive Diplomacy of India and China

India and China, viewing themselves as key players within the BRICS which they see in a worldwide perspective, had in fact made two different global commitments on the eve of this Brisbane G20 summit....

by P S Suryanarayana | On 09 Jan 2016

New ‘Oil Shock’ – Impact on South Asia

In the 1970s, the oil-producing and exporting countries of the Middle East delivered a shock to the global economic system that had many unexpected consequences. The then-quadrupling of the price of o...

by Shahid Javed Burki | On 09 Jan 2016

South Asia’s Economic Changes and Diaspora Groups

The paper looks at the flow of ideas from the South Asian Diaspora groups to their original homelands. This is occurring in the areas of economic management and political change. As a result of the in...

by Shahid Javed Burki | On 09 Jan 2016

Indian Military Diplomacy: Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief

The paper focuses on India’s approach to collaboration on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief with major powers and within various regional initiatives. This paper begins with a brief review o...

by C. Raja Mohan | On 09 Jan 2016

The Afghanistan Conflict in its Historical Context

Afghanistan has long been used as a battleground for strategic wars by larger external powers. This is in part due to its geographic position between the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia. Acco...

by Riaz Hassan | On 09 Jan 2016

Modi’s Foreign Policy: Focus on the Diaspora

The paper reviews the evolution of India’s diaspora policy and examines the possibilities and pitfalls that could arise from Delhi’s new political enthusiasm for overseas Indian communities. Engagemen...

by C. Raja Mohan | On 09 Jan 2016

A Tortured History : Federalism and Democracy in Pakistan

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 which is under a co...

by Aasim Akhtar | On 08 Jan 2016

Natural Resources Contested in Autonomous Councils: Assessing the Causes of Ethnic Conflict in North-East India

Constitutional arrangements for peripheral areas in India reflect the national government’s instrumentalist attempts at decentralising bureaucratic and administrative control in far-flung (essentially...

by Sanjay Barbora | 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

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

Public Health and International Partnerships in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Published reports on public health in DPRK are uncommon, but recent planning and financial sustainability exercises, population-based surveys, and other reports, all available online, indicate recover...

by John Grundy | 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

Estimates of Urban Infrastructure Financing Requirements in India 2006-2031

The paper describes the estimation exercise, i.e. the Urban Infrastructure Per Capita Investment Cost estimation and projection of urban finance requirements for the period 2006-2031 referred to as th...

by Shubhagato Dasgupta | On 05 Jan 2016

Indian Higher Education Reform: From Half-Baked Socialism to Half-Baked Capitalism

This paper examines the political economy of Indian higher (tertiary) education. We first provide an empirical mapping of Indian higher education and demonstrate that higher education in India is bein...

by | On 05 Jan 2016

Habitat III Issue Papers : 22 – Informal Settlements

Although some governments acknowledge the existence of slums and informal settlements, many do not. This lack of recognition and subsequent response directly undermines city-wide sustainable developme...

by | On 05 Jan 2016

Plan vs. Performance: Winter Session 2015

This note compares the legislative business planned by Parliament and compares it with the actual performance, during the Winter Session 2015.

by Kusum Malik | On 05 Jan 2016

Stories of Change in Nutrition: A Tool Pool

This paper—which draws on inputs to, and discussions at, a methods development workshop—highlights the various concepts, methods, and tools that SoC researchers are considering to measure nutrition-re...

by | On 04 Jan 2016

Afghanistan in 2009: A Survey of the Afghan People

The findings from The Asia Foundation's fifth public opinion poll in Afghanistan, Afghanistan in 2009: A Survey of the Afghan People, which covers all 34 of Afghanistan's provinces.

by The Asia Foundation | On 02 Jan 2016

Democracy in Indonesia A Survey of the Indonesian Electorate 2003

This report presents the findings of The Asia Foundation’s third national survey of the ndonesian electorate. The aim of the research was to assess voter knowledge and opinion, and to identify key iss...

by The Asia Foundation | On 02 Jan 2016

Summary of Indonesia's Gender Analysis

Indonesia has made significant progress in promoting gender equality. Gender gaps in the youth literacy rate have been eliminated. Near parity in enrollment rates in elementary up to tertiary levels h...

by Uzma Hoque | On 01 Jan 2016

Financial Literacy for Increasing Sustainable Access to Finance in Nepal

This paper explores how far the expansion of Banks and Financial Institutions including cooperatives assures the access to finance and its sustainability. The study also explores the worth of financia...

by | On 01 Jan 2016

Local Funds and Political Competition: Evidence from the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in India

This paper examines how local politics affects public fund allocations. It uses the context of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in India which was introduced by the Indian National Congr...

by Abhiroop Mukhopadhyay | On 01 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

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

ASEAN 2030: Challenges of Building a Mature Political and Security Community

The paper examines ASEAN’s political and security challenges and prospects in the coming two decades. The challenges facing ASEAN could be classified into six broad categories: (1) the shifting balanc...

by Amitav Acharya | On 29 Dec 2015

Monetary Policy Frameworks in Asia: Experience, Lessons, and Issues

This paper reviews the history of East Asian monetary policy frameworks since 1990; describes current monetary policy frameworks, including issue of price versus financial stability for a central bank...

by Peter Morgan | On 29 Dec 2015

The ASEAN Economic Community: Progress, Challenges, and Prospects

The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) was set up in 2003 with the objectives of creating a single market and production base, enhancing equitable economic development as well as facilitating the integrat...

by Siowyue Chia | On 29 Dec 2015

The India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement and the Proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement: A Closer Look

The India–Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement has been in operation for more than a decade. The paper provides the Sri Lankan perspective of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) highlighting both the positive ou...

by Saman Kelegama | 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

Migration from North-East to Urban Centres: A Study of Delhi Region

It is only very recently that out-migration of natives of the North East Region to other localities in India became a problem of apprehension. Though the natives of the North East Region are tradition...

by Babu Remesh | On 26 Dec 2015

Where Next for Aid? The Post-2015 Opportunity

This joint ODI-UNDP paper looks at whether development aid will remain important in the post-2015 era, and asks how the old aid model should change in response to a dramatically new world and new sust...

by GAIL HURLEY | On 24 Dec 2015

Youth and Employment among the BRICS

This report is dedicated to the analysis of the usage of social programmes to promote youth employment in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries. In light of the 2014 BRIC...

by | On 24 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

Compensation and Valuation in Resettlement: Cambodia, People’s Republic of China, and India

Development-caused forced displacement and resettlement (DFDR) is frequently characterized by the resulting impoverishment of those displaced. The lack of appropriate valuation of and compensation for...

by | On 23 Dec 2015

The Political Economy of Transitions: Governance Assessments and Measurements

This discussion paper examines existing methods for measuring aspects of political transitions. The paper canvasses and examines existing measurement tools that focus on some, but not all, relevant di...

by United Nations Development Programme [UNDP] | On 23 Dec 2015

Enhancing Youth Political Participation throughout the Electoral Cycle

This guide identifies key entry points for the inclusion of young people in political and electoral processes and compiles good practice examples of mechanisms for youth political empowerment around t...

by United Nations Development Programme [UNDP] | 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

Oil and State Capitalism: Government-Firm Coopetition in China and India

This paper examines the domestic sources of the internationalization of national oil companies (NOCs) in China and India. It argues that – counter to notions of state-led internationalization – the go...

by Jonas Mecklinga | 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

Lending Rates Behavior in Bangladesh: Some Facts and Determinants

The intention of this study is to analyze lending rate behavior in Bangladesh and also to determine the factors that mostly affect the lending rates. For this purpose, a set of macro and bank specific...

by Shahana Nasrin | On 22 Dec 2015

NBFCs: Medium Term Prospects

World over, there is an awakening, post the great financial crisis of 2008, about the existence, contribution, magnitude, significance and risks of non-banking financial sector. The business model of...

by R Gandhi | On 22 Dec 2015

The Iran-Pakistan-India Pipeline - The Intersection of Energy Politics

This paper seeks to identify the strategic and economic variables involved in India’s decision about whether or not to pursue a proposed natural gas pipeline from Iran. There is a lot of misinformatio...

by | 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

Shia and Iranian Ascendance: Sunni and American Perceptions

The primary aim of this paper, however, is not to account for the historical/political rise of Shiaism or of Iran, or even debate the existence of the so-called ‘Shia Crescent,’ but to examine instead...

by | On 22 Dec 2015

National Refugee Law for India: Benefits and Roadblocks

This paper intends to ascertain whether a uniform national law would be beneficial to the interests of the three main parties involved with refugee policy in India, namely the Government of India, the...

by Arjun Nair | On 22 Dec 2015

The Sikh Diaspora and the Quest for Khalistan: A Search for Statehood or for Self-preservation?

This paper will reexamine the role of the Sikh Diaspora in the Sikh separatist movement, commencing in the 1980s, that loomed over the political, security, social, and humanitarian makeup of the Indi...

by | On 22 Dec 2015

Innovations in Knowledge and Learning for Competitive Higher Education in Asia and the Pacific

The challenge of aligning higher education services (programs) with evolving labor market changes, and responding to knowledge-based economy of respective developing countries, has been difficult for...

by Jouko Sarvi | On 21 Dec 2015

Transitions to K-12 Education Systems Experiences from Five Case Countries

Preparing and implementing a K–12 transition absorbs considerable financial and human resources. It follows that the reasons for restructuring must be compelling. It follows that the reasons for restr...

by | On 21 Dec 2015

The High and Low Politics of Trade

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is in trouble. Its negotiating mechanism has mostly seized up, as reflected in the failure to conclude the long-running Doha Round. No obvious solution to this conun...

by | On 21 Dec 2015

Basic Entrepreneurship: A Big New Idea in Development

The question of what keeps people mired in poverty is one of great importance to policy-makers and economists alike. The world’s poor typically lack both capital and skills, and each of these two fact...

by Oriana Bandiera | On 18 Dec 2015

Import Intensity and Its Impact on Exports, Output and Employment

The present paper examines the trends and patterns of import intensity in the whole economy and manufacturing sector in India during 1990s and beyond. The paper also reviews past studies on import int...

by Mahua Paul | On 18 Dec 2015

Challenge of In-vitro Diagnostics for Resource Poor Settings: An Assessment

This article reviews the diagnostic needs and challenges of resource poor settings and the impact of present institutional and policy regime on the development of ecosystem for innovation making in ca...

by Dinesh Abrol | On 18 Dec 2015

Pakistan: Politics, Religion & Extremism

The study attempts to investigate whether it is relative deprivation as Ted Gurr suggests or the element of fear that pushed the Muslim majority Pakistan into a cycle of religious violence due to the...

by | On 17 Dec 2015

Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding in Post-Conflict Environments: A Critical Analysis of the UN Approach in Timor-Leste, Liberia and Nepal

This paper looks at possible alternatives to UN peacekeeping and peacebuilding missions with a view to establishing if there are organizations or other interested parties, which may be more effective...

by | On 17 Dec 2015

Politics of UNSC Sanctions: The Issue of Nuclear Weapons Development

The paper tries to explain the imposition of sanctions by the UNSC on Iran and North Korea and the absence of UNSC sanctions on India and Pakistan. Although there are aspects in the sanctions on Iran...

by | On 17 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

Strategic Framework 2013–2017 Global Programme Food Security

Food security and nutrition is a major global challenge. SDC’s Global Programme Food Security(GPFS) represents an innovative initiative of Switzerland in addressing food security and nutrition challen...

by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC | On 17 Dec 2015

The Design and Implementation of Public Pension Systems in Developing Countries: Issues and Options

Developing countries are increasingly aware of the need to design and implement improvements in public systems for providing pensions to the elderly. Such systems may aim to smooth consumption and thu...

by David Bloom | On 17 Dec 2015

Connecting the Disconnected: Improving Education and Employment Outcomes Among Disadvantaged Youth

In this paper we will briefly review recent trends in employment outcomes for disadvantaged youth, focusing specifically on those who have become "disconnected" from school and the labor market, and w...

by Peter Edelman | On 17 Dec 2015

Will Changes to the international Tax System Benefit Low- income Countries?

In recent months tax has climbed up the political agenda in ways that would have been unthinkable only a couple of years ago. Creating a fairer international tax system was a central ambition of both...

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

Equate and Conflate: Political Commitment to Hunger and Undernutrition Reduction in Five High-Burden Countries

As political commitment is an essential ingredient for elevating food and nutrition security onto policy agendas, commitment metrics have proliferated. Many conflate government commitment to fight hun...

by Rajith Lakshman | On 16 Dec 2015

Progress of the World’s Women 2005: Women, Work and Poverty

This report marks the fifth anniversary of the UN Millennium Declaration and the tenth anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action. It argues that unless governments and policymakers pay more atten...

by Martha Chen | On 16 Dec 2015

National Experiences in Building Social Protection Floors: India’s Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

This study highlights three central themes of the MGNREGA: first, the innovative policy framework of the Act, which brings together rights-based entitlements, demand-driven employment, and citizen-cen...

by Ellen Ehmke | On 16 Dec 2015

Is Access to Loan Adequate for Financing Capital Expenditure? A Household-level Analysis on Some Selected States of India

This paper attempts to identify the factors that determine access to credit for financing capital expenditures across selected developed, less developed and middle performing states in India. Using a...

by Meenakshi Rajeev | On 16 Dec 2015

Indian's Energy Transition in a Climate-Constrained World

This paper examines the historical attributes of energy transition and finds various critical factors that determine the success of such shift: appropriate IPR regimes; local innovation; economic feas...

by | On 11 Dec 2015

Irregular Migration, Migrant Smuggling and Human Rights: Towards Coherence

This report examines the political predicament that confronts governments and other political actors when they address the issue of irregular migration. Primarily, it sets out the rights, and claims t...

by | On 10 Dec 2015

Human Rights and Asian Values

The thesis that Asian values are less supportive of freedom and more concerned with order than discipline than are Western values and that the claims of human rights in the areas of political and civi...

by Amartya Sen | On 10 Dec 2015

Follow-up and Review of the SDGs: Fulfilling our Commitments

This paper considers the challenge of establishing a robust follow-up and review mechanism to support such implementation. The paper underscores the importance of the follow-up and review process taki...

by | On 04 Dec 2015

Socially Sustainable Development and Participatory Governance: Legal and Political Aspects

This paper explores the notion of “sustainable development” which has progressively evolved over the recent years from the environmental field in which it originated, to the social sphere and has been...

by | On 02 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

Youth Vulnerabilities in Life Course Transitions

This paper examines youth vulnerabilities, with a particular emphasis on low- and middle-income countries. It touches on the challenges confronted by young people exposed to extreme, life threatening...

by | On 26 Nov 2015

Challenges to Human Security in the Arab Countries

In Arab countries, a widespread lack of human security undermines human development, according to the Arab Human Development Report 2009: Challenges to Human Security in the Arab Countries. This repor...

by | On 26 Nov 2015

Safe Havens: The Emerging Terror Hubs in South Asia

This issue brief reflects on the prevalence of terror networks in South Asia as Al Qaeda is attempting to expand into new territories in South Asia, “suitable” for safe housing themselves and their il...

by Reshmi Kazi | On 23 Nov 2015

Why can't an Academic deliver a Lecture on Secularism without Police Protection? - Romila Thapar

At Pratirodh, the Writers' Convention organised on 1 October 2015, Romila Thapar began with an anecdotal account of her recent lecture on secularism in Mumbai, a lecture for which she was advised to t...

by Romila Thapar | On 18 Nov 2015

Key Indicators of Social Consumption in India: Education

Key Indicators of Social Consumption in India on Education Show Continued Gender Gap and Rural Urban Differences. In rural areas, literacy rate was seen as 71% compared to 86% in urban areas. Also amo...

by National Sample Survey Office NSSO | On 17 Nov 2015

The Tax Puzzle

If the surge in tax collections is sustainable, the finance minister has the elbow room to shoot for a fiscal deficit that is significantly lower than the Budget's 3.9 per cent of GDP, or to bump up.

by T.N. Ninan | On 13 Nov 2015

Eradicating Extreme Poverty in Bangladesh: National Strategies and Activities

Although Bangladesh has achieved fairly steady economic growth, as of 2011, almost half of its population still lived in extreme poverty. As a result, the Government of Bangladesh and its development...

by Nayma Qayum | On 09 Nov 2015

Drivers of Migration

This paper explores the relationship between determinants of migration which are often deeply embedded in the economic, social, political, cultural and environmental context, and more immediate factor...

by | On 06 Nov 2015

Pragmatic Pathways: Critical Perspectives on Research Uptake in the Global South

One of social science’s core roles is to inform evidence-based policy making and policy interventions that produce pro-poor outcomes. This paper explores prominent debates on research uptake and polic...

by | On 05 Nov 2015

Tolerance and Respect for Economic Progress

Our tradition of debate in an environment of respect and tolerance. By upholding it, by fighting for it, the students can repay their teachers and your parents. And you will be doing our country a gre...

by Raghuram G. Rajan | On 03 Nov 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

Indian Society and the Secular: Public Lecture in Memory of Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer

In this lecture, the author discusses the concept of Indian secularism. She suggests that the concept of secularism went beyond politics. The lecture discusses on three aspects of what is involved in...

by Romila Thapar | On 28 Oct 2015

Progress of the World’s Women 2015-2016: Transforming Economies, Realizing Rights

This Report focuses on the economic and social dimensions of gender equality, including the right of all women to a good job, with fair pay and safe working conditions, to an adequate pension in older...

by UN Women | On 23 Oct 2015

Cultural Resistance Need of the Hour: Teesta Setalvad

This interview with Teesta Setalvad on the series of awards being returned by various writers post lynching of a person in Dadri and PMs silence. Teesta explained that, this government functions on th...

by Teesta Setalvad | On 20 Oct 2015

Cultural Resistance Need of the Hour: Teesta Setalvad

This interview with Teesta Setalvad on the series of awards being returned by various writers post lynching of a person in Dadri and PMs silence. Teesta explained that, this government functions on th...

by Teesta Setalvad | On 20 Oct 2015

Aspirations and the Role of Social Protection: Evidence from a Natural Disaster in Rural Pakistan

This article uses Pakistan’s 2010 floods to identify the effects of a natural disaster on citizens’ aspirations. Aspirations were significantly reduced—especially among the poorest and most vulnerab...

by Katrina Kosec | On 19 Oct 2015

Integrating SMEs into Global Value Chains: Challenges and Policy Actions in Asia

Globalized production networks, or global value chains, provide an opportunity for small and medium enterprises to upscale their business models and to grow across borders, though with global opportun...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | 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

Military Build-up in the Indian Ocean: Implications for Regional Stability

As the Indian Ocean region increasingly becomes a more important geopolitical space, global powers and smaller states are laying down their stakes. This paper examines the military build-up of major I...

by | On 15 Oct 2015

India’s Food Grain Policies and the Public Distribution System: The Case of Rice. Who Wins, Who Loses, and by How Much?

Indian governments follow highly interventionist policies on food grains, especially rice and wheat. These policies include import and export controls which insulate the domestic market from world mar...

by Garry Pursell | On 14 Oct 2015

Inequality: Trends, Harms and New Agendas

The paper focuses on within-country inequalities. It discusses in particular how the consequences of inequality are shaped by specific mechanisms that operate at the national, community and individual...

by | On 13 Oct 2015

Attempting the Production of Public Goods through Microfinance: The Case of Water and Sanitation

This paper evaluates the attempt to create public goods via microfinance loans. Microfinance loans in the production of goods with public goods characteristics signify an emergent micro-privatisation....

by Philip Mader | On 06 Oct 2015

The Hunger and Nutrition Commitment Index (HANCI 2014) - Measuring the Political Commitment to Reduce Hunger and Undernutrition in Developing Countries

This report presents the Hunger And Nutrition Commitment Index (HANCI) 2014. It seeks to: 1. Rank governments on their political commitment to tackling hunger and undernutrition; 2. Measure what gover...

by | On 01 Oct 2015

Public Good Provision in Indian Rural Areas: The Returns to Collective Action by Microfinance Groups

Self-help groups (SHGs) are the most common form of microfinance in India. The authors provide evidence that SHGs, composed of women only, undertake collective actions for the provision of public good...

by | On 01 Oct 2015

The Effects of Climate Change on Internal and International Migration: Implications for Developing Countries

This synthesis paper informs the development community about the effects of climate change on migration patterns within and out of developing countries, concentrating on the economic aspects of migrat...

by | On 29 Sep 2015

Housing Finance Mechanisms in India

India is home to over 1.1 billion people. With about one in every sixth person in the world living in India, housing perforce assumes significant importance. Successive Indian governments have regarde...

by UN-HABITAT | On 25 Sep 2015

Planning and Design for Sustainable Urban Mobility: Global Report on Human Settlements 2013

Planning and Design for Sustainable Urban Mobility argues that the development of sustainable urban transport systems requires a conceptual leap. The purpose 'transportation' and 'mobility' is to gain...

by UN-HABITAT | On 25 Sep 2015

Human Rights for All: International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

This Handbook is mainly for human rights practitioners who want to familiarise themselves with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and use the human rights fram...

by | On 23 Sep 2015

India’s Worlds of Waste

The sheer magnitude of the social, political and technological challenges in implementing India’s new national priority of waste management, set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has attracted global a...

by | On 23 Sep 2015

The Troubled Democracy of Bangladesh: ‘Muddling Through’ or ‘a Political Settlement’?

Is democracy in Bangladesh on a reverse course? Is there a culture of intolerance being engendered by deliberate design? Will creeping extremisms create an inevitable schism within the nation? The pap...

by | On 23 Sep 2015

Education for All 2000-2015: Achievements and Challenges

This Report draws on all of this experience, to make sharp recommendations for the place of education in the future global sustainable development agenda. The lessons are clear. New education targets...

by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultura [UNESCO] | On 22 Sep 2015

India in the Missile Technology Control Regime: Prospects and Implications

India formally applied for membership to the Missile Technology Control Regime in June 2015 as part of efforts to integrate itself with the global non-proliferation architecture. This paper identifies...

by Arka Biswas | On 18 Sep 2015

Women, Business and the Law 2016: Getting to Equal

The report reveal the magnitude of the challenge that the world still faces in the quest for gender equality. This report promotes the cause of inclusion of women by informing research and policy disc...

by World Bank | On 11 Sep 2015

Closing the Gender Gap: The Gender Parity Taskforces

The Global Gender Gap Report 2014 emphasizes persisting gender gap divides across and within regions. Based on the nine years of data available for the 111 countries that have been part of the report...

by | On 11 Sep 2015

Youth and Politics in India - II

This paper aims to uncover the features that make India’s youth politics so distinct from other forms of politics within the country, the kinds of politics young people participate in, and the kinds o...

by Rahul Advani | On 10 Sep 2015

Youth and Politics in India - I

This paper spells out the ways in which, and the reasons why, young people in India today engage in politics. An answer to this research question is attempted by first locating the politics of youth w...

by | On 10 Sep 2015

Deep Shift Technology Tipping Points and Societal Impact

Digital connectivity enabled by the software technologies is changing the society fundamentally. The scale of the impact and the speed of the changes taking place have made the shift so different from...

by | On 10 Sep 2015

The End of Laissez-faire, the End of History, and the Structure of Scientific Revolutions

The subject of this essay is formed from three classic pieces of writing: The End of Laissez-Faire by John Maynard Keynes, The End of History? by Francis Fukuyama, and The Structure of Scientific Revo...

by Ravi Kanbur | On 07 Sep 2015

How the Humanities Can Protect India Against the Attacks on Its Freedoms

Humanities departments in public universities are under attack across the country for their potential to spawn dissent. We need them to take the fight to the powers that be. [Transcript of a talk pres...

by Brinda Bose | On 07 Sep 2015

Civil Society Briefs: Sri Lanka

This brief provides an overview of civil society in Sri Lanka. With a view to strengthening ADB cooperation with civil society organizations, the NGO and Civil Society Center periodically prepares rep...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 07 Sep 2015

Civil Society Briefs: Myanmar

This brief provides an overview of civil society in Myanmar. With a view to strengthening ADB cooperation with civil society organizations, the NGO and Civil Society Center periodically prepares repor...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 07 Sep 2015

Financial Inclusion in Asia: An Overview

This paper provides an analysis of financial development and inclusion in developing Asia using data from a wide array of sources. In terms of aggregate measures of financial development, the region a...

by | On 07 Sep 2015

Indian Society and the Secular: 5th Asghar Ali Engineer Memorial Lecture

In this lecture, the author discusses the concept of Indian secularism. She suggests that the concept of secularism went beyond politics and none of the mainstream political parties adhered to it, and...

by Romila Thapar | On 31 Aug 2015

Efficacy of New Monetary Framework and Determining Inflation in India: An Empirical Analysis of Financially Deregulated Regime

Against the backdrop of the new monetary policy framework, this paper analyses the determinants of inflation in the deregulated financial regime. The paper upfront has been kept free from adherence to...

by Lekha Chakraborty | On 25 Aug 2015

The Experience with Regional Economic Cooperation Organizations: Lessons for Central Asia

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Central Asia has witnessed repeated efforts to strengthen regional integration through cooperation with the establishment of a number of regional organizations...

by Johannes F. Linn | On 25 Aug 2015

MP Participation in the First Year of the 16th Lok Sabha

Monsoon Session 2015 marks the end of the first year of the 16th Lok Sabha. This note looks at the participation of MPs in both Houses of Parliament over the last year. Participation in debates includ...

by Kusum Malik | On 25 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

Case Studies of Policy Coherence Initiatives in Developing Asia

This paper highlights four case studies of national efforts in developing Asia towards greater policy coherence and coordination, ranging from institutional cooperation in poverty reduction programmes...

by Internaional Labour Organization [ILO] | On 19 Aug 2015

WTO and Nepal

This publication attempts to study major concepts of WTO and present some perspectives on Nepal’s membership in this rule based global trading organization. The chapters presents an introduction with...

by Nepal Rastra Bank NRB | On 17 Aug 2015

Property Rights of Street Vendors

Street vendors’ rights to carry on their trade in public spaces, has been the subject matter of debate and discussion in India for a very long time. In fact it has taken numerous judgments of the Supr...

by Amit Chandra | On 13 Aug 2015

Urban India 2011: Evidence

India’s urban transition has the potential to shift the country’s social, environmental, political and economic trajectory. Urbanisation will interact with the country’s ongoing demographic evolution...

by Indian Institute for Human Settlements | On 12 Aug 2015

Urban Policies and the Right to the City in India: Rights, Responsibilities and Citizenship

This publication highlights the relevance in India and the multiplicity of entry points of the right to the city as a vehicle for social inclusion and sustainable social development for Indian cities....

by Centre de Sciences Humaines CSH | On 12 Aug 2015

Gender Equality and Social Dialogue in India

This paper forms part of a comparative research project that has the objective of demonstrating that gender equality and social dialogue are mutually beneficial fundamental values and crosscutting iss...

by R Madhav | On 11 Aug 2015

Impacts of the IPR Rules on Sustainable Development

This project aims to assess the impact of IPR rules on economic growth (including investment), environmental protection (including biodiversity) and social goals (including rural development). There w...

by IPDEV . | On 06 Aug 2015

Mobile Labour and the New Urban

This set of three papers explores new urban spaces and accumulation under post-colonial capitalism, through the themes of infrastructure and the new urban political subject, migrant labour, and commun...

by Mithilesh Kumar | On 04 Aug 2015

Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Ordinance 2014: A Process Perspective

This paper captures the policy processes leading to the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Ordinance, 2014. It maps the role an...

by G. Raghuram | On 28 Jul 2015

When the Dish Knocked Down the Antenna: How Television Digitization is Impacting Low Income Viewers and Public Broadcasting

A technology switch in television affects different income groups differently. In India the digitization of TV signals is putting an end to the free-to-air telecast regime. This study,the first of its...

by Sevanti Ninan | On 26 Jul 2015

The Sunday Edit: Textbooks and Governments

The burden of being politically correct has shackled social science writing for schools, and children’s literature too. When will we be able to recognize that the ‘politically incorrect may be educati...

by Anuradha Kumar | On 20 Jul 2015

Can GDP-Linked Official Lending to Emerging Economies and Developing Countries Enhance Risk Management and Resilience?

This paper considers whether GDP-linked official external public debt can help address some of the challenges that developing countries face when managing international financial flows. GDP-linked off...

by United Nations Development Programme UNDP | On 20 Jul 2015

Predicted Increases in Heat related Mortality under Climate Change in Urban India

Mapping mortality impacts of the projected climate in urban areas of developing countries will play a crucial role in instituting planned adaptation measures to protect public health. A comprehensive...

by Hem H Dholakia | On 14 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

Structural Conditions and Agency in Migrant Decision-Making: A Case of Domestic and Construction Workers from Java, Indonesia

This working paper examines the migration drivers into the two low-paid and insecure occupations of domestic work and construction work from rural areas in Indonesia. While the ideas of migration exis...

by Khoo Choon Yen | On 06 Jul 2015

Is Imperialism a Relevant Concept in Today’s World?

This paper explores some aspects of the imperialism/empire/new imperialism debate and looks at whether imperialism remains to be a valid theoretical category in analyzing contemporary economics and po...

by Subhanil Chowdhury | On 02 Jul 2015

Education and Academic Entrepreneurship in India

The paper aims to explore few aspects of academic entrepreneurship. Besides dwelling upon the conceptual definition, there is an attempt to understand the processes and stages of academic entrepreneur...

by Deepthi Shanker | On 30 Jun 2015

Fifteenth Report on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014

The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 was enacted to give effect to the Proclamation on the Full Participation and Equality of the...

by Lok Sabha Secretariat | On 22 Jun 2015

How Empowered is Microfinance in Empowering Women ? Evidence from India

Drawing upon the data from the recent period, this paper explores the relationship between women’s involvement in microfinance programs and improvement in their empowerment status. The significant d...

by | On 19 Jun 2015

Medium-Term Budgetary Framework (MTBF) of Ministry of Public Administration Bangladesh

The statement discusses the need of development of a competent and accountable public service by attracting, developing, engaging and managing an efficient and innovative organizational, functional an...

by Ministry of Finance Bangladesh | On 18 Jun 2015

Medium Term Budget Framework: Pre Budget Document 1390-1392

This Pre Budget Report incorporates the Medium-Term Budget Framework (MTBF). The MTBF links the spending plans of budgetary units to overall government policy objectives.The purpose of the Report is t...

by Ministry of Finance Afghanistan | On 16 Jun 2015

Afghanistan Quarterly Fiscal Bulletin, 1390

This edition of the Afghanistan bulletin provides a snapshot of the actual domestic revenues collection and core budget execution during the quarter. An attempt has been made to provide analytical ana...

by Ministry of Finance Afghanistan | On 16 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

Budget FY11: Report on the Implementation Status, Income and Expenditure Trend and Macroeconomic Analysis (up to December 2010)

Budget FY11 contains Speech of the Bangladesh Finance Minister on the implementation status and macroeconomic analysis up to second quarter (July-December).

by | On 12 Jun 2015

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan 1390 Citizens Budget

The Government’s main budgetary objective is to allocate fiscal resources in line with Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS). In this way, it will be assured that resources are allocated to...

by Ministry of Finance Afghanistan | On 11 Jun 2015

Citizens’ Guide to the 1390 National Budget

This guide explains, in simple and easily understood language, the 1390 Budget Statement presented to Parliament by the Minister of Finance on 5 February 2011. The guide is designed to help the genera...

by Ministry of Finance Afghanistan | On 11 Jun 2015

"Prof, no one is reading you"

An average academic journal article is read in its entirety by about 10 people. To shape policy, professors should start penning commentaries in popular media.The absence of professors from shaping pu...

by | On 08 Jun 2015

The Economics of Peace: A Nepalese Perspective

Understanding the importance of peace has been accorded high priority in many religions, such as Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. In recent years, many economists have realized the monetary va...

by Hari Bansh Jha | On 05 Jun 2015

In Search of a Model Land Legislation the New Land Acquisition Bill and its Challenges

The draft Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha on September 7, 2011 is one of the most important legislations waiting for Parliamentary appr...

by Niranjan Sahoo | On 05 Jun 2015

Tackling Myanmar’s Corruption Challenge

Corruption is widespread in Myanmar, and this has significant negative effects on the country’s economic development. In response, President U Thein Sein has made fighting corruption a priority. Howev...

by Khaing Sape Saw | On 04 Jun 2015

The Dance of the Elephant and the Dragon: The Promise and Perils of Sino-Indian Relations

India and China, two of the world's oldest civilisations, have had little historically relevant interactions with one other. Separated by the world's highest mountain range, the Himalayas, neither of...

by Himanil Raina | On 04 Jun 2015

Making It Happen: Technology, Finance and Statistics for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific

This report assesses the state of progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and then considers how the international community can embark on a post-2015 development agenda and do so in an in...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 04 Jun 2015

Fourteenth Finance Commission: Continuity, Change and Way Forward

In preparation of its report, the Fourteenth Finance Commission was guided by the terms of reference; the approach of the previous finance commissions; the prevailing macroeconomic situation in the co...

by | On 03 Jun 2015

Stateless in Law: Two Assessments

This report comprises two assessments. The first is a theoretical analysis of the prevention and reduction of statelessness under international laws. By acceding to the ICCPR and the ICSCER conventio...

by Charlotte-Anne Malischewski | On 02 Jun 2015

Making it Happen: Technology, Finance and Statistics for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific:Asia-Pacific Regional MDGs Report 2014/15

This is a historic year: the end of 2015 is the target date for the Millennium Development Goals. Since 2001, governments across Asia and the Pacific have been striving to meet ambitious goals that ai...

by Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific ESCAP | On 31 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

Report of the Working Group on Outreach of Institutional Finance, Cooperatives and Risk Management for the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17)

The working group is of the opinion that the credit strategy should be aligned to agriculture growth strategy which in turn has to address broader macro economy concerns of supply management and issu...

by Planning Commission | On 21 May 2015

The Constitution (One Hundred and Fifteenth Amendment) Bill, 2011

This Bill is further amendment to the constitution on levy and collection of goods and service tax and trade in India. It provides the parliament with exclusive powers to make laws with respect to goo...

by Ministry of Finance | On 19 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

Youth Participation in Civil Society and Political Life in Bihar

This policy brief documents the participation of youth in Bihar in civil society, the extent to which they uphold secular attitudes and their perceptions about and participation in political processe...

by Environmental Management & Policy Research Institute | On 12 May 2015

Youth Participation in Civil Society and Political Life in Andhra Pradesh

This policy brief documents the participation of youth in Andhra Pradesh in civil society, the extent to which they uphold secular attitudes and their perceptions about and participation in political...

by Population Council | On 12 May 2015

Punjab Youth Policy 2012

The policy covers all key issues of youth and has provided a framework that promises social, economic and political empowerment of youth. The central theme of the policy is integrated youth developmen...

by | On 12 May 2015

The Violence of Disappearance: Reading the Boko Haram Kidnapping

‘To disappear’ is no longer a metaphysical-theological mystery or magic act, but a political invention that must be seen as integral to the violence of modern politics. Focusing on the disappearance o...

by Pramod K. Nayar | On 04 May 2015

The Umbrella Revolution and the Future of China-Hong Kong Relations

This article, written during the 2014 civil disobedience 'Umbrella Revolution' in Hong Kong, suggests that this protest became a turning point in China Hong Kong relations. Suggesting that the protest...

by Willy Lam | On 29 Apr 2015

Book Review: Civil Wars in South Asia: State, Sovereignty, Development

Review of Civil Wars in South Asia: State, Sovereignty, Development ed. Aparna Sundar and Nandini Sundar. New Delhi: Sage Publications, 2014. pp. 273. Rs. 850/-, ISBN: 9789351500407.

by Pramod K. Nayar | On 28 Apr 2015

Infrastructure Gap in South Asia: Infrastructure Needs, Prioritization, and Financing

If the South Asia region hopes to meet its development goals and not risk slowing down or even halting growth, poverty alleviation, and shared prosperity, it is essential to make closing its huge infr...

by World Bank | On 27 Apr 2015

Why Democracy Struggles: Thailand’s Elite Coup Culture

Since the revolution of 1932 that ended absolute monarchy, Thailand has experienced sporadic military interventions, with 19 coups and coup attempts over those decades. This article explains these mil...

by | On 27 Apr 2015

Power, Voices and Rights

The report focuses on the critical question of advancing gender equality, as seen through the prism of women’s unequal power, voice, and rights. Despite the region’s many economic gains, the Report ch...

by United Nations Development Programme UNDP | On 24 Apr 2015

Keeping the Internet Neutral: Net Neutrality and its Role in Protecting Political Expression on the Internet

As Internet-use rises and becomes more widely available, it has become an increasingly important medium of political communication. This article explores internet regulation frameworks in the United S...

by Jennifer L. Newman | On 15 Apr 2015

Budget 2015 - What's In It For the Common Man ?

This is analysis of this year's Union Budget in Hindi. This video discusses on how the government categories budget and how the budget document should be viewed.

by | On 13 Apr 2015

Economic Survey of Maharashtra 2014-15

Maharashra Government, State Economy, Population, State income, Prices & Public Distribution System, Public Finance, Institutional Finance & Capital Market, Agriculture & Allied Activities, infrastru...

by Government of Maharashtra | On 09 Apr 2015

The Continual Breakdown of Democracy in Thailand: A Case Study on the Role of Elite Competition, Modernization and Political Institutions in the Democratization Process of Thailand

The paper provides an in-depth empirical analysis of Thai political history in an attempt to understand why democracy has failed to consolidate since the 1932 revolution that ended the absolute monarc...

by | On 08 Apr 2015

State Effectiveness, Growth, and Development

This paper discusses recent developments in the literature on state effectiveness. Each section covers the relevant theory with a special focus on the current knowledge about the mechanisms highlighte...

by | 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

Outcome Budget 2015-2016

The “Outcome Budget” reflects the endeavour of the Government to convert “Outlays” into “Outcomes” by planning expenditure, fixing appropriate targets and quantifying deliverables of each scheme. The...

by Ministry of Finance | On 26 Mar 2015

Mapping Bangladesh’s Political Crisis

On 5 January, the first anniversary of the deeply contested 2014 elections, the most violent in Bangladesh’s history, clashes between government and opposition groups led to several deaths and scores...

by International Crisis Group | On 24 Mar 2015

Kerala Budget 2015-16

Budget speech of Kerala Finance Minister K M Mani.

by K.M. Mani | On 13 Mar 2015

Finance Commission of India’s Assessments: A Political Economy Contention between Expectations and Outcomes

The objective of this study is to examine the structural basis on which Finance Commissions make their awards rather than examining the predictability of the forecasts. The story of Finance Commission...

by | On 12 Mar 2015

Contemporary Myanmar Challenges To Political Process and Reconciliation

This paper outlines the political reforms and reconciliation process presently underway in Myanmar and the challenges posed to it. A detailed analysis of changing power dynamics in Myanmar, and the...

by | On 04 Mar 2015

Road Infrastructure: Issues in Financing

Equity and efficiency are two issues that arise again and again the area of infrastructure finance. If the financing of infrastructure projects is to be sustainable the private sector must be entruste...

by Sudakshina Gupta | On 25 Feb 2015

Report of the Fourteenth Finance Commission

The Fourteenth Finance Commission (FC-XIV) was constituted by the President under Article 280 of the Constitution on 2 January 2013 to make recommendations for the period 2015- 20. Dr. Y. V. Reddy w...

by Finance Commission | On 24 Feb 2015

Inclusive Water Governance: a Global Necessity. Lessons from India

Efficient water management has emerged as a critical challenge of environmental protection and human security in the twenty-first century. Lack of water management affects the hydrological cycle of th...

by | On 24 Feb 2015

Democracy, Inclusion, and Prosperity

People want to live in a safe prosperous country where they enjoy freedom of thought and action, and where they can exercise their democratic rights to choose their government. But how do countries en...

by Raghuram G. Rajan | On 24 Feb 2015

Cracks in Budgetary Policies towards the Social Sectors

The union budget for 2014-15 offers few changes in terms of policy priorities from the United Progressive Alliance government interim budget for 2014-15, and it fails to recognise the cracks in the co...

by Subrat Das | On 20 Feb 2015

Budget Transparency and Participation: Recommendations to the Fourteenth Finance Commission

This paper explores the need for a Pre-Budget Statement, sub-national transparency and civil society participation to make the budgetary process in India more transparent, accountable and participator...

by Ravi Duggal | On 20 Feb 2015

Policy Asks and Expectations from Union Budget 2015-16

Important processes relating to government budgets in India have been constrained by some widely-acknowledged challenges in governance in the country. These challenges pertain to lack of adequate tran...

by Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability | On 20 Feb 2015

Report of the High Powered Expert Committee on Making Mumbai an International Financial Centre (Percy Mistry Report)

In the recent decade, India has made significant strides in the financial sector. Some of the important developments are strengthening of banks, de-regulation of interest rates and sector competition...

by Ministry of Finance | On 19 Feb 2015

Budget Track - Issues before the 14th Finance Commission

This edition of Budget Track focuses on the ‘Issues before the 14th Finance Commission’, which is due to submit its report to the Union Government this year. The Finance Commission of India, a Constit...

by Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability | On 19 Feb 2015

Policy Framework for Finance SEZs

India is a large user of financial services, by virtue of a large and growing GDP and a high rate of investment and savings. At present, India is con- suming financial services produced onshore as wel...

by Ministry of Finance | On 19 Feb 2015

Bangladesh: Polarisation, Political Violence and An Undeclared Civil War

The report states that about 90 people have been killed and more than a thousand were injured in the ongoingviolent anti-government protests by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led 20-party alli...

by Asian Centre for Human Rights ACHR | On 19 Feb 2015

Microfinance for Decent Work – Enhancing the Impact of Microfinance: Evidence from an Action Research Programme

In many emerging markets, Micro FinanceInstitutions have significant outreach, providing financial services to thousands, if not millions of small and micro enterprises. Since their primary relationsh...

by International Labour Organisation ILO | On 18 Feb 2015

The Paradox of Gender Responsive Budgeting

Despite the steps towards gender responsive budgeting, the budgetary allocations for promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment show a decline. Not only has the magnitude of the gender budget a...

by | On 17 Feb 2015

Caste, Corruption and Political Competition in India

Voters in India are often perceived as being biased in favor of parties that claim to represent their caste. The caste bias is incorporated into voter preferences and examine its in influence on the...

by Avidit Acharya | On 12 Feb 2015

Financing for Infrastructure Investment in G-20 Countries.

This study looks into various sources of financing infrastructure and the demands for infrastructure investments and highlights the mismatch between demand and supply of funds for infrastructure finan...

by Ramprasad Sengupta | On 11 Feb 2015

Indian Public Finance Statistics 2013-14

Indian Public Finance Statistics' is an annual publication prepared by the Economic Division of the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance. This provides a comprehensive overview of the b...

by Ministry of Finance | On 10 Feb 2015

Determinants of Regional Patterns of Manufacturing Exports: Indian Firms since the Mid-1990s

A preliminary analysis of the spatial determinants of firms’ export activities by Indian states has been undertaken in this study. Thus, the present study attempts to fill the gap by focusing on issue...

by Jaya Prakash Pradhan | On 06 Feb 2015

Sri Lanka’s Presidential Election: Risks and Opportunities

This briefing discusses Sri Lanka’s presidential election promises. It promises more competition than was initially anticipated but with that comes a great risk of violence. Long-term stability and po...

by Crisis Group | On 02 Feb 2015

India’s Climate Strategy Needs Revision

Developing countries do not come with a clear plan or proactive position to climate change negotiations, whereas industrialised nations do - to erase their contribution to the emissions already presen...

by Sunita Narain | On 22 Jan 2015

Annual Day Lecture of the Delhi School of Economics, India

The lecture focuses on the continuing relevance of the founding principles of the School, viz., academic freedom, academic excellence, social commitment with technical competence.

by C.H. Hanumantha Rao | On 21 Jan 2015

Economic Sociology and Political Economy: A Programmatic Perspective

The paper presents some of the ideas underlying the current research program of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (MPIfG). It begins with a discussion of how the institute’s pro- gra...

by Jens Beckert | On 18 Jan 2015

Governance in Sri Lanka: Lessons from Post-Tsunami Rebuilding

This article applies complex evolving systems theory to investigating the governance factors affecting rebuilding in the wake of the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka. It also examines the crucial processes o...

by | On 13 Jan 2015

Pakistan and Afghanistan: Understanding Islamabad’s Objectives and Strategies

Pakistan plays a vital role in Afghanistan and is its most prominent neighbor given its strategic location, geographical proximity, historical and cultural ties with the exception of political influen...

by | On 18 Dec 2014

U.S. - China Climate Deal : Maker or Breaker?

Recently, the U.S. and China signed a bilateral treaty according to which they would equalise green house emissions by 2030, followed by a gradual reduction in emissions. Not part of the treaty, India...

by Sunita Narain | 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

Last Call to Get Climate Deal Right

The US “peaked” its emissions in 2012. Countries which were required to cut emissions did not do so at the scale or pace needed. The Durban CoP agreed that the world would work to finalise a new agree...

by Sunita Narain | On 03 Dec 2014

Student Politics: A Game-Theoretic Exploration

The student parties on campus are essentially student wings of larger national parties, which command huge amounts of resources that are used during elections, often instigating conflict and violenc...

by Soumyanetra Munshi | On 01 Dec 2014

Violence against Women in Politics A study conducted in India, Nepal and Pakistan

This study addresses the nature, extent and reasons for women’s political participation within India, Nepal and Pakistan. All three countries have recently elected or are in the process of electing th...

by Ranjana Kumari | On 27 Nov 2014

The Indian Institutes of Information Technology Bill, 2014

A bill to declare certain institutions of information technology to be institutions of national importance, with a view to develop new knowledge in information technology and to provide manpower o...

by Parliamentary Research Service PRS | On 26 Nov 2014

Financing Migration, Generating Remittances and the Building of Livelihood Strategies: A Case Study of Indonesian Migrant Women as Domestic Workers in Singapore

Using the case study of Indonesian women migrating as domestic workers to Singapore, this paper draws on a quantitative survey and qualitative in-depth interviews to examine the migration trajectories...

by Maria Platt | On 24 Sep 2014

Economic and Financial Outlook

A picture about the macroeconomy that is, the world economy and the domestic economy is given. The two recent regulatory measures are given here. [FICCI/IBA Annual Banking Conference].

by Raghuram G. Rajan | On 18 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

Finance and Opportunity in India

One of the greatest dangers to the growth of developing countries is the middle income trap, where crony capitalism creates oligarchies that slow down growth. If the debate during the elections is any...

by Raghuram G. Rajan | On 13 Aug 2014

Integrated Health and Microfinance in India, Volume II: The Way Forward

Integrated Health and Microfinance in India: The Way Forward is a follow-up report that highlights the context of integration of health and microfinance in light of India’s journey towards universal h...

by Somen Saha | On 11 Aug 2014

Creative Budgeting or Actual Deficit Reduction? The case of FRBM Act

The FRBM Act was reflective of the shared commitment across political parties towards fiscal conservatism. A decade later, the picture, as reflected in the Union Budget, is yet to change for the bette...

by Surajit Mazumdar | On 07 Aug 2014

The Political Economy of MGNREGS Spending in Andhra Pradesh

Are ostensibly demand-driven public programs less susceptible to political clientelism even when private goods are allocated? This is examined using expenditure data at the local level from India’s N...

by Megan Sheahan | On 01 Aug 2014

Event, Memory and Historical Analysis: A Reconstruction of Temple Destructions in India

This paper will highlight the myths that surround the question of mass conversion to Islam and the so called temple destructions by the Muslims during the formative years of the Sultanate and the Mugh...

by Amit K Suman | On 24 Jul 2014

The Din of Silence: Reconstructing the Keezhvenmani Dalit Massacre

This paper is an attempt to reconstruct the Keezhvenmani Dalit massacre of 1968 by placing it in the larger socio-political scenario, giving it a ‘pre-history,’ scouring the various narratives of the...

by Nithila Kanagasabai | On 24 Jul 2014

Union Budget 2014: New Government, Same Ol'Budget

If the Union Budget 2014 is anything to go by , the fiscal policy of the new government shows no change. In fact, there is an amazing continuity with the previous few Budgets. Significantly however,...

by Ravi Duggal | On 23 Jul 2014

New Government Gives Little Hope to Children: Budget for Children 2014-15

Children have been given only 4.6 per cent of the total budget of 2014 -15. In fact the share of children in has decreased. Is this the Finance Minister’s gift to children on India?

by HAQ Centre for Child Rights HAQCRC | On 17 Jul 2014

Horizontal Devolution of States in India-Suggestions Before the Fourteenth Finance Commission

The focus of the paper is to suggest an alternate methodology for horizontal devolution from divisible pool of Central taxes and disbursement of grants. Tax devolution criteria suggested are populat...

by R. Mohan | On 16 Jul 2014

Union Budget 2014 - Education, Employment and Skill Building

According to Census estimates, more than half the population of the country, 51.8 per cent, to be precise, is less than 35 years of age, while the population in the critical demography category of 18-...

by Nandini Bhattacharya | On 16 Jul 2014

Vital Stats: Union Budget 2014-15

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Arun Jaitley, presented the Union Budget 2014-15 to Parliament on July 10, 2014. In this context, some statistics related to budget expenditures, receipts and deficits.

by Saumya Vaishnava | On 16 Jul 2014

State of the Economy: Economic Survey Report

In 2014-15, the Indian economy is poised to overcome the sub-5 per cent growth of gross domestic product (GDP) witnessed over the last two years. The growth slowdown in the last two years was broad ba...

by Planning Commission | On 10 Jul 2014

India's Public Distribution System: A National and International Perspective

This study examines the impact of India's Public Distribution System (PDS) on poor households in terms of income gains, reductions in the incidence and severity of poverty, as well as nutritional impr...

by R. Radhakrishna | On 07 Jul 2014

PRS Legislative Research: Annual Policy Review-April 2013 – March 2014

The PRS Annual Policy Review aims to capture the key legislative and policy developments in India during the fiscal year 2013-14. The objective of this document is to summarise all the major devel...

by Parliamentary Research Service PRS | On 05 Jun 2014

Organised Labour and Economic Liberalisation India: Past, Present and Future.

This paper examines the role of organised labour in India in a structural and historical context. It attempts to trace the economic, political and social effects of the trade union movement and its st...

by Debashish Bhattacharjee | On 23 May 2014

Dynamic Effects of Microcredit in Bangladesh

This paper uses long panel survey data spanning over 20 years to examine the dynamics of microcredit programs in Bangladesh. With the phenomenal growth of microfinance institutions representing...

by Shahidur R. Khandker | On 26 Apr 2014

The Economic Cost of General Strikes in Nepal

This paper reviews the key aspects of general strikes and analyses the economic cost of such strikes in Nepal. Data analysis shows that average direct cost of general strikes stood at NRs. 1.8 billi...

by Min Bahadur Shrestha | On 11 Apr 2014

Politics and Public Policies: Politics of Human Development in Uttar Pradesh, India

In India, public policies for human development are politically contested for many reasons like diverse political interests, commitment to specific social bases by political regimes etc. They have r...

by Shyam Singh | On 10 Apr 2014

Elections 2014: What Do the Manifestos of Political Parties Promise Children?

A quick look at the manifestos of the five national political parties, Indian National Congress (INC), Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), Aam Admi Party (AAP), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM) and S...

by HAQ Centre for Child Rights HAQCRC | On 10 Apr 2014

Indian Youth and Electoral Politics - An Emerging Engagement

Review of the book 'Indian Youth and Electoral Politics - An Emerging Engagement' edited by Sanjay Kumar; Fellow at Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS); April 2014; pp 180; Rs 450.

by Nandini Bhattacharya | On 07 Apr 2014

Lok Sabha Elections, 2014: Fascism, Democracy’s Challenges and Role of Citizens

PUCL through this statement, wishes to bring to the attention of the people of India, the serious threat to democracy itself and the human rights challenges posed by the electoral alliances and cal...

by People's Union of Civil Liberties PUCL | On 03 Apr 2014

Market Opportunitiesin Environmental Goods And Services, Renewable Energy,Carbon Finance And CATS

The report considers the general market opportunities presented in the selected countries. It is based on desk research that drew on the most readily available and accessible information sourced from...

by UK DEVELOPMENT | On 12 Mar 2014

Human Rights and Public Finance: Budgets and the Promotion of Economic and Social Rights

Is there sufficient allocation for children in the budgets? [HAQ CRC].

by Enakshi Ganguly Thukral | On 05 Mar 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

Vital Stats: Performance of Parliament during the15th Lok Sabha

Over its five year term, the 15th Lok Sabha was disrupted frequently and witnessed a decline in time spent on legislation and oversight of the government. Disruptions over the allocation of 2G spectru...

by Kusum Malik | On 25 Feb 2014

Why So Few Women in Politics? Evidence from India

In this paper we analyze women as political candidates in a representative democracy. Using 50 years of assembly elections data at the constituency level from the Indian states, we show that women are...

by Mudit Kapoor | On 30 Jan 2014

Urbanization beyond Municipal Boundaries: Nurturing Metropolitan Economies and Connecting Peri-Urban Areas in India

This study identifies three priority areas for India's policymakers as they try to harness economic efficiency and manage spatial equity associated with urbanization. First, to enhance productivity, i...

by World Bank | On 28 Jan 2014

Public - Private Partnerships in Kolkata: Concepts of Governance in the Changing Political Economy of a Region

In order to conceptualize the transforming political and economic orders of today’s South Asia, the perspective of contemporary history is taken. For this, Public-Private Partnership – which is bei...

by Sonali Chakravarti Banerjee | On 24 Jan 2014

Conflicts in South Asia: Causes, Consequences, Prospects

Studying conflicts is a big intellectual enterprise. More than 60 per cent of the top 100 think-tanks listed in the University Pennsylvania survey (2012) study conflicts and issues related to conflict...

by S. D. Muni | On 22 Jan 2014

Financing Infrastructure in Bangladesh – Some Options

This paper seeks to outline the infrastructure needs of Bangladesh with respect to domestic sources of finance. While infrastructure encompasses energy, transportation, telecommunications, water and...

by Ishraq Ahmed | On 22 Jan 2014

India’s Regional Security Cooperation: The Nehru Raj Legacy

The paper explores the logic of continuity in independent India’s security policy from where the British Raj had left off. Much like the Raj, Nehru’s India sought to provide security to its smaller ne...

by prashant kumar | On 21 Jan 2014

Emerging Geopolitical Trends and Security in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the People’s Republic of China, and India (ACI) Region

The rapid economic growth in the region consisting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and India has begun to change the strategic landscape of...

by C. Raja Mohan | On 21 Jan 2014

Under the Thumb of History? Political institutions and the Scope for Action

This paper discusses the two leading views of history and political institutions. For some scholars, institutions are mainly products of historical logic, while for others, accidents, leaders, and dec...

by Abhijit V. Banerjee | On 20 Jan 2014

Economics of Migration and Remittances: A Review Article

The aim of this paper is to analyse the different generations of migration theory and remittances from the development economics perspective, examining in particular the dichotomy between economic a...

by Puja Guha | On 02 Jan 2014

Political Stability and Economic Growth in Asia

This paper has investigated the effects of various factors of political instability on economic growth in selected ten Asian economies during 1990-2005. The empirical findings show a close relationshi...

by Muhammad Younis | On 28 Nov 2013

Migrants' Private Giving and Development: Diasporic Influences on Development in Central Gujarat, India

The paper addresses the migration-development debate by developing a framework for understanding who are the migrants, what they are sending back, and how these transfers are being utilised in the lo...

by Puja Guha | On 28 Nov 2013

When  Ideas Trump Interests :  Preferences, World Views, and Policy  Innovations

The contemporary approach to political economy is built around vested interests -- elites,  lobbies, and rent-seeking groups which get their way at the expense of the general public. The  role of id...

by Dani Rodrik | On 06 Nov 2013

In Search of Inclusion: Informal Sector Participation in a Voluntary, Defined Contribution Pension System

This paper examines who contributes and who persists in contributing in a national, voluntary, defined contributory pension program, where the government provides the incentive of matching contributi...

by Renuka Sane | On 28 Oct 2013

Social Inclusion of Internal Migrants in India

Social Inclusion of Internal Migrants in India aims to provide an overview of existing innovative practices that increase the inclusion of internal migrants in society and act as a living document tha...

by United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF | On 21 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

Crystallizing Fault-lines: Turkey’s Democratic Durability at Risk

In the aftermath of the anti-governmental Gezi demonstrations of May-June and the conclusion of the Ergenekon trial earlier this month, clear fault-lines are crystallizing in the Turkish political lan...

by Ozan Serdaroglu | On 05 Sep 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

On Calling a Revolution, a Revolution and a Coup, a Coup

It is a sad thing for an academic to have to explain the difference between a revolution and a coup d'état to other academics, especially those who have described the Egyptian military coup against it...

by Amr Othman | On 18 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

Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Poverty Line

Interview on the recent released poverty line.

by Planning Commission | On 05 Aug 2013

Obituary: Veena Mazumdar (1927-2013)

Obituary: Veena Mazumdar (1927-2013)

by Vibhuti Patel | On 31 Jul 2013

Cyberwarfare: Logged and Loaded, but Wither Asia?

Cyber operations could have as devastating an impact on populations as conventional military weapons. With militaries already in the process of developing cyberwarfare as a means of battle, there is a...

by Elina Noor | On 26 Jul 2013

Innovation, Efficiency, Productivity and Intellectual Property Rights: Evidence from a BRIC Economy

The innovation, efficiency and productivity responses to the stronger protection of intellectual property rights post-TRIPs, with reference to manufacturing industry in India is studied. The fact that...

by Sunil Kanwar | On 12 Jul 2013

Does Political Competition Influence Human Development? Evidence from the Indian States

Recently, it has been argued that political competition may have similar effects on economic performance as market competition. This study empirically examines this proposition by linking political co...

by Bharatee Bhushan Dash | On 05 Jun 2013

Vital Stats: Parliament Budget Session 2013

Parliament convened for the Budget Session 2013 for 32 days between February 21 and May 8. Both Houses were adjourned sine die on May 8, two days ahead of the planned schedule. There was a month long...

by Priya Soman | On 03 Jun 2013

Media monitoring on Corruption in Indian print Media

To explore how much coverage is given by Leading Indian newspaper to 2G Scam and Common Wealth Games during the period of study. To explore what kind of image of India is famed by all four newspape...

by Daniel Drache | On 25 Apr 2013

The Political Economy of Food Pricing Policy in China

The overall goal of this paper is to analyse the political economy of food price policies in China during the global food crisis. The results show that given China’s unique economic and political co...

by Jikun Huang | On 18 Apr 2013

Social Media and Lok Sabha Elections

A study finds that Facebook users may be the new vote bank Indian politicians have to now worry about.

by IRIS Knowledge Foundation IKF | On 12 Apr 2013

Living Rough: Surviving City Streets

This paper records the findings of a small investigation into a fragment of experiences of people living on streets and into the social, economic, nutritional situation of urban homeless men, women, b...

by Harsh Mander | On 10 Apr 2013

Promoting Democracy in Myanmar: Political Party Capacity Building

The importance of the political parties in Myanmar and their role as the creators of the future of the country. The course of the present developments relies on the ability of the political parties....

by Aung Aung (IR) | On 09 Apr 2013

Women Political Leaders, Corruption and Learning: Evidence from a Large Public Program in India

In the paper there is a use of nation-wide policy of randomly allocating village council headships to women to identify the impact of female political leadership on the governance of projects implemen...

by Farzana Afridi | On 07 Mar 2013

Repayment and Exclusion in a Microfinance Experiment

The experiment is designed to explore the effectiveness of such sanctions in improving repayment incentives. Groups of 10 members are provided with joint-liability loans for a specific investment pr...

by Jean Marie Baland | On 07 Mar 2013

Analysis of Railway Budget 2013

The Minister of Railways, Pawan Kumar Bansal, presented the Railway Budget 2013 to Parliament on 26th February. In his address, he commented on the performance of Railways in 2012-13 and laid out his...

by Vishnu Padmanabhan | On 28 Feb 2013

Nine years later…

Is the Finance Minister going to do a salvage operation? [BS week end ruminations].

by T.N. Ninan | On 27 Feb 2013

Historical Sources of Institutional Trajectories in Economic Development: China, Japan, and Korea Compared

This essay provides a game-theoretic, endogenous view of institutions, and then applies the idea to identify the sources of institutional trajectories of economic development in China, Japan, and Kore...

by Masahiko Aoki | On 22 Feb 2013

An Investigation into Changes in Nagaland's Population between 1971 and 2011

Nagaland’s population decreased during 2001–11 after growing at abnormally high rates during the past few decades. This is the first time since independence that a state in India has witnessed an ab...

by Ankush Agrawal | On 21 Feb 2013

Indian Special Economic Zones: The Difficulties of Repeating China’s Triumph

New Delhi launched its SEZ revolution in April 2000 to secure the country a two digit growth rate, copying from China what during the previous two decades proved to be an excellent strategy, this pa...

by Claudia Astarita | On 21 Feb 2013

Nutrition Policies in Developing Countries: Challenges and Highlights

There are many nutrition policies in developing countries. What are the challenges faced by these malnutrition policies? There are many countries which have successfully included nutrition in their d...

by Olivier Ecker | On 12 Feb 2013

Metabolism Of Mumbai- Expectations, Impasse and the Need For a New Beginning

As population and human activities expand they exert heavy environmental pressure through the resource requirement, their production and consumption. Hence, it is important to understand the resource...

by B. Sudhakara Reddy | On 12 Feb 2013

Standing Committee on Finance on Companies Bill

The Companies Bill, 2009 was introduced on August 3rd 2009. The Standing Committee presented its report on August 31st 2010. The central government withdrew this Bill in the winter session of 2011. I...

by Parliamentary Research Service PRS | On 11 Feb 2013

The Changing Perspective of Mental Health of Children and Adolescents

Review of the book 'Child and Adolescent Mental Health' edited by Usha Nayar, United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children; February 2013; pp 363; Rs 115...

by Aarti Salve | On 07 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

Land Acquisition for Industrialization and Compensation of Displaced Farmers

This paper addresses the question of how farmers displaced by acquisition of agricultural land for the purpose of industrialization ought to be compensated. Prior to acquisition, the farmers are leasi...

by Maitreesh Ghatak | On 22 Jan 2013

Microfinance in Evolution: An Industry Between Crisis and Advancement

Following the international financial crisis that started in 2007, market growth and MFI performance started to deteriorate. Over the last decade the market has matured and become more efficient. Is...

by Cédric Lützenkirchen | On 14 Jan 2013

Political Clientelism and Capture: Theory and Evidence from West Bengal, India

There are relatively few theoretical models or empirical analyses of clientelism which analyse the sources and consequences of clientelism. Data from household surveys in rural West Bengal are used t...

by Pranab Bardhan | On 14 Jan 2013

Provide Human Security through Human Development

Review of the book 'Peace is Everybody's Business: Strategy for Conflict Prevention' by Arjun Ray. Number of pages: 264, Price Rs. 495/-.

by Irfan Engineer | On 03 Dec 2012

Learning and Capability Acquisition: A Case Study of the Indian Automobile Industry

This study analyzes the impact of government policy regime on the learning and capability acquisition of firms over time. Through a case study analysis of the Indian automotive industry, the study d...

by Madhuri Saripalle | On 19 Nov 2012

Demographics, Labor Mobility, and Productivity

This paper considers two major issues that need to be treated as matters of urgency. First, internal (within country) migrations in the Asian (ACI) region are mostly undocumented and large. It is show...

by E J Wilson | On 05 Nov 2012

Security Sector Governance (SSG) and Conflict Management in Indonesia: The Aceh Case

This paper examines the evolution of security sector governance (SSG) in Indonesia, focusing in particular on the effects of security sector reform (SSR) on the management of the secessionist conflict...

by Rizal Sukma | On 26 Oct 2012

Diesel Pricing in India: Entangled in Policy Maze

This paper identifies the important economic activities that use diesel and discusses the contribution of those sectors in GDP. Other important petroleum products and, their limited substitution possi...

by Mukesh Kumar Anand | On 17 Oct 2012

‘Grand Challenges to Global Mental Health’: Critical perspectives on the US-NIMH initiative

In 2011 the US National Institute of Mental Health launched the Grand Challenges to Global Mental Health on the lines of earlier initiatives on ‘Global Health’ and on ‘Global Chronic Non-Common-commun...

by Anonymous | On 05 Oct 2012

The Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development Bill, 2011

To declare the institution known as the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, to be an institution of National importance and to provide for its incorporation and for matters connected...

by Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs YAS | On 05 Oct 2012

The Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, 2011

A bill to establish an Authority and such other regulatory bodies for regulation of radiation safety or nuclear safety and achieving highest standards of such safety based on scientific approach, op...

by Parliamentary Research Service PRS | On 01 Oct 2012

On China’s Traditional Culture and Peaceful Development Strategy

This article discusses the cultural basis and origins of the idea of this strategy from the point of view of China’s traditional culture and historical development and analyzes the the reality of C...

by Wang Dewen | On 27 Sep 2012

Exposure Draft National Youth Policy 2012

The NYP 2012 is a step forward from the earlier Policy formulated in 1988 and, later, in 2003. It reaffirms commitment of the nation to the rights and holistic development of the young people of the c...

by Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs YAS | On 12 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

Budget 2012-13, Nepal

Statement Delivered by Finance Minister Mr. Barshaman Pun on 15 July 2012. URL:[http://www.mof.gov.np/ajw/uploads/uploaded_image/Main_text.pdf].

by Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal | On 28 Aug 2012

Network Structure and the Aggregation of Information: Theory and Evidence from Indonesia

A unique data-set from Indonesia is analysed to understand what individuals know about the income distribution in their village to test theories such as Jackson and Rogers (2007) that link informatio...

by Vivi Alatas | 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

The Group of Twenty: Input and Output Legitimacy, Reforms, and Agenda

The paper examines the debates and makes specific policy recommendations by which regionalism, the engagement of small states (through the role of Singapore and the 3-G coalition), and the expansion o...

by Andrew F Cooper | On 09 Aug 2012

The Universities for Research and Innovation Bill, 2012

A bill to provide for the establishment and incorporation of Universities for Research and Innovation and for enabling them to emerge as centres for ecosystems to develop as hubs of education, resea...

by Parliamentary Research Service PRS | On 08 Aug 2012

Constraints Faced by Industry in Punjab, Pakistan

What are the main impediments to investment and industrial productivity in Punjab which have contributed to this unprecedented decline in growth? This is done by analyzing the 2007 Investment Climate...

by Syed Turab Hussain | On 08 Aug 2012

Capitalism as a System of Contingent Expectations: Toward a Sociological Microfoundation of Political Economy

Political economy and economic sociology have developed in relative isolation from each other. While political economy focuses largely on macrophenomena, economic sociology focuses on the level of soc...

by Jens Beckert | On 07 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

Western Myanmar Unrest: Partisan Portrayals Risk Extremist Implications

The violence in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State appears to have died down. However, partisan portrayals of the violence risks jeopardising the security of locals and Myanmar’s reform process with extr...

by Kyaw San Wai | On 31 Jul 2012

New Thinking on Corporate Bond Market in India

What are major factors behind underdevelopment of corporate bond market in India? One of the major bottlenecks to the development of this market lies in relatively larger costs of financing which diss...

by Sanjay Banerji | 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

How Close Does the Apple Fall to the Tree? Some Evidence on Intergenerational Occupational Mobility from India

Using data from the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) 2005, intergenerational occupational mobility in India is examined, an issue on which very few systematic and rigorous studies exist. Individ...

by Sripad Motiram | On 12 Jul 2012

The Higher Education and Research Bill, 2011

A bill to promote autonomy of higher educational institutions and universities for free pursuit of knowledge and innovation and to provide for comprehensive and integrated growth of higher educati...

by Parliamentary Research Service PRS | On 12 Jul 2012

Political Strongholds and Budget Allocation for Developmental Expenditure: Evidence from Indian States, 1971-2005

This paper examines the effects of political factors on allocation of revenue budget for developmental expenditure by the sub-national governments, using data from 15 major states in India during the...

by Arun Kaushik | On 10 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

The Limits to Sustainability Science: Ecological Constraints or Endless Innovation?

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) takes place in Rio de Janeiro on 20–22 June 2012. Twenty years after the 1992 Earth Summit that led to the establishment of two m...

by Georgina M Mace | On 02 Jul 2012

Responsibility to Protect in Southeast Asia: Enlarging Space for Civil Society

The concept of Responsibility to Protect (R2P) is relatively new to many Southeast Asians, who have traditionally relied on the state for security and therefore faced a sense of hopelessness when such...

by Pavin Chachavalpongpun | On 27 Jun 2012

The Military along the Security Development Frontrier: Implications for Non-Traditional Security in the Philippines and Thailand

This paper focuses on development missions carried out by the armed forces of the Philippines and Thailand in and out of conflict zones, and provides an analysis of the causes behind the re-emergence...

by Aries A Arugay | On 20 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

The Effects of Democratization on Public Goods and Redistribution: Evidence from China

This study investigates the effects of introducing elections on public goods and redistribution in rural China. A large and unique survey was collected to document the history of political reforms and...

by Yang Yao | On 05 Jun 2012

The Effect of Village-Based Schools: Evidence form a Randomized Controlled Trial in Afghanistan

A randomized evaluation was conducted of the effect of village-based schools on children's academic performance using a sample of 31 villages and 1,490 children in rural northwestern Afghanistan. The...

by Dana Burde | On 04 Jun 2012

Cambodia’s Hydropower Development and China’s Involvement

The research was undertaken to better understand the current policy and plans of the Cambodian government for the electricity sector; map the decision-making process; develop a greater understanding...

by Carl Middleton | On 25 May 2012

Vital Stats: Parliament Budget Session 2012

Parliament met for the Budget Session between March 16 and May 22 with a three-week recess in April. Both Houses met for 35 days each. A special sitting was convened on Sunday, May 13 to commemorate 6...

by Rohit Kumar | On 23 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

Group Norms and the BRAC Village Organization – Enhancing Social Capital Baseline

This study used social capital as an organizing framework to capture VO members’ group behaviour, and their current status along programme activities. The study compared the status of intervention...

by Nayma Qayum | On 22 May 2012

Obituary: Leela Dube (1923-2012)

Obituary: Leela Dube (1923-2012)

by Vibhuti Patel | On 22 May 2012

Integrating Urban Datasets: The Path to Effective Socio-Economic Planning in Urban Pakistan

Effective urban policy making and implementation in Pakistan is impeded by the problem of integrating data containing incompatible spatial references. There is great heterogeneity across spatial units...

by Sohaib Khan | On 16 May 2012

Inter-Party Competition and Electoral Campaigning in Rural Malaysia: The Pendang and Anak Bukit By-Elections of 2002

The Pendang parliamentary and Anak Bukit by-elections for the Kedah state legislative assembly were among the most contentious of by-elections in recent Malaysian politics. Held simultaneously on 18...

by K Ramanathan | On 10 May 2012

China’s Rising Military Power and Its Implications

The aim of this paper is to examine the driving forces behind China’s military modernization efforts followed by an assessment of the goals and foci of China’s military modernization at present and...

by Jiao Liang | On 08 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

Corruption

In this paper, a new framework for analyzing corruption in public bureaucracies is provided. The standard way to model corruption is as an example of moral hazard, which then leads to a focus on bette...

by Abhijit Banerjee | On 24 Apr 2012

Nepal: Elusive Democracy and Uncertain Political System

Persistence and breakdowns of democracy are the dominant features of Nepali politics.Democracy continues to be attractive amidst setbacks and discontinuity. So it remains perennially elusive, desp...

by Lok Raj Baral | On 23 Apr 2012

Journalism in Democracies During Times of War: Examining the Role of Indian and US Media

This paper examines the larger issue of how a ‘free’ media performs during times of war with particular reference to US and India using case studies. It focuses on ‘national security’ becoming a maj...

by Aradhana Sharma | On 20 Apr 2012

Research Study on Women’s Empowerment, Good-governance and Decentralisation : Assuring Women’s Participation in Panchayats of Two Backward Districts of Northern Part of West Bengal

The study focused on the factors and forces behind the participation of women in Panchayat Structure specially after the seventy third Constitution Amendment Act. The role performance, role awarenes...

by Dilip Kumar Sarkar | On 20 Apr 2012

The BRICS Report: A Study of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa with Special Focus on Synergies and Complementarities

Th is study, which is supported by the ministries of fi nance and the central banks of the BRICS, focuses on synergies and complementarities between the economies, highlighting their role as growth ...

by Ministry of Finance | On 18 Apr 2012

Development Trajectory, Emission Profile, and Policy Actions: Thailand

Thailand has made significant progresses toward green and low-carbon development; however, there is a need to further address the issue. The country has to focus on the implementation of no-regret pol...

by Qwanruedee Chotichanathawewong | On 16 Apr 2012

West Bengal Budget Speech: 2012-13

Speech by Amit Mitra, Minister of Finance. [Government of West Bengal]. URL:[http://www.wbfin.nic.in/writereaddata/Budget_Speech/2012_English.pdf].

by West Bengal Government | On 13 Apr 2012

The view, outside in

What India has to do to overcome the dents that India has suffered in its international image? India will have to play a delicate game of exercising autonomy in its pursuit of national objectives with...

by T.N. Ninan | On 10 Apr 2012

India’s Call on BRICS : Aligning with China without a Deal

China–India association in the BRICS bloc of countries is an example of multilateralism at its height. For China, the BRICS group holds a strategic significance as it is targeted towards the Western...

by Jagannath P Panda | On 04 Apr 2012

Highlights of Madhya Pradesh Budget 2012-13

The salient features of the budget estimates of 2012-13 of Madhya Pradesh. [Ministry of Finance Madhya Pradesh]. URL:[http://www.mp.gov.in/finance/index.htm].

by Madhya Pradesh Government | On 04 Apr 2012

State Finances: A Study of Budgets of 2011-12

The budgetary data for 2011-12 indicates the commitment of States to carry forward fiscal correction, as evident from the emergence of revenue surplus after a gap of two years and consequent reductio...

by Reserve Bank of India RBI | On 03 Apr 2012

Political Determinants of the Allocation of Public Expenditures: A Study of the Indian States

This study examines whether the allocation of public expenditures of the Indian states are significantly influenced by government specific political characteristics. Three types of government specif...

by Bharatee Bhusana Dash | 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

BMC Budget 2012-13

Budget presented to Municipal Commissioner. . [BMC Annual Reports]. URL:[http://www.mcgm.gov.in/irj/go/km/docs/documents/MCGM%20Department%20List/Chief%20Accountant%20(Finance)/Budget/Complete%20Engli...

by Municipal Commissioner BMC | 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

Not the Remembered Country

The food security Bill's focus ignores changes in agriculture and eating habits. [BS editorial]. URL:[http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/t-n-ninan-notremembered-country/467874/].

by T.N. Ninan | On 19 Mar 2012

Budget for Children (BfC) in the Union Budget 2012-13

What the Budget of India, 2012-13 has got for children? [HAQCRC]. URL:[http://www.haqcrc.org/sites/default/files/BfC%202012-13_0.pdf].

by HAQ Centre for Child Rights HAQCRC | On 19 Mar 2012

Report on China's Central, Local Budgets (2012)

REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CENTRAL AND LOCAL BUDGETS FOR 2011 AND ON DRAFT CENTRAL AND LOCAL BUDGETS FOR 2012. [Ministry of Finance Report]. URL:[http://www.npc.gov.cn/englishnpc/news/...

by Ministry of Finance China | On 15 Mar 2012

Outline of the 12th Five Year Plan: Plan for Development of Trade in Services

To greatly develop trade in services and realize the transition from a big trade country to a strong trade country, the 12th Five Year Plan is formulated based on Outline of the 12th Five Year Plan f...

by Ministry of Commerce China | On 15 Mar 2012

Railway Budget 2012-2013

Budget 2012-2013

by Dinesh Trivedi | On 14 Mar 2012

The Union Budget: A Primer

This week, the finance minister presents a statement to Parliament of how much money the central government expects to raise in the next financial year, and how it will spend that money. The budget sp...

by Avinash Celestine | On 12 Mar 2012

Federal Budget of Pakistan-2011-12

BUDGET SPEECH 2011-2012 by DR. ABDUL HAFEEZ SHAIKH, Minister for Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs, Statistics and Planning & Development.

by Minister of Finance Pakistan | On 12 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

The Global Race for Excellence and Skilled Labour: A Status Report

In this context, higher education as well as research and development (R&D) have long since ceased to be purely the domain of the developed Western economies. Numerous regions of the world, some in th...

by Ingo Rollwagen | On 09 Mar 2012

Asia’s Wicked Environmental Problems

The developing economies of Asia are confronted by serious environmental problems that threaten to undermine future growth, food security, and regional stability. This study considers four major envir...

by Stephen Howes | On 06 Mar 2012

Issues and Challenges with the Philippines' Public Corporate Sector

Government-ownedand- controlled corporations were initially created as solutions to market imperfections. It is ironic therefore, that in recent years, they have come to be seen as problems t...

by Senate Economic Planning Office SEPO | On 06 Mar 2012

Penance time

The time has come for the governmant to make up for its sins of the past three years. The Budget must be judged on whether it shows that the govt is in the mood to recognize its follies, and in a posi...

by T.N. Ninan | On 05 Mar 2012

Climate Change and Migration in Southeast Asia: Responding to a New Human Security Challenge

The paper aims at understanding the reasons which influence migration and mobility choices, ways by which vulnerabilities can be managed and the role that local, national and regional policy responses...

by Lorraine Elliot | 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

Electoral Rules, Forms of Government and Redistributive Policy: Evidence from Agriculture and Food Policies

The effect of electoral rules and forms of government on public policy outcomes using a new dataset on agriculture and food policies from 74 countries over the 1960-2005 period is investigated. Using...

by Alessandro Olper | On 22 Feb 2012

Drawn into Violence: Evidence on 'What Makes a Criminal' from the Vietnam Draft Lotteries

Draft lottery number assignment during the Vietnam Era provides a natural experiment to examine the effects of military service on crime. Using exact dates of birth for inmates in state and federal pr...

by Jason Lindo | On 19 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

Is Caste Destiny? Occupational Diversification among Dalits in Rural India

he caste system – a system of elaborately stratified social hierarchy – distinguishes India from most other societies. Among the most distinctive factors of the caste system is the close link betwee...

by Ira Gang | On 07 Feb 2012

Estimating the Middle Class in Pakistan

Using the Pakistan Social and Living Measurement Survey (PSLM), conducted in 2007-08, the paper measures the magnitude of the middle class (definition given by Thurow (1987); Birdsall, Graham and Pe...

by Durr-e- Nayab | On 06 Feb 2012

Shaking Embedded Gender Roles and Relations: An Impact Assessment of Gender Quality Action Learning Programme

The Gender Quality Action Learning programme initiated a village level intervention in 2007 in 10 districts to increase knowledge, change perception, attitudes, and practice/behaviour of the villagers...

by Md. Abdul Alim | On 03 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

Myanmar’s Reforms: The Challenges Ahead

The release of many high-profile political prisoners by Myanmar’s government has been applauded by the international community. Many obstacles to reform still exist, but they are not the usual suspect...

by Kyaw San Wai | On 24 Jan 2012

Power, Profits and Inflation: A Study of Inflation and Influence in Pakistan

The analysis seeks to look at inflation as a political economic phenomenon, based on a framework devised by Jonathan Nitzan and christened differential accumulation. The theory of differential accumul...

by Syed Ozair Ali | On 05 Jan 2012

The Primacy of Public Health Considerations in Defining Poor Quality Medicines

Poor quality essential medicines, both substandard and counterfeit, are serious but neglected public health problems. Anti-infective medicines are particularly afflicted. Unfortunately, attempts...

by Paul N Newton | On 03 Jan 2012

Vital Stats: Parliament in 2011

The year in Parliament was characterised by frequent disruptions and protests over a host of issues. The issue of the establishment of a Lokpal prompted both disruption as well as intense debate. A...

by Rohit Kumar | On 02 Jan 2012

Plan vs. Performance Winter Session – November 22 to December 29, 2011

This note lists the legislative business planned by Parliament and compares it with the actual performance during the Winter Session. [PRS Note]. URL:[http://www.prsindia.org/administrator/uploads/ge...

by Kusum Malik | On 30 Dec 2011

A Conceptual Overview of Structural Equation Modeling

A synthesized version of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and its possible applications in Management problems is presented. The main contribution of the paper is its simple description of a some...

by Tathagata Banerjee | On 27 Dec 2011

Insights into Workers and ‘Political’ Union

Review of the book Workers, Unions and Global Capitalism: Lessons from India, Rohini Hensman, Tulika Books, New Delhi, 2011, pp. xix + 415

by Sharit Bhowmik | On 27 Dec 2011

Will Neoliberal Policies Resolve Water Sector Dilemmas? Learnings from Maharashtra and Gujarat

This paper examines how the neoliberal policies have influenced the water sector reform policies and interventions in India, particularly, in the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. In doing so, the...

by Viswanathan P K | On 26 Dec 2011

Union Power November 2011

The three year journey of the G-20 Heads of Government Summit from Washington in 2008 to Paris this November is signified by two markers of the depth of the global capitalist crisis. First, that the c...

by Louise Ross | On 14 Dec 2011

Quality of Maternal Health Care: A Call for Papers for a Maternal Health Task Force–PLoS Collection

The MHTF–PLoS Collection in 2011–12 will focus on quality of maternal health care, as it is clear that such a focus is now a global imperative [9]. The quality of maternal health care is highly va...

by Samantha R Lattof | On 02 Dec 2011

Monetary and Fiscal Policy in the Presence of Informal Labour Markets

How does informality in emerging economies affect the conduct of monetary and fiscal policy? To answer this question two-sector, formal-informal new Keynesian closed-economy is constructed. The inf...

by Nicoletta Batini | On 02 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

Publishing Construction Contracts as a Tool for Efficiency and Good Governance

Construction is a $1.7 trillion industry worldwide, much of which is linked to publicly financed projects. Outcomes from this financing are frequently suboptimal. Cost and time escalation, as well a...

by Charles Kenny | On 25 Nov 2011

Development and Health in Poor Countries: Role of Interntional Organizations and Switzerland

The study tries to better understand three fields which seems to be essential with respect to the problem of a facilitated access to medicines : 1. the ambiguous position of intellectual property...

by Bastein Briand | On 17 Nov 2011

Where is the Virtue in the Middle Class?

It is widely agreed by economists and political scientists that the middle class is vital to progress because of its many virtues. But it is difficult to define a middle class by income in a manner t...

by Charles Kenny | On 16 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

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

Agriculture, Food, and Water Nanotechnologies for the Poor: Opportunities and Constraints

This brief presents a review of the potential opportunities and challenges of using nanotech applications for agriculture, food, and water in developing countries. [IFPRI Policy Brief 19]. URL:[http...

by Guillaume Gruère | On 01 Nov 2011

Institutional and Procedural Challenges to Generic Production in India: Antiretrovirals in Focus

With a review of the historic role of India as a supplier of Antiretrovirals (ARV) medicines the paper outlines some of the key rulings in Indian courts as the interpretation of the new patent laws ar...

by Cassandra Sweet | On 19 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

Burma’s Transition to “Disciplined Democracy”: Abdication or Institutionalization of Military Rule?

This article formulates an analytical framework for the detachment of militaries from politics and identifies positive and negative factors for a withdrawal. It then applies this framework to the case...

by Marco Bünte | On 17 Oct 2011

An Economic Policy and Legal Analysis of The Micro Finance Institutions (Development & Regulation) Bill, 2011

In response to the Second Micro Finance Crisis in Andhra Pradesh, which took place in October 2010, the Ministry of Finance has pro- posed a new Micro Finance Institutions (Development & Regulation) ...

by Shubho Roy | On 17 Oct 2011

Paraiyans’ Self-assertion for Identity

Review of Nandanar’s Children: The Paraiyans’ Tryst with Destiny Tamil Nadu 1850—1956, Raj Sekhar Basu, Sage India, New Delhi, 2011, 492 pp, Rs 895

by Rajesh Komath | On 11 Oct 2011

Urban Transport Sustainability Indicators – Application of Multi-view Black-box (MVBB) Framework

In a recent work Nathan and Reddy (2011a) have proposed a Multi-view Black-box (MVBB) framework for development of sustainable development indicators (SDIs) for an urban setup. The framework is flex...

by Hippu Salk Kristle Nathan | On 10 Oct 2011

User-based Financing of Marine Protection in the Maldives

This paper provides an economic valuation of the recreational uses of atoll-based marine resources in the Republic of the Maldives. A travel demand model to estimate the benefits of atoll-based marin...

by Mahadev G Bhat | On 30 Sep 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

Rights, Responsibilities and Resources: Examining Community Forestry in South Asia

This paper seeks to understand whether decentralized management of forests can reduce forest loss in developing countries. [SANDEE Working Paper, No 59 - 11]. URL:[http://www.sandeeonline.org/upload...

by Priya Shyamsundar | On 28 Sep 2011

Civil Service and Military Pensions in India

The New Pension System in India and the progress that has been made since its introduction in 2004 is described. It then identifies the challenges ahead. It also documents the state of military pens...

by Renuka Sane | On 26 Sep 2011

The Lok Pal Bill Debate: Lack of Accountability, not Anna Hazare's Fast, Should be the Focus

The paper analysis the current situation of corruption in India, the protests against it, the role of NGOs and the Lok Pal Bill

by Asian Centre for Human Rights ACHR | On 19 Sep 2011

Iraq’s Last Window: Diffusing the Risks of a Petro-State

This paper, examines the possibility of adopting Oil- to- Cash scheme in Iraq. Here, a new opportunity is identified which aims for direct distribution of Iraqi oil rents in the planned production exp...

by Johnny West | On 19 Sep 2011

Agricultural Productivity and Credit- Issues and Way Forward

Certain trends in agricultural productivity, agricultural finance are outlined. Recommendations for improving agricultural productivity are given here. [Address at The National Seminar on Productivity...

by Chakrabarty K C | On 12 Sep 2011

Fertility Regulation in an Economic Crisis

Substantial international aid is spent reducing the cost of contraception in developing countries, as part of a larger effort to reduce global fertility and increase investment per child worldwide....

by Christopher McKelvey | On 09 Sep 2011

Plan vs. Performance: Monsoon Session – August 01 to September 08, 2011

This note lists the legislative business planned by Parliament and compares it with the actual performance during the Monsoon Session. URL:[http://www.prsindia.org/administrator/uploads/general/13154...

by Kusum Malik | On 08 Sep 2011

Achieving Progress for Development Effectiveness in Busan: An Overview of CSO Evidence

The global Reality of Aid Network has been working in preparation for Busan alongside CSO colleagues from women’s rights organizations, trade unions, farmers’ organizations, faith-based organizations...

by Brian Tomlinson | On 30 Aug 2011

Evolution of Property Rights Regimes in the Groundwater Economy of India-Constraints on Moving Towards a Common Property Regime

The paper paper reviews the 'model' central and state government bills, pertaining to groundwater, through a conceptual framework and discusses the Andhra Pradesh experience in the developing governme...

by G.Ananda Vadivelu | 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

Trans-border Identities: (A Study on the Impact of Bangladeshi and Nepali Migration to India)

This paper deals with migration into India from adjoining neighbours and its impact on security and other issues of national interest. Unlike other studies on migration, it focuses on the ethnic ident...

by Subhakanta Behera | On 26 Aug 2011

The Insider: Parasite or Legitimate Profit-Maker?

In the lore of finance and investing, the insider takes his place alongside embezzlers, frauds, and all other varieties of scam artists. He uses privileged knowledge gained from executive friends tol...

by Mark Miller | On 24 Aug 2011

Transfer Paths and Academic Performance: The Primary School Merger Program in China

In this paper, the overall goal is to examine the impact of the Rural Primary School Merger Program on academic performance of students using a dataset from a survey that we designed to reflect tran...

by Alexis Medina | On 27 Jul 2011

Government Mediated Program on Intensifying Industry-Academia Linkages for Human Resource Development; Experinces of an Innovative Model from TIFAC

The importance of academia- industry linkages for development of an economy is well recognized. With a view to make the higher technical education relevant, by forging and catalyzing functional link...

by Jancy Ayyaswamy | On 26 Jul 2011

Consultation Paper on Mobile Value Added Services

TRAI has initiated this consultation paper suo-motu focusing on future looking regulatory framework for provisioning of Mobile Value Added Services. URL:[http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/trai/uplo...

by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) | On 26 Jul 2011

Board Interlocks and Their Impact on Corporate Governance: The Indian Experience - Coping with Corporate Cholesterol

Board interlocks and corporate elites are an engaging field of ongoing academic and policy research around the world, especially because of the concentration of economic power in few individuals or en...

by Bala N Balasubramanian | On 08 Jul 2011

Barriers to Household Risk Management: Evidence from India

Why do many households remain exposed to large exogenous sources of non-systematic income risk? Why don’t financial markets develop to pool these risks? This paper uses a series of randomized field...

by Shawn Cole | On 06 Jul 2011

Doha or Dada: The World Trade Regime at an Historic Crossroads

This study was not alone in demonstrating that a deal on the Doha Round could be of huge benefit to the global economy. Assuming plausible enhancements in the course of further negotiations, the big...

by Klaus Deutsch | On 06 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

India's Drylands and Emerging Challenges

In order to tackle the issues of desertification, land degradation and droughts, 22 major programmes are being implemented in the country, including, the “Mission for Green India”, one of the Missio...

by Ministry of Environment and Forests GOI | On 21 Jun 2011

The Financial Crisis of 2008 and the Developing Countries

Following the financial crisis that broke in the US and other Western economies in late 2008, there is now serious concern about its impact on the developing countries. The world media almost daily...

by Wim Naudé | On 13 Jun 2011

Access to Land and Land Policy Reforms

The objective of this research and policy brief is to analyse different mechanisms of access to land for the rural poor in an era when redistribution through expropriative land reform is largely incon...

by Alain de Janvry | On 10 Jun 2011

An Enquiry into the Historical Roots of Industrial Backwardness of Kerala - A Study of Travancore Region

The relative industrial backwardness of Kerela is a problem of very wide concern among scholars as well as administrators and political activities in the state. The contribution of the industrial sect...

by T.M. Thomas Issac | On 31 May 2011

History Revisited: Narratives on Political and Constitutional Changes in Kashmir (1947-1990)

One of the main conflicts prevailing in South Asia today is that of the row over Kashmir. The long history of the conflict, the states involved in the conflict and its geo-political position has...

by Khalid Wasim Hassan | On 26 May 2011

Youth and Globalisation

This paper presents the proceedings of the workshop on Youth and Globalisation, jointly organized by Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Youth Development, and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. There were...

by Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development | On 20 May 2011

Spatial Heterogeneity and Population Mobility in India

Mobility is one of the important aspects of human nature, which is often guided by socio-economic, political as well as environmental factors. The nature, pattern and direction of population mobili...

by Jajati Keshari Parida | On 16 May 2011

The Future of Development Finance

Development finance is at a turning point. There is talk about a “triple revolution of goals, actors and tools.” As much of Asia grows its way out of poverty, aid will increasingly be focused on Afr...

by Nemat Shafik | On 13 May 2011

Impact and Sustainability of SHG Bank Linkage Programme

Microfinance programmes are known for their potential to generate income and employment and alleviate poverty in developing countries. They are considered for an important approach to poverty alleviat...

by National Council of Applied Economic Research | On 13 May 2011

Ministry of Finance and Planning Annual Report

This paper contains the annual report of Ministry of Finance and Planning, Government of Sri Lanka. URL: [http://www.treasury.gov.lk/FPPFM/fpd/pdfdocs/annualreports/annualreport2009-eng.pdf]

by Ministry of Finance and Planning, Govt of Sri Lanka | On 10 May 2011

Statement Delivered by Secretary of the Ministry of Finance

This paper presents the Statement Delivered by Mr. Krishna Hari Baskota, Secretary of the Ministry of Finance in the 44th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development in the capa...

by Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal | On 09 May 2011

Federalism and Fiscal Reform in India

This paper attempts to analyse the experience of incentivising economic reforms at the state level through central transfers to states. It reviews the experiences of the central government introdu...

by M. Govinda Rao | On 09 May 2011

Book Review: Distance Education: A Growing Sector in Asia

Review of Policy and Practice in Asian Distance Edited by Belawati Tiawati and Baggaley Jon Education, Sage, Publications, India 2010, 260 pages, Rs. 650/-

by Madhu Parhar | On 06 May 2011

Nepal and the Pax Indianus

In May 2009, the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) warned of growing threats to sustainable peace in Nepal. Since that time, Nepal’s politics have continued to polarize. Nepal still has two ar...

by Asian Centre for Human Rights | On 04 May 2011

Did the Indian Capital Controls Work as a Tool of Macroeconomic Policy?

In 2010 and 2011, there has been a fresh wave of interest in cap- ital controls. India is one of the few large countries with a complex system of capital controls, and hence others an opportunity to...

by Ila Patnaik | 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

National Youth Policy 2010 (NYP 2010)

The NYP 2010 is a step forward from the earlier Policy formulated in 1988 and, later, in 2003. It reaffirms commitment of the nation to the holistic development of the young people of the country....

by Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs YAS | On 19 Apr 2011

Maharashtra Budget 2011-2012 Part I

Part I of the Budget speech by Finance Minister

by Maharashtra Government | On 18 Apr 2011

A Policy Reponse to the Indian Micro-finance Crisis

Recent events in India have brought a fresh focus upon the problem of regulation in the field of micro-finance. This paper delineates the three distinct aspects where government needs to play a role...

by Renuka Sane | On 13 Apr 2011

Financial Regulatory Harmonization in East Asia: Balancing Domestic and International Pressures for Corporate Governance Reforms

Focusing on corporate governance, which many see as a critical part of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, and which is also seen as unresponsive to calls for change, this paper argues that such harmoniz...

by Richard W Carney | On 12 Apr 2011

How to Read the Budget

This note is intended as a brief guide on how the budget papers are organised, and how to find the exact information that a reader wants (expenditure on a particular scheme of interest, or total budge...

by Avinash Celestine | On 12 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

Economic Survey 2010-11

This paper contains the economic survey report for the state of Haryana. URL: [http://web1.hry.nic.in/budget/Economic%20Survey%202010-11.pdf]

by Haryana Government | On 06 Apr 2011

Deficit Fundamentalism vs Fiscal Federalism: Implications of 13th Finance Commission’s Recommendations

The important recommendations of the Thirteenth Finance Commission (THFC) can be categorised under the following heads: • Enhanced vertical devolution from 30.5 to 32 per cent of divisible pool of ...

by Pinaki Chakraborty | On 31 Mar 2011

Of Human Bondage: An Account of Hostage Taking in Bastar

An event of great political and historical significance occurred on 11 February 2011 inside the dense forests of Abujhmad in Chhattisgarh with the CPI (Maoist) releasing five policemen of Chhatti...

by People's Union for Democratic Rights PUDR | 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

Globalization and the Women’s Movement in India

From the early 1990s, the principal economic, social and political problems experienced by the mass of Indian women have, in one way or another, become inextricably linked with the processes and pol...

by Centre for Women's Development Studies | On 28 Mar 2011

Economic Survey, 2010-11, Maharashtra

State income, public finances, agriculture and animal husbandry, education, health, population etc are given importance in the economic survey. URL: [http://mahades.maharashtra.gov.in/files/publicatio...

by Maharashtra Government | On 23 Mar 2011

Reforming Indirect Taxes in India : Role of Environmental Taxes

Extensive reforms of India's indirect taxes at the central and the state levels has prepared the necessary ground for the implementation of a comprehensive goods and services tax (GST). The Empowere...

by D K Srivastava | On 23 Mar 2011

A Veteran's Asia Reflections

The report reflects on a wealth of impressions from the emerging continent. Political and economic developments from the Hindukush to Japan are assessed and put into a global context. The issues addre...

by Norbert Walter | On 22 Mar 2011

Issues Before the Eleventh Finance Commission: Presented and Discussed at the Seminar on The Issues Before the Eleventh Finance Commission

In their tasks to fulfill their constitutional obligations, the Eleventh Finance Commission have to face and solve two broad group of issues. The first relates to the basic principles that ought to go...

by Chelliah Raja J | On 21 Mar 2011

Do Interest Rates Matter? Credit Demand in the Dhaka Slums

The advent of microfinance lending in the last two decades has been hailed as a key development in the fight against poverty. The New York Times (1997), for example, on its editorial page, has promote...

by Rajeev Dehejia | On 17 Mar 2011

Sri Lanka Budget 2011-12

Budget speech by Finance Minister.

by Ministry of Finance and Planning Sri Lanka | On 17 Mar 2011

Budget 2011-12, Punjab

Budget speech by Finance minister. URL:[http://punjabgovt.nic.in/departments/Budget/budget/budget.htm].

by Government of Punjab | On 16 Mar 2011

Political Economy of Tribal Development: A Case Study of Andhra Pradesh

The paper delineates the situation of the Scheduled Tribes in the background of various policies of the state during the successive plan periods and its impact on their socio-economic mobility. Pol...

by M. Gopinath Reddy | On 16 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

Budget 2011-12, Rajasthan

Budget speech by Finance minister. URL:[http://www.finance.rajasthan.gov.in/speech/budget2011.shtm].

by Rajasthan Government | On 15 Mar 2011

Track Record of Microfinance for the Poor

Major investments have been made in developing microfinance in Asia with reducing poverty as one of the frequently stated objectives. A variety of institutional forms of microfinance are being introdu...

by Richard Meyer | On 14 Mar 2011

State of Environment Report

In the global context of State of the Environment (SoE) Reporting, India is probably unique. Over the last two decades, the Indian SoE reporting experience has ranged from grassroots initiatives li...

by Ministry of Environment and Forests GOI | On 11 Mar 2011

The Miracle of Microfinance? Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation

Microcredit has spread extremely rapidly since its beginnings in the late 1970s, but whether and how much it helps the poor is the subject of intense debate.This paper reports on the first randomize...

by Abhijit Banerjee | 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

Panchayats and Economic Development

The objective of this study is to review the analytical literature on the relationship between decentralisation and development, bring out the impact of decentralisation on economic development from...

by M.Govinda Rao | On 07 Mar 2011

Madhya Pradesh Budget 2011-12

Budget speech by Finance Minister. URL: [http://www.mp.gov.in/finance/index.htm].

by Madhya Pradesh Government | On 04 Mar 2011

Orissa Budget 2011-2012

This paper contains the budget speech of Sri Prafulla Chandra Ghadai, Minister Finance, in the Orissa Legislative Assembly on the occasion of presentation of budget for the year 2011-2012. URL: [http:...

by Government of Orissa | On 03 Mar 2011

BMC Budget 2011-12

Budget presented to Municipal Commissioner

by Municipal Commissioner BMC | On 01 Mar 2011

Andhra Pradesh: Budget Speech 2011-2012

The Budget Speech by the State Finance Minister tabling the Finance Bill asserted that all welfare programmes like Rs.2 per KG rice, free power supply to the farmers, Rajiv Arogyasri, old age pensions...

by Sri Anam Ramanarayana Reddy | On 25 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

Measuring Accuracy of Projections of Central Taxes by the Finance Commission

This paper looks at the quality of forecasts/assessments made by some of the recent Finance Commissions for the shareable central taxes and own tax revenues of selected states. The Commissions cover...

by D K Srivastava | On 22 Feb 2011

Sustainability of External Development Financing to Developing Countries

External development finance consists of those foreign sources of funds that promote or at least have the potential to promote development in the destination countries if delivered in the appropriate...

by Matthew Odedokun | On 14 Feb 2011

Tamil Nadu Budget Speech

Tamil Nadu Budget Speech of the Finance Minister.

by Government of Tamil Nadu | On 14 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

The Dynamics of Competition: Phasing of Domestic and External Liberalisation in India

The focus of the analysis is on the post-colonial period after India attained independence in 1947. This paper covers the period from 1950-51 onwards for which consistent data series are available....

by Arvind Virmani | On 03 Feb 2011

Conditionality and Endogenous Policy Formation in a Political Setting

The paper examines two issues associated with aid and fiscal policy. First, how best the conditionality behind foreign aid, sometimes non-economic, is complied within a principal-agent framework. In...

by S Mansoob Murshed | On 01 Feb 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

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

Remittances and Financial Inclusion in Development

In this paper they focus on the relationship between remittance inflows and financial inclusion in developing countries. They present single equation estimates on remittances and financial inclusi...

by Helen S. Toxopeus | On 21 Jan 2011

Foreign Direct Investment in Small Island Developing States

The role of foreign direct investment (FDI) in small island developing states (SIDS) is an issue that has been neglected until relatively recently. The reasons for this lack of interest are unsurp...

by Robert Read | On 12 Jan 2011

Socioeconomic Divides in Tuberculosis Control: Study of Smear-Positive TB Prevalence, Care Seeking Behaviour and Role of Informal Healthcare Providers

The Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has intensified the implementation of the directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS) strategy with the primary aims (i) to detect and treat at least 70% of T...

by Fazlul Karim | On 12 Jan 2011

The Report of the Thirteenth Finance Commission Conundrum in Conditionalities

The focus of this paper is to examine the approach of the Commission in regard to its Terms of Reference (ToR) and analyse the recommendations relating to its main task, namely tax devolution and gr...

by M Govinda Rao | On 07 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

Financing SMEs and its Effect on Employment Generation: A Study of Brac Bank’s SME Lending

Financial and development assistance designed specially for small and medium enterprises in Bangladesh is a new and upcoming trend. After the surge of micro-finance in the last two decades, small and...

by Mehnaz Rabbani | On 05 Jan 2011

The Experience of a Low Cost Diagnostic Centre (RAHAT NIDAN KENDRA ): Basic Diagnostic Services in Radiology and Pathology

The presentation sensitizes service givers in Voluntary Organizations (VOs) that it is possible to be financially viable if you provide services at 50% the market rates (in diagnostics) even if Consul...

by Nimitta Bhatt | On 05 Jan 2011

Formation of Village Organizations: The First Three Months

This study looked at the process of forming of Village Organizations (VOs) by BRAC. BRAC organizes the poor by initiating the institution building process through which the formation of VOs takes pl...

by Manzurul Mannan | On 29 Dec 2010

Of-Meta Narratives and 'Master' Paradigms: Sexuality and Reification of Women in Early India

The paper analyzes the past and present condition of women in India.

by Uma Chakravarti | On 22 Dec 2010

From Invalidation and Segregation to Recognition and Integration: Contemporary State Responses to Disability in India

This paper traces the engagement of the Indian state with the issue of disability over the past three decades as a discourse of charity and welfare gives way to one of equality and human rights. Using...

by Renu Addlakha | 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

Integration of the Ultra Poor into Mainstream Development: How Effective is CFPR?

This paper aimed to understand the dynamics of participation of the TUP (Targeting the Ultra Poor) members of CFPR (Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty Reduction) phase I in the financial market sin...

by Raniya Shams | On 16 Dec 2010

Asymmetric Federalism in India

The paper examines the asymmetric features in Indian federalism and evaluates its contribution. There are discussions on the special arrangements in the Indian constitution to accommodate special ca...

by M Govinda Rao | On 14 Dec 2010

The Future of Financial Liberalization in South Asia

The paper defines financial liberalization, distinguishing between liberalization of domestic financial markets and capital account convertibility. It then examines the stages and the strategy of Ind...

by Ashima Goyal | On 14 Dec 2010

Venture Capital and Micro-finance Instituted Business Plan for a School Edupreneur

The report is a study of possibilities for the institutionally disabled entrepreneurs to raise capital from private players like venture capitalists and micro-finance institutions.

by Mallika Chawla | On 13 Dec 2010

Aid and Development Policy in the 1990s

The 1990s will be the first decade after the revolutionary upheavals in the world economic and political system following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. Democracy ha...

by Arjun Sengupta | On 13 Dec 2010

Policy Principles for Expanding Financial Access

Despite the rapid growth in finance worldwide over the past quarter- century—now interrupted by the global financial crisis—many low-income households and small firms remain excluded from access to...

by Centre for Global Development | On 10 Dec 2010

Preventing Odious Obligations: A New Tool for Protecting Citizens from Illegitimate Regimes

This report sets out a way to prevent an all-too-common form of theft from some of the world’s poorest people. An illegitimate, unelected regime signs a contract with a foreign agent, handing ov...

by Centre for Global Development | On 10 Dec 2010

E-Commerce and Digital Divide: Impact on Consumers

This paper discusses the concerns on the digital divide and illustrates, through case studies, how the recent developments in the Information and Communication Technology can be gainfully employed in...

by T.P. Rama Rao | On 03 Dec 2010

When index dissemination goes wrong: How fast can traders add and multiply?

This paper studies an episode of dissemination of wrong stock index values in real time due to a software bug in the Indian Nifty index futures market on the morning of January 18, 2006. The episod...

by Jayanth R Varma | On 01 Dec 2010

Contemporary lessons in Economic Philosophy drawn from two recent Indian Films

The aim of this paper is to derive some important lessons in economic philosophy from two recent Indian films. The two films, Mani Ratnam’s Guru (2007) and Madhur Bhandarkar’s Corporate (2006), are...

by Tejas A Desai | On 29 Nov 2010

Economic Growth and Financial Depth: Is the Relationship Extinct Already?

Although the finance–growth nexus has become firmly entrenched in the empirical literature, studies that question the strength of the empirical results have appeared and seem to have become more f...

by Peter L. Rousseau | On 26 Nov 2010

Determinants of Trade Misinvoicing

Traditional explanations for trade misinvoicing -- high custom duties and weak domestic economies — are less persuasive in a world of high growth emerging markets who have low trade barriers. A 35- ...

by Ila Patnaik | On 22 Nov 2010

India's Twelfth Finance Commission:A View from Kerala

The focus of the paper is to review the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the Twelfth Finance Commission with special reference to Kerala. It also critically examines the emphasis on fiscal deficit reduct...

by K. P. Kannan | On 18 Nov 2010

Social Responsibility of Indian Microfinance: A Critical Review

This paper discusses the issue of social responsibility of Indian microfinance using two theoretical streams from business social responsibility research – stakeholder theory and social contract the...

by Tara S Nair | On 15 Nov 2010

China in Africa: A Macroeconomic Perspective

In recent years, China has dramatically expanded its financing and foreign direct investment to Africa. This expansion has served the political and economic interests of China while providing Africa...

by Benedicte Vibe Christensen | On 15 Nov 2010

The Financial Crisis, Rethinking of the Global Financial Architecture, and the Trilemma

This paper extends their previous paper (Aizenman, Chinn, and Ito 2008) and explores some of the unexplored questions. First, they examine the channels through which the trilemma policy configurations...

by Joshua Aizenman | On 08 Nov 2010

Incomplete Contracts, Incentives and Economic Power

This paper formalizes ideas from classical and radical political economy on task allocation and technology adoption under capitalism. A few previous studies have attempted this, but the framework an...

by Sripad Motiram | On 03 Nov 2010

Global Determinants of Stress and Risk in Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in Infrastructure

This study analyzes the determinants of stress in public-private partnerships (PPPs) in infrastructure investment. While project failures seldom occur, there are many stresses that hinder success. O...

by Renato E. Reside, Jr. | On 27 Oct 2010

Fiscal Developments and Outlook in India

The paper identifies those elements in the configuration of fiscal parameters confronting the country that give cause for concern, and examines whether the fiscal reform measures taken address these...

by Indira Rajaraman | On 20 Oct 2010

Agricultural Development of Kerela from 1800 AD to 1980 AD: A Survey of Studies

This paper attempts to survey the published literature on agricultural development of Kerala covering a period between 1800 AD and 1980 AD. The Survey covers both academic studies as well as governme...

by B.A. Prakash | On 18 Oct 2010

China, India, Brazil and South Africa in the World Economy: Engines of Growth?

This paper attempts to analyse the economic implications of the rise of China, India, Brazil and South Africa, for developing countries situated in the wider context of the world economy. It exami...

by Deepak Nayyar | On 15 Oct 2010

Trade and Investment Policies and Regional Economic Integration in East Asia

The global economic crisis has affected the East Asian economies via trade and investment. The export-led model which had been responsible for the “East Asian Miracle” now must redirect the basis of g...

by Siow Yue Chia | On 08 Oct 2010

Constructions of Community in Communication Research: A Study of Radio Broadcasting in India

The paper attempts to capture the construction of 'community' in Indian communication research. This paper attempts to trace the genealogy, interrogates its usage in Indian communication studies and s...

by Biswajit Das | On 05 Oct 2010

Fiscal Management in Haryana: A Review

An attempt has been made to understand the factors leading to the worsening situation of the state finances. Investigations reveal that the revenue receipts of the state could not keep pace with ex...

by N K Bishnoi | 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

Public Debt Management in Sri Lanka-Performance in 2009 and Strategies for 2010 and Beyond

The information included in this publication covers the public debt management strategies adopted in 2009, the movements in debt stock during the year and the related costs and risks and the primar...

by Central Bank of SriLanka CBSL | On 30 Sep 2010

Impact of Remittances on Poverty in Developing Countries

This study undertakes impact analysis of remittances on poverty in developing countries at two levels. Firstly, it estimates the impact of remittances on poverty in 77 developing countries; Secondly,...

by Rashmi Banga | On 17 Sep 2010

Women and Indian Nationalism

The political role of women as a subject for research is of recent origin in India. It is significant that there are so few studies of women's role in the nationalist movement or of the implications-...

by Leela Kasturi | On 17 Sep 2010

Marxian Economics Today

Marx himself certainly thought that political economy was a subject of most urgent importance for a "theoretician of the revolutionary proletariat". Marx took over the orthodox theory of his day accor...

by Joan Robinson | On 16 Sep 2010

An Ethnography of Associational Life: Caste and Politics in India

In 1956 Susanne Rudolph and I arrived in India for the first of many research years there. We were among the second batch of Ford Foundation Foreign Area Training Fellows. As area scholars we were com...

by Lloyd I. Rudolf | On 15 Sep 2010

Women, Participation and Development: A Case Study from West Bengal

The importance of Women's Organisations for bringing women within reach of the development process is a recognised policy for women's development in India. However, nature and functional role of suc...

by Narayan K. Banerjee | On 14 Sep 2010

Intellectual Property Protection and the Licensing of Technology to Developing Countries

In this paper, the influence of stronger intellectual property protection on technology transfer into developing countries via licensing is analyzed. Using panel data for the post-TRIPs period 1995-20...

by Sunil Kanwar | On 09 Sep 2010

European Union Foreign Policy And the Challenges of Globalisation

The European Union is a profoundly political project and one which has attempted to achieve important political goals through economic means. Initially through the establishment of a coal and steel ...

by Christopher F. Patten | On 07 Sep 2010

Economic Governance of MFIs: Inside the Black Box

This paper investigates a relationship between economic governance and the dual objectives of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs): poverty reduction and financial viability. Using an unbalanced pan...

by Thankom Arun | On 06 Sep 2010

Women as Policy Makers: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment

This paper uses political reservations for women in India to study the impact of women’s leadership on policy decisions. In 1998, one third of all leadership positions of Village Councils in West Be...

by Esther Duflo | On 25 Aug 2010

Indian Software Industry: Distortions and Consolidations of Gains

The Indian software industry is at the bottom of knowledge hierarchy, where the bottom is highly segmented. The political process that successfully thwarted the automation of Indian manufacturing sect...

by Pradosh Nath | On 20 Aug 2010

A Framework for Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Change Adaptation Interventions

Climate change has become one of the most important global issues of our time, with far- reaching natural, socio- economic, and political impacts. In order to equip the community to deal with the...

by Vidhi . | On 12 Aug 2010

Moving to Goods and Services Tax in India: Impact on India’s Growth and International Trade

The differential multiple tax regime across sectors of production leads to distortions in allocation of resources thus introducing inefficiencies in the sectors of domestic production. With regard t...

by Rajesh Chadha | On 12 Aug 2010

Poverty Target Programs for The Elderly In India: With Special Reference to National Old Age Pension Scheme, 1995

This paper looks into various aspects of the old age pension debate and related policies in India. In the analysis that follows, we address issues such as: the identity of the drivers of change; t...

by Anand Kumar | On 11 Aug 2010

An Examination of the Relationship between Health and Economic Growth

This paper attempts to examine the relationship between health and economic growth. The rate of growth is measured using gross national income (GNI) and health status is measured using infant mortalit...

by Garima Malik | On 04 Aug 2010

Patenting Public-Funded Research For Technology Transfer: A Conceptual-Empirical Synthesis of US Evidence and Lessons for India

The question of protecting intellectual property rights by academic inventors was never seriously contemplated until the introduction of the Bayh-Dole Act in 1980 in the US. The Act allowed universiti...

by Amit Shovon Ray | On 30 Jul 2010

Exchange Rate Arrangements For East Asia Post-Crisis: Examining The Case For Open Economy Inflation Targeting

The infeasibility of a monetary union for East Asia in the near future, as well as the limitations of other forms of super fixes, appears to leave a flexible regime as the only viable policy option....

by Tony Cavoli | 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

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

Microfinance Engagements of the ‘Graduated’ TUP Members

This study takes a look at the beneficiaries who were selected at the first round in 2002 to explain various dimensions of their engagement with microfinance. With a lower borrower-member ratio and re...

by Munshi Sulaiman | On 02 Jul 2010

Sex Workers and Condom Use-the Political Economy of HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh

A study was undertaken in Madaripur brothel to understand condom use reality within the social context of the commercial sex workers' (CSW) lives in brothel and to critically analyze BRAC's HIV/AIDS...

by Raihana Karim | On 29 Jun 2010

The Structure of Tariffs and Long-Term Growth

We show that the ‘skill-bias’ of a country’s tariff structure is positively correlated with long-term per capita GDP growth. Testing for causal mechanisms, we find evidence consistent with the exist...

by Nathan Nunn | On 28 Jun 2010

The Distributive Impact of Reforms in Credit Enforcement: Evidence from Indian Debt Recovery Tribunals

It is generally presumed that strengthening the legal enforcement of lender rights increases credit access for all borrowers, by expanding the set of incentive compatible loan contracts. This presu...

by Ulf Lilienfeld Toal | On 28 Jun 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

Communication and Power: The State of Research

Given the increasingly confusing proliferation of models for communication research, documentation of some of the differences that exists have been done. There are a number of ways to divide the terr...

by Biswajit Das | On 22 Jun 2010

Women and Sustainable development

In this paper there is an attempt to bring in some theoretical analysis on the development process and women's roles in it as seen and advocated by the women's movements and later on by the State and...

by Aleyamma Vijayan | On 22 Jun 2010

Aid, Debt Relief and New Sources of Finance for Meeting the Millennium Development Goals

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have lofty expectations regarding the impact of official development aid. Are these expectations valid? This paper surveys the literature on aid and growth...

by Tony Addison | On 21 Jun 2010

Municipal Finance of Urban Infrastructure: Knowns and Unknowns

Various trends, including an increasing emphasis on fiscal decentralization; political democratization in many areas; globalization and the financial liberalization that often accompanies it; growing...

by James Alm | On 18 Jun 2010

The Exchange Rate Regime in Asia: From Crisis to Crisis

Prior to the Asian financial crisis, most Asian exchange rates were de facto pegged to the US Dollar. In the crisis, many economies experienced a brief period of extreme flexibility. A `fear of float...

by Ila Patnaik | On 18 Jun 2010

Analyzing Corruption Possibilities in the Gaze of the Media

In this paper analyze the economic incentives that govern the strategic relationship between the government and the independent media has been analysed using a consistent analytical framework.The an...

by Samarth Vaidya | On 17 Jun 2010

Impact Assessment of CFPR/TUP: A Descriptive Analysis Based on 2002-2005 Panel Data

This paper looks at the overall performance of the CFPR/TUP programme using the 2002 baseline survey and 2005 repeat survey. All the topics covered in this study could be analysed more deeply, but tha...

by Mehnaz Rabbani | On 15 Jun 2010

Street Vendors: Exploitation by the State

Street vendors are those millions of people who come to cities as economic refugees hoping to provide basic necessities for their families.They are the main distribution channels for a large variety...

by Shailly Arora | On 15 Jun 2010

Providing Microfinance and Social Space to Empower Adolescent Girls: An Evaluation of BRAC’s ELA Centres

Lately there has been a surge in the variety of approaches to assist the adolescents, specially the girls, in building up their lives and livelihoods. With financial assistance from Nike Foundation,...

by Rizwana Shahnaz | On 10 Jun 2010

Social Capital and State-Civil Society Relations in Singapore

This paper shows that the realization of Singapore’s vision of “active citizenship” and “state-society partnership”, to a significant extent, depends on how social capital is being created and renew...

by Tan Tay Keong | On 09 Jun 2010

A Perspective on Fisheries Sector Interventions for Livelihood Promotion

The ultimate goal of this paper is to derive inspiration from Coase Theorem and the Japanese model of Keiretsu to empower the producers and suppliers of fish – namely, the fisher folk and to place the...

by Samar K. Datta | On 09 Jun 2010

Commercialisation of Microfinance in India: A Discussion on the Emperor’s Apparel

The paper looks at the growth and commercialization of microfinance in India. It starts out be looking at how the commercial microfinance has evolved internationally by discussing two specific ex...

by M S Sriram | On 08 Jun 2010

Institutionalizing Shared Sovereignty: South Tyrol as a Model for India’s North East?

South Tyrol in Italy has been showcased as a model of shared sovereignty with the potential of being ‘exported’ to other parts of the world. The model essentially consists in (a) a realization that th...

by Samir Kumar Das | On 05 Jun 2010

Affordability to Finance Poverty Reduction Programmes

This paper addresses the question of affordability to finance poverty reduction programs in a dynamic context. In doing so, it stresses the need for approaching the problem from a human rights perspec...

by Omar Haider Chowdhury | On 04 Jun 2010

All the PM's men

In this article TN Ninan looks at the how the 15 economic ministers have performed. He starts with the finance minister whose record seems very patchy as he has not been able to deal with inflation an...

by T.N. Ninan | On 27 May 2010

Urban Governance and Finance in India

Over 330 million people live in India’s cities; 35 cities have a population of over a million and three (Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata) of the 10 largest metropolises in the world are in India. India’s...

by M. Govinda Rao | On 21 May 2010

Book Review: Of Space and 'Spatialities'

Review of Spatialising Politics: Culture and Geography in Postcolonial Sri Lanka. Catherine Brun and Tariq Jazeel (Editors). Sage Publications, New Delhi; 2009, 260 pp, Rs. 695.

by Anandi Dantas | On 04 May 2010

Drivers of Academic Research and Patenting in India: Econometric Estimation of the Research Production Function

In this paper we attempt to provide a comprehensive understanding of the drivers of academic research and patenting in India. Research inputs by a faculty member are considered to be an outcome of h...

by Amit Shovon Ray | On 20 Apr 2010

Rural Women Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Development

Empowerment of women has emerged as an important issue in recent times. The economic empowerment of women is being regarded these days as a Sine-quo-non of progress for a country; hence, the issue of...

by Sathiabama K | On 19 Apr 2010

Karnataka Budget 2010-11

Budget speech by finance minister of Karnataka

by Government of Karnataka GoK | On 05 Mar 2010

Now for the Hard Part

Cutting the deficit this year was the easy part; the real fiscal challenge lies ahead

by T.N. Ninan | On 03 Mar 2010

State Business Relations and Performance of Manufacturing Sector in Andhra Pradesh

In this paper, an attempt is made to enquire into the politics of the government and business relation and how it affects the industrial development in general and expansion of manufacturing sector...

by Alivelu G | On 02 Mar 2010

Railway Budget 2010-11

Railway Budget 2010-11.

by Mamata Banerjee | On 25 Feb 2010

Tax Devolution and Grant Distribution to States in India Analysis and Roadmap for Alternatives

The paper attempts to analyse the impact of devolution of taxes and distribution grants by the Centre to the States in India by taking fourteen major States for the time period 1980-81 to 2006-07. T...

by R Mohan | On 15 Feb 2010

Strategic Behaviour of Chinese Political Elites

A conceptual framework is constructed to study the strategic behaviour of Chinese political elites. Various rules of political elite's behaviour are examined and suggests directions for empirical stud...

by Chien Chiao | On 08 Feb 2010

Negotiating the Terms of A New Social Contract: Private Companies, Civil Society and the State in India

A detailed analysis of the stakes and dynamics at play in the public, civil and self-regulation of companies in India is offered. With the rapid growth and modernization of the country as the backdro...

by Damien Krichewsky | On 02 Feb 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

Social Business: A Step Toward Creating a New Economic and Social Order

The concept of social business flows from a firm conviction that profit or benefit is not the only motivating factor for an entrepreneur and an entrepreneur can also be motivated by social goals and e...

by Mohammad Yunus | On 27 Jan 2010

Where Are India’s International Reserves Invested?

Most standard indicators suggest that India’s reserve stock is more than adequate. The rapid stockpiling of foreign exchange reserves implies that the RBI has been leaning-against-the-wind to keep dow...

by Ramkishen S. Rajan | On 25 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

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

India as a Global Power?

India is a stable democratic political system with rising economic fortunes and global ambitions make it a potential power that could play a very important role in world affairs. But India has to tack...

by Teresita C Schaffer | On 15 Jan 2010

Obstacles to Private Power Investments in India

This paper aims to highlight the critical importance of cost recovery in attracting and sustaining private investment for power development. Based on a brief review of Indian experience, it suggests...

by Vishvanath V. Desai | On 24 Dec 2009

Accounting for Results: Ensuring Transparency and Accountability in Financing for Climate Change

This brief seeks to address questions on how the funds are collected, dsitributes at the international level, mechanisms to ensure that the recipient countries are managing the funds in a transparent...

by Athena Ballesteros | On 15 Dec 2009

Rethinking Food Security Policies: IDSAsr Declaration

Declaration made at the end of two days national seminar on Food security and Sustainability in India held on November 7-8, 2009 organized by GAD Institute of Development Studies, PO Naushera, Amritsa...

by Gursharan Singh Kainth | On 14 Dec 2009

Democratic Citizenship: From Proportionality to a Continuum Approach to Political Participation

This paper is an attempt to explore the meaning and significance of political participation within (a) the conceptual framework of democratic citizenship and (b) debates surrounding representative d...

by Anupama Roy | On 10 Dec 2009

The Limits of Intellectual Property Rights: Lessons from the Spread of Illegal Transgenic Cotton Seeds in India

This paper examines these difficulties of regulation in the context of spread of unapproved transgenic Bt cotton seeds in India. This paper also examines the impact of the cultivation of approved and...

by Bharat Ramaswami | On 08 Dec 2009

Flying with the Crane-Recapturing KMVS’s Ten-Year Journey

This document is at the behest of KMVS and is an effort to hold up a mirror to their journey. It is a documentation of their history, context, evolution, and experiences since its emergence in 1989. A...

by Vimala Ramachandran | On 01 Dec 2009

No One Barked

No reponse form the policies that the government is announcing

by T.N. Ninan | On 20 Nov 2009

Muslim Women’s Rights Discourse in the Pre independece Period

The present paper deals with the discourse of the rights of Muslim women in the pre- independence period with particular reference to the Shariat Act 1937 and the Muslim Marriage Dissolution Act 193...

by Sabiha Hussain | 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

From Income to Urban Contest in Global Settings: Chronic Poverty in Bangalore

The paper is a research which studies the government policies and agendas that affect the poor in India. For the research 8 to 10 families, who had been intervened several years ago were re-interviewe...

by Solomon Benjamin | On 16 Nov 2009

Women in Self Help Groups and Panchayti Raj Institutions: Suggesting Synergistic Linkages

Questions about the processes of empowerment generated under each of these interventions and also suggests synergistic linkages between the two are raised.

by Joy Deshmukh Ranadive | On 13 Nov 2009

Track Record of Financial Institutions in Assisting the Poor in Asia

A variety of institutional forms of microfinance are being introduced in Asia including by the ADB-and financial institutions pursue different objectives, so it is difficult to assess how well micro...

by Richard L Meyer | On 13 Nov 2009

Cost and Time Overruns in Infrastructure Projects: Extent, Causes and Remedies

Various issues related to delays and cost overruns in publically funded infrastructure projects are investigated. The study is based on, by far, the largest data-set of 850 projects across seventeen i...

by Ram Singh | On 11 Nov 2009

Political Sociology of Poverty In India: Between Politics of Poverty and Poverty of Politics

This paper on political sociology of poverty in India is based upon the assumption that a) the caste system and economic inequality complement each other in the case of the poorer sections of Indian...

by Anand Kumar | On 10 Nov 2009

New Steps to Faster and Broader Debt Relief for Developing Countries

This paper mainly describes he concepts of FTAP and explains the current political state of affairs in the international discussions. [FES]

by Jürgen Kaiser | On 09 Nov 2009

Horizontal Equity and the Thirteenth Finance Commission: Issues and Ponderables

An attempt has been made in this paper to critically analyse the parameters/ criteria on which basis awards are finalized. With special reference to poorer states, the following aspects have been di...

by Keshab Das | On 03 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

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

Financing the Panchayati Raj Institutions: Flagging Some Issues For The 13th CFC

The Finances of the PRIs are looked into. The role of 13th Finance Commission is explained. Some ‘learnings’ from International experience is given.

by Abhay Pethe | On 15 Oct 2009

Rural Health Services at Cross-Roads: Insights from Gujarat

The objective of the paper is to i) understand and document the morbidity profile, ii) examine utilisation of health services, and iii) estimate approximate expenses on health care by th...

by Ratnawali Sinha | On 07 Oct 2009

Concept Paper on Child Labour in India

This concept papers aims at demystifying some of these social, economic and political myths, and stimulate discussion, debate and deliberation on various aspects of child labour. This paper, further...

by Child Rights and You CRY | On 07 Oct 2009

Ghostwriting: The Dirty Little Secret of Medical Publishing That Just Got Bigger

What is ghost writing? How it can be tackled?

by Plos medicine Editors | On 05 Oct 2009

Chronic Poverty and Development Policy in Sri Lanka: Overview Study

The present study attempts to capture chronic poverty in Sri Lanka by examining general information on poverty and drawing conclusions on those who are likely to be among the chronic poor. Certain p...

by Indra Tudawe | On 17 Sep 2009

Child Protection A Handbook for Panchayat Members

This handbook on child protection will help Panchayat Raj members to understand the actions they can take to protect children resulting in better convergence of programmes and increased allocation of...

by Government of India Ministry of Women and Child Development | On 16 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

Middlemen Margins and Globalization

A theory of trading middlemen or entrepreneurs who finance and market goods produced by workers are developed. A two sector two country model of competitive equilibrium, with endogenous sorting of age...

by Pranab Bardhan | On 02 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

Introducing Expenditure Quality in Intergovernmental Transfers: A Triple-E Framework

The present study has sought to introduce, conceptualise and operationalise a scheme for integrating the ‘quality’ dimension of public spending into the devolution scheme of intergovernmental transf...

by Mala Lalvani | On 20 Aug 2009

A Simple Model of the Financial Crisis of 2007-9 with Implications for the Design of a Stimulus Package

The financial crisis of 2007-09 began as a local problem in the mortgage finance market in the United States and Europe but, within months, escalated into a general global financial crisis, resulting...

by Kaushik Basu | On 17 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

Nepal Budget 2009-10

Budget presented by Finance minister of Nepal.

by Surendra Pandey | On 27 Jul 2009

Is the BDP Ultra Poor Approach Working? Survey of Some Key Issues

The objectives of this paper are to assess the knowledge retention on IGA training, and to explore the quality of participation in financial and non-financial services by the BDP ultra poor. We found...

by Proloy Barua | On 25 Jun 2009

Goods and Services Tax for India

The paper contours of a feasible design of VAT in India. It also takes on board the various alternatives proposed. It looks at the issues that need resolution and the options available for resolving t...

by R.Kavita Rao | On 12 Jun 2009

Does the Currency Regime Shape Unhedged Currency Exposure?

This paper examines how unhedged currency exposure of firms varies with changes in currency exibility. A sequence of four time-periods with alternating high and low currency volatility in India prov...

by Ila Patnaik | On 11 Jun 2009

Educating Women and Non-Brahmins as 'Loss of Nationality' : Bal Gangadhar Tilak and the Nationalist Agenda in Maharashtra

This paper deals with the nationalist discourse in Maharashtra spanning over forty years. This discourse argued that educating women and non-Brahmins would amount to a loss of nationality. The nationa...

by Parimala V Rao | On 11 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

Development Challenges in Extremist Affected Areas

Widespread discontent among the people has plagued the Indian polity for sometime now. It has often led to unrest, sometimes of a violent nature. Over the years, statutory enactments and institutional...

by Expert Group Planning Commission | On 06 Jun 2009

The EU-India FTA Critical Considerations in a Time of Crisis

The paper broadly examines the core trade interests of the EU and India, the content of the negotiations and outlines some key concerns of a potential deal for India in the areas of goods, services an...

by Shefali Sharma | On 05 Jun 2009

Health Economics for Developing Countries: A Survival Kit

Health economics is increasingly recognized as a discipline that has much to offer developing countries in addressing these problems, but how can it help? What economic concepts and tools can be appli...

by Anne Mills | On 04 Jun 2009

China- India Economic Engagement Building Mutual Confidence

China and India, Asia's two largest and most dynamic societies, have come to be important players in regional and global decision-making. Both countries have had their share of experience in colonial...

by Swaran Singh | On 03 Jun 2009

Intellectual Property and Traditional Knowledge

Indigenous and local communities justly cherish traditional knowledge (TK) as a part of their very cultural identities. Maintaining the distinct knowledge systems that give rise to TK can be vital for...

by WIPO WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION. | On 31 May 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

Mass Media and Public Policy: Global Evidence from Agricultural Policies

Mass media plays a crucial role in information distribution and thus in the political market and public policy making. Theory predicts that information provided by mass media reflects the media’s ince...

by Alessandro Olper | On 29 May 2009

Risk Management Lessons from the Global Financial Crisis

During the global financial turmoil of 2007 and 2008, no major derivative clearing house in the world encountered distress while many banks were pushed to the brink and beyond. An important reason for...

by Jayanth R Varma | On 26 May 2009

Interest Groups and Patent Reform in India

India’s patent reforms represent a shift in India’s policy from one of enormous opposition to revising patent laws according to the WTO, to one of compliance with many aspects of TRIPs (Trade Related...

by Anitha Ramanna | On 26 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

Straddling Faultlines : India's Foreign Policy Toward The Great Middle East

India’s foreign policy has had an anomalous quality since the time Jawaharlal Nehru resolutely attempted to steer clear of Cold War alliances. This continues to be so given India’s unique situation of...

by Sushil J Aaron | On 21 May 2009

Himalayan Journal of Development and Democracy Vol 3:1, 2008

Papers and Proceedings of The Third Annual Himalayan Policy Research ConferenceSession Chairs and Discussants Session 1A: Conflict Resolution and Democratic Transitions Chair: Christopher Can...

by Vijaya R. Sharma | On 19 May 2009

Intellectual Property Protection And Technology Transfer The Case Of Overseas R & D

This paper investigates whether, in what direction, and to what extent one mode of technology transfer – namely, overseas R&D – is influenced by the strength of intellectual property protection that h...

by Sunil Kanwar | On 15 May 2009

An Arrested Virtuous Circle? Higher Education and High-Tech Industries in India

A brief but comprehensive overview of linkages between higher education and the high tech sector and study the major linkages in India is provided. It is found that the links outside of the labor ma...

by Rakesh Basant | On 08 May 2009

People's Health Manifesto-2009

In this article hard realities of people’s health in India today, and some of the maladies of recent health policies are examined. This is followed by core recommendations to strengthen and reorient...

by Jan Swasthya Abhiyan JSS | 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

Controlling Money and Politics – An Exercise in Damage Control

In many countries political financial regulations have been introduced.

by Marcin Walecki | On 28 Apr 2009

Motivating Politicians: The Impacts of Monetary Incentives on Quality and Performance

Using exogenous variation in the salaries of local legislators across Brazil’s municipal governments this paper examines whether higher wages attract better quality politicians and improve political p...

by Claudio Ferraz | On 16 Apr 2009

India – 1947-79 Six Parliaments and Democratic Rights

Communal riots have become an annual feature of Indian life, although their number varies from year to year. A situation has come to pacs where maddening communal violence, arbitrary actions of exe...

by People's Union for Democratic Rights PUDR | On 16 Apr 2009

EC Controversy: What are the Issues? EC Controversy: What Are the Issues

A comprehensive and logically rigorous analysis of the issues raised by the recommendation of the Chief Election Commissioner N.Gopalaswami for the removal of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla, the...

by Ramaswamy R. Iyer | On 03 Apr 2009

Andhra Pradesh Budget Speech 2009-10

Speech of Sri K. Rosaiah

by Government Andhra Pradesh | On 23 Feb 2009

Kerala Budget Speech 2009-10

Budget speech by finance minister Dr. Thomas Issac

by Government of Kerala Govt | On 23 Feb 2009

Fiscal Federalism, State Lobbying and Discretionary Finance in India

The paper attempts to construct political influence variables and explain discrepancies in fund disbursement through proper econometric specification in the Indian context.

by Rongili Biswas | On 21 Jan 2009

States Reorganisation: Contemporary Concerns

Language alone can no longer be the basis for division of states. Issues such as size, governance, economic viability and recognition of new identities are equally important to consider the demands f...

by Asha Sarangi | On 14 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

Exploring the Relationship Between Military Spending and Human Rights Performance in South Asia

The relationship between military spending and human rights is one of the most prominent issues in political economy. Yet, the linkage between the two is empirically underdeveloped. Seeking to fulfi...

by Krishna Chaitanya Vadlamannati | On 08 Jan 2009

Homelessness is not just a Housing Problem

Political will, imaginative and collaborative solutions from across the spectrum of health and social care providers are needed to address the needs of homeless individuals.

by Plos medicine Editors | On 06 Jan 2009

Development of What? An Exposition of the Politics of Development Economics

The present paper aims at driving home a hitherto-neglected and perhaps often muted (but important) point, namely, that the confusions and identity crisis that had gripped development economics in th...

by Arup Maharatna | On 31 Dec 2008

Suggesting Effective Policy Frames for Chronic Poverty Alleviation in India

This is a continuation of an earlier paper (2005) by the author which dealt with policy implications based on the work done by CPRC in India. There is no map of chronic poverty in India, but have an a...

by N C B Nath | On 16 Dec 2008

Negotiating Constitution for Political Unions

This paper provides a cradle-to-grave model for political union between two unequally endowed states. The main contribution of this paper is to highlight the role of technology gap and unequal distrib...

by Vikas Kumar | On 10 Dec 2008

The Impact of Terrorism and Conflicts on Growth in Asia, 1970–2004

This paper quantifies the impact of terrorism and conflicts on income per capita growth in Asia for 1970–2004. Transnational terrorist attacks had a significant growth-limiting effect. An additional t...

by Khusrav Gaibulloev | 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

Controlling Money and Politics – An Exercise in Damage Control

Whether there should be transparency in political finance? Whether there should be a control over the money that the political parties are receiving?

by Marcin Walecki | On 04 Dec 2008

Traveling Agents: Political Change and Bureaucratic Turnover in India

Politicians face high-powered electoral pressures while bureaucrats face longer-term, low powered incentives. Given constitutional constraints, what incentives do politicians employ to control bureauc...

by Lakshmi Iyer | On 02 Dec 2008

The Incidence and Performance Effects of Interlocking Directorates in Emerging Market Business Groups: Evidence from India

The structure and extent of interlocking directorates within Indian business groups is studied and analyses the performance effects of such interlocks. It finds that large groups tend to have more int...

by Bikram De | On 21 Nov 2008

The Demand for Disadvantage

In a poor, growing economy with academic costs well below the market value of educational training, the tag of disadvantage has come to acquire value and, ironically, the desire for mobility has brou...

by Rohini Somanathan | On 18 Nov 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

Heterodox Macroeconomics and the Design of Monetary Institutions

Two agendas of the heterodox economics programme; the stock-flow consistent models pioneered by Wynne Godley, and the monetary circuit approach researched in France and Italy are discussed. The object...

by Romar Correa | On 10 Oct 2008

The State of Human Rights in Bangladesh

The system of justice in Bangladesh is derived from the common law system. The judiciary tends to be conservative in its application of international law. While in many cases the judiciary has cited i...

by South Asians for Human Rights SAHR | 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

Carrying Over: Analysing Female Utopias and Narratives of Education from 17th-century France to 18th-century Britain and 20th Century India

The paper carries the reader across and over great spans of space and time, with an Indian feminist woman academic journeying back to seventeenth-century ancien regime France, to 1770s Scotland, to 17...

by Bagchi B | On 01 Oct 2008

Estimating the Probability of Trade Union Membership in India: Impact of Communist Parties, Personal Attributes and Industrial Characteristics

The paper analyses the impact of the reach of communist parties, the degree of political activism, personal attributes of workers, and industrial characteristics on the individual decision to unionise...

by Rupayan Pal | On 22 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

Sri Laka Budget Speech

2008 Budget presented by His Excellency the President Mahinda Rajapaksa

by Ministry of Finance and Planning Sri Lanka | On 18 Sep 2008

Innovation Systems as Patent Networks

The present paper is a study of how specific institutions affect innovation in a specific country. In the paper uses data for patents granted by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a...

by Wilfred Dolfsma | On 16 Sep 2008

The Use of Flexibilities in TRIPS by Developing Countries: Can They Promot Access to Medicines?

This study has the objective to: 1) examine the extend to which the flexibilities contained in the WTO agreement on TRIPS have been incorporated into the legislation of developing countries and the ex...

by Sisule F. Musungu | On 16 Sep 2008

JP’s Quest

JP called upon the youth to fight against undemocratic methods. He wanted them to be in the forefront to agitate for the removal of ills that parties had injected into the country’s body politic. Mora...

by Kuldip Nayar | On 01 Sep 2008

Tax Challenges Facing Developing Countries

Most developing countries continue to face serious problems in developing adequate and responsive tax systems. This paper reviews the three principal ways in which developing countries may expand and...

by Richard M. Bird | On 25 Aug 2008

Current Problems with the IMF and Challenges Ahead – A LatinAmerican Perspective

The paper examines the current problems with the IMF which include: 1) the institution is no longer fulfilling the functions it used to fulfil, nor is there a clear vision of any new functions for it;...

by Roberto Frenkel | On 21 Aug 2008

What Constrains Indian Manufacturing

India has undertaken extensive reforms in its manufacturing sector in the last two decades. However, an acceleration of growth in manufacturing, and a concomitant increase in employment, has eluded...

by Poonam Gupta | On 11 Aug 2008

Who is Worried about the National Interest?

Given the strategic long run character of the nuclear deal, the decision on it should nor be hurried. Nor is it one that can be taken without seeking wider public consensus than is available to the...

by Arun Kumar | On 21 Jul 2008

Drug Development for Maternal Health Cannot Be Left to the Whims of the Market

The development of drugs for maternal health cannot be constrained by market-driven needs. What is needed is a political will.

by PLoS Medicine | On 16 Jul 2008

Constitutionalising Panchayats: The Response of State Legislatures

This article is an attempt to look at debates in the light of the Assemblies' tryst with panchayats. It should be noted that it is not an evaluation of what transpired in the state Assemblies. In view...

by Girish Kumar | On 03 Jul 2008

Poverty Eradication and Human Rights

This paper examines the proposition that "poverty is a violation of human rights". The author disuses the possibility of this proposition to be implementable in real case senarios and in polcies,

by Arjun Sengupta | On 26 Jun 2008

At a Glance -- Peace Process in Nepal

King Gyanendra of Nepal took over as a king after the royal massacre incidence in 2007. But soon after taking the power people of Nepal were fed up of his authoritarian tendencies and the continuous u...

by South Asians for Human Rights SAHR | On 24 Jun 2008

Nuclear non-proliferation from Gulf Perspective.

The GCC states ((Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and UAE) have embarked on establishing a civilian nuclear programme solely for peaceful proposes. However, the actual nature of the programm...

by Nicole Stracke | On 04 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

New issues in Indian macro policy

For many decades, macro-policy in India was conducted in an environment with five key elements: ˆ Agricultural shocks rather than a conventional business cycle; A closed economy; deeply distorti...

by Ajay Shah | On 13 May 2008

Reprioritisation of Public Expenditure for Human Development

An important method of managing resources to finance consistent and balanced human development lies in the reprioritisation of current expenditure in accordance with the urgent needs and shortfalls...

by Tapas K. Sen | On 13 May 2008

Divided Destinies, Unequal Lives: Economic, cultural and Social rights and the Indian State

On 10th July, 1979, India - by ratifying the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) - became a State party to this treaty body. Reporting guidelines of the Covenant re...

by Peoples Collective PCESCR | On 10 Apr 2008

Markets, politics and freedom in the work of Hannah Arendt

Like the alchemist's philosopher's stone of old, though, the heavy artillery of game theory is being wheeled out in more and more sophisticated models, in the hope of converting the lead of individual...

by Kevin Quinn | On 17 Mar 2008

Debating with the Ideology of Globalisation

In this paper the authors share their experience in attempting to critically engage a set of young persons on their understanding of the present regime of globalisation through a semester-long course...

by Rahul Varman | On 13 Mar 2008

Andhra Pradesh Budget 2008-09

SPEECH OF SRI K. ROSAIAH, HONOURABLE FINANCE MINISTER WHILE PRESENTING THE BUDGET FOR THE YEAR 2008-09 TO THE ANDHRA PRADESH STATE LEGISLATURE.

by Government Andhra Pradesh | On 10 Mar 2008

Union Budget 2008-09: A Bag of Tricks to Get the Vote

The budget is an election budget. There are lots of sectors which needs more attention. Many questions are raised at the end of the document which the government may fail to answer

by Arun Kumar | On 04 Mar 2008

Islam at the Ballot Box

So far, no Islamist party has managed to win a majority of the popular vote in any of the Muslim countries where reasonably clean elections are held. If anything, the Islamist share of the vote has be...

by Amir Taheri | On 24 Feb 2008

Pakistan’s Historic Opportunity for Change

Opinion polls show less than 20 per cent of Pakistanis now approve of President Musharraf, who has been described as an indispensable ally in the war against terrorism by some members of the Bush admi...

by Husain Haqqani | On 24 Feb 2008

Environmentally Sound Technologies for Sustainable Development of China and India

The paper compares policy responses of China and India to the global requirements of trade and environment regimes as well as the domestic compulsions are compared.

by Sankar U | 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

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

National Policy on the Voluntary Sector

This National Policy on the Voluntary Sector-2007 is the beginning of a process to evolve a new working relationship between the Government and the Voluntary Sector, without affecting the autonomy and...

by Planning Commission, India | On 29 Jan 2008

Toward an Economic Sociology of Chronic Poverty: Enhancing the Rigor and Relevance of Social Theory

This paper focuses on both expanding and refining the analytical scope of the “social” (or non-economic) aspects of chronic poverty, and thereby, to enhance efforts to respond more effectively to it....

by Michael Woolcock | On 25 Jan 2008

Review of The Economics of Information Technology: An Introduction

Review of The Economics of Information Technology: An Introduction" by Hal R. Varian, Joseph Farrell, Carl Shapiro, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2004, pages 102, Price Rs. 795 RBI Occasional...

by Brijesh Pazhayathodi | On 22 Jan 2008

A Review of the Pharmaceutical Industry of Canada

Three important aspects of the Canadian pharmaceutical industry-viz. compulsory licence, price control on patented drugs and the R&D scenario. Unlike other developed countries, which have adopted the...

by Lalitha N | On 18 Jan 2008

Public Notice for Terms of Reference by 13th Finance Commission

The 13th finance commission invites suggestions on issues related to its terms of reference from the members of general public, instituitions, and organizations.

by Finance Commission | On 16 Jan 2008

Innovative Indo-US Collaborations – Missed Opportunities

This paper analyzes the situation of the Indo US Knowledge Initiative on Agriculture, by using the science studies approach.

by C. Shambu Prasad | On 16 Jan 2008

Management of the Capital Account in India: Some Perspectives

Management of capital accounts in the global context and in the Indian context. [Inaugural address delivered by Dr. Y. V. Reddy, Governor, Reserve Bank of India at the Annual Conference of the Indian...

by Y V Reddy | On 08 Jan 2008

Transgenics in Indian Agriculture: Experiences so far and implications of KIA proposals on Indian Farmers

KIA proposes to bring a paradigm shift in Indian Agriculture in terms of human resource development, research, technology generation, technology dissemination and commercialization. In the short run,...

by Ramanjaneyulu G V | On 05 Jan 2008

Optimal Patent Length in a North-South Framework

Under certain conditions it is optimal for the noninnovating south to give patent protection for a longer time period than the innovating north. A cooperative patent agreement involves a larger protec...

by Swapnendu Banerjee | On 03 Jan 2008

Adaptation for India's cities

The impact of climate changes will become key economic and political questions in South Asia. Indian cities will be affected the most by these. Policies will have to be adopted in such a way that the...

by Aromar Revi | On 27 Dec 2007

Decentralisation as a Policy Process in India

This article argues that decentralisation in India should be seen as a policy process. It is a policy process in the sense that multiple actors, and agencies influence the decentralisation process at...

by V. Anil Kumar | On 12 Dec 2007

Pakistan’s Last Bid for Democracy

This Essay examines the factors retarding democracy in Pakistan and asserts that now, more than ever, the country’s political forces must work together to fight common foes.

by Colum Murphy | On 27 Nov 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

A Hostage in Office

What is the position of the Prime Minister among his Cabinet colleagues after signing the nuclear deal with the US?

by T.N. Ninan | On 15 Oct 2007

The New Mumbai: Defining Systemic Reforms for the Governance of Mumbai City and Mumbai Metropolitan Region

The 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Constitution of India were made with an express objective or purpose of restoring power back to people by legally encouraging “local self-governance”. At the same...

by A.K. Shende | On 08 Oct 2007

Model Nagara Raj Bill

Model bill to amend the laws relating to the Municipalities and to institutionalise citizens’ participation in municipal functions, e.g. setting priorities, budgeting provisions, etc. by setting up of...

by Ministry of Urban Development MoUD | On 08 Oct 2007

Governance and Health

As we celebrate 60 years of political independence and take pride in our dynamic private sector, our remarkable IT successes and all the other usual dimensions of success, let us remind ourselves that...

by Shankar Acharya | On 08 Oct 2007

Inititaing Public Debate on Reforms in Higher Education

Idea on National Knowledge Commission, what it is and what are they trying to accomplish, ask for the audience support, understanding and also talk about the need for major reforms in University educa...

by Sam Pitroda | On 05 Oct 2007

Capital Inflows, Financial Repression and Macroeconomic Policy in India since the Reforms

Since the early 1990s the Indian economy has seen a considerable relaxation of controls, as a consequence of which it has witnessed unprecedented growth. This is especially remarkable in the external...

by Partha Sen | On 04 Oct 2007

Minorities Under Attack in Gujarat: Report of an Investigation

This report is based on the visit of the team to various affected villages and other areas in Gujarat and interviews with the victims and other villagers of these areas. There are a number of other vi...

by Act Now for Harmony and Democracy ANHAD | On 26 Sep 2007

Burma: Member States of the UN must Intervene: ACHR Weely Review

Reports have been pouring in that the Burmese soldiers today used baton and tear gas against the Buddhist monks and civilian protesters at Shwedagon pagoda, the holiest Buddhist place in Rangoon. The...

by Asian Centre for Human Rights ACHR | On 26 Sep 2007

Defining Human Differences in Biomedicine

An extensive literature reflects millennia of concern over what we humans call ourselves and others. All life sciences are now grappling further with how to categorize and study the nearly infinite po...

by Maggie Brown | On 26 Sep 2007

Should NABARD be Micro Finance Regulator?

NABARD is a key participant in the micro finance sector and has been closely associated with one of the two prevailing modes i.e. SHG-bank linkage mode of delivery of micro finance services. The devel...

by Mukul Asher | On 04 Sep 2007

Intellectual Property Protection to Plant Varieties: Issues in Transgenic Cotton Cultivation

As Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights have been extended to agriculture, member countries are forced to provide intellectual property protection to plant varieties. As a member coun...

by Lalitha N | On 28 Aug 2007

India: Large and Small

The past and present of India can be seen in many different perspectives. There is a case for focusing particularly on the long history of the argumentative tradition in India, and its continuing rele...

by Amartya Sen | 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

De-risking the System

The advent of political uncertainties has led to questions about poor governance which can lead to economic under performance.

by T.N. Ninan | On 31 Jul 2007

Microfinance Bill: Too Many Wrinkles

A regulator should promote social entrepreneurship and tap into the considerable expertise existing in the micro-finance sector. The aim should be to lower transaction costs and generate savings in re...

by Mukul Asher | On 30 Jul 2007

The Indian Currency Regime and its Consequences

Since 1993, India’s currency regime is said to be a managed float, a “market determined exchange rate” in the sense that there is a currency market and the exchange rate is not visibly administrativel...

by Ila Patnaik | On 10 Jul 2007

Review of Public Finance in Developing and Transitional Countries: RBI Occasional Papers

Review of Public Finance in Developing and Transitional Countries by Jorge Martinez-Vazquez and James Alm in RBI Occasional Papers, Vol. 27, No. 1 and 2, Summer and Monsoon 2006.

by Jai Chander | On 05 Jul 2007

Battling for Clean Environment Supreme Court, Technocrats and Populist Politics in Delhi

The role of Supreme Court in controlling air pollution in Delhi in the face of political contestation and government reluctance in implementing what had already long been on the statute books. Focus i...

by Kuldeep Mathur | On 29 Jun 2007

Does the Market Matter? Economic History of an Indian Region in a Euro-Centric View

The 18th Century Deccan was a highly commercialised, market driven society, quite unlike the descriptions of "traditional" Indian societies in the literature. In many ways, this society was similar to...

by Neeraj Hatekar | On 27 Jun 2007

The Challenges of Financial Liberalisation for Emerging Market Economies

In this speech to the staff of the Reserve Bank of India delivered on May 14, 2007 at the RBI, Central Office, Mumbai, the author offers some comments on the challenges posed by financial liberalisati...

by Christian Noyer | On 13 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

Time to Mainstream Micro-Pensions in India

The paper has argued that to expand coverage of micro-pensions, social entrepreneurship (along with social responsibility) will be needed by the financial sector, including the MFIs, insurance compani...

by Mukul Asher | On 08 May 2007

Pension Liabilities of the Central Government: Projections and Implications

The commonly held belief that the Central government pension bill has the potential to reach an unsustainable level does not appear to be based on any realistic assessment of such liabilities in the...

by Pronab Sen | On 25 Apr 2007

Lesons Government Failure: Public Goods Provision and Quality of Public Investment

This paper focuses on government investment and expenditure policies. Going beyond the growth experience, the author also tries to relate the policy experience to the issues of aggregate poverty, in...

by Arvind Virmani | On 25 Apr 2007

Outlays Only, Not Outcomes?

The Budget does not sufficiently recognize the need for re-balancing the role of the state and the market, and of the public and the private sectors for managing increasingly complex economic and stra...

by Mukul Asher | On 07 Mar 2007

Union Budget 2007-08: What May We Expect?

It is unrealistic to expect all problems to be solved in one budget. But it is possible for one budget to do a great deal of damage.

by Vinod Vyasulu | On 27 Feb 2007

Union budget 2007-08: What May We Expect?

It is unrealistic to expect all problems to be solved in one budget. But it is possible for one budget to do a great deal of damage

by Vinod Vyasulu | On 27 Feb 2007

Transaction Costs and Institutional Innovation: Sustainability of Tank Aquaculture in Sri Lanka

Freshwater community-based aquaculture was introduce to village irrigation tanks in the dry zones of Sri Lanka in order to off-set the limited supply of animal protein available to residents in inla...

by Athula Senaratne | On 17 Feb 2007

Fiscal Deficit, Capital Formation, and Crowding Out : Evidence from India

Theoretical literature identifies two variants of crowding out in an economy–real and financial. The real (direct) crowding out occurs when the increase in public investment displaces private capital...

by Lekha S. Chakraborty | On 17 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

Outcome of the review of the trends in receipts and expenditure in relation to the budget at the end of the second quarter of the financial year 2006-2007

This mid-year review reports developments in the economy in the first half of 2006- 07, with a particular focus on Central Government finances, outlining the performances in the real sector, economi...

by Ministry of Finance | On 06 Feb 2007

Declining Trends in Public Health Expenditure in Maharashtra

This analysis of the trends in public health expenditure in Maharashtra shows that the State has to become more proactive in raising resources being allocated to the health sector. The level of publi...

by Ravi Duggal | On 01 Feb 2007

‘Autonomy On-line’: Indymedia and Practices of Alter-Globalisation

The paper examines Australian Indymedia collectives as a means to improve understanding of the practices of alter-globalisation movements. Indymedia, which emerged around the anti-World Trade Organisa...

by Jenny Pickerill | On 30 Jan 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

State Finances and Effectiveness of Policy Measures: An Analysis of Indian States

This paper provides a phase-wise analytical review of the fiscal situation of the Indian major States over the previous two and half decades and examines the effectiveness of the policy measures to s...

by Rajmal | 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

Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sanghatan and Electoral Politics

Following the Supreme court judgement on election reforms including the mandate to the election commission to disseminate all information provided by the candidate to the people, a large number of non...

by E. Venkatesu | On 10 Jan 2007

Social Cleavages, Multiculturalism and Emerging Space for State in India under Globalisation Regime

This paper focuses on social cleavages based on class , caste,religion and ethnicity in India. It examines the political salience of caste and class conflicts and addresses the translation of social c...

by Sarojini Mishra | On 29 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

Policymaking under Globalization Pressures: Reforming Public Utilities in Latin America

To analyse the role of partisan beliefs and interests, this paper focuses on two industries—telecoms and electricity—which have been subject to strong pressures for policy diffusion and thereby are u...

by Maria Victoria Murillo | On 21 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

Textile and Clothing Trade with European Union: Impact of year-old EU Generalised System of Preferences

Taking into account the latest data of exports of textiles and clothing to the European Union from South Asia and China, a year-end assessment of the impact of the Generalised System of Preferences (...

by C. Satapathy | On 14 Dec 2006

Making and Unmaking Poverty: Social Science, Social Programmes, and Poverty Reduction in India and Elsewhere

How does growth actually trickle down to remove an individual’s poverty? Is it through increases in employment? What other avenues did the benefits of growth travel through before reaching and helpi...

by Anirudh Krishna | On 05 Dec 2006

The Role of Self Help Group Bank Linkage Programme in Preventing Rural Emergencies in India

The Self-Help Emergency Prevention (SHEPherd) programme aims to use lessons from CRS/Orissa’s emergency responses in 1999 and 2001 to inspire an India-wide response to emergency prevention. The progr...

by Kim Wilson | On 03 Dec 2006

Performance Analysis of Fisherwomen Self-help Groups in Tamil Nadu

The present study attempted to assess the performance of Fisherwomen's self help groups (SHGs) in Tamil Nadu . Primary data required for the study were collected from 725 fisherwomen SHG members repr...

by R. Jayaraman | On 03 Dec 2006

Mahatma Gandhi and the Prisoner’s Dilemma: Strategic Civil Disobedience and Great Britain’s Great Loss of Empire in India

This paper examines the relationship between statutory monopoly and collective action as a multi-person assurance game culminating in an end to British Empire in India. In a simple theoretical model,...

by Chowdhury Irad Ahmed Siddiky | On 27 Nov 2006

Report on a Strategic Approach to Research Publishing in South Africa

The effect of globalization on knowledge exchange, which is mediated very largely through scientific journals being published in English, and having their origins in Europe and North America, has resu...

by Academy of South Africa | On 27 Nov 2006

Gramsci and Freire: Bridging the Divide in Indian Context: An Exploratory Essay

There is a stark contrast between the Gramscian approach to the relationship between intellectuals, knowledge and people and the Freirian approach. The former favours the exclusivity of the intellectu...

by V. Anil Kumar | On 03 Nov 2006

Overview of Bilateral Free Trade and Investment Agreements

A comprehensive inventory of bilateral FTAs on a global scale, with sections on Africa and the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. It highlights the key points of e...

by Bilaterals.org | On 03 Nov 2006

Fiscal Decentralisation and Gender Responsive Budgeting in Mexico: Some Observations

This paper analyses the scope and limitations of gender responsive budgeting in Mexico within the overall framework of fiscal decentralisation. However, decentralised gender responsive budgeting can b...

by Lekha S. Chakraborty | On 31 Oct 2006

Monetary Regionalism in Asia Revisited

Given the divergence in economic and institutional structures in the region, any attempt to create a common currency absent macroeconomic policy coordination and mechanism for automatic intra-regional...

by Ramkishen S. Rajan | On 30 Oct 2006

Monetary Regionalism in Asia Revisited

Given the divergence in economic and institutional structures in the region, any attempt to create a common currency absent macroeconomic policy coordination and mechanism for automatic intra-regional...

by Ramkishen S. Rajan | On 30 Oct 2006

Targeting the Poorest in Microfinance: Poverty Outreach of BDP Ultra Poor Programme

Despite the general consensus that microfinance does not reach the poorest; recent evidence suggests that nearly 15% of microfinance clients in Bangladesh are among the poorest. It is from the realiza...

by Proloy Barua | On 25 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

Using Change Rankings to Understand Poverty Dynamics: Examining the Impact of CFPR/TUP from Community Perspective

Studies of poverty dynamics relying solely on household income-expenditure surveys can yield noisy results, overestimating transient poverty and underestimating persistence of poverty, especially for...

by Munshi Sulaiman | On 23 Oct 2006

Historian and Courtesan: Chen Yinke and the Writing of Liu Rushi Biezhuan

In the 1980s the life and work of Chen Yinke, who had died in 1969 during the Cultural Revolution, re-emerged in print. Chen was a former Tsinghua historian and an intellectual luminary who had enj...

by Wen-hsin Yeh | On 18 Oct 2006

Kanshi Ram: The Man and his Legacy

Kanshi Ram’s main legacy is that political mobilization and use of State power is required to provide dalits self-respect, dignity, social equality and political empowerment to fight against dominati...

by Sudha Pai | On 13 Oct 2006

Who's in Crisis?

If one might attempt a hypothesis, it would be that India’s communist parties would like to adjust to the reality of the day by giving up their old identities and becoming social democratic parties, b...

by T.N. Ninan | On 01 Oct 2006

Legislative Brief: The Seeds Bill, 2004

The Seeds Bill, 2004 aims to regulate the quality of seeds sold, and replaces the Seeds Act, 1966. The proposed Act would replace the Seeds Act, 1966. The Bill seeks to update the existing Act in or...

by M. R. Madhavan | On 01 Oct 2006

Parens Patriae: Exercising Patriarchal Prerogative in Post-Partition India

This paper analyses the implications of this Abducted Persons (Recovery and Restoration) Act of 1949 not with the intention of discussing its legal merits, but rather, to indicate that in the exercise...

by Ritu Menon | On 29 Aug 2006

Enclosure,Biocommons and Open Source:In Search of Alternatives

The upward harmonization through TRIPS, the TRIPS Plus provision in various bilateral and free trade agreements is resulting in the global spread of the enclosure with nation states acting as guaran...

by Krishna Ravi Srinivas | On 29 Aug 2006

A Cartography of Contemporary Developments in IPR of Plant Materials

This paper engages with the literature on intellectual property rights by adopting an evolutionary economist’s approach to the study of technologies.

by Dwijen Rangnekar | On 29 Aug 2006

A Shrinking of the Public Domain in Agriculture: IPR in plant material

Rather paradoxically the promotion of intellectual property rights, aimed at solving the incentive problem, might actually hinder innovation. This paper engages with this literature by adopting an evo...

by Dwijen Rangnekar | On 17 Aug 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

An Approach to the 11th Five Year Plan: Towards Faster and More Inclusive Growth

The 11th Plan provides an opportunity to restructure policies to achieve a new vision of growth that will be much more broad based and inclusive, bringing about a faster reduction in poverty and hel...

by Planning Commission | On 19 Jul 2006

Ethics in Social Science Research: A Note for Discussion

Some questions relevant in the context of ethics in social science research are: Does social science have peculiarities which are masked by discussions on science at large? Given the need for objectiv...

by Sudarshan Iyengar | On 19 Jul 2006

From a Rights Perspective

The collection of papers demonstrates that the human right to development in essence brings together several distinct but not mutually inconsistent streams of philosophical, political, economic and so...

by Vijay Kumar Nagaraj | On 15 Jul 2006

Our Future: Sustainable Cities--Turning Ideas into Action

In convening the third session of the World Urban Forum in Vancouver, the United Nations Human Settlements Program has asked us to focus our attention on the Sustainable City and consider critical cha...

by Patricia L. McCarney | On 13 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

A Lucrative Career

Why is politics a hereditary business in India, unlike most other democracies?

by T.N. Ninan | On 01 Jun 2006

The Communal Violence (Pevention, Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) bill, 2005

Bill No. CXV of 2005 A Bill to empower the State Governments and the Central Government to take measures to provide for the prevention and control of communal violence which threatens the secular fab...

by Ministry of Home Affairs | On 25 May 2006

Legislative Brief: Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill, 2005

The Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill, 2005 provides for (a) prevention and control of communal violence, (b) speedy investigation and trials, and (c) rehabil...

by Parliamentary Research Service | On 25 May 2006

The Challenges and Opportunities for International Civil Society in Promoting Ethical Globalisation

This paper explores some of the challenges ahead in terms of strengthening civil society networks working for ethical globalisation and in turning their shared vision of ethical globalisation into an...

by Maureen Leen | On 23 May 2006

Book Review: Communal Mobilisation in South Asia: Is there a Grand Design?

The focus here is on the agency that produces religious forms and associated repertoires of action/conduct---the entire gamut of socio-religious networks of mobilization built around these forms, the...

by Sasheej Hegde | On 15 May 2006

Public health, Innovation and Intellectual Property Rights: Report of the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights,Innovation and Public Health

On April 3, 2006, an independent commission on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), innovation and public health presented its report to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The report was commissioned...

by | On 14 Apr 2006

American housing market: a source of relief or weakness?

In late March the release of data on sale of new homes in the US showed that it had dropped 10 per cent, the biggest drop in nine years. In the immediate aftermath of this report, the US currency gav...

by V. Anantha Nageswaran | On 07 Apr 2006

Voluntary Organisations, NGOs and the ‘Politics of Development’ in India: A Critical Exploration

This essay studies the domain of politics of development constituted by the state, and attempts to plot the emergence of the voluntary sector, NGOs in particular, as a representative in this contested...

by Swagato Sarkar | On 31 Mar 2006

Two Kinds of Activism: Reflections on Citizenship in Globalizing Delhi

The paper examines two of the most pressing concerns in Delhi: housing and the environment. The paper reviews the activities of Resident Welfare Associations, Sajha Manch, and Delhi Janwadi Adhikar Ma...

by Sanjeev K. Routray | On 14 Jun 2013

Democracy and People’s Rights in the Neo-Liberal Era: Role of Judiciary

The recent judgments and orders from various levels of higher judiciary indicate a drastic shift in their outlook and approach. A close look reveals two trends developing within the judiciary. Firstly...

by M.B.Rajesh | On 31 Mar 2006

Verdict 2004: From Identities to Issues and Interests?

This paper is a humble attempt to take an intellectual and political position while analyzing the 2004 election results in the context of neo-liberal regime in India and also tries to portray whether...

by Maidul Islam | On 31 Mar 2006

Changing Practices in/of Science: The Context of Intellectual Property Rights in India

Changes in the practices and norms of research have changed the dynamics of creation of knowledge. Issues of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and proprietary information and knowledge have begun to...

by Sambit Mallick | On 29 Mar 2006

India’s Pharmaceutical Industry in the WTO Regime: A SWOT Analysis

A SWOT analysis of the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry (IPI) in the WTO regime reveals that the much acclaimed IPI’s expertise in process development skills were made possible by the amendments made...

by N. Lalitha | On 28 Mar 2006

The Persistence of Underdevelopment:Institutions, Human Capital or Constituencies?

Why is underdevelopment so persistent? One explanation is that poor countries do not have institutions that can support growth. Because institutions (both good and bad) are persistent, underdevelopmen...

by Raghuram G. Rajan | On 26 Mar 2006

Post-Autistic Economics Review, Issue No 36, February 2006

Results of Greatest Twentieth-Century Economists Poll Towards a Concrete Utopian Model of Green Political Economy by John Barry Economics Is Structured Like a Language by William Kaye-Blake ...

by Post-Autistic Economics Movement | 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

Union Budget 2006-07: Reforms in Indirect Taxes: Long on Rhetoric

The Finance Minister’s speech presenting the Union Budget 2006-07 indicated that long-overdue reforms of the tariff structure had been undertaken in this year’s budget. But a careful analysis of thes...

by Sukumar Mukhopadhyay | On 22 Mar 2006

Finance Bill 2005

To give effect to the financial proposals of the Federal Government for the year beginning on the first day of July, 2005, and to enact and amend certain laws:

by Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan, | On 15 Mar 2006

Indo-US Nuclear Deal: Time to be Wary

Now that the nuclear deal has been struck, there is a real danger of India now settling comfortably into a de facto NWS status within a welcoming international non-proliferation architecture. This wil...

by D.Raghunandan | On 14 Mar 2006

The Siren Song of Technonationalism

Technological development in Asia is driven by government policy, and that policy is motivated in large part by technonationalism, or the desire of Asian states to free themselves from dependence on W...

by David Kang | On 07 Mar 2006

Sri Lanka: Recent Economic Developments: Highlights of 2005 and Prospects for 2006

Economic Review of Developments in 2005 and Prospects for 2006. Presented before the Budget for 2006.

by Ministry of Finance and Planning Sri Lanka | On 05 Mar 2006

Editorial: Union Budget: Securing its Legacy

Union Budget 2006-07 breaks new ground in many areas, and continues on the path of modernizing the tax system. It also gives deserved recognition to key allocation priorities. But its legacy will be...

by Mukul Asher | On 05 Mar 2006

Union Budget 2006-07: Securing its Legacy

Union Budget 2006-07 breaks new ground in many areas, and continues on the path of modernizing the tax system. It also gives deserved recognition to key allocation priorities. But its legacy will be...

by Mukul Asher | On 04 Mar 2006

Economic Survey 2005-06,Chapter 2

Public Finance

by Ministry of Finance | On 27 Feb 2006

Decentralisation on Fallow and Fertile Ground: Preparing the Population for Democratic Self-Governance

Decentralizing authority to democratically elected local government is advised for reasons of efficiency and good governance, but equity may suffer if elites capture decision making at the local level...

by Anirudh Krishna | On 16 Feb 2006

Social Security Policy in an Era of Globalization and Competition: Challenges for Southeast Asia

There are several themes which emerge from the comparative analysis of social security systems in Southeast Asia. Each country will need to address the limitations of their respective system in relati...

by Mukul Asher | On 06 Feb 2006

Macroeconomic and Monetary Developments: Third Quarter Review, 2005-06

The robust performance of the Indian economy continued during the second quarter (July-September) of 2005-06. According to the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO), the economy recorded a real GDP...

by Reserve Bank of India | On 02 Feb 2006

Raising the Tax Ratio by Reining in the 'Tax Breaks': An Agenda for Action

The increase in direct taxes has not been able to offset the decline that resulted from the reduction in customs tariff and decline in excise revenue. The task facing the policymakers now is to explor...

by Amaresh Bagchi | On 01 Feb 2006

Real Sector Shocks and Monetary Policy Responses in a in a financially vulnerable Emerging Economy

When analyzing the appropriate response for monetary policy during a currency crisis it is important to keep in mind two distinct channels: (a) the impact of raising interest rates on exchange rates...

by Ramkishen S. Rajan | On 27 Jan 2006

Macroeconomic and Monetary Developments: Third Quarter Review 2005-06

Contents I. The Real Economy -- 1 Agricultural Situation Industrial Performance Business Expectations Surveys Services Sector II. Fiscal Situation 14 Combined Government Fi...

by Reserve Bank of India | On 25 Jan 2006

Medico Friend Circle Bulletin, 313-314, October 2005-January 2006

Contents Why we do not need to give Hepatitis B Vaccine for all newborns 1 Cost and Quality Issue in Hospital Care - Anant Phadke 4 Local Production of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu): Options - D. G. Shah 6...

by Medico Friend Circle | On 20 Jan 2006

Elementary Education: Rising Expenditure, Poor Quality: Book Review

Review of 'The Economics of Elementary Education in India: The Challenge of Public Finance, Private Provision and Household Costs' edited by Santosh Mehrotra; Sage, New Delhi; 2005, pp.328.

by P. Geetha Rani . | On 20 Jan 2006

Inflation Targeting Arrangements in Asia: Exploring the rate of the Exchange rate

Since the Asian crisis it has been recognized that exchange rate and monetary policy strategies must involve a “fairly high” element of flexibility rather than a single-minded defense of a particular...

by Ramkishen S. Rajan | On 19 Jan 2006

Draft National Pharmaceutical Policy, 2006

In 2002 the government had formulated a new Drug Policy, but the same could not be implemented due to litigation involving it. As a consequence, the policy of 1994 continues to be in force.The pr...

by Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals | On 16 Jan 2006

Agrarian Reform for a Liberal Pattern of Society? Karnataka's Land Policy and the New Dispensation

It is puzzling how much the discourse of development has backed away from the seemingly central question of rural poverty: land. Elaborate rules concerning its distribution, rights, regulation, prot...

by Ronald Herring | On 12 Jan 2006

Institutionalising Citizen Participaion in Urban Governance

The twin concepts of a federal arrangement – a structure for a multi-tiered form of government with clearly defined roles and responsibilities, as well as active citizenship are like the two strands...

by Ramesh Ramanathan | On 12 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

Ideological Elements in Political Instability in Karnataka: Janata Dal in the 1990s

There are strenuous difficulties in managing competing social groups, segments and regions in the political landscape of Karnataka. These difficulties have been accentuated by touchy issues of status...

by Pamela Price | On 09 Jan 2006

Political Leadership and Economic Development in Karnataka

How has the political leadership in Karnataka contributed to the state's economic developmet? In order to assess the role that the political leadership has played, the author examines the role of the...

by Gujjarappa Thimmaiah | On 09 Jan 2006

Change in Karnataka over the Last Generation: Villages and the Wider Context

This paper examines changes that have (and have not) occurred – at the village level in Karnataka where most or the state’s residents live, and at higher levels when they impinge upon villages – sin...

by James Manor | On 09 Jan 2006

The Economic Basis of Global Power: VIP2 A Simple Index of National Power Potential

Though Paul Kennedy and other scholars of National Security, Diplomacy and Foreign relations have emphasized the importance of the economy in National Power, not many economists have taken an interes...

by Arvind Virmani | On 24 Dec 2005

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

Pharmaceuticals, WTO/TRIPs and Women

This paper looks at the effects of WTO/TRIPS and pharmaceuticals on women. The focus is on the poor and women. The first part of the paper tries to show the linkages between the idea of intellectual p...

by S Srinivasan | On 27 Nov 2005

Opportunities and Challenges in Building an East Asian Community

Inherenet weaknesses in AFTA and AEC and the need to counter regionalism in other parets of the world are some of the important reasons for evolving an East Asian Community. However, there are severa...

by Joseph Yap | On 23 Nov 2005

Political Selection and the Quality of Evidence: Evidence form South India

This paper uses household data from India to examine the economic and social status of village politicians, and how individual and village characteristics a®ect politician behavior while in o±ce. Ed...

by Timothy Besley | On 22 Nov 2005

Singapore's Role in Building of an East Asian Community

An East Asian community(EAC) is an idea now being seriously pursued in spite of significant challenges. Proliferating bilateral deals in Asia could emerge as building blocks towards the EAC, provided...

by Rahul Sen | On 22 Nov 2005

The Quest of Economic community in East Asia: Thailand's Perspective

To make the Customs Union in East Asia happen, what is needed the most now are political will and concerted efforts. FTAs should not be the end of economic cooperation in Asia. Instead, the onsolidati...

by Nipon Poapongsakorn | On 22 Nov 2005

Realizing The East Asian Community”

The enterprise of building an East Asian Community has already begun. The process will indeed be long-term. Malaysia, from the beginning , has been steadfast in not giving up on the concept. Despite...

by Stephen Leong | On 22 Nov 2005

Policy Processes and Policy Advocacy

The development process in the present context where economic and governance reforms are emphasized tends at times to by-pass the concerns of the marginalized and the voiceless. It is precisely to bri...

by V. Anil Kumar | On 19 Nov 2005

Mughal Decline, Climate Change, and Britain’s Industrial Ascent:An Integrated Perspective on India’s 18th and 19th Century Deindustrialization

India was a major player in the world export market for textiles in the early 18th century, but by the middle of the 19th century it had lost all of its export market and much of its domestic market....

by David Clingingsmith | On 10 Nov 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

Economic Backwardness in History: Deviation from a Eurocentric Theme

This paper aims to demonstrate that the economic behaviour of ordinary men and women in the pre-colonial Deccan was as much ‘capitalistic’ as that of similar agents in contemporary Europe. The differe...

by Neeraj Hatekar | On 21 Oct 2005

A Framework For Scaling Up Poverty Reduction, With Illustration From South Asia

This paper develops a framework for thinking about the policy challenge of scaling up small scale interventions, governmental and non-governmental, that address poverty reduction successfully. The fra...

by S. Devarajan | On 30 Aug 2005

The Future Of Democracy

This paper examines the future of democracy in Nepal against the current debate on political reforms, referred to in popular discourse as ‘restructuring the state'

by Krishna Khanal | On 29 Aug 2005

Alice Thorner: A Personal Tribute

She will always remain a role model for many of us--- a competent professional and a compassionate thinker who believed in ushering in social change that can reorganise inequalities in India.

by Sujata Patel | On 26 Aug 2005

Why Do Governments Lack “Political Will”? An Explanation

This paper proposes “lack of political will” as the most important reason why a ruling political party is unable to commit itself to economically efficient choices or policies. The notion of political...

by Ajit Karnik | On 19 Aug 2005

Protecting Intellectual Property

The importance of IPR in the Indian economy will have to be understood properly. Tomorrow’s wars will be fought not by conventional weapons, guns, missiles and so on, but in the knowledge markets with...

by R A Mashelkar | On 08 Aug 2005

A Fair Plan Approach For Devolution Under The Twelfth Central Finance Commission: Some Suggestions

This study has made some suggestions for the consideration of the Twelfth Finance Commission. We have provided a conceptual framework comprising eight cardinal principles abbreviated as FAIR PLAN. We...

by Abhay Pethe | On 05 Aug 2005

Infrastructure Finance In The Time Of Revenue Crunch: Exploring New Avenues for Urban Local Bodies

Infrastructure in general and urban infrastructure in particular has proved to be a pons asinorum of economic development. Whilst infrastructure is an umbrella term, provision of many of its component...

by Abhay Pethe | On 05 Aug 2005

The Influence of Organizational Structure, Membership Composition and Resources on the survival of Poor People’s Social Movement Organizations

Membership-based organizations of the poor, to be effective, must survive. Although numerous analyses have considered the organizational factors that shape a social movement group’s risk of mortality,...

by Edward Walker | On 05 Aug 2005

Membership-Based Organizations Of The Poor: The South African Experince

The broad question this paper seeks to address is whether the notion of a membershipbased organisation of the poor (“MBOPs”) has practical application in modern day South Africa. There are some obviou...

by Jan Theron | On 31 Mar 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

Internal Control Of Community Finance Institutions In Cambodia

The working paper offers a conceptual basis for action research on internal controls in community finance institutions (CFIs) in rural Cambodia. A CFI is defined as “an institution that specializes in...

by Brett Matthews | On 31 Mar 2005

Membership-Based Organizations as a Reflection of Power Structures in Rural “Community”: Experience

The analysis and reflections presented in this paper are the outcome of the authors work in various districts of rural Sindh between 1996 and 2002. The nature of this work has revolved around working...

by Themrise Khan | On 31 Mar 2005

Organizations of the Poor: Conditions for success

Based on the undocumented field experiences of FAO staff working with rural institutions in developing countries and project documents produced by UN agencies, this paper provides an overview on some...

by E Crowley | On 30 Mar 2005