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Sexism's toll on Journalism

The report shows that the two-fold danger to which many women journalists are subjected is far too common, not only in traditional reporting fields as well as new digital areas and the Internet, but a...

by | On 08 Mar 2021

Model Nagar Raj Bill: Taking Democracy to the Grassroots

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

by Kedar Diwan | On 21 Feb 2021

ADB’s Comprehensive Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has become a major global crisis that requires country, regional, and global intervention, as well as collaboration to mitigate damage to economies and peop...

by Asian Development Bank | On 25 Jan 2021

Redressing Violence Against Women in COVID 19: Experience of Hospital-based Centres in Mumbai, India

The pandemic has brought a sharp focus on the issue of domestic violence. Over the last few months while COVID 19 has in general led to deaths and disruption of lives, it has, in particular, been an e...

by Sangeeta Rege | On 24 Nov 2020

eSS Sunday Edit: Waiting for a Vaccine! Fault lines in Medical Science and Governance Exposed

People’s ability to respond to this crisis is coloured by class, caste, gender and religion and the government’s failure to respond adequately to the needs of its citizens, exposing the ugly underside...

by Ravi Duggal | On 26 Oct 2020

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

It is not enough to have a strong govt; you need a strong country

While the govt has done many things right, it has also made mistakes that have weakened India. It should acknowledge challenges, reverse economic slide, and build national cohesion.

by T.N. Ninan | On 27 Jul 2020

Containment Strategies and Support for Vulnerable Households

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

by Jonathan Leape | On 18 May 2020

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

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

Price Discovery in Indian Government Securities Market, Monetary Management and the Cost of Government Borrowing

Over 2017-18 there was a sharp rise in Indian government securities (G-Secs) interest rates unrelated to fundamentals. Examining each of the standard explanatory variables shows them to be inadequate...

by Ashima Goyal | On 29 Mar 2019

Environmental Governance and Environmental Performance

Along with the continuous development of the global economy, environmental deterioration has been widely recognized as a pressing issue nowadays, bringing environmental governance to the forefront of...

by Chun-Ping Chang | On 28 Mar 2019

Free To Be Mobile

What do we talk about when we talk about technology-enabled violence? We mostly talk about online violence, or violence on the internet. Verbal abuse. Rape threats. Images spreading without consent. S...

by Point of View . | On 12 Mar 2019

Rebalancing the Economy and Reforming the Fiscal System of the People’s Republic of China

The goal of the note is to lay out and discuss a package of reforms that could be consistent with the objectives of the government. The fiscal instruments that we consider here include the division of...

by Roy Bahl | On 07 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

The Anomaly of Women’s Work and Education in India

This paper utilizes a large cross-section of data sets such as the ILOSTAT, NSSO Quinquennial Employment and Unemployment Survey, Labour Bureau Annual Employment and Unemployment Survey, National Fami...

by Surbhi Ghai | On 03 Feb 2019

Outward FDI and Crossborder M&As by Indian Firms: A Host Country-Level Analysis

This paper tries to understand the trends and the pattern of Outward Foreign Direct Investment (OFDI) by Indian firms and the factors that determine OFDI from India through Cross-Border Mergers and Ac...

by P.L. Beena | On 31 Jan 2019

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

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

by Ila Patnaik | On 23 Jan 2019

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

Data Localisation in India: Questioning the Means and Ends

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

by Rishab Bailey | On 12 Jan 2019

UDAY Power Debt in Retrospect and Prospects: Analyzing the Efficiency Parameters

The Government of India launched the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY), in November 2015, with an objective of “Power for All”. Under the UDAY scheme, selected States agreed to convert 75 per cent...

by Amandeep Kaur | On 11 Jan 2019

Bangladesh Goes to the Polls: A Street-side View

An informal but informed Indian professional on assignment in Dhaka sends this engaging commentary on the general elections in Bangladesh.

by Srikanth S | On 05 Jan 2019

Investment in Research and Development for Basmati Rice in Pakistan

Basmati rice is Pakistan’s celebrated export. After years of growth, Pakistan’s production and export of basmati has slipped and is on a downward trend. The absence of a strong research and developmen...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 13 Dec 2018

Translating Women’s Voices into Action in Mongolia: Addressing Gender-Based Violence through Investments in Infrastructure

The aim of the paper is to contribute to the discussion on the role of multilateral financing in directly addressing gender-based violence; specifically, the ways in which infrastructure investments c...

by Tsolmon Begzsuren | On 29 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

Sectoral Labor Income Share Dynamics: Cross – Country Evidence from a Novel Dataset

This paper overcomes the constraint and provides some preliminary outcomes from a novel dataset that the authors compile at the sectoral level (10 sectors) for 53 countries, including 20 developing co...

by Yoko Oishi | On 01 Oct 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

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

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

by Suk Hyun | On 10 Aug 2018

Fiscal policy Conditions for Government Budget Stability and Economic Recovery: Comparative Analysis of Japan and Greece

This paper first shows that the Domar condition is obtained only from the government budget constraint (namely the supply of government bonds) and does not take into account the demand for government...

by Naoyuki Yoshino | On 19 Jul 2018

Financial Inclusion, Financial Regulation, Financial Literacy, and Financial education in the Kyrgyz Republic

This paper discusses recent developments in financial inclusion and financial literacy in Kyrgyz Republic. While financial inclusion is considered one of the key drivers of today’s development, it is...

by Savia Hasanova | On 19 Jul 2018

Macroeconomic Overview of the Philippines and the New Industrial Policy

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

by Maureen Ane D. Rosellon | On 06 Jul 2018

Mainstreaming SMEs: Promoting Inclusive Growth in APEC

SME development as a major domestic policy objective that is consistent and reinforced within APEC would not only engender inclusive growth, but also enable SMEs to become drivers of growth for the do...

by Erlinda M. Medalla | On 06 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

Decentralization and Health in the Philippines: A Systematic Review of Empirical Evidences

This study provides a systematic review and summary of the extant knowledge on the impacts of decentralization on health in the Philippines. Despite the country’s twenty-five years of experience in de...

by Michael R.M. Abrigo | On 03 Jul 2018

Cash Holdings and Tax Evaded Incomes in India – A Discussion

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

by R. Mohan | On 21 Jun 2018

Regulating Infrastructure Development in India

This paper reviews the existing framework for infrastructure development and the associated standards in India, and identifies areas for concern. Rather than deeply analysing any one standard, this pa...

by Sanhita Sapatnekar | On 15 Jun 2018

The Rise of Government-Funded Health Insurance in India

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

by Ila Patnaik | On 15 Jun 2018

Financial Inclusion, Regulation, Financial Literacy, and Financial Education in Tajikistan

This paper provides an analysis of financial inclusion, literacy, and education issues in the Republic of Tajikistan. It discusses the recent progress in financial inclusion and the sector’s response...

by Roman Mogilevskii | On 11 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

Book Review: Can India Pull It Off?

Review of Ascending India and Its State Capacity: Extraction, Violence, and Legitimacy by Sumit Ganguly, William R. Thompson. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2016. 352 pp. $40.00 (cloth), ISBN...

by | On 18 Apr 2018

Unfinished Lives: The effect of Domestic Violence on Neonatal and Infant Mortality

India accounts for 1.7 million child deaths, a quarter of global child mortality. The current literature has succeeded in establishing an association between domestic violence and child mortality, bu...

by Seetha Menon | On 16 Apr 2018

Book Review: War, Violence, and the State

Review of Political Violence in Ancient India by Upinder Singh, Harvard University Press, Cambridge,Massachusetts; 2017, pp. xvii, pp. 598.

by Aloka Parasher Sen | On 12 Apr 2018

EJF View on the Global Compact on Migration

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

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

Performance Trends and Policy Recommendations An Evaluation of the Mass Health Insurance Scheme of Government of India

India’s health sector is characterized by modest health indicators, a paucity of medical financing schemes that have successfully scaled, high per capita out-of-pocket health expenditure, and very l...

by | On 06 Apr 2018

Comic Relief Review: Mapping the Research on the Impact of Sport and Development Interventions

The report maps the current status of research in the area of Sport for Development (SfD). This consists of a ‘snapshot’ of research completed since 2005, an inventory of research planned or in progre...

by | On 30 Mar 2018

Trade Rules in E-commerce: WTO and India

Electronic commerce (e-commerce) is an integral part of business activities, and various models of e-commerce have emerged with liberalisation and technological developments. Global e-commerce trade...

by | On 28 Mar 2018

The Education Sector in Pakistan

The report says that the education scene in Pakistan, during the past four decades, has been characterized by substantial quantitative expansion at all levels.

by Khwaja Sarmad | On 28 Mar 2018

Policy Brief on Foreign Direct Investments (FDI)

In addition good and effective governance is also reflected in the quality of physical infrastructure like roads, electricity availability, ports and transport.

by Forum for Knowledge Sharing | On 27 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

Cash Holding and Tax Evaded Incomes in India – A Discussion

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

by R. Mohan | On 14 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

State of Child Workers in India: Mapping Trends

The present report begins with a background on child labour, with a discussion on different terms associated with ‘child labour’, followed by child labour policies and legislation implemented by the g...

by Ellina Samantroy | 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

Women and Land in the Muslim World: Pathways to Increase Access to Land for the Realization of Development, Peace and Human Rights

This report looks at global normative work, regional frameworks, and good country level practices, it provides an analysis of the most important aspects to be taken into consideration to successfully...

by Ombretta Tempra | On 09 Mar 2018

Prenatal Exposure to Shocks and Early-Life Health: Impact of Terrorism and Flood on Birth Outcomes in Pakistan

The current paper tries to fill this gap by investigating the impact of floods on pregnancy and birth outcomes across conflict-affected and unaffected districts in Pakistan.

by Baishali Goswami | On 08 Mar 2018

Reduction in Carbon Emissions Intensity among Indian Manufacturing Firms and Its Impact on Their Export Competitiveness, 2009-2013

Between 2002-03 and 2012-13, energy consumption intensity and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions intensity of Indian manufacturing declined by about 30 percent. During the last 10 to 15 years, Indian ma...

by | On 05 Mar 2018

Estimates of Air Pollution in Delhi from the Burning of Fire Crackers during the Festival of Diwali

Delhi is one of the most polluted cities in the world, especially in the winter months from October - January. These months coincide with the religious festival of Diwali. It is argued that air qualit...

by Dhananjay Ghei | On 27 Feb 2018

Women Rights in Conflict Zones: A Focus on India

Through these studies it has been shown how often the plight of women and the impact of war on their lives had been ignored.

by Sona Drahonovská | On 22 Feb 2018

Focus: Women, Gender and Armed Conflict

The end of the Cold War in 1989 did not, as had been expected, bring about a reduction in armed conflicts. More than two thirds of the poorest countries in the world are in conflict regions. The natur...

by Austrian Development Agency (ADA) | On 21 Feb 2018

War on the Female Body: Rape and Sexual Violence during Conflict

This article focuses on rape as a weapon of war, the sociological impacts of which can be widespread and long-lasting. This is especially due to the ensuing terror and disruption to livelihoods, relat...

by AMSA Global Health | On 21 Feb 2018

Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict: Understanding the Motivations

The paper talks about the unequal power relations, discrimination and misogyny in patriarchal societies are exacerbated by the promotion of aggression and violence during war.

by E.J. Wood | On 21 Feb 2018

Sexual Violence in the “People’s War” – The Impact of Armed Conflict on Women and Girls in Nepal

The report described the level and cases of gender based sexual violence during the armed conflict and proved that both the warring parties were involved in such heinous acts. It also showed the letha...

by Institute of Human Rights Communication, Nepal (IHRICON | On 21 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

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

What Evidence Exists for Initiatives to Reduce Risk and Incidence of Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict and Other Humanitarian Crises? A Systematic Review

This systematic paper aimed to canvas the extent and impact of initiatives to reduce incidence, risk and harm from sexual violence in conflict, post-conflict and other humanitarian crises, in low and...

by Jo Spangaro | On 20 Feb 2018

Sexual Violence and The Culture of Impunity in Nagaland

The paper says that perpetrators of sexual violence escape justice, while their victims are trapped between exhortations by women's advocacy groups not to ‘suffer quietly' and the social stigma attach...

by Dolly Kikon | On 20 Feb 2018

National Unity Government in Sri Lanka: An Assessment

At the close of two years, the National Unity Government (NUG) of Sri Lanka has failed to maintain the confidence and trust of the people it enjoyed during the first three months of its tenure. Having...

by | On 16 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

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

Economic Survey 2017: Volume II, Chapter 2: Review of Fiscal Developments

Sound public financial management has been one of the pillars of India’s macro-economic stability in the last three years. Based on this firm footing, the Government, in partnership with the States,...

by Arun Jaitley | On 31 Jan 2018

Economic Survey 2017: Volume I: Chapter 9: Ease of Doing Business’ Next Frontier: Timely Justice

The government’s efforts to make business and commerce easy have been widely acknowledged. The next frontier on the ease of doing business is addressing pendency, delays and backlogs in the appellat...

by Arun Jaitley | On 31 Jan 2018

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

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

by Arun Jaitley | On 31 Jan 2018

Green Paper on Farmers, Farming and Rural Economy: 4 Years… 4 Budgets: What has this Central Government Delivered?

most of the major policy measures promised by this government to the Indian farmers have not seen the light of the day. No social security measures have been taken for farmers above the age of 60 or...

by ASHA Kisan Swaraj Alliance | On 31 Jan 2018

The India Freedom Report: Media Freedom and Freedom of Expression in 2017

The climate for journalism in India grew steadily adverse in 2017. A host of perpetrators made reporters and photographers, even editors, fair game as there were murders, attacks, threats, and cases...

by The Hoot the hoot.org | On 24 Jan 2018

A Guide to Transparency Under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement

This guide is for government officials in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) who will be preparing reports and communications on their country’s climate change circumstances and actions under the UN Fra...

by | On 23 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

Mitigating Threats to Girls's Education in Conflict Affected Contexts: Current Practice

Conflict amplifies existing power dynamics and inequalities in families and societies because of the insecurity and fear caused by the upheaval of support structures. Conflicts generally result in the...

by | 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

A Guide to Using Budget Analysis

Budget analysis entails analysis and assessment of budget from the lens of marginalised sections of population with the objective of prioritisation of public expenditures and collection of revenues...

by Happy Pant | On 17 Jan 2018

The Politics of Institutional Reform and Post-Conflict Violence in Nepal

How does the reform of state institutions shape prospects for peace after war? Existing re- search on the institutional causes of peace focuses on how institutional designs, as the out- comes of ref...

by Julia Strasheim | On 17 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

Strategic Roadmap for Implementation of UDAY Scheme

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

by Rishu Garg | On 11 Jan 2018

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

Book Review: Of Disruptive Signals

Review of Ajay Gudavarthy edited Revolutionary Violence versus Democracy: Narratives from India, Sage India.

by Vrijendra | On 06 Jan 2018

Contesting Ideas on Peace : A Report & Some Reflections

Inter-state conflicts dominated the world for the better part of the twentieth century with the rivalry of two superpower blocs threatening nuclear doomsday in its second half. By contrast, the post-C...

by | On 02 Jan 2018

WTO Negotiating Strategy on Environmental Goods and Services for Asian Developing Countries

The paper advocates carefully tailoring EGS liberalisation so that it can deliver meaningful trade and development benefits while responding to environmental priorities in Asian developing countries.

by Vicente Yu III | On 01 Jan 2018

Reviewing the Status of Education in Tribal Areas in Maharashtra

One of the biggest challenges faced by the Indian education system in the last several decades since Independence has been expansion without a simultaneous assurance of equity in educational opportuni...

by Centre for Budget and Policy Studies CBPS | On 01 Jan 2018

Opportunities and Risks of Liberalising Trade in Services in Pakistan

This study seeks to examine how locking-in of our unilateral liberalisation at the WTO and further liberalisation of services trade would affect Pakistan’s competitiveness.

by Abid Burki | On 28 Dec 2017

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

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

by Daniel Robinson | On 27 Dec 2017

Fossil Fuel Subsidies Reduction and the World Trade Organization

his paper develops the contours of an ambitious approach to fossil fuel subsidy reform using the multilateral trade system.

by Joel Trachtman | On 26 Dec 2017

Access To Medicines In The Philippines: Overcoming The Barriers

The study says that the said passage has led to the decline of medicine prices since 2009, primarily through the efforts of the Department of Health (DOH) to implement the law using measures on maximu...

by Ramon Clarete | On 12 Dec 2017

Role of Government in Public Health: Current Scenario in India and Future Scope

The new agenda for Public Health in India includes the epidemiological transition, demographical transition, environmental changes and social determinants of health. Based on the principles outlined a...

by | On 12 Dec 2017

PIDS Calls For ‘Intelligent’ Discourse On Federalism

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

by PIDS Information Staff | On 11 Dec 2017

Informal Employment in India: An Analysis of Forms and Determinants

This paper disaggregates informal employment into different forms, with particular focus on the growing informalisation of the labour force by formal enterprises. The analysis of the determinants of f...

by Rosa Abraham | On 05 Dec 2017

Socio-economic and Cultural Factors of Violence against Women in Pakistan

This study discusses the socio-economic, cultural, religious and institutional factors that sustain abuse conducted against women.

by Ayesha Qaisrani | On 24 Nov 2017

Freedom of Expression in Pakistan: A myth or a reality

The study adopts a qualitative approach to understand the power dynamics and draws out conclusions from a wide variety of stakeholders regarding the issues at hand.

by Sadaf Liaquat | On 23 Nov 2017

Revitalizing economy by balancing defence & development

In this context, a government that is in doubt regarding re-election will give a popular or election-oriented budget and go on a spending spree.

by Dr. Abid Suleri | On 20 Nov 2017

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 I...

by Poonam Gupta | On 17 Nov 2017

Electronic filing System, Bureaucratic Efficiency and Public Service Delivery: Evidence from Bangladesh

A look into the effect of an e-Governance initiative in Bangladesh is on efficiency in the public sector. The electronic Filing (e-Filing) system was introduced to all the Deputy Commissioners' (DC)...

by Wahid Abdallah | On 15 Nov 2017

Building Smart Cities in India - An Opportunity For Strategising Urban Development

The report states that the current urbanisation pattern in many Indian states is skewed with growth concentrating in and around the primate city.

by Sujaya Rathi | On 03 Nov 2017

State-level Policy Analysis for PV Module Manufacturing in India

This analysis has identified three major challenges, which need to be addressed to make module manufacturing competitive in India

by Bhupesh Verma | On 02 Nov 2017

Remittances for Growth: Initiatives for Remitters and Remittances

This paper argues that by some monetary and fiscal reforms, the investable part of remittances could be diverted to labour intensive and development projects, creating hundreds of thousands employment...

by Atiq Rehman | On 30 Oct 2017

Polysilicon Manufacturing in India: Go or No-Go

The report narrates that the Government of India has announced an ambitious solar power target of 100 GW by 2022.

by Bhupesh Verma | On 12 Oct 2017

Selecting Appropriate Methodological Framework for Time Series Data Analysis

This paper discusses the properties of time series data, compares common data analysis methods and presents a methodological framework for time series data analysis

by Dr. Min Shrestha | On 09 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

Resource requirements for Right to Education (RTE): Normative and the Real

The paper examines the issue of resource adequacy for Right to Education (RTE) by estimating the resource requirement for universalization of elementary education across twelve Indian States. Using RT...

by Sukanya Bose | On 05 Oct 2017

DRRM's Design and Implementation Need to Be Beefed Up

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

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

Measure and determinants of chronic and transient poverty in the Philippines

This Policy Note addresses this lack of a measure of chronic and transient poverty in the Philippines.

by Connie Bayudan-Dacuycuy | On 29 Sep 2017

An Assessment of the Community Mortgage Program Implementation Strategy

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

by Marife M. Ballesteros | On 29 Sep 2017

Working Group on Education: Digital Skills for Life and Work

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

by Broadband Commission Development | On 26 Sep 2017

Improving Data on Missing Migrants

The reports discuss the methodological challenges of gathering data on missing migrants.

by Frank Laczko | On 25 Sep 2017

Monetary Transmission in India: Working of Price and Quantum Channels

The paper examines the strength and efficacy of transmission from the policy rate and liquidity provision to market rates in India, using event window regression analysis. The paper finds the interest...

by Ashima Goyal | On 15 Sep 2017

Trade Potential of the Fishery Sector: Evidence from India

The contribution of fisheries sector to Indian merchandise trade and to world fishery trade is substantial. The items traded have gained reputation over the years which will help to keep the momentum...

by Veena Renjini K K | On 13 Sep 2017

Electricity Consumption and Economic Growth in Karnataka

The paper aims to study the trend and pattern of electricity consumption in Karnataka, to investigate the direction of causality between electricity consumption and economic growth, and to forecast th...

by Laxmi Rajkumari | On 11 Sep 2017

The 1857 Indian Uprising and the British Empire

Situating the 1857 Indian uprising within an imperial context, Jill C. Bender traces its ramifications across the four different colonial sites of Ireland, New Zealand, Jamaica, and southern Africa. B...

by Elizabeth Baker | On 11 Sep 2017

Understanding the principles underlying the Philippine competition law

The culture of competition cultivates flexibility and adaptability that enable the economy to cope better with a constantly changing environment.

by Erlinda M. Medalla | On 07 Sep 2017

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

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

by Connie Bayudan-Dacuycuy | On 06 Sep 2017

Preventing chilhood stunting: Why and how?

This Policy Note analyzes the factors contributing to child stunting in the country and finds that mothers' nutrition and health status during pregnancy remain crucial aspects that can influence birth...

by Alejandro Herrin | On 04 Sep 2017

Real Democratization in Cambodia? An Empirical Review of the Potential of a Decentralization Reform

This has facilitated the growth of a (more) positive relationship between civil society and the local state reduced the governance gap and enhanced the legitimacy of the local state.

by Joakim Öjendal | On 01 Sep 2017

How Inequality Hurts Growth: Revisiting the Galor‐Zeira Model Through a Korean Case

This paper aims to show that the level of inequality increases via the human capital channel with credit market imperfections generating negative effects on economic growth. We expand the model presen...

by Bogang Jun | On 28 Aug 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

Is There Enough Public Resource for School Education? Examining the Available Evidences

The enactment of RTE Act, 2009 imposes a duty on the Indian states to fulfill every child's right to elementary education. Education is also a stand-alone goal among SDGs, which India is one of the si...

by Protiva Kundu | On 22 Aug 2017

Addressing Intimate Partner Violence in South Asia

The report, Addressing Intimate Partner Violence in South Asia- Evidence for Interventions in the Health Sector, Women’s Collectives and Local Governance Mechanisms, is based on a systemic review of l...

by Rohini Prabha Pande | On 18 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

Making Rapid Strides Agriculture in Madhya Pradesh: Sources, Drivers, and Policy Lessons

This paper study the composition, sources and drivers of agricultural growth in Madhya Pradesh to identify the factors that have contributed to robust agricultural growth in the state and discuss the...

by Ashok Gulati | On 11 Aug 2017

Strengthening Local Governance in Africa: Beyond Donor-Driven Approaches

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

by Göran Hydén | On 10 Aug 2017

India, Climate Change and Security in South Asia

South Asia faces a wide array of social, political, and economic issues that already threaten security in the region. The region has a history of border disputes, sectarian violence, and government co...

by David Antos | On 09 Aug 2017

Report of the Working Group on Resolution Regime for Financial Institutions

The report narrates the recent global financial crisis demonstrated the shortcomings of the frameworks to handle the failure of large and systemically important financial institutions, also known as “...

by Reserve Bank of India RBI | On 08 Aug 2017

Positive Peace Report 2016

This report introduces new thinking and evidence about Positive Peace.

by Institute for Economics and Peace | On 04 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

Making Women Count for Peace: Gender, Empowerment and Conflict in South Asia

With a focus on Northeast Indian experiences and a comparative look at Nepal, this project addresses the role of women in local governance and politics, particularly within the context of peace and se...

by Calcutta Group | On 04 Aug 2017

Achieving Universal Literacy in Andhra Pradesh: Status and Prospects

The main objective of the present paper is to assess the prospects of achieving universal adult literacy with a policy intervention factor through adult literacy programmes that target different age g...

by Motkuri Venkatanarayana | On 02 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

Aid for Trade in Action

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

by World Trade Organisation WTO | On 02 Aug 2017

Strengthening the Governance for Effective Tobacco Control in India

One of the key components in achieving a substantial reduction in tobacco use and associated disease, economic and ecologic burden in India is to strengthen the governance for tobacco control. In the...

by Dr. Upendra Bhojani | On 01 Aug 2017

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

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

by Babar Shahbaz | On 01 Aug 2017

Economic Impacts of Child Marriage

The international community is increasingly aware of the negative impacts of child marriage on a wide range of development outcomes. Ending child marriage is now part of the Sustainable Development Go...

by Quentin Wodon | On 31 Jul 2017

Does Government Borrowing Crowd out Private Sector Credit in Pakistan

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

by Sajjad Zaheer | On 31 Jul 2017

Fuel Blending in India: Learnings and Way Forward

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

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

Early Childhood Development and Violence Free Safe Environment for Women and Children in Selected Slums of Dhaka City

Bangladesh has experienced massive urbanisation in the last few decades with a staggering growth of seven millions slum dwellers. About two million people live in the slums of Dhaka city. Most of the...

by Polin Kumar Saha | On 26 Jul 2017

Localising the gender equality goal through urban planning tools in South Asia

This paper also highlights the need for a coordinated approach to SDG implementation by demonstrating the case of gender equality and urban planning.

by Shrimoyee Bhattacharya | On 26 Jul 2017

Taking an Ecosystems Approach: Support for Advocacy Training Initiatives’ (SATHI) Public Health Work in India

Delivering accessible, inclusive and high-quality health services in India is both technically challenging and politically complex. India’s public health services have been highly decentralized for mo...

by Brendan Halloran | On 26 Jul 2017

Gender Equality Results Case Study: Bangladesh - Second Urban Primary Health Care Project

The project provided preventative and curative services, including access to immunization, reproductive health services, limited curative care, nutrition-related services, community outreach on health...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 25 Jul 2017

Sustainable Energy Access Planning: A Framework

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

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 24 Jul 2017

Asia Bond Monitor - June 2015

The report narrates that the local currency bond market in emerging East Asia continued to expand in 1Q15 to reach US$8.3 trillion at end-March.

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 24 Jul 2017

Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2017 Supplement: Cautious Optimism for Asia's Outlook

With export demand stronger than expected in the first quarter of 2017, the region’s GDP is forecast to expand somewhat faster than forecast in April in Asian Development Outlook 2017.

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 20 Jul 2017

Energy Efficiency Developments and Potential Energy Savings in the Greater Mekong Subregion

Greater gains in energy savings are possible from improved energy efficiency and conservation measures, both as a smart business investment, and an imperative for the global community.

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 18 Jul 2017

Renewable Energy Developments and Potential in the Greater Mekong Subregion

Renewable energy is a challenge, but also an opportunity for new industries, employment, and new ways to reduce dependency on fuel imports, provide electricity to poor remote areas, reduce air polluti...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 18 Jul 2017

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

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

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 14 Jul 2017

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

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

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 14 Jul 2017

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

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

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 11 Jul 2017

Financial Soundness Indicators for Financial Sector Stability in Viet Nam

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

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 07 Jul 2017

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

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

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 06 Jul 2017

Climate Change, Food Security, and Socioeconomic Livelihood in Pacific Islands

The results of the study indicate that climate change will likely have significant negative impacts on agricultural output in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands.

by M.W. Rosegrant | On 05 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

Economic Vision of Lord Mahaveera: Building Blocks of Relative Economics

The central themes of Jainism are ahimsa (non-violence), anekant (nonabsolutism) and aprigraha (non-possession). Non-violence strengthens the autonomy of life of every being and if one believes that e...

by MC Singhi | On 22 Jun 2017

Statement on the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict

The report says Mother Earth cleanses us from violent pollution and her waters renew us as we recover from violent penetration. The ancestors strengthen us and elders give insights on strategies for...

by Documentation and Information Sustainability (DINIPS) | On 20 Jun 2017

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

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

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 16 Jun 2017

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

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

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 16 Jun 2017

Achieving Skill Mobility in the ASEAN Economic Community: Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Implications

This report examines the challenges ASEAN member states face in achieving the goal of greater mobility for the highly skilled, including hurdles in recognizing professional qualifications, opening up...

by Demetrios G. Papademetriou | On 16 Jun 2017

Asia Bond Monitor - March 2016

The report narrates that the yields of local currency bonds in most emerging East Asian markets remained on a downward trajectory in the first month and a half of 2016, pressured by worries over globa...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 15 Jun 2017

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

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

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 09 Jun 2017

Asia Bond Monitor - June 2016

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

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 06 Jun 2017

Understanding Judicial Delays in Debt Tribunals

The paper argue that the judicial statistics that are currently collected are inadequate for understanding and solving the problem of judicial delay. It propose a new approach to collecting data, whic...

by Prasanth Regy | On 25 May 2017

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

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

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 22 May 2017

Sanitation and Sustainable Development in Japan

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

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 12 May 2017

Philippines: Public-Private Partnerships by Local Government Units

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

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 11 May 2017

Asia Bond Monitor - November 2016

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

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 11 May 2017

Open Windows, Closed Doors: Mutual Recognition Arrangements on Professional Services in the ASEAN Region

The report says although these MRAs share nearly identical objectives, they diverge significantly in terms of institutional structures, requirements, and procedures. Not all MRAs are created equal. Gl...

by Dovelyn Rannveig Mendoza | On 09 May 2017

Asian Water Development Outlook 2016: Description of Methodology and Data

This paper provides background information on the applied methodology and the underlying data of the Asian Water Development Outlook 2016 (AWDO 2016). The purpose is to document the methodology and th...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 09 May 2017

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

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

by Dovelyn Rannveig Mendoza | On 08 May 2017

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

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

by Dovelyn Rannveig Mendoza | On 05 May 2017

Smart Cities Movement in BRICS

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

by | On 14 Apr 2017

An Interview with Anand Patwardhan

For over 40 years Anand Patwardhan’s documentary films have stood for freedom of expression. He faced censorship on numerous occasions, took the government to court, and won each time. Anand is not ju...

by Vidya Bhushan Rawat | On 10 Apr 2017

India Skills Report 2017

India Skills Report 2017 is an report that aims to support this initiative; by providing a stock of the talent landscape of India and supporting in charting the future direction of matchmaking. Curren...

by United Nations Development Programme [UNDP] | On 15 Mar 2017

Prostitution and the Ends of Empire: Scale, Governmentalities, and Interwar India. Durham: Duke University Press, Review

The book is an important exploration of late colonial preoccupations with the brothel, a "scandalous" space fueling the archival accretions that sustain contemporary historical inquiry. 2015; xi...

by Tara Suri | On 23 Feb 2017

Is Domestic Violence a Lesser Crime? Countering the Backlash against Section 498A, IPC

The situation today is that domestic violence is treated as a `social crime’ when compared with violence by strangers, even though it is much more severe in nature. Why is wife beating considered as a...

by Shalu Nigam | On 21 Feb 2017

Lack of Toilets and Violence against Indian Women: Empirical Evidence and Policy Implications

It is now well-accepted among policy makers that the provision of water, sanitation and hygiene is a basic human right. Yet, millions of people lack access to basic toilet facilities, which anecdotal...

by | On 15 Feb 2017

‘GOING DARK’ in India: The Legal and Security Dimensions of Encryption

Encrypting communications enhances privacy and the security of information services. This, in turn, incentivises innovation in the ICT sector and contributes significantly to the growth of the interne...

by | On 02 Feb 2017

Safety of Women in Public Spaces in Delhi: Governance and Budgetary Challenges

The study attempts to highlight some of the major hurdles in Delhi’s governance and fiscal policy in ensuring the safety of women in public spaces. Though violence against women is widespread and oc...

by Kanika Kaul | On 27 Jan 2017

Jalli Kattu – Primitivity Amidst Modernity?

Jalli Kattu however glorified is a brutal sport for both the players and sometimes even to the sadistic crowd. It is one of the cultural markers of manliness and to express Bravery during civil times...

by K.R. Shyam Sundar | On 13 Jan 2017

Vital Stats: Participation of Members of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly (2012-2017)

The Election Commission recently announced the poll schedule for the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. In this context, data on the composition of the 16th Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly (2012-...

by Jhalak Kakkar | On 10 Jan 2017

Indian Variant of MTEF: The Scope and Opportunities to Develop an Effective Budget Planning Process

The paper examines the medium-term fiscal policy (MTFP) and a more conventional medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) adopted in India under the provisions of the fiscal rules. The MTFP and the MTE...

by Pratap Ranjan Jena | On 10 Jan 2017

Modelling Corporate Sector Distress in India

The paper attempts to formulate a model to predict corporate financial distress of non-government non-financial public limited companies and estimate distressed bank debt due to the sample companies...

by Manjusha Senapathi | On 27 Dec 2016

The State of India's Pulses Sector

Pulses in India have recently become a topic of concern among policymakers. Members of the Opposition, for instance, have pointed to the 'exceptionally high' cost of certain pulses as an indication of...

by | On 15 Dec 2016

The Changing Contours of Inter group Disparities and the Role of Preferential Policies in a Globalizing World: Evidence from India

How persistent are traditional socioeconomic hierarchies in the face of marketization, significant structural shifts in the economy, and increased political representation of lower-ranked groups, and...

by Ashwini Deshpande | On 15 Dec 2016

Resilient and Responsive Health Systems for a Changing World

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

by Rajeev B.R. | On 14 Dec 2016

Government’s Role in India’s Ailing Cold Storage Sector

Every year, India wastes about 18 per cent of fruits and vegetables, due to lack of post-harvest storage facilities. The cold storage sector has been one of the most undermined sectors in India, devo...

by Madhu Sivaraman | On 05 Dec 2016

Technology for Transformation

India is committed to solve many problems that it is facing today. the human condition can improve more here in the next two decades than anywhere in the world. And the benefit, to India and to the...

by Bill Gates | On 30 Nov 2016

Demonetisation: Impact on the Economy

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

by | On 17 Nov 2016

Report Summary: White Paper on Black Money

According to the Paper, black money is a serious issue because it has a ‘debilitating effect’ on governance and public policy and this affects the poor disproportionately. [PRS Report Summary].

by Vishnu Padmanabhan | On 17 Nov 2016

Manual for Medical Examination of Sexual Assault

This manual aims to equip health care workers with an appropriate understanding of sexual violence and the needs and rights of survivors of sexual violence, and to highlight the dual responsibilities-...

by ... CEHAT | On 16 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

Black Money, Corruption and Demonetisation

The demonetisation of currency after a long period of 38 years was a welcome and bold step taken by the Government of India on November 8, 2016. The last demonetisation was implemented in 1978 by wi...

by Martin Patrick | On 11 Nov 2016

A Stagnant Agriculture in Kerala: The Role of the State

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

by Lekshmi R Nair | On 08 Nov 2016

Human Rights and Women in India: A Critical Perspective

The rape followed by the death of a New Delhi university student in December 2012 shamed India and her cultural ethos while sparking nationwide debate over the need to make laws more stringent if not...

by | On 02 Nov 2016

The Impact of Arranged Marital Customs on Women 's Autonomy in Rural India

It will be argued that while modernization in India has allowed for small improvements to women's autonomy, in rural India today the little autonomy women do have is constricted through traditional no...

by | On 02 Nov 2016

Rail Revolution-2025

This policy brief proposes reorganisation of current industry structure and proposes a new organizational structure for the railways to meet the needs of the 21st century . [CPPR Policy Brief Series...

by Centre for Public Policy Research CPPR | On 21 Oct 2016

Mainstreaming an Effective Intervention: Evidence from Randomized Evaluations of “Teaching at the Right Level” in India

Previous randomized studies have shown that addressing children’s current learning gaps, rather than following an over-ambitious uniform curriculum, can lead to significant learning gains. In this stu...

by Esther Duflo | On 18 Oct 2016

Problem of Food Security: A Brief Analysis of Tribal Area in India

The right to food is about freedom from hunger. The narrow meaning at hunger may be understood as the right to have two square meals a day, while in its broader meaning would include under nutrition....

by Johani Xaxa | On 17 Oct 2016

The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016

To provide for protection of rights of transgender persons and their welfare and for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto. [Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment unde...

by Parliamentary Research Service PRS | On 13 Oct 2016

Remembering Gandhi

Gandhi Jayanti function was graced by Chief Guest Shri Laxman Gole eminent Gandhian activist. Dr.Sudha Vyas.

by K.J.Somaiya College of Arts & Commerce Mumbai | On 11 Oct 2016

Trade Shocks and the Provision of Local Public Goods

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

by | On 10 Oct 2016

Financial Stability in a Weak Global Environment

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

by S.S. Mundra | On 10 Oct 2016

Recent Changes in the Fiscal Architecture in India and Implications for Financing Climate Change Interventions

The recent changes in the institutional and fiscal architecture of the country following the constitution of NITI Aayog and release of report of the Fourteenth Finance Commission, have implications...

by Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability CBGA | On 04 Oct 2016

H-Net Review: Memory and Complicity: Migrations of Holocaust Remembrance

Review of Memory and Complicity: Migrations of Holocaust Remembrance by Debarati Sanyal. ew York Fordham University Press, 2015. Reviewed by Brenda D. Melendy (Texas A&M University-Kingsville) ...

by | On 27 Sep 2016

The Power of Sport Values

The social and physical roles of sport are especially relevant today, in a global context deeply challenged by discrimination, insecurity and violence. We believe in the unique potential of physica...

by UNESCO UNESCO | On 20 Sep 2016

Does Government Spending on Social Sector Impacts Growth? An Analysis Across Indian States for the Last Two Decades

This paper attempts to examine the impact of government expenditure in social sector on economic growth at the state level for 15 major states. The study reveals that the share of social sector expend...

by | On 07 Sep 2016

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

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

by Deepthi Mary Mathew | On 07 Sep 2016

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

Abductive Reasoning in Macroeconomics

Macroeconomic analytical frameworks change with events they are unable to explain. The process is closer to abductive reasoning that is based on both events and analysis, unlike induction which is d...

by Ashima Goyal | On 31 Aug 2016

Learning and Behavioral Spillovers of Nutritional Information

This paper provides evidence for informational spillovers within urban slums in Chandigarh, India. I identify three groups, a treatment group, a neighboring spillover group, and a nonadjacent pure con...

by | On 30 Aug 2016

State of Siege: Report on Encounters and Cases of Sexual Violence in Bijapur and Sukma Districts of Chhattisgarh

This report continues documenting the narrative of violence and displacement in Chhattisgarh in the name of development, by reporting on the findings of the encounter killings and sexual violence in...

by PUDR Peoples Union for Democratic Rights | On 30 Aug 2016

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

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

by K. Vaijayanti | On 29 Aug 2016

Impact of Caregiver Incentives on Child Health: Evidence from an Experiment with Anganwadi Workers in India

This paper provides evidence of effectiveness for performance pay among government caregivers to improve child health in India. In a controlled study of 160 daycare centers serving over 4,000 children...

by | On 29 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

The Dominant Borrower Syndrome: The Case of Pakistan

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

by Sajawal Khan | On 16 Aug 2016

Global Forest Watch Climate: Summary of Methods and Data

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

by nancy Harris | On 12 Aug 2016

Signing away Sovereignty: How Investment Agreements Threaten Regulation of the Mining Industry in the Philippines

In the last decade, the resource-rich Philippines has bet heavily on the mining industry as a development strategy, an approach that has come under growing scrutiny. With 47 large-scale mines in oper...

by Cecilia Olivet | On 10 Aug 2016

GST in India: Chasing a Mirage or Reality?

India is moving towards introducing a Goods and Services Tax (GST). The GST would be a multistage comprehensive value added tax (VAT) encompassing both goods and services. Given the federal structur...

by Sacchidananda Mukherjee | On 09 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

Migration and Child Labour: Exploring Child Migrant Vulnerabilities and those of Children Left-Behind

The working paper attempts to describe the correlation between migration and child labour by reviewing secondary data of migrant children with or without their families, and children left-behind by th...

by | On 04 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

Subsidies to Coal Production in China

A further subsidy in the form of credit support was estimated to be between CNY 3.5 and 35.7 billion (USD 0.57 billion and USD 5.8 billion). The major subsidies included tax relief, investment in asse...

by | On 02 Aug 2016

Do Government Audits Reduce Corruption: Estimating the Impacts of Exposing Corrupt Politicians

This paper examines the extent to which government audits of public resources can reduce corruption by enhancing political and judiciary accountability. It does so in the context of Brazil’s anti-corr...

by Eric Avis | On 29 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

Evaluation of Government Interventions in Khadi Sector

Khadi sector is an over-regulated one in India, where the entire production process, sales, distribution, and marketing is fully regulated by the government. The paper examines the growth of Khadi sec...

by Lekshmi R Nair | On 25 Jul 2016

Finders, Keepers?

Natural resource taxation and investment often exhibit cyclical behaviour, associated with shifts in political power. Why do finders get to keep more of their discoveries in some periods than others?...

by Niko Jaakkola | On 22 Jul 2016

Estimating Local Fiscal Multipliers

This paper proposes a new source of cross-sectional variation that may identify causal impacts of Government spending on the economy. It uses the fact that a large number of federal spending programs...

by Juan Serrato | On 20 Jul 2016

Child Trafficking in India

Reports of raids in factories and workshops and rescue of children from different cities of the country appear with unfailing regularity. Children from disparate geographical regions: West Bengal, Bih...

by Enakshi Ganguly Thukral | On 20 Jul 2016

A Systematic Review of Cross-Country Data Initiatives on Agricultural Public Expenditures in Developing Countries

A number of data initiatives exist that assemble and make available public expenditure data on agriculture, in addition to other variables. Several of these data initiatives overlap in terms of which...

by Richard Anson | On 20 Jul 2016

A Study on Financial Literacy and its Determinants among Gen Y Employees in Coimbatore City

Financial literacy is the mix of one’s knowledge, skill and attitude towards financial matters. It helps to make informed decisions and well-being of an individual. Research has been conducted globall...

by | On 18 Jul 2016

Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in India

Gender-based inequalities translate into greater value being placed on the health and survival of males than of females. In India, examples of health and population indicators that are driven by gende...

by | On 15 Jul 2016

Reducing Violence in a Time of Global Uncertainty: Insights from the Institute of Development Studies Addressing and Mitigating Violence Programme

This Evidence Report details key insights from the Institute of Development Studies Addressing and Mitigating Violence programme, which involved detailed political analysis of dynamics of violence as...

by | On 15 Jul 2016

Keeping the South China Sea in Perspective

The South China Sea disputes involve the interests of the United States, particularly with regard to freedom of navigation, international norms and law, relations with important partners and allies, a...

by | On 13 Jul 2016

Labour Law and Governance Reforms in India: A Partial and Misguided View of Employment Relations

Labour regulation in India has engaged the attention of not only policy makers but also social actors, researchers and practioners. Policy measures have started rolling out from the state governments...

by Shyam Sundar | On 11 Jul 2016

Does Social Health Insurance Reduce Financial Burden? Panel Data Evidence from India

Indian government launched the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), a national health insurance scheme, in 2008 that provides cashless health services to poor households in India. The scheme is eval...

by Mehtabul Azam | On 11 Jul 2016

Projecting Progress: The SDGs in Asia-Pacific

This paper presents Asia-Pacific’s likely progress across the Sustainable Development Goals agenda, if trends continue on their current trajectories. Some Asian countries have been the world’s top per...

by | On 07 Jul 2016

Vital Stats: Overview of Central Government Employees

The central government periodically constitutes a Pay Commission, to evaluate and recommend revisions of salaries and pensions, for its employees. Recently, the Seventh Central Pay Commission has mad...

by Vatsal Khullar | On 07 Jul 2016

The “Engine of Economic Growth”: An Overview of Private Investment Policies, Trends, and Projects in Cambodia

This paper aims to present an overview and analysis of the current investment landscape in Cambodia, as well as its impacts on people and the environment. It is hoped that the information ...

by Mark Grimsditch | On 01 Jul 2016

Beautiful Minds: The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics

This is that time of the year when the economics fraternity is abuzz with the news of potential winners of the prestigious prize in economics, the Nobel Memorial Prize. This will be the 45th year of a...

by Saibal Ghosh | On 30 Jun 2016

Best Practices in Regulation of Private Education

Current paper aims to understand how the governments in different parts of the world have leveraged upon the private sector to achieve specific educational goals. The idea here is not to recommend o...

by Centre for Civil Society CCS | On 29 Jun 2016

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

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

by | On 29 Jun 2016

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

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

by Subhasish Dey | On 27 Jun 2016

Can War Foster Cooperation?

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

by Michal Bauer | On 24 Jun 2016

Talent Management Systems in Indian Pharmaceutical Firms: Exploring an Emerging Typology

This study has explored the implementation of talent management process in pharmaceutical industry in India through a case study approach. Data was collected from top management and senior managers in...

by Kirti Sharda | On 24 Jun 2016

Right to Food in India: Mitigating amidst Challenges

What are the policies that Indian government has implemented to alleviate poverty and hunger? Can we say that these are implemented in the right way? What lies in future?

by Aarti Salve | On 24 Jun 2016

An Analysis of Perceptions of Domestic Violence and Efficacy of the Implementation of the PWDV Act (2005) in Bihar

The present study has been conducted in the rural and urban areas of 9 districts of 9 commissionaries in Bihar. A random sample of 375 families is drawn from different socio-economic backgrounds. The...

by CARE India | On 20 Jun 2016

Case Study on AID Effectiveness in Tajikistan

This case study aims at presenting Tajikistan’s perspective of, experiences with, and challenges to foreign aid. The objective of the study is to raise awareness about different dimensions of aid f...

by Rustam Aminjanov | On 20 Jun 2016

Hurting the Host: The Dynamics of Refugee-Related Violence in South Asia

This paper assesses the proclivity towards refugee-related violence in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, using an original dataset. I show that the host’s attitude towards refugees depend on local fact...

by | On 17 Jun 2016

Optimal Unemployment Benefit Policy and the Firm Productivity Distribution

This paper provides a novel justification for a declining time profile of unemployment benefits that does not rely on moral hazard or consumption-smoothing considerations. It considers a simple search...

by Tomer Blumkin | On 15 Jun 2016

Internal Displacement : Global Overview of Trends and Developments in 2008

Internal displacement continued in many countries to result from failures by parties to armed conflicts to respect the rights of civilian populations, including by taking necessary steps to prevent di...

by United Nations Development Programme [UNDP] | On 14 Jun 2016

Shifting Diets for a Sustainable Food Future

The role of one consumption-based solution: shifting the diets of populations who consume high amounts of calories, protein, and animal-based foods are analysed. Specifically, we consider three in...

by Janet Ranganathan | On 06 Jun 2016

The Contours and Concerns of Drought-Induced Migration

Umi Daniel is currently working as Head Migration Thematic unit at Aide et Action South Asia. His areas of interests are tribal empowerment, people’s right to food, micro level planning, rights and en...

by Umi Daniel | On 03 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

How Forced Displacements Caused by a Violent Conflict Affect Wages in Colombia

In this paper, we analyze how forced displacements caused by violent conflicts affect the wages of displaced workers in Colombia, a country characterized by a long historical prevalence of violent con...

by | On 02 Jun 2016

Addressing the Role of Natural Resources in Conflict and Peacebuilding: A Summary of Progress

This report highlights both the progress and results that the ECP programme has achieved in the field of environmental peacebuilding from 2008 to 2015. The report also shares some of the key lessons l...

by United Nations Environment Programme UNEP | On 02 Jun 2016

Global Slavery Index 2016

The Global Slavery Index (‘the Index’) provides an estimate of the number of people in modern slavery, the factors that make individuals vulnerable to this crime, and an assessment of government actio...

by | On 01 Jun 2016

Minimum Wage Comparison: Asian Countries Minimum Wage Fixing

For countries which have a minimum wage, the minimum wage fixing system differs according to objectives and criteria, machinery and procedures, coverage, and subsequent adjustment as well as the opera...

by Sanjana Singh | On 31 May 2016

The Role of Small and Medium Enterprises in Structural Transformation and Economic Development

The study directs the attention to the role of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in overcoming these structural rigidities and ushering-in structural transformation in an economy. To explore the iss...

by Mausumi Das | On 26 May 2016

Youth and Labour Reforms in India

On account of May 1st being the Labour Day, India Youth Fund interviewed Professor Arup Mitra from the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi on a number of labour rights and reforms related issues in In...

by Arup Mitra | On 26 May 2016

On the Road to Universal Health Coverage: Every Person Matters

In modern society, the possession of a personal official identification (ID) is critical to an individual’s access to government services, and social and economic programs. From voting to receipt of s...

by Michael Stahl | On 26 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

Women, Energy and Water in the Himalayas: Integration of Women in Planning and Management

The policy guidelines were developed as part of the pilot project 'Incorporating Needs and Roles of Women in Water and Energy Management in Rural Areas in South Asia-Capacity Building in Rural Areas o...

by | On 18 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

Does Size Matter? The Productivity of Government Expenditures and the Size of States: Evidence from India

Some politicians argue for the splitting and combining of states to increase government productivity, but there is a dearth of empirical evidence on the optimal size of a state. Using data from Indian...

by Cornelis Haasnoot | On 18 May 2016

Housing Policy in the Republic of Korea

This paper evaluates housing policy in the Republic of Korea over the past several decades, describes new challenges arising from the changing environment, and draws lessons for other countries. The m...

by Kyung-Hwan Kim | On 18 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

Advancing the Interests of Bangladesh’s Migrant Workers: Issues of Financial Inclusion and Social Protection

The study is expected to contribute to stimulating debate around the broader issues of safeguarding the interests of migrant workers through financial mainstreaming of their income, raising efficacy o...

by | On 11 May 2016

The Trade Marks Act, 1999

Indian trademark law statutorily protects trademarks as per the Trademark Act, 1999 and also under the common law remedy of passing off. Statutory protection of trademark is administered by the Contro...

by Ministry of Commerce and Industry GOI | On 09 May 2016

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

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

by N Rajendran | On 09 May 2016

The Federation Model of Community Organising

In the past two decades through a process called “Enumeration” through which the members collect at city level data about slums, Slum Dwellers International have created a mechanism which serves to cr...

by Sheela Patel | On 06 May 2016

The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation Amendment Bill, 2015)

A bill further to amend the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957.

by Lok Sabha Secretariat | On 03 May 2016

Reforming Personal Insolvency Law in India

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

by Siva Raman | On 02 May 2016

Locating the Processes of Policy Change in the Context of Anti-Rape and Domestic Worker Mobilisations in India

The report argues that state responses to women’s claims making provide a complex and variegated picture of a non-linear, slow, sporadic and contingent process of policy change, with iterations and re...

by Shraddha Chigateri | On 29 Apr 2016

Public Financing of Education in Pakistan: Analysis of Federal, Provincial and District Budgets

Although significant, the share of education in total provincial budgets is declining except for Balochistan. This year, the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has allocated the highest share of its p...

by Institute of Social and Policy Sciences I-SAPS | On 29 Apr 2016

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

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

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 28 Apr 2016

Kerala: Education Report on Schools

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

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

Designs (Amendment) Rules, 2014

The Designs (Amendment) Rules, 2014 has been published by the Government of India, Ministry of Commerce and Industry (Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion) by notification in Part-II, Section...

by Ministry of Commerce and Industry GOI | On 26 Apr 2016

Elderly in India

Population ageing has profound social, economic and political implications for a country. The increasing number of older persons put a strain on health care and social care systems in the country. O...

by Ministry of Statistics and Prog Implementation (MOSPI) | On 25 Apr 2016

Action vs Planning

Can the targets of achieving high economic growth be achieved without planning?

by T.N. Ninan | On 24 Apr 2016

Maritime Failures

India's trade infrastructure is in a bad shape. India's imports are very high than its exports. The government has promised some investments and policies in this sector.

by T.N. Ninan | On 16 Apr 2016

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

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

by | On 13 Apr 2016

Distortions in Land Markets and their Implications to Credit Generation in India

Land and buildings are a preferred collateral for lenders in India due to its ease of valuation and disposal in the event of default. Yet several distortions afflict Indian land markets that make thi...

by K.P. Krishnan | 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

Global Report on Diabetes

Diabetes is a serious, chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin (a hormone that regulates blood sugar, or glucose), or when the body cannot effectively use...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 07 Apr 2016

Adolescent Boys and Young Men

This study of Adolescent Boys and Young Men highlights the importance of engaging adolescent boys and young men in sexual and reproductive health and rights (srhr) and gender equality. not only is thi...

by United Nations Population Fund UNFPA | On 29 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

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

Review and Compendium of Environmental Policies and Laws in Bhutan

This review and compendium of our country’s environmental laws, policies, and regulations aims to enhance the accessibility to information by judges, lawyers, government officials, and stakeholders in...

by Antonia Gawel | On 18 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

Trade and Wage Inequality: A Specific Factor Model with Intermediate Goods

In this paper we have made an attempt to explain the observed rising inequality between unskilled and skilled wages, or, fall in relative wages of unskilled labour within a general equilibrium framewo...

by Alokesh Barua | On 16 Mar 2016

Budget Speech Andhra Pradesh 2016-17

Budget Speech of Yanamala Ramakrishnudu Minister of Finance.

by Yanamala Ramakrishnudu | 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

Diffusion of Bt Cotton in India: Impact of Seed Prices and Technological Development

Recent studies have analyzed the adoption of Bt cotton in the light of government seed price interventions. According to one view, reduction in seed prices enabled the farmers to buy seeds at lower pr...

by | On 15 Mar 2016

Investing in Natural Capital for a Sustainable Future in the Greater Mekong Subregion

The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) is poised to continue developing at a significant pace. The subregion is well placed to benefit from the emerging Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Com...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 15 Mar 2016

Improving Interchanges Introducing Best practices on Multimodal Interchange Hub Development in the People's Republic of China

This report discusses the experiences and commonly encountered issues when developing railway interchange hubs. It proposes basic design principles as well as research approaches. The report focuses o...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 15 Mar 2016

Implementation of the ASEAN +3 Multi - Currency Bond Issuance Framework

ABMI aims to develop efficient and liquid bond markets in Asia, which would enable better utilization of Asian savings for Asian investments. ABMI can also contribute to the mitigation of currency and...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 15 Mar 2016

Egypt, Israel and the West in the Wake of the Arab Spring

The Camp David Accords signed in 1979 by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin are often cited as a watershed event in the modern history of Israeli-Arab relations....

by Svante Cornell | On 14 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

Israel-Palestine: New Leadership Needed

With rumors of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations on the verge of restarting, a closer examination of the Israeli political situation and the intentions and calculations of teh current government shows...

by | On 14 Mar 2016

The End of Japan’s Nuclear Renaissance? Not Just Yet.

The 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that severally damaged the Fukushima nuclear plant have been described as ending the ‘nuclear renaissance’ in Japan. The government is in a hard pla...

by | On 14 Mar 2016

Japan’s ODA Still Going Strong

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

by | On 14 Mar 2016

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

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

US-WTO Shadow on India’s Solar Power Plans

With last week’s WTO ruling against India on a complaint by the US in early 2013 that India’s Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) for some solar power projects violating WTO prohibitions, it is incumbe...

by D Raghunandan | On 14 Mar 2016

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

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

by | On 12 Mar 2016

China and North Korea: A Relationship in Transition?

Military tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been escalating for several months now. The latest events with the missile launches and newly released reports on the abduction of Chinese fishermen by N...

by | On 12 Mar 2016

China and Vietnam: Managing Tensions in Troubled Waters

In spite of competing claims over the Spratly and Paracel Archipelagoes and maritime areas in the South China Sea, China and Vietnam have sought, with some degree of success, to manage their tensions...

by Ramses Amer | 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

The South China Sea: Challenge for ASEAN

ASEAN plays a proactive role in regard to dispute management in the South China Sea. In spite of this, it is argued here that the Association must overcome problems of internal cohesion to find a unif...

by Ramses Amer | 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

Biofuel Feedstock Cultivation in India: Implications for Food Security and Rural Livelihoods

Biofuels are acquiring importance due to their potential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The two most important biofuels – viz., bioethanol and bio-diesel, are largely considered supplementary t...

by K.S. Kavi Kumar | On 11 Mar 2016

Parent’s Choice Function for Ward’s School Continuation in Rural India: A Case Study in West Bengal

In this paper we present a choice function of a rural household about her/his ward?s schooling. It makes an empirical evaluation on the basis of simple theoretical framework using primary data set, su...

by Debdulal Thakur | On 11 Mar 2016

Efficiency in Education Sector: A Case of Rajasthan State (India)

In this paper, considering the district level variations in literacy and other pertinent socio-economic variables we explore whether efficiency in education in district level enrolments is merely a re...

by Brijesh C. Purohit | On 11 Mar 2016

Analyzing the Water Footprint of Indian Dairy Industry

Water footprint is a multidimensional indicator, showing water consumption volumes by source and by type of pollution; all components of a total water footprint are specified geographically and tempor...

by Zareena Begum Irfan | On 11 Mar 2016

Effect of Macroeconomic News Releases on Bond Yields in India China and Japan

This paper studies the effect of domestic macroeconomic news releases on the change in the bond yields of India, China and Japan. We apply event study method to observe whether the large set of new in...

by Sreejata Banerjee | On 10 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

Why South Korea Needs THAAD Missile Defense

South Korea, Japan, and the U.S. need a more effective anti-ballistic missile system to counter North Korea’s increased nuclear and missile threats. Yet Seoul has so far wavered in agreeing to the dep...

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

Myanmar’s Fragile Ceasefire

Resolving Myanmar’s protracted civil war is the country’s defining challenge. With declarations of support signed for a National Ceasefire Agreement, there is much optimism that Myanmar is finally on...

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

Creative Diplomacy and North Korea

This policy brief looks at how North Korea has figured as an issue on the sidelines of the recent APEC Summit in Beijing in the context of developments such as Pyongyang’s release of two American pris...

by | On 10 Mar 2016

Myanmar and the Case for UN Resolution 1325

From sexual violence to socio-economic hardships, women have borne a disproportionate share of the burden in Myanmar’s decades-long civil war. As the country undergoes a protracted peace process, more...

by | On 10 Mar 2016

Tariff Reduction and Income Distribution: A CGE-based Analysis for Urban and Rural Households in Pakistan

This paper intends to explore functional and households personal income distribution across four different income groups in both the urban and rural areas. Using Social Accounting framework, Siddiqui...

by A. R. Kemal | On 10 Mar 2016

Power Crisis in Pakistan: A Crisis in Governance?

The objective in this study is to examine the issues and constraints faced by the power sector in Pakistan. The paper will try to evaluate the reasons behind the current energy crisis despite present...

by Afia Malik | 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

Unraveling Firms: Demand, Productivity and Markups Heterogeneity

The paper develops a new econometric framework that simultaneously allows recovering heterogeneity in demand, TFP and markups across firms while leaving the correlation among the three unrestricted. W...

by Emanuele Forlani | 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

India’s Union Budget: Changing Scope and the Evolving Content

The paper reflects on the changing scope of the Union Budget and the Finance Minister’s speech and assesses the evolving content of these policy instruments in recent years. The analysis undertaken...

by | On 08 Mar 2016

Climate Change Negotiations: the Road from Bali to Poznan

The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali in December 2007 was a landmark meeting which culminated in the creation of the Bali Action Plan – a roadmap for a two-year process of formal negot...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 06 Mar 2016

Climate Change Negotiations: The Road to Copenhagen

The year 2009 marks a new era of change. One would immediately associate it with the Obama administration and its promises for change, such as the US policies in addressing climate change. A shift has...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 06 Mar 2016

Nuclear-Public Relations Management In Southeast Asia

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

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 06 Mar 2016

Fighting Corruption: A Test Case for Indonesia ... and Southeast Asia

Recent anti-corruption efforts by Indonesia have once again brought attention to the longstanding issue of corruption. Indonesia established the Corruption Eradication Commission or the KomisiPemberan...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 05 Mar 2016

Legislative Efforts, Institutional Challenges And Neglected Concerns On Women’s And Children’s Rights In Indonesia And The Philippines

This Alert is the second in a series investigating the situation of women’s and children’s protection concerns in ASEAN. It aims to examine the domestic efforts that Indonesia and the Philippines have...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 05 Mar 2016

The International AIDS Conference 2010

The International AIDS Conference 2010 was held in Vienna, Austria from 18 to 23 July to gather those working in the field of HIV such as policymakers, scientists and researchers, those living with HI...

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

Voluntary Compliance: Better Governance with Lesser Government

Analysed from various perspectives, the success of a recent experiment of regulating car traffic on the streets of India’s capital city of Delhi – in order to control air pollution – shows the possibl...

by Vinod Rai | On 04 Mar 2016

Transparency International Releases Its Corruption Perceptions Index 2010

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

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 03 Mar 2016

Advancing Protection Of Civilians Through The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission On Human Rights(AICHR)

In the first issue of this month’s NTS Alert, the importance of a robust human rights framework to complement international humanitarian law, and address its shortcomings in protecting civilians caugh...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 03 Mar 2016

Cancún and Climate Security: New Approaches, Mixed Results

As with previous annual meetings of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), outcomes of the recently concluded 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) have implications for...

by J. Ewing | On 03 Mar 2016

Asia¬Pacific Countries Agree on Framework to Address Irregular Migration

The Fourth Bali Regional Ministerial Conference on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crimes – otherwise known as the Bali Process – was held in Nusa Dua, Bali, on 29-3...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 03 Mar 2016

An Asia Prepared for the Monsoon Season?

Several Asian countries have experienced flooding in recent weeks. While the monsoon rains – amplified by the La Nina effect -have been taking place as expected from the second to the third quarter o...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 02 Mar 2016

ENGOs’ Bitter Pill: Adapting to Incremental Climate (Governance) Change

Environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs) have often been depicted as a section of civil society that is highly critical of the lack of political will in addressing environmental issues. Th...

by Sofiah Jamil | On 02 Mar 2016

Fights Over Land Rights in Indonesia

In recent weeks, Indonesia experienced a series of demonstrations over land rights in various parts of the country. While land rights controversies are not uncommon in Indonesia, the new wave of dis...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | 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

Government Health Financing in India: Challenges in Achieving Ambitious Goals

The Government of India has publicly committed to a doubling or trebling of government health spending by 2012 and launched a major program, the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), to help spend the...

by Peter Berman | On 01 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

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

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

by Ehtisham Ahmad | On 01 Mar 2016

Decentralization and Local Service Provision : What Do We Know?

What do we know about the results of decentralized service delivery? Verifying outcomes and results of decentralized policies is a very challenging exercise, given the large number of stakeholders inv...

by Ehtisham Ahmad | On 01 Mar 2016

Budget Speech of Madhya Pradesh 2016

Budget Speech of Finance Minister of Madhya Pradesh.

by Finance Minister of MP Govt of MP | On 01 Mar 2016

An Assessment of the International Legal Obligations Owed to the Rohingya Refugees

This paper considers the issue of migration of the Rohingyas from the lens of international law. It evaluates the responses of the countries that have been the destination of these migration flows – n...

by Ramandeep Kaur | 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

Vital Stats: Union Budget 2016-17

Trends regarding the central government’s sources of financing including tax revenue, disinvestments, and its revenue and capital expenditure, including subsidies. Estimates are presented in the 2016-...

by Mandira Kala | On 01 Mar 2016

Financing Social Policy in the Presence of Informality

We present a framework for the analysis of tax and benefit policy in countries with significant informality. Our framework allows us to jointly analyse the e!ects of various taxes and benefits on ince...

by Ehtisham Ahmad | On 01 Mar 2016

Should China Revisit the 1994 Fiscal Reforms?

The 1994 Fiscal Reforms in China were spectacularly successful in meeting the immediate challenges that the economy faced at that time—a sharply dropping tax/GDP ratio, and limited ability of the cent...

by Ehtisham Ahmad | On 01 Mar 2016

Will no One Plant a Tree in Indonesia? Yes, the Poor will, and on Islands not known for Their Forests: One Such is Timor

In this paper we explore an innovative approach to poverty reduction by the introduction of an agro-forestry variant of sustainable agricultural land technology among the rural farming population of a...

by Roger Montgomery | On 29 Feb 2016

Agricultural investments in Southeast Asia: Legal tools forpublic accountability

In Southeast Asia, the rise in agricultural investments takes place against the backdrop of a fast-evolving regional context. In this ‘Asian Century’, trade and investment flows are flourishing across...

by Shalmali Guttal | On 29 Feb 2016

India First Biennial Update Report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

The government recognizes the urgency and importance of the actions that need to be taken collectively to meet the ultimate objective of the Convention i.e. stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations i...

by Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Chang GOI | 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

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

Nuclear and safety: Can the Two Ever Meet?

In September, the Japanese government announced that it would phase out nuclear energy by 2040. Just one week later, it stepped back from specifying an explicit timeframe. The about-turn illustrates J...

by Lina Gong | On 27 Feb 2016

Justice for War Crimes: Retribution, or Reconciliation?

In February, when the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh sentenced two men for crimes committed during the independence war of 1971, deadly protests followed. The violence calls into questi...

by Lina Gong | On 27 Feb 2016

The World’s first ever Arms Trade Treaty: Implications for Southeast Asia

After seven years of negotiations, the UN finally approved the first ever Arms Trade Treaty by an overwhelming majority. The treaty covers a range of conventional arms, from battle tanks to combat a...

by Pau Hangzo | On 27 Feb 2016

In conversation with Ibrahim Gambari: The practice of peacemaking

On 18 June 2013, Dr J. Jackson Ewing sat down with Professor Ibrahim Gambari to discuss his views on resolving conflicts and building sustainable peace in the 21st century. Professor Gambari’s famil...

by Lina Gong | 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

Perspectives for Climate Diplomacy in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia is a region highly vulnerable to near and long-term climatic changes. In order to jointly address emerging climate risks and to complement multilateral negotiations through enhanced reg...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 27 Feb 2016

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

This year is the 20th anniversary of the release of the 1994 United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Human Development Report, which defined the concept of human security and brought it to int...

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

2015: A Year for Reflection

2015 is a critical year for global and regional institutions, and for the international community as a whole, as it represents a milestone in the big push for achieving global goals of peace, human se...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 27 Feb 2016

Progress of 10 Years Implementation of Hyogo Framework for Action for Disaster Risk Reduction in ASEAN

2015 marks the end of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) 10-year Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), an international disaster risk reduction plan that aimed to en...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 27 Feb 2016

Rohingya Muslims:Myanmar’s Forgotten People

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

by | On 26 Feb 2016

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

Workshop Report on “Energy and Non-Traditional Security”

From the Subregional Workshop on Energy Security and Non-Traditional Security Singapore 27 – 29 August 2008, Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel. The workshop on Energy and Non-Traditional Security (NTS)...

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

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

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

Post-Kyoto Protocol: Changing a Climate of Denial?

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

by | On 25 Feb 2016

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

Government Debt

The present Status Paper for 2015-16 is fifth in this series and reinforces the Government’s commitment to keep the level of public debt within sustainable limits and follow prudent debt management pr...

by Ministry of Finance GOI | On 25 Feb 2016

National Action Plan and Monitoring Framework for Prevention and Control of Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in India

In India, NCDs have surpassed communicable diseases as the most common causes of morbidity and premature mortality in the country. The indicators and targets are used to track progress of actions desi...

by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare H & FW | On 25 Feb 2016

Nongovernment Reforestation in the Philippines: Review, Analysis, and Ways Forward

The study reviewed and assessed nongovernment reforestation in the Philippines vis-a-vis government and total reforestation using primary and secondary data. The end purpose was to identify issues and...

by Danilo C. Israel | On 25 Feb 2016

The Use of MOOCs as a Potential Avenue to Modernize Learning in the Philippines

A framework is proposed for understanding the potential value-added of massive open online courses (MOOCs) along the lines of curation, credentialling, and cost. MOOCs are likely to appeal differently...

by Emmanuel S. de Dios | On 25 Feb 2016

Combed Cotton Yarn Exports of Pakistan to the US: A Dispute Settlement Case

On December 24, 1998 the Government of Pakistan (GOP) received a Call Notice from the US Government for consultation regarding the establishment of quantitative restraints on Pakistani exports of Comb...

by S. M. Hussain | On 25 Feb 2016

Trade Policy at the Cross-Roads

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

by Bill Carmichael | On 25 Feb 2016

Recent Trends in China’s Trade

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

by Alice Wang | On 24 Feb 2016

Lifting the Lid Off Xinjiang’s Insecurities

The recent riots and attacks in China’s western province of Xinjiang have brought to the forefront the long simmering tensions between the Han Chinese and Uyghur communities. What have often been capt...

by | On 24 Feb 2016

Ketsana and its Aftermath: Lessons on Social Resilience

Typhoon Ketsana in the Philippines has exposed both the weaknesses of government-led disaster preparations and the strengths of civil society in responding to the crisis. Clearly planning for disaster...

by | On 24 Feb 2016

Human Security: A Response to the Climate Security Debates

Debates about climate change as a threat to international peace have focused on conflict, civil unrest, and the consequences for states. Human security offers an alternative, people-centred approach t...

by Lorraine Elliot | On 24 Feb 2016

The US and Myanmar: Moving into a New Phase

At the recent United Nations general debate, US President Barack Obama outlined his vision for US foreign policy, making a clear break with the previous administration. The shift has significant impli...

by | On 24 Feb 2016

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

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

by Widjajanti Suharyo | On 24 Feb 2016

The Obama Doctrine and Southeast Asia

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

by Alistair Cook | On 24 Feb 2016

A Step Forward or a Step Backward?

The Accord adopted at the Copenhagen Climate Change summit has done little to advance global efforts on dealing with the impact of climate change. It does little to meet ASEAN expectations or ensure t...

by Lorraine Elliot | On 24 Feb 2016

Regional Cooperation towards Multilateral Arrangements on Agriculture, Labour, and Environment in the Context of Globalisation: The Case of Indonesia

This study looks at Indonesia’s commitments to multilateral trade agreements, and assesses policies adopted by the government to meet the criteria set by those agreements. Particularly, three sectors...

by Titik Anas | On 24 Feb 2016

A Critical Analysis of Purchasing of Health Services in the Philippines: A Case Study of PhilHealth

This study is a critical analysis of health services purchasing undertaken by Phil Health which implements the National Health Insurance Program of the Philippines. Purchasing is about how an institut...

by Oscar F. Picazo | On 24 Feb 2016

Operationalising Regimes and Recognising Actors: Responding to Crises in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia as a region has a unique history, and the evolving relationships between its communities, states, regional organisations and the international community reflect this. Given this context...

by Alistair Cook | On 24 Feb 2016

Why Inequality Matters in Poverty Reduction and Why the Middle Class Needs Policy Attention

While the Philippines has had a new economic growth trajectory in recent years, the country has had little progress in reducing poverty and in making growth more inclusive. In this paper, the authors...

by Jose Ramon G. Albert | On 24 Feb 2016

Gajah Securing the Future for the Elephants in India

Despite best efforts of the government, the society and the people at large, elephant conservation still remains an uphill task. This report makes a number of useful recommendations for institutionali...

by Ministry of Environment and Forests | On 24 Feb 2016

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

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

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

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

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

by World Bank | On 24 Feb 2016

Because the Personal is Political - A Documentation of the Work of the Special Cell for Women and Children 1984-1994

The documentation demonstrates the challenges waiting for the professional academic institutions to reach out beyond their walls to identify emerging issues and to develop new models of practice or st...

by Tata Institue of Social Sciences TISS | On 24 Feb 2016

Shades of Courage – Women & Indian Penal Code Section 498 A

This booklet is aimed at women's groups, activists, students, lawyers, police and all those who are concerned with the debate on violence against women. It provides empirical evidence gathered from po...

by Tata Institue of Social Sciences TISS | On 24 Feb 2016

Powering Growth: The Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Perspective on the Energy Security Policies in Singapore

The Singapore government treats energy security as a means towards achieving sustainable economic growth. It is on that note that the Economic Strategies Committee (ESC) and National Energy Policy (NE...

by | On 23 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

The Responsibility to Protect – A Way Forward

This Insight investigates the origins and evolution of international intervention from the foundation of the United Nations in 1945 up to and beyond the inclusion of the Responsibility to Protect in t...

by | On 23 Feb 2016

Pakistan’s Floods: How Not to be Caught Off Guard

The Pakistani government and the international community’s response to the recent floods has been heavily criticised for being woefully inadequate. While a national disaster management framework is in...

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

Arsenic Poisoning of Water in Bangladesh

Arsenic poisoning of water is a serious problem in Bangladesh. It has significantly negative physical and social impact. There is an urgent need for the government to take effective steps to salvage t...

by | On 23 Feb 2016

Post-Crisis Investment Performance Of ASEAN Countries: Impact Of FDI

The paper studies the post-Asian crisis investment performance of crisis affected countries in ASEAN. The empirical evidence clearly indicates that the ASEAN and East Asian countries are emerging from...

by Aekapol Chongvilaivan | On 23 Feb 2016

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

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

by Adele Poskitt | On 23 Feb 2016

Crafting Energy Security Cooperation in East Asia

Existing work on energy security tends to over-emphasise the prospect of competition and conflict over resources while under-exploring the promise of cooperation. This policy brief provides a framewor...

by | On 22 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

Differentiated Policies: Indonesia’s International Leadership and Internal Challenges

Indonesia’s position as a regional champion of democracy and human rights has become prominent in international forums since the resignation of President Suharto in 1998 and the subsequent period of i...

by Alistair D.B. Cook | 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

Asymmetry In Government Bond Returns

Is there asymmetry in the distribution of government bond returns in developed countries? Can asymmetries be predicted using financial and macroeconomic variables? To answer the first question, we pro...

by Ippei Fuijwara | On 21 Feb 2016

An Examination of the Least Developed Countries in the IPCC AR5 WGII

The Fifth Assessment Report of Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR5 WGII), on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, was released in March 2014. In providing the...

by Clare Stott | On 21 Feb 2016

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

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

by Xavier Giné | On 21 Feb 2016

A Lesson In Market Contestability: Calculating The Cost Of Chinese State Intervention In Iron Ore Price Negotiations

This article analyses the motivation and impact of the 2009 intervention of the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) in benchmark price negotiations. The impact of the transition from benchmark pri...

by Luke Hurst | On 21 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

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

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

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

by | On 20 Feb 2016

Myanmar: Learning from the Philippines’ Democratic Transition

In pursuing democratic reforms, Myanmar may take a leaf from the experience of the Philippines’ difficult transition from authoritarianism to democracy. But as demonstrated by the Philippine case, dem...

by | On 20 Feb 2016

Role of Experts in Policy Advice: Lessons of Experience

The policymaking in modern states is highly complex and requires a high degree of expertise and knowledge, which was not the case even 10, let alone 25 years ago. Partly in view of limited capacity in...

by Nurul Islam | On 20 Feb 2016

Remittances, Trade Liberalisation, and Poverty in Pakistan: The Role of Excluded Variables in Poverty Change Analysis

This study attempts to assess the impact of two shocks-trade liberalization and a deline in remittances from abroad-on poverty in Pakistan using a CGE framework.

by Rizwana Siddiqui | On 19 Feb 2016

Reducing Indonesia’s Health Risks: Filtering a Smoke-Free ASEAN?

Despite a tobacco control bill, the holding of a tobacco exposition in Jakarta this week 19-21 September thwarts the Indonesian government’s smoke-free initiatives. The expo has the effect of making t...

by | On 19 Feb 2016

Managing Cross-border Movements of People in Southeast Asia: Promoting Capacity and Response for Irregular Migration in Southeast Asia

This NTS Issues Brief outlines themes highlighted at the roundtable workshop on Managing Cross-Border Movements of People in Southeast Asia: Promoting Capacity and Response for Irregular Migration hel...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 19 Feb 2016

Fostering Resilience Through Community Based Innovation

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

by Mary Rowe | On 19 Feb 2016

A Comparative Study Of Mergers And Acquisitions By Privately- And State-Owned Enterprises

Governments have become much more welcoming towards foreign investors over the past several decades. The widespread use of screening, performance requirements, and outright restrictions on foreign own...

by Michael Gestrin | On 19 Feb 2016

City Prosperity Initiative

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

by | On 19 Feb 2016

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

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

by Xin Meng | On 19 Feb 2016

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

Civil Servants’ Salary Structure

The paper looks at the trends in nominal and real salaries of the Federal Government employees over the period 1990-2006. It examines the structural defects in the existing salary structure and the an...

by Faiz Bilquees | On 18 Feb 2016

The Federation Model Of Community Organizing

In the past two decades through a process called “Enumeration” through which the members collect at city level data about slums, Slum Dwellers International have created a mechanism which serves to cr...

by | On 18 Feb 2016

Reflections on an Inclusive and Equitable ASEAN Community in 2015

The ASEAN-Canada Research Partnership was launched in 2012 by the Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological U...

by S. Rajaratnam International Studies | On 17 Feb 2016

Nuclear Energy in Southeast Asia: Public Engagement before Policies

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

by | On 17 Feb 2016

Power, Violence, Citizenship and Agency: A Review of the Literature

This Working Paper comprises a literature review that was carried out to inform the formulation of a research project on power, violence, citizenship and agency, which addresses how social actors reac...

by | On 17 Feb 2016

Smart Content For Smart People : Best Practices of Sri Lankan e-Content and Applications of 2014

This book is a review of 49 white papers which were selected through e-Swabhimani 2014, Best e-Content and Application award of Sri Lanka. White papers are normally used in two main spheres, governm...

by org eldis. | On 17 Feb 2016

A Tale of Cities: Local Champions for Global Climate Action

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

by | On 16 Feb 2016

An ASEAN Nuclear Crisis Centre: Preparing for a Technological Disaster in Southeast Asia

As some Southeast Asian countries consider using nuclear energy, the region should now be preparing a regional nuclear emergency response, incorporating technological and nuclear emergencies into its...

by | On 16 Feb 2016

A New Series – Indonesia’s Haze and Disaster Governance Deficit

The current Southeast Asian haze problem is not a function of the lack of commitment on the part of President Jokowi’s government. The ineffectiveness of forest fire prevention and response lies deepe...

by | On 16 Feb 2016

Women, Peace and Security: Impact of UNSCR 1325 on Indo-Pacific

On the 15th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, how far have countries in the Indo-Pacific region come to implement its peace and security agenda?

by | On 16 Feb 2016

How countries Plan to Address Agricultural Adaptation and Mitigation

In its founding documents, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) seeks the stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to “ensure[s] that food production is not t...

by Meryl Richards | On 16 Feb 2016

Citizen-Led Accountability and Inclusivity in Pakistan

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

by | On 16 Feb 2016

Impact of Export Subsidies on Pakistan’s Exports

Throughout Pakistan’s history, policy has sought to promote exports through government support and incentives. The government machinery is geared to export promotion especially through direct and indi...

by Nadeem Ul Haque | On 16 Feb 2016

Entrepreneurship in Pakistan

In Pakistan innovation and risk taking is severely inhibited by the intrusive role of government in the marketplace. From the early days of planning when protection and subsidy policies determined win...

by Nadeem Ul Haque | On 16 Feb 2016

Health Care Services and Government Spending in Pakistan

The study has been carried out to measure the incidence of government spending on health in Pakistan at provincial, both rural and urban level; using the primary data of the Pakistan Social Standard L...

by Muhammad Akram | 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 Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: Looking Ahead to the Next Steps

Pressure has been building for the conclusion of the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. Getting the deal done is important, but the TPP is not just another free trade agreement (...

by Deborah Elms | On 16 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

Tax Expenditures in Bangladesh: An Introductory Analysis

This policy note attempts to introduce the concept and size of tax expenditures in the context of Bangladesh with special references to experiences of India and Pakistan. It shows that the amount of t...

by M. Golam Mortaza | On 15 Feb 2016

Monetary Policy and Capital Market Development in Bangladesh

Bangladesh Bank (BB) adjusted its monetary policy stance during 2005 in order to contain inflationary pressures and facilitate stability in the foreign exchange market. At the end of 2005, interest ra...

by Shubhasish Barua | On 15 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

Building Integrity to Ensure Effective Water Governance

As with any governance framework, participation, transparency and accountability form the guiding principles needed for ensuring policies and decisions on water are responsive to citizens. When these...

by Transparency International TI | On 14 Feb 2016

Public Provision of Education and Government Spending in Pakistan

The study has been carried out to measure the incidence of government spending on education in Pakistan at the provincial (both rural and urban) level, using the primary data of the Pakistan Social St...

by Muhammad Akram | On 14 Feb 2016

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

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

by Rizwana Siddiqui | On 14 Feb 2016

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

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

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

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

Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation into Ecosystem Management of Coastal and Marine Areas in South Asia

The Toolkit o#ers a step-by-step guide for integrating Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation into the coastal and marine ecosystem management that will be quite useful for the "eld pra...

by Sriyanie Miththapala | On 14 Feb 2016

Changing forms of violence: Struggles in non-marital intimate relationships: A study of the experiences of intervention at the Special Cells in Mumbai

Intimate partner relationships which are self-arranged, non-marital and non-cohabiting have rarely been a part of the violence against women (VAW) discourse. Such violence comes into the limelight esp...

by Anjali Dave | On 14 Feb 2016

Let Them Fly - A Multi-Agency Response to Child Marriages in Haryana

The Prohibition of Child Marriages Act (PCMA), 2006 came into effect on 1 November, 2007 replacing the Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929. PCMA is a social re-engineering mechanism which mandates St...

by Trupti Jhaveri Panchal | On 14 Feb 2016

Special Cell for Women and Children: The Spirit and Strategies to Meet the Challenges

The aim of the present endeavour is to highlight these commonalities in the nature of the work and individual functioning and thereby adhere to the team spirit and democratic principles of the Special...

by Tata Institue of Social Sciences TISS | On 14 Feb 2016

A Strategy of the Special Cell

The primary objective of this study is to understand if the strategy which was developed by and for the violated woman, is at all detrimental to her and her access to rights.

by Anjali Dave | On 14 Feb 2016

Dietary Diversity in the Everyday Lives of Children in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India

This paper investigates young people’s and their caregivers’ experiences of food insecurity, diet and eating practices in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It also provides original child-focused evidence...

by Elisabetta Aurino | On 13 Feb 2016

Social Networks in India: Caste, Tribe and Religious Variation

Using original data from a newly collected nationwide survey for 40,000 households in India, we examine variation in social capital in India across caste, tribe, and religion. Our primary measure uses...

by Reeve Vanneman | On 13 Feb 2016

Making Anti-Corruption Regulation Effective for the Private Sector

A comprehensive regulatory framework for the private sector is a prerequisite for a transparent, honest and just society: where regulation is weak, corruption risks grow strong. As the primary rule ma...

by Transparency International TI | On 12 Feb 2016

Global Corruption Barometer 2009

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

by Transparency International TI | On 12 Feb 2016

Regulating the Revolving Door

The increased interaction between business and government – as result of privatisations, lobbying and public contracting - has meant increased opportunities for corruption. Conflicts of interest, and...

by Transparency International TI | On 12 Feb 2016

The Anti-Corruption Catalyst: Realising the MDGs By 2015

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) build on previous international development promises and represent an unprecedented, comprehensive framework for combating poverty, reaching universal education...

by Transparency International TI | On 12 Feb 2016

Corruption and Public Procurement

Public procurement impacts people’s lives and accounts for a big share government budgets. The large monetary transactions involved make the risk of abuse high and the need for anti-corruption safegua...

by Transparency International TI | On 12 Feb 2016

Beyond Geography: Unlocking Human Potential

This Report focuses on the productive abilities of the regions, households and individuals. The report also reinforces the fact that there are inequalities between and within regions, as well as soci...

by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) | On 12 Feb 2016

Manufacturing for Growth Strategies for Driving Growth and Employment

In Davos 2012, business leaders reviewed the output of The Future of Manufacturing project, which asked How are global value chains evolving? The Manufacturing for Growth initiative asks What should b...

by | On 11 Feb 2016

Designing for Action: Principles of Effective Sustainability Measurement

This report from the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Measuring Sustainability calls for more robust and operational approaches to addressing the challenges of climate change. Called D...

by | On 11 Feb 2016

Jobs and Skills: Tackling the Global Unemployment Crisis – Preparing for Growth

It has been six years since the start of the global financial crisis and job creation remains weak in many G20 countries, preventing a significant decline in the often record-high levels of unemployme...

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

Towards Fiscal Consolidation and a Simplified Tax Structure?

The forthcoming union budget 2016-17 faces several fiscal challenges and it will be tough task for the government to provide positive signals to revive the private investment while pursuing the fiscal...

by Pratap Jena | On 11 Feb 2016

Fast-tracking Green Patent Applications: An Empirical Analysis

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

by | On 10 Feb 2016

China’s Changing Policy on UN Peacekeeping Operations

Beijing currently has a relatively active policy with regards to UN peacekeeping, especially when compared to its history or the commitment of other major powers. China’s active policy on UN peacekeep...

by | On 09 Feb 2016

The February 13 Agreement: A New Dawn for North Korea’s Denuclearization?

The aim of this paper is to analyze the February 13 Agreement’s implementation along with the prospects for the denuclearization of North Korea. The paper starts with an overview of North Korea’s comp...

by | On 09 Feb 2016

Changing Southeast Asia: The Role of China, the United States, Japan and ASEAN

Southeast Asia's international perspective has been changing sharply in the twenty-first century. A multipolar structure has emerged, in which China, the U.S. and Japan work together with ASEAN to mai...

by | On 09 Feb 2016

An Analysis of China's Concept of Sea Power

An emerging sea power is usually considered as a critical variable to international power politics. China’s growing sea power in the 21st century is such an example. It has become increasingly importa...

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

Life and Work in Jeedimetla: A Montage

The workers have to put up with poor housing and living conditions that cramp and disrupt their family lives. There is no government plan to house these workers when industrial areas like in Jeedimetl...

by Mithun Som | On 09 Feb 2016

Addressing Health Inequities through Community-led Advocacy in Bangalore: Experiences, Successes and Challenges

Like other cities, Bangalore suffers from fragmentation of government health services, with institutions and outreach services run by BBMP, the State Health Department, the State Medical Education d...

by Sudha Nagavarapu | On 09 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

Market Constitution Analysis

This paper outlines an integrative framework for the analysis of market constitution and explores its application to solar power technology markets. These markets are currently still in the making and...

by | On 08 Feb 2016

Representative versus Responsible Government

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

by | On 08 Feb 2016

An Index of Fiscal Democracy

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

by | On 08 Feb 2016

Competition Policy and Trade in the Global Economy: Towards an Integrated Approach

This leads the present paper to reflect on the need for additional coordination mechanisms to address the challenges of an increasingly globalized and networked economy. In recognition of the fundamen...

by | On 08 Feb 2016

Addressing Barriers to Digital Trade

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

by | On 08 Feb 2016

Statement 22: Recognition of Budget for Children in India

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

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

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

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

by Nancy H. Chau | On 07 Feb 2016

Daily Lives And Corruption: Public Opinion In South Asia

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

by Transparency International TI | On 06 Feb 2016

Tackling Forestry Corruption Risks In Asia Pacific

This report is based on research carried out in five Asia Pacific countries – China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. This document should serve as an instrument to help...

by Transparency International TI | On 06 Feb 2016

Building Integrity And Countering Corruption In Defence & Security

This is the second edition of the TI Defence and Security Programme's Handbook, Building Integrity and Reducing Corruption in Defence and Security: 20 Practical Reforms. This Handbook has a simple pur...

by Transparency International TI | On 06 Feb 2016

Looking Beyond 2015: A Role For Governance

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

by Transparency International TI | On 06 Feb 2016

Capital Inflows, Inflation and Exchange Rate Volatility: An Investigation for Linear and Nonlinear Causal Linkages

In this study, an investigation of the effects of capital inflows on domestic price level, monetary expansion and exchange rate volatility. To proceed with this, linear and nonlinear cointegration and...

by Abdul Rashid | On 06 Feb 2016

A Dynamic Macroeconometric Model of Pakistan’s Economy

In this study, an attempt has been made of develop a dynamic macroeconometric model of Pakistan’s economy to examine the behaviour of major macroeconomic variables such as output, consumption, investm...

by Muhammad Arshad Khan | On 06 Feb 2016

Urban Poverty in Nepal

This research report tracks various aspects of poverty in Nepal across geographical areas and evaluates the rise of squatter settlements. It also looks at various dimensions of poverty, resilience for...

by Shivit Bakrania | On 05 Feb 2016

Violence Against Women at the Workplace

Violence against women at the workplace is a major problem, though the statistical evidence is not well developed for many countries. This report aims at gaining a better insight into the extent to wh...

by Kea Tijdens | On 05 Feb 2016

Business Principles for Countering Bribery

The Business Principles for Countering Bribery provide a framework for companies to develop comprehensive anti-bribery programmes. Whilst many large companies have no-bribes policies all too few imple...

by Transparency International TI | On 05 Feb 2016

Bangladesh National Integrity System Assessment 2014

One of the key strategic areas of Transparency International Bangladesh's research has always been the institutions of democracy and specialized pillars of governance and accountability, which constit...

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

Do Yesterday’s Disciplines Fit Today’s Farm Trade?

This piece explores how trade and trade policies have evolved over the last decade and considers the possible implications for the multilateral trading system. Since the Doha Round was launched, the i...

by | On 05 Feb 2016

ASEAN Integrity Community: A Vision for Transparent and Accountable Integration

Each ASEAN member state has taken some steps to addressing corruption at the national level, such as ratifying the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), but much more is urgently neede...

by Transparency International TI | On 05 Feb 2016

People and Corruption: Africa Survey 2015 – Global Corruption Barometer

For the latest African edition of the Global Corruption Barometer, we partnered with the Afrobarometer, which spoke to 43,143 respondents across 28 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa between March 2014 a...

by Transparency International | On 03 Feb 2016

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

Assessment of the Bhutan Anti-Corruption Commission 2015

The assessment of Bhutan's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) represents the first time Transparency International has conducted an independent assessment of this sort. The tool will be applied to other...

by Transparency International | 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

Preliminary Study: Explaining the Ten-fold Increase in Remittances to Pakistan 2001-2012

This study is part of a broader study being undertaken by PIDE on remittances and their impact on the Pakistan economy including explaining its over ten-fold increase between 2001–2012 from around US$...

by Rashid Amjad | On 03 Feb 2016

Foreign Aid and the Fiscal Behaviour of Government of Pakistan

This study examines the effect of foreign aid on the fiscal behaviour of the Government of Pakistan. It applies the Autoregressive Distributed Lag model to analyse the relationship that prevailed betw...

by Rabia Butt | On 03 Feb 2016

Does the Rise of the Middle Class Lock in Good Government in the Developing World?

The current size of the income-secure middle class and its likely future growth, suggest that optimism is indeed warranted for many of today’s middle-income countries. But it is not warranted for all...

by Nancy Birdsall | On 03 Feb 2016

Food Security Post-2015: What Countries Need to Do So That Regional Collaboration Can Be Effective

Attempts to explain why ending hunger has been so hard, so here the focus is on four main themes: the complex role of markets, the importance of government policies, the historical process of structur...

by C. Peter Timmer | On 03 Feb 2016

Explaining the de facto Open-access of Public Property Commons

Public property common pool resources in many developing countries are manage them in a sustainable manner. While this explanation may have some merit, it is certainly inadequate. Instead, we argue th...

by Junaid Memon | On 03 Feb 2016

The EU And Asia In The United Nations Security Council

This contribution addresses the political and legal aspects of European and Asian membership and practice in the UNSC. First, it highlights the difficulties of the European Union (EU) becoming a fully...

by Jan Wouters | On 03 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

The Copts of Egypt: "State Discrimination and Exclusion"

This paper looks the factors which gave birth to a common Coptic identity in opposition to the state. Have the Copts been compelled to adopt this common identification to resist the state's policies t...

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 Role of NGOs In Conflict and Peace-Building

Non-government organisations (NGOs) have become increasingly involved in the international response to armed conflict, some aiming to mitigate the effects of war and others to help end the violence. B...

by Jonathan Goodhand | On 01 Feb 2016

Making it Safer to Cross Waterways in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has about 120,000 engineered rural waterway crossings (such as bridges) and another 250,000 non-engineered crossings built and maintained by communities. Because of a lack of financial and h...

by Granie Jayalath | On 01 Feb 2016

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

Developing Technologies for Sustainable Fisheries in Asia

Governments in Asia must prioritise technologies that improve fishery productivity to meet the growing local and international demand for fish. This increased productivity must be sustainable, however...

by The WorldFish Center TWC | On 01 Feb 2016

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

The Israeli Policy of Nuclear Ambiguity

The Israeli policy of nuclear ambiguity was developed in the 1960s, and is still followed by the Israeli government. This study seeks to uncover the origins of this policy and the domestic and externa...

by | 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

A Global Green New Deal for Sustainable Development

Seventy-six years ago, in the midst of the Great Depression, the United States government introduced the New Deal. The New Deal effectively harnessed the fiscal stimulus for environmental as well as d...

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

Reaching a Climate Deal in Copenhagen

There is a growing awareness that action is urgently needed to seriously address the climate change problem. The multilateral process that began with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate...

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

Climate Change and Technology Transfer: The Need for a Regional Perspective

The international negotiations on climate change actions, including mechanisms for the efficient and equitable transfer of technologies for mitigation and adaptation, are currently being deliberated u...

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

Governments Need to Push for More Energy Efficient End-Use Technologies

About 2.7 billion people do not have access to modern energy. Without it, they have little chance of achieving a decent living standard. Much more economic progress is needed to lift the living standa...

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

Policies for Industrial Learning in China and Mexico

In this paper a comparative analysis of the role of government policies in industrial learning and the development of capabilities of indigenous firms in Mexico and China in order to shed light on why...

by Kevin P. Gallagher | On 31 Jan 2016

Towards an ICT Enabled Farming Community

This paper presents a proposed use of virtual community for farmers in Sri Lanka by reviewing Information and communication technology perspective with reference to past and present political strategi...

by Devaka Punchihewa | On 31 Jan 2016

The Limited Promise of Agricultural Trade Liberalization

It has become an article of faith in international trade negotiations that farmers in developing countries have much to gain from agricultural trade liberalization. This paper assesses the evidence fo...

by Timothy A. Wise | On 31 Jan 2016

Sri Lanka and the 13th Amendment: Tamil Disenchantment

In order to understand the policies and programmes of the present Government, it is necessary to highlight the basic transformation that has taken place in the Island Republic. Chandrika Kumaratunga a...

by Suryanarayan V. | On 31 Jan 2016

Transparency, Monitoring & Surveillance: Policy Options for the Multilateral Trade System

Transparency is essential to the smooth functioning of a trade system. Improved transparency in agricultural policies and markets will allow trade to play a full role in achieving global food security...

by | On 30 Jan 2016

Parliamentary Oversight and Social Accountability

Parliamentary oversight is one of the cornerstones of democracy. John Stuart Mill asserted that the most appropriate tasks of a representative body are to : oversee and clarify the government actions,...

by BRAC University | 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

The Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index

The Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) is a new survey-based index designed to measure the empowerment, agency, and inclusion of women in the agricultural sector. The WEAI was initially d...

by Sabina Alkire | On 30 Jan 2016

Voice And Accountability In The Health Sector

The study was carried out in the Mbarali District of Tanzania. A qualitative study design was used. In-depth interviews and focus group discussion were conducted among members of the district health t...

by Health & Education Advice & Research Team HEART | On 30 Jan 2016

Geographical Indications at the WTO: An Unfinished Agenda

The aim of this paper is to provide a concise account of the ongoing WTO discussions on Geographical Indication (GI). Given that the issues presently under discussion have their origin in the Uruguay...

by Kasturi Das | On 30 Jan 2016

Does Governance Matter for Enhancing Trade? Empirical Evidence from Asia

The primary objective of this paper is to find whether or not the governance and institutions matter for enhancing Asia’s trade. In this study, we have performed a comprehensive empirical analysis of...

by Prabir De | On 30 Jan 2016

Technological Change and New Actors: Debate on Returns and Regulations

New technology in the seed sector has brought in new actors and new requirements for regulation. It is important to discuss how far India is working on new opportunities and policy options for effecti...

by Sachin Chaturvedi | 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

Poverty-Environment Nexus An Investigation of Linkage and Policy Implications

The present paper titled Poverty-Environment Nexus: An Investigation of Linkage and Policy Implications has been prepared under the CPD-UNDP collaboration programme on Pro-Poor Macroeconomic Policies...

by Centre for Policy Dialogue CPD | On 29 Jan 2016

Healing Wounds: How the International Centers of the CGIAR Help Rebuild Agriculture in Countries Affected by Conflicts and Natural Disasters

This study first reviews current thinking on the underlying causes of conflicts and disasters, identifying poverty as a major driver of both. Poverty breeds frustration, compelling the poor to turn to...

by Surendra Varma | 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

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

Post-2015 International Development Agenda in the Context of Interlocking Trade and Financing in the LDCs

The adoption of the ambitious post-2015 agenda centring on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the United Nations (UN) in New York in September marks an opportune moment to suggest development...

by | On 28 Jan 2016

A Legally Binding Agreement (LBA) - Growing Need for Air Pollution Reduction and Control in South Asia

With increasing urbanization and economic growth, air pollution is becoming an urgent concern in South Asian countries. The study upon which this paper is based has been conducted at SDPI, to look int...

by Mahmood Khwaja | On 28 Jan 2016

Global Regulatory Imperatives and Small Firms: Case of the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry

This paper enquires into the implications of the technological paradigm shift for small enterprises. Those who would not consider conforming to the regulatory framework (specifically enlisted under...

by Keshab Das | On 28 Jan 2016

Economic Rationale, Subsidy and Cost Sharing for Watershed Projects: Imperatives for Institutions and Market Development

This paper seeks to examine the experiences with respect to subsidies and cost-sharing in the light of the various watershed programmes supported by the state as well as donor agencies and other non-g...

by Amita Shah | 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

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

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

When the Hen Crows: Obstacles that Prevent Indigenous Women from Influencing Health-care Policies – A Case Study of Shillong, Meghalaya, India

Meghalaya is a landlocked and largely agrarian state in northeast India with an approximate population of three million. Various government surveys report that roughly half the state lives below the p...

by | On 26 Jan 2016

Does War Empower Women? Evidence from Timor Leste

Conflicts may change the material conditions and the incentives individuals face through death, displacement and other consequences of violence. Being a victim of a war can also profoundly change indi...

by | On 26 Jan 2016

Informal Work and Wellbeing in Urban South Asia: Who Succeeds, Who Fails and Under What Conditions?

Understanding and managing urbanisation in developing countries is one of the major global policy challenges for the first half of the 21st century. Rapidly growing towns and cities are increasingly r...

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

Covered or not Covered: That is The Question - Services Classification and Its Implications for Specific Commitments under the GATS

This paper attempts to make contribution by providing an overview of services classification and highlighting its relevance to both trade negotiations and WTO dispute settlement. It consists of four s...

by Ruosi Zhang | On 26 Jan 2016

Government Intervention and Prices of Medicines: Lessons from Tamil Nadu

This paper looks at the approach adopted by the government of Tamil Nadu where drug procurement and supply is done through an autonomous agency. The paper emphasises the need for such goverment interv...

by N. Lalitha | 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

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

Climate Change and Vulnerability in Bangladesh

It is predicted that climate change will aggravate the presence of sudden (e.g. cyclones, floods etc.) and chronic (e.g. drought, erosion) hazards to agrarian communities in Bangladesh. According to t...

by Md Maniruzzaman | On 23 Jan 2016

Climate and Development Outlook

This publication summarises CDKN’s partnership work with Bangladesh to date, highlighting key achievements and signposting further information. We are involved at many levels, by investing in policy-r...

by Climate and Development Outlook CDO | On 23 Jan 2016

From The Ground Up Changing The Conversation About Climate Change

The survey had two main aims – to provide a replicable baseline that could be measured over time and to inform the development of communication strategies in the future. The project has also developed...

by Stephan Faris | On 23 Jan 2016

Institutional Lending and Financing Policy for SMEs in Bangladesh

Over the last few years, the government has taken a number of initiatives in terms of financial, fiscal, and related policies; adopted strategies; and implemented actions for promoting SME-led economi...

by Naima Nazneen Rikta | On 23 Jan 2016

Inflation Accounting Across Income Groups: Does Inflation Hurt the Poor More in Bangladesh?

This note provides estimates of the contribution of food prices to inflation in Bangladesh. The results suggest that the current inflation takes a bigger toll on the poor because they spend more of th...

by M. Golam Mortaza | On 23 Jan 2016

Prospects and Challenges of Bond Market Development in Bangladesh

The thin bond market in Bangladesh faces manifold challenges emanating from several sources including excessive reliance on bank credit, government debt instruments dominated by primary auction based...

by Md. Akhtaruzzaman | On 23 Jan 2016

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

India and the BRICS Partnership

India and its partners – Brazil, China, Russia and South Africa – in the BRICS forum have launched the New Development Bank. With the leaders of these countries, who recently met at Ufa in Russia, dis...

by | On 23 Jan 2016

Child Marriage In South Asia

The briefing paper primarily focuses on violations of women’s and girls’ reproductive rights and right to be free from sexual violence arising from child marriage in six South Asian countries—Afghanis...

by Center for Reproductive Rights CRR | On 23 Jan 2016

Better Ask the Parrot

It may be time to look at the market forecasts that pundits had made earlier.

by T.N. Ninan | On 23 Jan 2016

Ensuring Access for the Climate Vulnerable in Bangladesh

Drawing on secondary literature and interviews and discussions with community members, local government officials, and various experts, the report proposes a mechanism through which LGIs could provide...

by International Centre for Climate Change and Develo ICCCAD | On 23 Jan 2016

Bilateral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) Opportunities and Challenges for Bangladesh - Framework Issues

In the backdrop of rise in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) in developing countries, particularly after the global financial and economic crisis, Bangladesh is still ambivalent in setting its strategies r...

by Khondaker Moazzem | On 23 Jan 2016

Loss & Damage Associated with Climate Change: The Legal and Institutional Context in Bangladesh

The study concludes that existing legal and policy frameworks provide a limited scope to assess and address both the current and potential future risk of loss and damage associated with the adverse im...

by Abdullah Faruque | On 23 Jan 2016

Impact of Climate Change on Least Developed Countries: Are The SDGs Possible?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will define the priorities of the UN’s development agendabeyond 2015. But the reality of climate change impacts will render these aspirational goals almost imp...

by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC | On 23 Jan 2016

Social Cost-Benefit Analysis of Delhi Metro

The growing demand for public transport in mega cities has serious effects on urban ecosystems, especially due to the increased atmospheric pollution and changes in land use patterns. An ecologically...

by Rashmi Singh | On 23 Jan 2016

Navigating the Global Financial Storm: Challenges for Bangladesh

The present global financial crisis shows that there is no substitute of prudent government intervention and careful regulation even when market determined incentive structures operate. The pursuit of...

by Bangladesh Bank | On 23 Jan 2016

PDS ‘To Go’? ‘Portability’ of Rights through Real-time Monitoring: the Centralised Online Real-time Electronic PDS in Chhattisgarh, India

Information and communications technology (ICT)-based reforms are increasingly being used to improve the delivery of public services. The main question which the research reported here addressed is th...

by Anuradha Joshi | On 23 Jan 2016

Understanding The Rising Powers' Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals

Rising powers such as Brazil, India and China have been criticised for being obstructive in the negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda. The start of the United Nations (UN) negotiations saw...

by Institute of Development Studies IDS | On 23 Jan 2016

Do Government Transfers Reduce Conflict?

Social conflicts have been solved through fiscal policy and the provision of public goods and services over the centuries. Data from India, too, show government expenditure on social services has had...

by Institute of Development Studies IDS | On 23 Jan 2016

Engaging Men for Effective Activism against Sexual and Gender-based Violence

To maximise the potential of working with men to ensure inclusion, and sustainability in the response to SGBV, the global programme on Effective Organised Activism against Gender-based Violence highli...

by Institute of Development Studies IDS | On 23 Jan 2016

Solutions when the Solution is the Problem: Arraying the Disarray in Development

The welfare of the poor turns in large measure not only on technocratic development “policies”, but the effective delivery of key public services, core elements of which require thousands of face-to-f...

by | On 22 Jan 2016

Community Based Women Empowerment Initiatives in India

Over the years, India has designed and implemented a number of targeted interventions for the poor including putting in place specific reservations for the disadvantaged to ensure equitable access to...

by Global IPE | On 22 Jan 2016

India's Intended Nationally Determined Contributions

This document outlines one component of India’s INDC submission to the UNFCCC focussing on the renewable energy contribution to its future electricity mix. So far, the Government of India has articula...

by Sudatta Ray | On 22 Jan 2016

Results of the Methodological Studies for Agricultural and Rural Statistics

This report summarizes outcomes of collaboration between ADB and implementing agencies of Bhutan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Philippines, and Viet Nam to address gaps in the production of a...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 22 Jan 2016

Fostering Synergy between Health and ICDS for Advancing Child Survival and Development

This case study was undertaken to understand and document the experiences of the Valsad district. The researchers spent two weeks in Valsad collecting data. Interviews were conducted with functionarie...

by Climate Modelling Forum CMF | On 22 Jan 2016

INDIA’S GHG Emissions Profile: Results of Five Climate Modelling Studies

The effort has been to ensure that these studies are fact-based and objective and are not seen as a “government study”. We believe that the debates and negotiations on climate change are best served b...

by Climate Modelling Forum CMF | On 22 Jan 2016

Access, Equity and Inclusion : Ethical Norms and S&T Policy Outcomes

In our research on science policy and inclusion and ethics in S&T policy we identified that in the Indian context Access, Equity and Inclusion (AEI) can be the norms to assess the policy outcomes and...

by Krishna Ravi Srinivas | On 21 Jan 2016

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

Balancing State and Community Participation in Development Partnership Projects: Emerging Evidence from Indian SDPs in Nepal

This paper evaluates the impact and potential of development programmes known as Small Development Projects (SDPs), introduced by India as part of its development cooperation portfolio in Nepal. Throu...

by Sachin Chaturvedi | On 21 Jan 2016

An Assessment of India's Innovation Policies

This paper presents a detailed overview of the innovation policy framework in India in order to assess its role in innovations and enterprise development in the Indian industry. This paper notes that...

by Biswajit Dhar | On 21 Jan 2016

Migration and Social Protection: A Concept Paper

This paper attempts to locate ‘migration’ within a social protection framework both theoretically and empirically. We add to the dominant theoretical discourse around social protection by introducing...

by | On 20 Jan 2016

Rural Sanitation Transformation in Himachal Pradesh

The relationship between poor sanitation, water borne disease, mortality and malnutrition is well documented. Statistics about the number of deaths due to diarrhea as well as stunting caused by malnut...

by Deepak Sanan | On 19 Jan 2016

United Nations E-Government Survey 2014

E-government—digital interactions between governments and people—varies greatly among and within regions, but most countries are making progress on providing greater access, according to the 2014 UN E...

by United Nations (UN) | On 19 Jan 2016

Designing Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Investments

The present document is designed to serve as a tool to guide programme planners who are aiming to apply these recommendations in the design of agricultural investments and programmes. The persistence...

by Anna Lartey | On 19 Jan 2016

“If we eat well, we can study” Dietary Diversity in the Everyday Lives of Children in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India

This paper investigates young people’s and their caregivers’ experiences of food insecurity, diet and eating practices in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It also provides original child-focused evidence...

by Elisabetta Aurino | On 19 Jan 2016

Delhi’s Traffic Nightmare: Lessons from Global Practices

Delhi's traffic management is based on a system designed long before motor vehicle ownership in the city had reached its current mammoth size. This system is immensely inadequate to respond to the gro...

by prashant kumar | On 19 Jan 2016

Human Trafficking in Southeast Asia: Results from a Pilot Project in Vietnam

Human trafficking is one of the most widely spread and fastest growing crimes in the world. However, despite the scope of the problem, the important human rights issues at stake and the professed inte...

by Ngan Dinh | On 19 Jan 2016

What’s civil about intergroup violence? Five inadequacies of communal and ethnic constructs of urban riots

There are five areas where the categories of ‘communal’ and ‘ethnic’ fall short: in their historical precision, in their scale, in their partial conceptualization of agency, in their ability to engage...

by | On 18 Jan 2016

The Utility of Mixed Methods in the Study of Violence

This paper examines how qualitative and quantitative research methods may best be integrated in the study of violence, providing and critiquing examples from previous work on different forms of violen...

by | On 18 Jan 2016

Implementation of Basel III Liquidity Risk Framework in India – Regulatory Perspective

The liquidity framework of Basel III assumes added significance for banks in India and many banks have been approaching us to comprehend the finer points of the liquidity regulations, as also with req...

by Reserve Bank of India RBI | 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

Broken Lives and Deserted Homes: Report on Exodus of Muslim Families from Atali

The following is a report based on PUDR’s repeated visits to Atali and its interactions with Muslim and Jat families over the last four months.

by PUDR Peoples Union for Democratic Rights | On 13 Jan 2016

Gender and Migration: Overview Report

This Overview Report on Gender and Migration takes a broad approach to migration – it looks at the gender dynamics of both international and the lesser-researched internal migration and the interconne...

by | 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

Trans-Pacific Partnership and India’s Emerging Challenges

The conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations has major implications for India, which is aspiring for a larger role in the regional architecture of the Asia-Pacific. India will ha...

by Amitendu Palit | On 10 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

Towards ‘Make in South Asia’ Theoretical Basis and Policy Responses for Evolving Regional Values Chains

The paper presents the theoretical canvass emphasising the need to adopt an integrated approach towards trade in goods, trade in services and investment in a regional framework. In this context, rules...

by Ram Upendra Das | On 09 Jan 2016

Trade and Environment Review 2006

The TER 2006 focuses on environmental and related health requirements and their impact on developing countries´ market access. It examines both the opportunities and challenges presented by these requ...

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

India-Myanmar Ties: New Hope, Old Despair

India’s current trade negotiations have three agreements as top priorities. Two of these the India ASEAN services agreement and the bilateral trade and investment agreement with the European Union (EU...

by Laldinkima Sailo | 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 Indian Bond Market

This paper tries to explain the main characteristics of the Indian government and corporate bond markets and what has contributed to the poor development of the latter. It goes on to show that an oppo...

by Chandrani Sarma | 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

Indian agricultural development in the context of economic reforms. Causes of change and issues for a future reform agenda.

This work examines the influence of reforms in the 1990s regarding the agricultural development in India. Many studies have analysed the impact of these reforms but most of them focused on foreign tra...

by Marion Künzler | On 08 Jan 2016

Double Bubble Trouble

Sustaining anything in the region of 7% growth should be good enough in a troubled and risk-laden world.

by T.N. Ninan | On 08 Jan 2016

Patterns and Politics of Migration in South Asia

Migration is an important social and historical reality in South Asia. In the past decade, migration from one country to another and internal migration (i.e. migration within a particular country) hav...

by Sanjay Barbora | On 08 Jan 2016

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

Food Insecurity, Conflict and Livelihood Threats in Nepal

This chapter examines the food security situation in Nepal and the impact of the recent armed conflict on the food security situation. It argues that food security is understood in different ways and...

by Bishnu Upreti | On 07 Jan 2016

Institutions for Asian Integration: Innovation and Reform

The formation of regional production networks in East Asia has occurred mainly through market forces, without much help from regional institutions in promoting the creation of a single Asian market. W...

by Masahiro Kawai | On 07 Jan 2016

A Report on Fluorosis mitigation in Dhar District (M.P.)

Vasudha Vikas Sansthan with the help of Peoples’ Science Institute, Dehra Doon undertook fluoride testing and fluorosis mitigation in Tirala, Dharampuri and Umarban bloks of Dhar district. The program...

by People's Science Institute PSI | On 07 Jan 2016

Collapsing ‘Government’, Emerging ‘Governances’

Contrary to widespread belief, the collapse of ‘government’ does not automatically entail the collapse of ‘governance’. In a setting of ‘unstable’ livelihoods, households’ coping strategies, coupled w...

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

Negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: Evaluation and Implications for East Asian Regionalism

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement seems to have reached a crossroads: it could either be a building block toward achieving economic integration in Asia and the Pacific, or trigger the form...

by Inkyo Cheong | On 07 Jan 2016

Banking Crises and 'Japanization': Origins and Implications

Japan’s “two lost decades” perhaps represent an extreme example of a weak recovery from a financial crisis, and are now referred to as “Japanization.” More recently, widespread stagnation in advanced...

by Masahiro Kawai | On 07 Jan 2016

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

Contracting out the Last-Mile of Service Delivery: Subsidized Food Distribution in Indonesia

The paper examines these issues by conducting a randomized field experiment in 572 Indonesian localities in which a procurement process was introduced that allowed citizens to bid to take over the imp...

by Abhijit Banerjee | On 07 Jan 2016

The Single Best Health Policy in the World: Tobacco Taxes

The single most cost-effective way to save lives in developing countries is in the hands of developing countries themselves: raising tobacco taxes.

by | On 06 Jan 2016

Results and Analysis of the Perception Survey: Unemployed Youth of Bhutan

This paper presents results and findings from a survey aimed at understanding perceptions among Bhutan’s unemployed youth. It also provides analysis of the results and concludes with an eight point pl...

by | On 06 Jan 2016

Locating the Survivor in the Indian Criminal Justice System: Decoding the Law

The publication “Locating the Survivor in the Indian Criminal Justice System: Decoding the Law” serves as a guide for survivors, young lawyers, and other key stakeholders in the criminal justice syste...

by Lawyers Collective | On 06 Jan 2016

Internal Migration, Poverty and Development in Asia

This article explores the relationship between internal migration and economic growth and development in Asia, concentrating on four countries: China, India, Vietnam and Indonesia. Levels of internal...

by | On 05 Jan 2016

Journey from Violence to Crime: A Study of Domestic Violence in the City of Mumbai

This section analyses the records maintained at the Special Cell, between 1990-1997, in the city of greater Mumbai. As per the procedural requirements at the Special Cell, women are supposed to sub...

by Anjali Dave | On 05 Jan 2016

The Nature of Violence Faced by Lesbian Women in India

This study examines the nature of violence faced by lesbians in Indian society. Although there has been substantial theoretical and practical work on violence against women in India, the manifestation...

by Bina Fernandez | On 05 Jan 2016

Ending Child Labour in Domestic Work and Protecting Young Workers from Abusive Working Conditions

Report on domestic work provides detailed information on current data regarding the estimated number of child domestic workers worldwide. It also explores the hazards and risks of this type of work, a...

by International Labour Organization [ILO] | On 04 Jan 2016

Labour Migration for Employment: A Status Report for Nepal

This report reflects efforts to capture the trends in labour migration from Nepal, identify the structural gaps and suggests ways to move forward for the Government and stakeholders. Although various...

by The Asia Foundation | On 02 Jan 2016

Survey on Good Local Governance

The Survey on Good Local Governance is a 38-item survey that aims to obtain a broader data to help set the agenda for local government reforms in the Philippines. It covers the following: citizen perc...

by The Asia Foundation | On 02 Jan 2016

Summary of Indonesia's Education Sector Assessment

The Indonesian school system is one of the largest and most diverse in the world, with more than 50 million students, 4 million teachers and more than 250,000 schools. Over the past 15 years, the gove...

by Norman LaRocque | On 01 Jan 2016

National Consultation Report: Post-2015 Development Agenda

The report summarizes recommendations from a national consultation on the post-2015 development framework and includes reports from a range of national convenors including the Government of India, tra...

by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) | On 01 Jan 2016

Indo-Nepal Trade Relation: The Phenomenon of Black Hole Effect

In the field of international trade, an economy is assumed to be reeling under the 'BLACK HOLE EFFECT' of another economy, if all the major variables of international trade, irrespective of in which c...

by | 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

Open Educational Resources: Enhancing Education Provision and Practice

Open educational resources made their appearance in early 2002 as a promising tool for enhancing the quality of and access to education and were perceived to have the potential to reduce costs by reus...

by Jouko Sarvi | On 01 Jan 2016

Public–Private Partnerships in Information and Communication Technology for Education

A study of how PPPs have been employed by ADB developing member countries in Asia and the Pacific identified seven initiatives that adopted the underlying principles of PPP in developing and deliverin...

by Jouko Sarvi | On 01 Jan 2016

Is Fiscal Decentralization Conflict Abating? Routine Violence and District Level Government in Java, Indonesia

Utilising a newly created data set we examine the relationship between routine/everyday violence and fiscal decentralization in 98 districts of the Indonesian island of Java. By examining possible rel...

by Mohammad Tadjoeddin | On 30 Dec 2015

Water and People: A National Perspective Mitti Aur Pani Mein Sona Hai

The failures of water management have been extensively studied and reviewed and the shortcomings are listed.

by Ravi Chopra | On 29 Dec 2015

Global Increase in Climate-Related Disasters

Intense climate-related natural disasters—floods, storms, as well as droughts and heat waves—have been on the rise worldwide. Is there an ominous link between the global increase of these hydrometeoro...

by Ramón López | On 29 Dec 2015

Securing the Peace: Guiding the International Community towards Women's Effective Participation throughout Peace Processes

The transition from war to peace opens a unique window of opportunity to address the root causes of conflict and transform institutions, structures and relationships within society. It is essential to...

by UN Women | On 29 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

Women 2000 and Beyond: The Role of Men and Boys in Achieving Gender Equality

Gender equality is not a women's issue; it concerns men and boys as well as women and girls. Garnering sufficient support for the profound social changes required by the gender equality agenda cannot...

by UN Women | On 29 Dec 2015

Public and Private Control and Contestation of Public Space amid Violent Conflict in Karachi

Few cities in South Asia have been affected by violence more than Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and economic centre. This working paper examines the impacts of the city’s declining security situati...

by Noman Ahmed | On 29 Dec 2015

Gender-based Violence and Child Protection among Syrian Refugees in Jordan, with a Focus on Early Marriage

This study was undertaken on behalf of the Child Protection and Gender-Based Violence sub-working groups in Jordan, established in February 2012 to coordinate prevention and response to child protecti...

by UN Women | On 28 Dec 2015

Advancing Gender Equality: Promising Practices: Case Studies from the Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund

This report presents lessons and results of specific relevance to shaping the post-2015 development framework derived from 20 Joint Programmes supported by the MDGF. These studies contain lessons to e...

by UN Women | On 28 Dec 2015

Realizing Women's Rights to Land and Other Productive Resources

Women’s access to, use of and control over land and other productive resources are essential to ensuring their right to equality and to an adequate standard of living. Throughout the world, gender ine...

by UN Women | On 28 Dec 2015

Afghanistan in 2014: A Survey of the Afghan People

This report puts out findings from The Asia Foundation's tenth survey in Afghanistan - the broadest public opinion poll in the country, surveying 9,271 Afghan citizens across all 34 provinces.

by Zach Warren | On 26 Dec 2015

Social Factors Affecting Women's Susceptibility to HIV in India

India is the global epicentre of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Asia. Previousresearch indicates that the majority of HIV-positive women in India were infected by their husbands, their only sexual partner,...

by Priya Lall | On 23 Dec 2015

India’s Military Diplomacy: Legacy of International Peacekeeping

India‘s expansive tradition of sending its troops in large numbers to international peacekeeping operations under the aegis of the United Nations has been rightly described as a paradox. The contradic...

by C Mohan | 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

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

Estimating Growth-Inflation Tradeoff Threshold in Bangladesh

The objective of this study is to explore the inflation-economic growth linkage, if any, in Bangladesh. With this view, various tables and charts, correlation matrices, pair-wise Granger Causality tes...

by Sayera Younus | 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

Endangering the Investment Climate

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require high levels of productive private and public sector investment, which in turn requires a suitable investment climate. This paper provide...

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

Tension in the Rolling Hills: Burmese Population and Border Trade in Mizoram

This paper first describes Mizoram’s Burmese population and its integration in Mizo society. It then examines border trade and its implications, with a particular focus on Aizawl’s central market, Bar...

by Julien Levesque | On 22 Dec 2015

Climate Change and India: A 4 X4 Assessment a Sectoral and Regional Analysis for 2030

This report is a step in this direction. In particular, the knowledge and understanding of impacts as deduced from the Global Circulation Models and Regional Climate Models are not adequate to assess...

by Government of India GOI | On 22 Dec 2015

Challenges to School Edupreneurs in the Existing Policy Environment: Case Study of Delhi and Gujarat

The Indian education ecosystem today consists of the government, private sector, and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) that have helped provide education to millions of children. The enactment of t...

by Meril Antony | On 21 Dec 2015

Teacher Incentives: Evidence from Schools in Delhi

The paper reports on existing incentive structures in a sample of government and private schools in Delhi and elicits teachers’ perspectives on factors which motivate them. It is found that performanc...

by | On 21 Dec 2015

Missed Opportunities in Global Health: Identifying New Strategies to Improve Mental Health in LMICs

Countries like South Africa and India are putting new mental health policies in place. There is now a clear agenda of “what to deliver” to make this deplorable reality better, and indeed a nascent adv...

by Victoria Menil | On 19 Dec 2015

Payment System Regulation for Improving Financial Inclusion

Drawing from existing domestic experiences and the first results of the international debate, this paper tries to identify some high-level recommendations on how the payments system should be regulate...

by Maria Malaguti | On 19 Dec 2015

Study of the Regulatory and Operational Structure of the Higher Education Sector in India

This project will study and document these barriers in a carefully chosen sample. Privately-managed higher education institutions have been chosen for the study. This will include a study of the three...

by Parth Shah | On 18 Dec 2015

Exchange Rate Reform in South Sudan

This paper considers the role of the exchange rate in the economy and its importance as a macroeconomic instrument, and outlines the policy choices that are available to governments in general, and th...

by Keith Jefferis | On 18 Dec 2015

Can Improved Cooking Stoves Work? The Nepal Chulo Experience

What motivates rural households to switch from older cooking methods to newer, more improved, ones? Improved cooking stoves (ICS) technology has demonstrated capacity to reduce health hazards from smo...

by Dipika Gawande | On 18 Dec 2015

National Legal Framework for IDPs in Sri Lanka: A Critical Analysis

This study places special attention on evaluating constitutional provisions that affect IDPs, on legislation pertaining to displacement, and the National Legal Framework for Relief, Rehabilitation, an...

by | On 18 Dec 2015

Swat A Critical Analysis

While the government continues to press for an unconditional surrender of arms and men as a precondition to a dialogue and settlement; the other side is also adamant on its demands including the withd...

by | On 18 Dec 2015

Meta-Study of Literature on Budget Private Schools in India

Budget Private Schools (BPS) are privately-run schools that charge very low fees, operating among the poorer sections of the society and have become relevant to the education discourse of India. This...

by Centre for Civil Society CCS | On 18 Dec 2015

Accountability for International Nutrition Commitment Initiatives

This paper draws on secondary data to map out a proliferating set of international nutrition commitment initiatives, and assesses how these employ accountability mechanisms to support the delivery of...

by Dolf J.H. te Lintelo | On 17 Dec 2015

Nepal: A Failing State or a State in Transition?

The modest intention of this paper is to question the above assertion that Nepal is a failing state. To this end, it shall firstly outline the broad definition of failing states. Secondly, it will off...

by Oliver Housden | On 17 Dec 2015

In a Weak State: Status and Reintegration of Children Associated with Armed forces and Armed Groups (CAAFAG) in Nepal

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed on 21 November 2006, made an unprecedented commitment to those children who had been involved in Nepal’s decade long civil war. It stipulated that those ...

by | On 17 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

Contemporary Naxal Movement in India: New Trends, State Responses and Recommendations

This paper makes an attempt to map the Maoist conflict in its present state of affairs and while describing its present manifestations, the past links have always been revisited. The paper also attemp...

by | On 17 Dec 2015

Sri Lanka: Rising Sectarian Schism

Sri Lanka, home to a plethora of ethnically diverse communities, saw horrific communal bloodshed in July 1983. Over three decades down the line, history seems to be repeating itself as hordes of Budd...

by Chaarvi Modi | On 17 Dec 2015

Hidden in Plain Sight: A Statistical Analysis of Violence against Children

The report sheds light on the prevalence of different forms of violence against children, with global figures and data from 190 countries. Where relevant, data are disaggregated by age and sex, to pro...

by United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF | On 17 Dec 2015

The Challenges of Climate Change: Children on the Front Line

The challenge of climate change is huge; it requires an urgent response from all generations. As the effects of climate change become more visible and extreme, they are likely to affect adversely the...

by United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF | On 17 Dec 2015

Rethinking India’s Climate Policy and the Global Negotiations

This essay examines India’s position in international negotiations on climate change and domestic mitigation actions, based on scientific evidence and equity. It is argued that India’s stance has larg...

by D Raghunandan | On 17 Dec 2015

Building Tax Capacity in Developing Countries

The agenda for the Third International Conference on Financing for Development suggests there will be less focus on aid, and more on how developing countries can generate their own financial resources...

by Mick Moore | On 16 Dec 2015

Engaging with Health Markets in Low and Middle-Income Countries

Many low and middle-income countries have pluralistic health systems with a variety of providers of health-related goods and services in terms of their level of training, their ownership (public or pr...

by Henry Lucas | On 16 Dec 2015

China's Fitful Economic Reforms

Back in 2004, when I ran the Chinadesk at the International Monetary Fund, my team some written questions to Beijing ahead of our meetings with Chinese officials. China’s central bank had claimed that...

by Eswar Prasad | On 16 Dec 2015

Enabling war and peace: Drugs, logs, gems, and wildlife in Thailand and Burma

In this policy paper, Vanda Felbab-Brown explores the relationship between conflict, peace dynamics, and drugs and other illicit economies in Thailand and Myanmar/Burma since the 1960s through...

by Vanda Felbab-Brown | On 16 Dec 2015

Merchants of Labor: Agents of the Evolving Migration Infrastructure

The special focus of this paper are the merchants of labour, the public and private agents who move workers over borders. The ILO Convention 97 (1949) recommended that migrants move over borders with...

by Philip Martin | On 15 Dec 2015

Global Increase in Climate - Related Disasters

Is there an ominous link between the global increase of the hydrometeorological and climatological events on the one side and anthropogenic climate change on the other? This paper considers three main...

by Vinod Thomas | On 15 Dec 2015

A Community Based Micro Hydro: A Promising Technology for Rural Development in Nepal

The study finds that micro hydro (MH) has significant impact on reduction in fuel wood consumption. Communities are more inclined to harvest fuel wood from government forest. These led to the promotio...

by Bishwa Koirala | On 15 Dec 2015

Does the Rise of Middle Class Lock in Good Government in the Developing World?

The current size of the income-secure middle class and its likely future growth, suggest that optimism is indeed warranted for many of today’s middle-income countries. But it is not warranted for all...

by Nancy Birdsall | On 14 Dec 2015

Peaceful Coexistence? The Role of Religious Schools and NGOs in the Growth of Female Secondary Schooling in Bangladesh

In this paper, documents a positive spillover effect of BRAC schools on female secondary enrollment in registered madrasas. Drawing upon school enrollment data aggregated at the region level, It first...

by Mohammad Niaz Asadullah | On 11 Dec 2015

Overview of Central Government Employees

The central government periodically constitutes a Pay Commission, to evaluate and recommend revisions of salaries and pensions, for its employees. Recently, the Seventh Central Pay Commission has mad...

by Vatsal Khullar | On 10 Dec 2015

National Strategy Day on India: Delivering Growth in the New Context

The World Economic Forum along with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) convened the National Strategy Day on India on 3rd and 4th of November to provide a platform to boost economic growth and...

by | On 09 Dec 2015

Budget for Children in Meghalaya 2015-16

Budgets are the most solid expression of a government’s priorities, performances, decisions and intentions both at the national as well as the level of the states. This budget for children (BfC) in Me...

by HAQ Centre for Child Rights HAQCRC | On 08 Dec 2015

Progress of the World’s Women 2008/2009: Who Answers to Women?

The “Progress of the World's Women 2008/2009: Who Answers to Women?” demonstrates that one of the most powerful constraints on realizing women's rights and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (...

by | On 07 Dec 2015

The Sun Gets Bigger

The government should encourage the use of solar energy.

by T.N. Ninan | On 04 Dec 2015

Regional Inequality and ‘Inclusive Growth’ in India under Globalization: Identification of Lagging States for Strategic Intervention

This paper analyses the trends and patterns of economic inequality across Indian states since the early 1990s. The inter-state inequality in per capita income and consumption expenditure show a clear...

by | On 04 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

Look to the Forests: How Performance Payments can Slow Climate Change

This report argues that what is urgently needed is a tested but far from fully exploited approach to funding forest conservation: pay-for-performance transfers, under which public (and private) funder...

by Nancy Birdsall | On 03 Dec 2015

Paris Climate Change Summit: Why it is Bound to Fail

Expectations are high for a good and fair new climate change agreement at the much anticipated on-going climate change summit in Paris. Such expectations are elusive if the negotiations fail to face...

by Raman Letchumanan | On 03 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

Global Increase in Climate-Related Disasters

Intense climate-related disasters—floods, storms, droughts, and heat waves—have been on the rise worldwide. At the same time and coupled with an increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atm...

by Vinod Thomas | On 30 Nov 2015

Narendra Modi’s Eighteen Months

What is the preogress report of Modi Government? Well, there are some good and bad reports. There are some good projects but the implementation part of it is slow.

by T.N. Ninan | On 28 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

The Human Cost of Weather Related Disasters

Over the last twenty years, the overwhelming majority (90%) of disasters have been caused by floods, storms, heatwaves and other weather-related events. In total, 6,457 weather-related disasters were...

by | On 25 Nov 2015

How Much is Enough?

Post-7th Pay Commission recommendations, the pay being offered now should not be a disincentive for public-spirited people with ability. Can the government afford this hike?

by T.N. Ninan | On 21 Nov 2015

Are Juveniles Really Responsible fo Making Delhi the Rape Capital?

Statistics have been the most important criteria for the Central Government in changing the juvenile justice law and introducing treatment of 16-18 year old juveniles committing such offences as adult...

by HAQ Centre for Child Rights HAQCRC | On 13 Nov 2015

Convergence of Social Security Schemes for Elimination of Child Labour

Child labour is a complex problem rooted in poverty, illiteracy and social inequality. The National Child Labour Policy has identified ‘focusing of general development programmes for benefiting child...

by Helen Sekar | On 10 Nov 2015

Now Focus on the Economy

What the government should is to concentrate on economic issues with diversionary issues being put back in the cupboard.

by T.N. Ninan | On 07 Nov 2015

Gender-Based Violence in Rural Uttar Pradesh, India: Prevalence and Association with Reproductive Health Behaviors

This study provides evidence of the association of violence on the reproductive health behavior of married women in rural India. The study explores the prevalence of different forms of domestic violen...

by | On 29 Oct 2015

Meta - Study of Literature on Budget Private Schools in India

Despite lack of infrastructure and facilities, studies over the past decade has shown that learning outcomes in these schools are equal to or better than those of far more resourcefu...

by Centre for Civil Society CCS | On 29 Oct 2015

Quality of Government and the Relationship between Natural Disasters and Child Poverty A Comparative Analysis

This paper explores the degree to which exposure to reoccurring natural disasters of various kinds explains seven dimensions of severe child poverty in 67 middle- and low-income countries. It also ana...

by Adel Daoud | On 28 Oct 2015

Mr Modi and Dr Singh

There must be a way of combining sensible policy, based on a certain worldview and an agenda, with a bias for action.

by T.N. Ninan | On 26 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

How Well Does the World Health Organization Definition of Domestic Violence Work for India?

Domestic violence (DV) is reported by 40% of married women in India and associated with substantial morbidity. An operational research definition is therefore needed to enhance understanding of DV epi...

by Seema Sahay | On 21 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

Gender Equality and Human Rights

The achievement of substantive equality is understood as having four dimensions: redressing disadvantage; countering stigma, prejudice, humiliation and violence; transforming social and institutional...

by | On 20 Oct 2015

Post Conflict Face of Poverty and Society: Understanding a Gandhian Initiative against Pauperization and Violence in Mushahari (Muzaffarpur, Bihar)

This is an analytical narrative about post-conflict dynamics of poverty in a block of villages in north Bihar known as ‘the Mushahari Project’. It is related with the socio-economic and political cons...

by Anand Kumar | On 20 Oct 2015

Child Labours in India

Even after a hundred years of child labour legislation and fifty years of independence, child labour is a common occurrence in India. Today, their numbers exceed those of any other country. The urgent...

by | On 19 Oct 2015

Slavery at Sea: The Continued Plight of Trafficked Migrants in Thailand's Fishing Industry

The report reveals new evidence of human trafficking and the use of violence in the Thai fishing industry and inaction on the part of the Government to identify and prosecute criminals, corrupt offici...

by Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) | 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

Report on Evaluation of the Impact of the Scheme for Mega Food Park of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries

This scheme was rolled-out in 2008-09 and at present is in its fourth phase. The objective includes a comparative analysis of the scheme with similar schemes of the government, an evaluation of select...

by Indian Council for Research on International Econo ICRIER | On 13 Oct 2015

Violence Against Women in Rural Bihar: A Case of Four Villages

This covers various kinds of violence in the private and public spheres faced by women in the four villages. It concludes with issues for further research and some policy suggestions.

by Shivani Satija | On 12 Oct 2015

Social and Economic Change in Rural Bihar and the Emerging Policy Framework

This document presents a summary of the initial findings from a research programme on inclusive growth in Bihar, carried out by the Institute for Human Development, New Delhi. The study aims to unde...

by | On 12 Oct 2015

Now for the Reality Play

What the government needs to do, perhaps, is to spell out an action agenda for the next four months, in the run-up to the 2016 Budget.

by T.N. Ninan | On 02 Oct 2015

Strategies for Tobacco Control in India: A Systematic Review

Tobacco control needs in India are large and complex. Evaluation of outcomes to date has been limited. The aim of this paper is to review the extent of tobacco control measures, and the outcomes of as...

by | On 30 Sep 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: Rank governments on their political commitment to tackling hunger and undernutrition; Measure what governments...

by Rajith Lakshman | On 30 Sep 2015

State, Ideas and Economic Reform in India

This paper argues that the state is an important institution for initiating economic reforms in India. Ideas held within the state are especially important. When the state reposed faith in a closed ec...

by | On 28 Sep 2015

Safe Cities and Gender Budgeting

Women in the communities make efforts to seek allocation under appropriate budget heads to identify streams of revenue, available revenue and the required expenditure. Town planners, policy makers and...

by Vibhuti Patel | On 28 Sep 2015

Cyber-Violence Against Women and Girls: A World-Wide Wake Up Call

The growing reach of the Internet, the rapid spread of mobile information and communications technologies (ICTs) and the wide diffusion of social media have presented new opportunities and enabled var...

by United Nations UN | On 28 Sep 2015

Report of the Fact Finding Mission to Rampal, Bangladesh

The objective of the mission was to evaluate the impact of the power plant on the livelihoods of the people and ecology of the region, examine the legal framework governing its and assess if the propo...

by South Asians for Human Rights SAHR | On 28 Sep 2015

The National Health Profile 2015

The National Health Profile 2015 prepared by the Central Bureau for Health Intelligence (CBHI) has revealed some disturbing facts about India’s healthcare sector. It shows the poor patient to bed rati...

by Central Bureau for Health Intelligence (CBHI) | On 25 Sep 2015

Disadvantage and Discrimination in Self-Employment: Caste Gaps in Earnings in Indian Small Businesses

Using the 2004-05 India Human Development Survey data, The paper aims to estimate and decompose the earnings of household businesses owned by historically marginalized social groups known as Scheduled...

by Ashwini Deshpande | On 24 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

Book Review: Beyond Partition: Gender, Violence, and Representation in Postcolonial India

Review of Beyond Partition: Gender, Violence, and Representation in Postcolonial India by Deepti Misri. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2014. 224 pp. Rs. 2,109/- (paper), ISBN 978-0-252-08039-5.

by Taveeshi Singh | On 21 Sep 2015

Reducing all Forms of Child Poverty: The Need for Comprehensive Measurement

Despite widespread investments in child poverty reduction, the way in which child poverty is measured presents a narrow and partial picture. Current practice is still biased towards measuring static a...

by | On 17 Sep 2015

Political and Economic Analysis of State Business Relations in Andhra Pradesh: Impact on the Performance of Manufacturing Sector

The central objective of this paper is to enquire into the politics of the government and business relation and how it affected the industrial development in Andhra Pradesh.

by Alivelu G | On 17 Sep 2015

Rights-based Legal Guarantee as Development Policy: The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

This paper analyses the legal framework and policy innovations undertaken towards achieving the stated objectives of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. This paper seeks to cri...

by | On 15 Sep 2015

Assessment of State Implementation of Business Reforms

This report – “Assessment of State Implementation of Business Reforms” is a scorecard to take stock of what reforms have happened, and to identify the way forward for States. The report highlights the...

by World Bank | On 15 Sep 2015

Strengthening Existing Systems for Prevention of Child Marriage: Investing in a Model with Potential to Affect Reduction in Child Marriage

Child marriage can be prevented and children protected by activating the mandated government structures. A two-pronged approach – working with specific community groups, as well as with representativ...

by HAQ Centre for Child Rights HAQCRC | On 14 Sep 2015

Report of the National Consultation on Prevention of Child Marriage

The purpose of the national consultation was to bring together initiatives from across the country to share experience and challenges. This report is the final draft of the discussions and a common ag...

by HAQ Centre for Child Rights HAQCRC | On 14 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

Structures of Violence: The Indian State in Jammu and Kashmir

Prepared over two years, this report is a part of the continuing work to understand and analyze the role of the Indian State in Jammu and Kashmir, an occupied territory internationally recognized as a...

by The International Peoples' Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Indian-Administered Ka | 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

Socio-Demographic Factors Associated with Domestic Violence in Urban Slums, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Domestic violence is identified as a public health problem. It is associated with adverse maternal health. This study examined the prevalence and determinants of domestic violence among women in urban...

by C.P. Prakasam | On 09 Sep 2015

Education For All Towards Quality with Equity

India has made significant progress towards the goal of Education for All during the past few years. Keeping in view the pace of progress achieved till 2000, several programmes have been formulated an...

by Ministry of Human Resource Development, GOI | On 08 Sep 2015

Pirates and Slaves: How Overfishing in Thailand Fuels Human Trafficking and the Plundering of Our Oceans

The report calls for overfishing, pirate fishing and modern-day slavery in the Thai fishing industry to be addressed as interconnected issues. It examines the complex and multi-faceted problems in Tha...

by Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) | On 08 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

Gender Gaps and Women’s Empowerment in India – Issues and Strategies

- Gender equality is considered a critical element in achieving social and institutional change that leads to sustainable development with equity and growth. Inequalities between men and women manifes...

by | 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

Indonesia: Concerted Efforts Needed to Find Solutions for Protracted IDPs

IDMC estimates that as of July 2015 at least 31,400 people are internally displaced as a result of conflict and violence in Indonesia. Nearly all are protracted internally displaced persons (IDPs) who...

by Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre | On 03 Sep 2015

Income Inequality, Poverty and Labor Migration in Thailand

This paper explores the dynamics of economic growth, poverty, inequality and migration in Thailand, and evaluates the relevance of Lewis model to Thailand’s long-term development. Thai economy seems t...

by Somchai Jitsuchon | On 03 Sep 2015

The Permanent People’s Tribunals and Indigenous People’s Struggles in Mexico: Between Coloniality and Epistemic Justice?

On 21 October 2011, hundreds of Mexican civil society organizations formally submitted a petition to the Lelio e Lisli Basso Foundation in Rome to justify the opening of a Mexican Chapter of the Perma...

by Rosalba Icaza | On 02 Sep 2015

Reconceptualising Smart Cities: A Reference Framework for India

This CSTEP study describes the UN’s four guidance principles and defines a Smart City Reference Framework that should provide the overarching principles and guidance to smart city programmes. The rep...

by | On 02 Sep 2015

Public Views Of Health System Issues In Four Asian Countries

To elicit the public’s views on health system issues, the study conducted an opinion poll survey in Bangladesh, Mongolia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The study focused on health inequalities. The results sh...

by Bhatia Mrigesh | On 01 Sep 2015

Needs vs Expediency - Poverty Reduction and Social Development in Post-Conflict Countries

Conflict depletes all forms of human and social capital, as well as supporting institutions. The scale of the human damage can overwhelm public action, as there are many competing priorities and resou...

by Tony Addison | On 01 Sep 2015

“Denied”: Failures in Accountability for Human Rights Violations by Security Force Personnel in Jammu and Kashmir

Indian security forces have been deployed in Jammu and Kashmir for decades, officially tasked with protecting civilians, upholding national security and combatting violence by armed groups. However, i...

by Amnesty International AI, | 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

Curbing Militancy: Regulating Pakistan's Madrassas

Thousands of madrassas in Pakistan remain completely unregulated by the government and their sources of funding unknown while many more thousands offer an education to their students with bleak employ...

by | On 25 Aug 2015

The New ‘MASVAW Men’: Strategies, Dynamics and Deepening Engagements. A Case Study of a Networked Approach to Challenging Patriarchy Across Institutions in Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh is ranked second among Indian states in ‘crimes against women’, which includes rape, abduction, dowry-related deaths, mental and physical torture and sexual harassment (Government of Utt...

by Jerker Edström | 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

Youth Employment in Developing Countries

This report tries to address youth employment challenges, and suggests measures that countries will need an integrated approach involving different levels of government and linking with overall develo...

by | On 20 Aug 2015

Introduction to "Governing Marriage Migrations: Perspectives from Mainland China and Taiwan"

Cross-border migration for the purpose of marriage is on the rise, and at present it constitutes one of the most common forms of long-term international mobility in East Asia. The articles included he...

by | On 20 Aug 2015

Don’t Target the Media

It is not correct to blame the media when effective communication suffer. The government will have to recheck its media policies and the distance it has to keep the media.

by T.N. Ninan | On 15 Aug 2015

National Policy for Children, 2013

To affirm the Government of India commitment to the rights based approach in addressing the continuing and emerging challenges in the situation of children, the government hereby adopts this resolutio...

by Government of India Ministry of Women and Child Development | On 13 Aug 2015

Public Debt Management in India and Related Issues

This study focuses on the marketable domestic public debt of the Government of India (GoI) in terms of size, magnitude, policy and approach followed and also discusses issues and challenges on debt m...

by Lakshmanan L | On 13 Aug 2015

The Socially Responsible Company as a Strategic Second-Order Observer: An Indian Case

The emergence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a global component of business-society relationships has triggered many controversial debates in which CSR is either advocated as a source of...

by Damien Krichewsky | On 07 Aug 2015

Social Sector and Economic Reforms (With Special Reference to Public Health)

Social Sector performs an effective function in human resource development and hence it is very important to study how the economic reforms are influencing social sector expenditures. Any economic re...

by Runa Paul | On 03 Aug 2015

Book Review: Starve and Immolate: The Politics of Human Weapons

Review of Starve and Immolate: The Politics of Human Weapons. New York: Columbia University Press, 2014. 512 pp. Rs. 3.775/- (Hardcover), ISBN 978-0-231-16340-8.

by Mark Bray | On 31 Jul 2015

Women Labor Force Participation and Domestic Violence: Evidence from India

Domestic violence is recognised as a serious violation of women’s basic rights. Conventional economic models of domestic violence suggest that higher participation by women in the labour force leads t...

by Sohini Paul | On 30 Jul 2015

Witches: Through Changing Contexts Women Remain the Target

This paper deals with the phenomenon of witch-hunting among indigenous peoples in peninsular India. It looks at this phenomenon in a number of different contexts: the struggle over domination in the s...

by Shivani Satija | On 29 Jul 2015

India Labour and Employment Report 2014

This report provides an overview of the labour market and employment outcomes that the Indian economy has delivered as it globalized. It concludes that structural changes are slow and difficult, and t...

by | On 29 Jul 2015

Forgotten Voices: The World of Urban Children in India

This report discusses how the major urban development schemes in India do not adequately take into account issues related to children’s health, education, growth, safety and participation. The rising...

by Save Children | On 28 Jul 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

Juvenile Justice in India: Policy and Implementation Dilemmas

The article tells us about what are the positive aspects of Juvenile Justice bill what it is lacking.

by Bharti Ali | On 23 Jul 2015

India: Trade in Healthcare Services

During the last two decades international trade in healthcare services has expanded under the GATS. Increasingly it has acquired new dimensions with application of advanced information and communicati...

by T.P. Bhat | On 23 Jul 2015

Girls’ and Women’s Right to Education

This document compiles the explicit references to girls’ and women’s right to education in national reports and is intended to serve as a practical tool for both advocacy and monitoring. The factsh...

by UNESCO UNESCO | On 22 Jul 2015

Public Economics and Sustainable Developments Policy

The domain of public economics is increasing as governments‘ policy goal is shifting from economic development to sustainable development. The government has to act as a trustee representing future ge...

by U. Sankar | On 22 Jul 2015

Banking on Non-solutions

Can state owned banks revive Indian economy? Let's see what the managerial solutions to revive banks show us.

by T.N. Ninan | On 18 Jul 2015

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

Nepal Earthquake 2015: Post Disaster Needs Assessment - Executive Summary

The Government of Nepal officially launched a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) to determine the impacts of the devastating earthquake on April 25, 2015 and a series of aftershocks since, includin...

by National planning commission Government of Nepal | On 07 Jul 2015

Health Care in Danger

This document is the third in a series of reports published by the ICRC on violent incidents affecting provision of and access to health care in situations of armed conflict and other emergencies; the...

by International Committee of The Red Cross | On 07 Jul 2015

Waste Pickers in Pune, India

Recent statistics show the majority of workers in developing countries earn their livelihoods in the informal sector. For this paper, a sample of 150 was randomly drawn from the membership database of...

by Poornima Chikarmane | On 06 Jul 2015

Wrong Target for Benign Neglect

The school education system needs a desperate overhaul. The human resource development minister in New Delhi be focusing on it too, in the middle of her other pressing concerns.

by T.N. Ninan | On 27 Jun 2015

Reprioritizing Government Spending on Health: Pushing an Elephant up the Stairs?

Countries vary widely with respect to the share of government spending on health, a metric that can serve as a proxy for the extent to which health is prioritized by governments. World Health Organiza...

by Ajay Tandon | On 25 Jun 2015

Intimate Partner Violence against Women during Pregnancy in Tripura: A Hospital Based Study

Intimate partner violence is increasing day by day and has become a matter of public health concern. Methods: To estimate the prevalence of intimate partner violence during pregnancy, to find out th...

by | On 25 Jun 2015

Relaxing Migration Constraints for Rural Households

There are an estimated 750 million internal migrants in the world, yet the effects of access to internal migration for rural households are not well understood. Internal migrants may provide wealth tr...

by Cynthia Kinnan | On 25 Jun 2015

The Hunger and Nutrition Commitment Index (HANCI 2012): Measuring the Political Commitment to Reduce Hunger and Undernutrition in Developing Countries

The Hunger and Nutrition Commitment Index (HANCI 2012) measure what governments achieve and where they fail in addressing hunger and undernutrition providing greater transparency and public accountabi...

by | On 23 Jun 2015

The Frenemy of the People

Politicians have continued taking people for granted and managed to stay above the law.

by T.N. Ninan | On 22 Jun 2015

Guidelines and Protocols: Medico-legal Care for Survivors/Victims of Sexual Violence

Sexual violence is a significant cause of physical and psychological harm and suffering for The health concerns of survivors/victims of sexual violence, and their right to health is an issue of import...

by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare H & FW | On 22 Jun 2015

Mining Without Consent: Chromite Mining in Manipur

The recent identification of chromite deposits in two districts of Manipur, Ukhrul and Chandel, has led the government to grant mining clearances disregarding constitutional provisions. While environm...

by Franky Varah | On 21 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

Inflation Targeting India: Select Issues

The adoption of inflation targeting in India has been a much debated topic which also becomes a challenge for the emerging economy. Though inflation targeting has already been adopted in many emerging...

by Charan Singh | On 18 Jun 2015

Global Peace Index 2015

The 2015 Global Peace Index shows that the world is becoming increasingly divided with some countries enjoying unprecedented levels of peace and prosperity while others spiral further into violence an...

by | On 17 Jun 2015

Medium-Term Budgetary Framework (MTBF) of Bangladesh Cabinet Division 2011-12

Statement aims to establish good governance by coordinating activities of different ministries & divisions and supervising activities of field administration in pursuing government policy and strategy...

by Ministry of Finance Bangladesh | On 17 Jun 2015

Medium-Term Budgetary Framework (MTBF) of Prime Minister’s Office 2011-12

The statement aims to build a knowledge-based and digital Bangladesh and to advance the socio-economic conditions of all sections of the nation, through the establishment of good governance in the all...

by Ministry of Finance Bangladesh | On 17 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

Maldives: The Case for a Resolution at the 29th Session of the UN Human Rights Council

As the UN Human Rights Council holds its 29th session from 15th June 2015 to 3 July 2015, it ought to adopt a resolution on the deplorable human rights situation in Maldives as a consequence of the si...

by Asian Centre for Human Rights ACHR | On 15 Jun 2015

Religion: A Tool for Discrimination in South Asia?

The challenge of independence for South Asia was to weld diverse communities into composite nation states that recognised pluralism, respected human rights and guaranteed freedom and equality for all....

by South Asians for Human Rights SAHR | On 15 Jun 2015

Policy Note 2014–2015 on Agriculture Department of Tamil Nadu Government

Agriculture sector covers largest segment of livelihood and plays a significant role in the overall socioeconomic fabric of the nation.Tamil Nadu, through the Second Green Revolution, has initiated ma...

by | On 12 Jun 2015

Policy Note 2014–2015 on Labour and Employment Department of Tamil Nadu Government

The labour policy of the Government seeks the overall growth and development of the industry and the individual worker who equally contributes to the success of the industry. Labour management relatio...

by | On 12 Jun 2015

Policy Note 2014–2015 on Industries Department of Tamil Nadu Government

This policy note emphasis on the growth and development of industries. The note aims to give an impetus to industrial development and to create an Industry - friendly environment to enable the State t...

by | On 12 Jun 2015

Bangladesh Budget 2010-11: Budget Speech

Budgetary speech presents an outline of the the Budget Implementation Progress report for FY 2010-11. The speech discuss briefly budget framework of bangladesh government and also analyse macroeconomi...

by Ministry of Finance Bangladesh | On 12 Jun 2015

Policy Note 2014–2015 on Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department of Tamil Nadu Government

The prime objective of this Government is accelerated growth and sustainable development of Adi Dravidar and Tribal population in Tamil Nadu. It also aims to ensure socio-economic and educational deve...

by | On 10 Jun 2015

Gujarat Ecology Commission Annual Report 2013-14

This report of Gujarat Ecology Commission (GEC) provides information and other inputs which are needed to develop policy and provide the right approach for ecological conservation and sustainable deve...

by Gujarat Ecology Commission Government of Gujarat | 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

Universal Food Security Program and Nutritional Intake: Evidence from the Hunger Prone KBK Districts in Odisha

This article provides evidence on the role of consumer food subsidies in improving nutritional intake and diet quality by evaluating the expansion of the government food assistance program coverage i...

by Andaleeb Rahman | On 05 Jun 2015

Renewable Energy: Market and Policy Environment in India

India's significant economic growth over the last decade has led to an inexorable rise in energy demand. Currently, India faces a challenging energy shortage. To grow at 9 per cent over the next 20 ye...

by Vivan Sharan | On 05 Jun 2015

Nepal's Continuing Quest for Federalism and Peace

Nepal is currently experiencing perhaps one of the most turbulent phases in its contemporary political history. In 2008, the 240-year-old institution of monarchy—for long seen as a symbol of unity, in...

by Akanshya Shah | On 05 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

E-Waste in India

Like hazardous waste, the problem of e-waste has become an immediate and long term concern as its unregulated accumulation and recycling can lead to major environmental problems endangering human heal...

by Rajya Sabha | On 04 Jun 2015

Performance Audit of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

This report of comptroller and auditor general of India containing the results of performance audit of the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) hig...

by Ministry of Rural Development GOI | On 02 Jun 2015

Land Markets, Government Interventions, and Housing Affordability

Urban population growth and economic growth require cities to expand into the agricultural land on their periphery. How much land is required for this extension? How much planning and direct intervent...

by Alain Bertaud | On 01 Jun 2015

Socio-Economic Problems of Transgender in Workplace

Transgender is also a part of the society and they have equal right to everything in the world that is available to all other persons. The presence of such transgender is not new, but their presence...

by | On 28 May 2015

Report of the Sixty-Seventh World Health Assembly on Global Vaccine Action Plan

In May 2012, the Sixty-fifth World Health Assembly endorsed the global vaccine action plan in resolution and requested the Director-General to monitor progress and report annually, through the Executi...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 27 May 2015

Internal Displacement in Myanmar: Stakeholder Report by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) to the Universal Periodic Review Mechanism

This report draws on IDMC’s report on internal displacement in Myanmar published in July 2014 and also uses information collected since then. It is based on documents published by international organi...

by Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre | On 27 May 2015

Report of the Working Group on Labour Laws and other Regulations for the Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-17)

The Working Group aims to deliberate on the existing labour laws and the need for review of these laws in order to protect the interest of workers more effectively while at the same time promoting gro...

by Ministry of Labour and Employment GoI | On 26 May 2015

Report of Sub Group-V on International Cooperation and Law

The present report is an attempt to focus on how our national policies and programmes can be better appreciated and reflected in the country’s obligations and commitments to the various international...

by Planning Commission | On 25 May 2015

Report of the Sixty-Seventh World Health Assembly on Framework of Engagement with Non-State Actors

At its 134th session, in the provisional agenda the Executive Board have requested the Director-General to develop a framework of engagement with non-State actors and separate policies on the engageme...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 25 May 2015

The Working Group on Health Research for XII Plan

Health research is the key to a well functioning and effective health sector in the country. The focus of the report is to identify major issues, areas for policy research in health sector for 12th Fi...

by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare H & FW | On 22 May 2015

GST Reforms and Intergovernmental Considerations in India

This paper reviews the replacement of the state sales taxes by the Value Added Tax in 2005 marked a significant step forward in the reform of domestic trade taxes in India. Implemented under the leade...

by | On 19 May 2015

State of Indian Farmers: A Report

The present study is based on primary survey across 18 states of India by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), Delhi conducted between December 2013 and January 2014. The survey wa...

by | On 18 May 2015

Globalisation and Child Labour: Evidence from India

Child labour is a complex problem basically rooted in poverty. The Government of India has formulated policies since the economic reforms of the early 1990s. Children under fourteen comprise 3.6 per c...

by Mita Bhattacharya | On 14 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

Twenty Second Report on Action Taken on the Recommendations on ‘Small and Mini Hydel Projects

This report of the Standing Committee on Energy deals with the action taken by the Government on the Observations/Recommendations contained in their Sixteenth Report (Fifteenth Lok Sabha) on ‘Small an...

by Lok Sabha Secretariat | On 13 May 2015

Indian Youth: Ignored Constituency Report on the Renewal of Youth Agenda in India

This report look at various youth issues and then suggest changes that can be targeted at redressing the same. There is an opportunity in which hard hitting reforms can be instituted to strengthen you...

by | On 12 May 2015

Odisha State Youth Policy: Framework-2013

The Odisha State Youth Policy 2013 aims to give a strategic direction and make timely interventions to enable the youth to get the best out of the changing scenario in the state and the country due to...

by Environmental Management & Policy Research Institute | On 12 May 2015

Draft State Sports Policy-2010

In order to achieve excellence in sports, government of Assam aims to adaopt a uniform policy so that sports activities in the state are spread over the year. Assam sports policy aims to provide sport...

by Government of Assam | On 12 May 2015

Growth of Indian Agriculture: A District Level Study

The purpose of the study is to extend the period of analysis of the impact of new seed fertiliser technology from 1990-93 to 2003-06. A special significance to economic reforms in India in 1991 is giv...

by Gurmail Singh | On 12 May 2015

Inter Linking of Rivers: Action taken in the Eleventh Report (14th Lok Sabha) of the Standing Committee on Water Resources

This Report of the Standing Committee on Water Resources deals with the action taken by the Government on the recommendations / observations contained in their Eleventh Report on Water Resources (2008...

by Lok Sabha Secretariat | On 11 May 2015

Water pollution in India: Eighth report of the (Sixteenth Lok Sabha) Public Accounts Committee (2014-15)

Public Accounts Committee (2014-15) present this Eighth report (Sixteenth Lok Sabha) on water pollution in India based on C&AG Report No. 21 of 2011-12, Union Government for the year ended March 2012...

by Lok Sabha Secretariat | On 11 May 2015

Fifth Report on National Auto Fuel Policy

The Policy aims to holistically address the issues of vehicular emissions, vehicular technologies and auto fuel quality in a cost efficient manner, while ensuring the security of fuel supply.

by Lok Sabha Secretariat | On 07 May 2015

Twenty-sixth Report on Review of Representation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Senior Positions of Government of India

This Report of the Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes deals with the action taken by the Government on the recommendations contained in their Twenty-sixth Report (Fifte...

by Lok Sabha Secretariat | On 05 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

Southern Thailand: From Conflict to Negotiations?

It has been a decade since the outbreak of one of Asia’s most serious insurgencies, the conflict between Malay Muslims and the Thai state in Southern Thailand. Often ignored and unremarked upon by the...

by Duncan McCargo | On 30 Apr 2015

Thailand: The Evolving Conflict in the South

After a decade of separatist violence in Thailand’s Malay/Muslim-majority southern provinces, insurgent capabilities are outpacing state counter-measures that are mired in complacency and political co...

by International Crisis Group | On 30 Apr 2015

MGNREGA Sameeksha: An Anthology of Research Studies on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (2005) Act 2006–2012

This report by Ministry of Rural Development is an analytical anthology of all major research studies done on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act (MGNREGA) that were published in various acad...

by | 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

MGNREGA and Empowerment of Women in Rural Areas by Parliamentary Committee on Empowerment of Women (2011-12), Fourteenth Report

The primary objective of the Act is augmenting wage employment. In this regard, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 provides for the enhancement of livelihood security of the...

by Committee on Empowerment of Women GOI | On 28 Apr 2015

Report of the Expert Group to Recommend the Detailed Methodology for Identification of Families Living Below Poverty Line in the Urban Areas

The paper focuses on the objective of putting in place a uniform criteria to identify the BPL households in urban areas so that objectivity and transparency is ensured in delivery of benefits to the t...

by Planning Commission | On 27 Apr 2015

Guide on Right to Information Act, 2005

The present guide is an updated and consolidated guide for the use of all stakeholders. This guide contains five parts. Part I of the guide discusses some aspects of the Act which all the stake-holder...

by Government of India GOI | 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

Network Neutrality: A Thematic Analysis of Policy Perspectives Across the Globe

This policy review looks at four types of Internet traffic management policies across the globe: legal regulation, transparency, non-neutrality, and government control. Each of these has been employed...

by Christine Stover | On 16 Apr 2015

Their lives on the line: Women rights defenders under attack in Afghanistan

Based on interviews with more than 50 rights defenders and their families, the 71-page document titled, "Their lives on the line: Women rights defenders under attack in Afghanistan," illustrates the r...

by Amnesty International AI, | On 14 Apr 2015

Regulatory Framework for Over-the-top (OTT) services

The objective of this Consultation Paper (CP) is to analyse the implications of the growth of OTTs and consider whether or not changes are required in the current regulatory framework. To understand...

by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) | On 13 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

Women, Violence and Conflict in Pakistan

This report presents an overview of both legal frameworks that have institutionalised discrimination and fuelled religious intolerance and violence against women and a dysfunctional criminal justice s...

by International Crisis Group | 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

Myanmar: Cross-Cutting Governance Challenges

The paper assesses the current status of governance institutions in Myanmar, as well as their performance, in comparison to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and selected other countr...

by Cullen Hendrix | On 02 Apr 2015

Women’s Autonomy and Experience of Physical Violence Within Marriage in Rural India: Evidence From a Prospective Study

Evidence regarding the relationship between married women’s autonomy and risk of marital violence remains mixed. Moreover, studies examining the contribution of specific aspects of women’s autonomy in...

by | On 26 Mar 2015

IMI Konnect Volume 4 Issue 2 - February 2015

The February 2015 issue of IMI Konnect (Volume 4, Issue 2) has the following articles - Reinventing India as an Innovation Nation? by Raghunath Anand Mashelkar; Understanding the Underpricing of IPOs...

by IMI Konnect | On 25 Mar 2015

Budget for Children in India 2008-09 to 2013-14: A Summary

Budget for children is not a separate budget. It is merely an attempt to disaggregate from the overall allocations made, those made specifically for programmes that benefit children. This enables us t...

by HAQ Centre for Child Rights HAQCRC | On 24 Mar 2015

On Government-Industry Nexus and Indigenous Armed Resistance

This paper proposes a simple game-theoretic framework for analyzing the relationship between the government, industry and indigenous community, especially in the context of mounting violence surroundi...

by Soumyanetra Munshi | On 23 Mar 2015

Structural Changes in India’s Foreign Trade

This working paper reflects Indis's domestic production on exports and imports. The paper also highlights upon India’s two policy instruments, namely price controls and reserving market segment for sm...

by | On 18 Mar 2015

Make in India: Re-chanting the Mantra with a Difference

The paper attempts to trace the origin and idea of Make in India through time and identifies what needs to be done to turn the Make in India mantra into a reality. Free market is the engine of growth...

by Satish Y Deodhar | 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

WHO Multi-country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence against Women

Violence against women by an intimate partner is a major contributor to the ill-health of women. This study analyses data from 10 countries and sheds new light on the prevalence of violence against wo...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 11 Mar 2015

Are Schools Safe and Equal Places for Girls and Boys in Asia?

Research findings point to the need for focusing on gender equality in education and the need for a multi-level approach addressing barriers at the individual, community, school and policy levels if...

by | On 11 Mar 2015

An Agenda for the New Government: Policy Options for India in Maldives

According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs’ (MEA) brief on ‘India-Maldives Relations’: “India and Maldives share ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious and commercial links steeped in antiq...

by | On 10 Mar 2015

The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabitation and Resettlement Act, 2013

The Act aims to ensure a humane, participative, informed and transparent process for Land acquisition, industrialisation, development of essential infrastructural facilities and urbanisation with leas...

by | On 09 Mar 2015

Health Sector Response to Gender-based Violence

Several UNFPA country offices in Asia and the Pacific have ongoing efforts designed to strengthen the capacities of health sectors to respond efficaciously to gender-based violence (GBV). While these...

by United Nations Population Fund UNFPA | On 04 Mar 2015

India's Union Budget: Changing Scope and the Evolving Content

The paper reflects on the changing scope of the Union Budget and the Finance Minister’s speech and assesses the evolving content of these policy instruments in recent years. The analysis undertaken is...

by | On 27 Feb 2015

Citizens Charter on Drinking Water and Sanitation before Union Budget

Ahead of the Union Budget, Civil Society Organizations ask for policy strategies to support drinking water and sanitation for vulnerable sections. Civil society budget groups, collectively as a networ...

by Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability | On 26 Feb 2015

The Land Acquisition Ordinance

The ruling government’s Land Acquisition Ordinance is viewed with suspicion by most politically active groups, as well as the industry. Consent, compensation, relief and rehabilitation are some of the...

by Maitreesh Ghatak | On 25 Feb 2015

Hunger, Undernutrition and Food Security in India

In spite of an increase in the number of government schemes to address the problem of undernutrition, the situation has improved only marginally. A number of factors such as spaces, ethnicities, incom...

by Rudra Narayan Mishra | On 25 Feb 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

Cleanliness and Sanitation: Underlying Constraints in India

Open defecation and improper garbage disposal are a reality of public spaces in India, not just due to poverty or a lack of initiative on the government, but social acceptance of attitudes which disr...

by Poorva Awasthi | On 24 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

Budgeting for Improved Nutritional Status of Tribal Children through the Tribal Sub Plan Strategy

Nutritional deprivation is the highest among tribal children in india. However, fiscal policy strategy to improve nutritional status for this section of the population depends a lot on the implementat...

by Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability | On 20 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

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, GOI 2014-15

This brief uses government reported data to analyse Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) performance.

by Accountability Initiative | 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

Financial Inclusion: Need for Differentiation between Access and Use

With no financial capacity to save and invest, a dismal record of use of bank accounts and the severe lack of trust in the current model of using business correspondents, it is extremely difficult to...

by | On 16 Feb 2015

Hurdles in Rural e-Government Projects in India: Lessons for Developing Countries

Rural Electronic Government (e-government) projects are aimed at providing government services and information to rural public. The e-government initiatives have not been very successful in developing...

by | On 04 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

Special Financial Incentive Schemes for the Girl Child in India: A Review

In order to improve the survival and welfare of girls and to reverse the distorted sex ratio at birth, both the national and state governments have launched special financial incentive schemes for gir...

by T.V Sekher | On 23 Jan 2015

Militancy and Identity Politics in Assam

With the state getting tougher and the public turning against them, the militants in Assam are clearly on the defensive today. Militancy in Assam is not a mere law and order problem but a reflection o...

by | On 29 Dec 2014

Trade Liberalization, Poverty and Food Security in India

This paper attempts to assess the impact of trade liberalization on growth, poverty, and food security in India with the help of a national level computable general equilibrium (CGE) model. It shows t...

by | On 29 Dec 2014

Report of the detailed findings of the commission of inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

On 21 March 2013, at its 22nd session, the United Nations Human Rights Council established the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Resolution A/...

by | On 26 Dec 2014

Understanding Healthcare Access in India

Expanding healthcare access is a critical priority for the Government of India and the private sector. Efforts to date have addressed numerous issues and much progress can be reported. Yet the gap bet...

by IMS for HealthCare Infomatics | On 24 Dec 2014

Freedom of Religion and Anti-Conversion Laws in India: An Overview

Indian constitution stands on the bedrock of secularism though nowhere in the original constitution the word secularism‘ was mentioned. Indian political circuit, in recent times has seen the dirtiest...

by Saadiya Suleman | On 23 Dec 2014

Labour Migration in South Asia: A Review of Issues, Policies and Practices

This paper reviews migration policy frameworks in South Asia and their implications for governance of migration, protection of migrant workers and maximizing development benefits of migration. The pap...

by Piyasiri Wickramasekara | On 19 Dec 2014

Local Governments and the Inclusion of the Excluded: Towards a Strategic Methodology with Empirical Illustration

This paper tries to argue that local governments constitutionally mandated to ‘plan for economic development and social justice’ at the local level are eminently qualified to take up the task of wor...

by Oommen M A | On 17 Dec 2014

Empowerment of Women through Participation in Local Government: A case of Maharashtra

There is reservation for women in Maharashtra in the local governments. But their number is less. A case study is given.

by Ruby Ojha | On 12 Dec 2014

Parliament as a Law Making Body: Background Note for the Conference on Effective Legislatures

Parliament performs several essential functions including that of making laws, scrutinising and passing the budget, conducting oversight on the activities of the government and representing citizens....

by Prianka Rao | On 06 Dec 2014

Does Gender Inequity Increase the Risk of Intimate Partner Violence among Women? Evidence from Bangladesh Sample Survey

Evidence from developing countries regarding the association between gender inequity and intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization in women has been suggestive but inconclusive. Using nationally r...

by Mosiur Rahman | On 05 Dec 2014

Regionalization of Labour Reform Process: The Fabian strategy

The President of India signed a revised set of labour laws from Rajasthan into state law. The Rajasthan government has revised the Factories Act, the Industrial Disputes Act and the Contract Labour Ac...

by K.R. Shyam Sundar | On 02 Dec 2014

Women Living with HIV Speak Out Against Violence

Violence against women and girls is an unacceptable violation of basic human rights. It also is so widespread that ending it must be a global public health priority. An estimated one in three women is...

by UNAIDS . | 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

Global Slavery Index 2014

This is the second edition of the Global Slavery Index (‘the Index’) which provides estimates the number of people in modern slavery in 167 countries. The Index estimates there are 35.8 million people...

by Walk Free Foundation | On 18 Nov 2014

Crime and Consent

In a recent judgment in Achey Lal vs State Govt of NCT Delhi, the Delhi High Court on October 30 set aside the conviction of the appellant for rape and murder. What has provoked discussion are the obs...

by Vrinda Grover | On 13 Nov 2014

Issues and Concerns of Deserted Women in Maharashtra

Two studies done at different times in two different parts of Maharashtra on women who have been forced out of the marital home or chose to walk out due to violence, show that women’s expectatio...

by Seema Kulkarni | On 11 Nov 2014

Labour Market Transitions of Young Women and Men in Bangladesh

During the last decade, Bangladesh maintained a stable growth rate of around 6 per cent, and gross domestic product (GDP) doubled in the period 2000–12. Unfortunately, economic growth has not translat...

by Kazi Ali Toufique | On 31 Oct 2014

Is the NREGS a Safety Net for Children? Studying the access to the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme for Young Lives families, and its impact on child outcomes in Andhra Pradesh

The NREGS is an ambitious public works program intended to provide a basic safety net to the rural poor in India. This paper attempts to study two aspects of the program’s functioning using data from...

by Vinayak Uppal | On 31 Oct 2014

Information, Access and Targeting: The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in India

In this paper, the relationship is assessed between possessing information on, gaining access to and the efficacy of delivery of India's national rural employment guarantee scheme (NREGA) in three sta...

by Shylashri Shankar | On 28 Oct 2014

Currency Undervaluation and Sovereign Wealth Funds: A New Role for the World Trade Organization

Two aspects of global imbalances - undervalued exchange rates and sovereign wealth funds - require a multilateral response. This paper proposes new rules in the World Trade Organization to discipline...

by Prachi Mishra | On 22 Oct 2014

From “Hindu Growth” to Productivity Surge: The Mystery of the Indian Growth Transition

Most conventional accounts of India’s recent economic performance associate the pick-up in economic growth with the liberalisation of 1991. This paper demonstrates that the transition to high growth o...

by Dani Rodrik | On 21 Oct 2014

The Soya Project: Farm Evangelists

In 2008, two earnest young men set out to boost soya bean yields in the semi-arid region of Bundi in Rajasthan. Rainfall there is meagre and the soil lacks nutrients. But there are ready buyers for so...

by Civil Society | On 20 Oct 2014

Fighting Child Malnutrition

India has the dubious distinction of having the highest burden of malnutrition in the world – higher than Sub-Saharan Africa. Nearly 50 per cent of our children are underweight and stunted and 70...

by National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India | On 16 Oct 2014

Social Change and Public Policy

A public policy is basically a law or rule that is enforced by any level of government, whether central, state, or local. When making policy, the government often fall into the conceit that they are i...

by Parth Shah | On 15 Oct 2014

Voice and Agency: Empowering Women and Girls for Shared Prosperity

Despite recent advances in important aspects of the lives of girls and women, pervasive challenges remain. These challenges reflect widespread deprivations and constraints and include epidemic levels...

by Jeni Klugman | On 14 Oct 2014

Violence against Women and Girls: Lessons from South Asia

Violence against Women and Girls: Lessons from South Asia examines the prevalence and factors associated with various types of violence against women and girls in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indi...

by Jennifer L. Solotaroff | On 25 Sep 2014

Political Economy of Transition from Manmohanomics to Modinomics

The inaugural budget of the NDA led government has been a cause of some surprise and disappointment amongst those who were eagerly expecting a new radical dose of neo-liberal reforms. It appeared that...

by Surajit Mazumdar | On 22 Sep 2014

Green clearance test for NDA

Environmentalists are rightly alarmed that the NDA government is busy dismantling the environmental regulatory system in the country. Over the past two months, the media has reported that clearances f...

by Sunita Narain | On 22 Sep 2014

Worker’s Rights and Practices in the Contemporary Scenario: An Overview

This book offers a careful summary of the rights and practices of work in the Indian labour market. In specific, it deals with rights deficiency of workers in different sectors especially on agricultu...

by V.V. Giri Labour Institute | On 19 Sep 2014

Civil Society, Indian Elections and Democracy Today

Civil society in Independent India has perhaps never been as active as it is today, except in the years before and during the emergency. The author explores the role it has played in strengthening and...

by Trilochan Sastry | On 18 Sep 2014

India: Third and Fourth Combined Periodic Report on the Convention on the Rights of the Child

‘India: Third and Fourth Combined Periodic Report on the Convention on the Rights of the Child’ is a product of extensive consultations with all stakeholders. The Report has been prepared after consul...

by Government of India Ministry of Women and Child Development | On 15 Sep 2014

School Related Gender Based Violence in the Asia-Pacific Region

For some children in Asia-Pacific, particularly girls, the mere walk to school is menacing and comes with the daily threat of violence. Once at school, they might also be subject to physical, psychoso...

by UNESCO UNESCO | On 15 Sep 2014

Protecting the Girl Child: Using the Law to End Child, Early & Forced Marriage & Related Human Rights Violations

Cultural traditions and a lack of legal protections are driving tens of millions of girls around the world into early marriage, subjecting them to violence, poverty and mistreatment. Equality Now, in...

by Equality Now | On 12 Sep 2014

National Population Policy

The National Population Policy, 2000 (NPP 2000) affirms the commitment of government towards voluntary and informed choice and consent of citizens while availing of reproductive health care services,...

by Government of Odisha | On 09 Sep 2014

Food Stamps: A Model for India

About 4.5 lakh fair price shops in India sell 10-20 lakh tons of rice and wheat at the subsidized rate per month. Majority of the ration shops are in urban areas, they are hardly ever open and only a...

by Parth Shah | On 27 Aug 2014

Doing more than Lip-service to the Backward Sections

The Scheduled Castes form 16 percent of the population yet their issues have largely remained silent. It’s high time to bring into line the discord between election commitments and budgetary allocatio...

by P.S Krishnan | On 19 Aug 2014

Debt Sustainability at the State Level in India

The debt position of the state governments in India, which deteriorated sharply between 1997-98 and 2003-04, has witnessed significant improvement since 2004-05, reflecting the impact of both favourab...

by Atri Mukherjee | On 19 Aug 2014

Perceptions of Risks Related to Sexual Violence against Women linked to Water and Sanitation in Delhi, India

The link between a lack of access to water and sanitation facilities and sexual violence against women is not well known and to date has received insufficient attention. This document attempts to hi...

by Shirley Lennon | On 19 Aug 2014

Government of India's Resolution setting up the Planning Commission

Problems of planning were reviewed towards the end of 1949 by the Advisory Planning Board which was appointed by the Interim Government of India, an important recommendation of the Board being the app...

by Government of India GOI | On 18 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

Science Education and Research in India

Many aspects of the Indian scientific development are extremely unsatisfactory, lacking in both quality and quantity. Although the outreach of teaching and research programmes has increased considerab...

by Gautam Desiraju | On 29 Jul 2014

The Challenges of Constructing a Model for Science Education – Differences in Students’ and Teachers’ Attributes of Six Partner Countries

The Europe Commission (EC) initiated a number of studies to determine the reasons for the decline in the study of science and science literacy among European students. The Science Education for Divers...

by Ng Swee Chin | On 28 Jul 2014

Marching towards Inclusive Education: Are we Prepared for Inclusive Science Education?

The paper reports the historical background of inclusion in education and the status of inclusion in education in India. The article concludes that in spite of several efforts by the Government and ot...

by Amit Sharma | On 28 Jul 2014

Power and Resistance: Silence and Secrecy in Avatar - The Last Airbender

In the American animated television series, Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA), a visually Asian-influenced world of humans, animals and spirits plays out a history of violence, trauma and resistance....

by Gayatri Viswanath | On 24 Jul 2014

Reading the Malappuram Debate: Postcolonial State and the Ethics of Place

The district of Malappuram was formed on the 16th demographics and led to intense debates and agitation in the state, with each side accusing the other of communalism and partisanship. This paper is a...

by Mohamed Shafeeq K | On 24 Jul 2014

The Memories of a Spark: Reconstructing the 1965 riots in Madurai against the imposition of Hindi

The paper aims to capture the synthesis and popular reconstruction of one of independent India’s earliest instances of large-scale violence over the emotive issue of language, i.e. the January 1965 Ma...

by Sriram Mohan | On 24 Jul 2014

Of Reigning Silences and Quivering Words: Kumher Kaand of 1992

This paper is an attempt to revisit an event that was barely given any space in public memory – the Kumher Dalit Massacre of 1992. The pogrom in question is one of the most brutal instances of choreog...

by Ridhima Sharma | On 24 Jul 2014

India – National Youth Policy 2014 (NYP-2014)

The Government of India (GoI) currently invests more than Rs 90,000 crores per annum on youth development programmes or approximately Rs 2,710 per young individual per year, through youth-targeted (hi...

by Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs YAS | On 21 Jul 2014

No Shortage of Money

The new government wants to increase investment in various sectors. The government has funds but the Finance Minister has said about lack of funds in the Budget. Public private partnerships (PPPs) can...

by T.N. Ninan | On 17 Jul 2014

Article 2 and Government Budgets

Governments’ budgets are fundamentally about people’s human rights. Budgets are the central means by which governments can help realize their people’s access to quality education, decent health care s...

by International Budget Partnership IBP | On 10 Jul 2014

The Role of Data in Addressing Violence against Women and Girls

This brochure describes, advocates and defenders of women’s and girls’ safety and rights, as well as international agencies, national policymakers and donors, need to understand the nature and magnitu...

by United Nations Population Fund UNFPA | On 07 Jul 2014

Impact of Private Tutoring on Learning Levels: Evidence from India

Despite widespread and substantial private expenditure on private tutoring outside the formal school system in many developing countries, not much is known about their effects on learning outcomes....

by Ambrish Dongre | On 05 Jul 2014

Gujarat Gender Budget Statement 2014-15

As per census 2011, there are 289.48 lakh women and girls in the state of Gujarat, comprising 47.90 per cent of total population. “Gender Budget 2014-15” shows financial allocations for women in vario...

by Ministry of Finance Government of Gujarat | On 03 Jul 2014

Repeal and re-enactment of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000, (JJ Act)

The Ministry of Women and Child Development invites comments and suggestions to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act of 2000, which is also known as the JJ Act.

by Government of India Ministry of Women and Child Development | On 02 Jul 2014

The Role of Mineral Fertilizers in Transforming Philippine Agriculture

Fertilizer policy in the country has evolved from pervasive interventionism in the 1970s to today's market-oriented regime. Government has abandoned price policies and subsidies, focusing rather on...

by Roehlano M. Briones | On 20 Jun 2014

Quality Healthcare and Health Insurance Retention: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment in the Kolkata Slums

Healthcare in developing countries is often unreliable and of poor quality, thus reducing individuals incentives to use quality health services. This paper examines an innovative approach to access to...

by Clara Delavallade | On 12 Jun 2014

Police and the Rule of Law: Recent Developments in India

This paper examines some of the recent pronouncements of the Supreme Court and other High Courts and tries to analyse them vis-à-vis the understanding of the rule of law in India. [IIMA W.P. No.2014-0...

by Anurag K Agarwal | On 11 Jun 2014

Workers in the Shadows: Abuse and Exploitation of Child Domestic Workers in Indonesia

This report documents how hundreds of thousands of girls in Indonesia, some as young as 11, are employed as domestic workers in other people’s households, performing tasks such as cooking, cleaning, l...

by Human Rights Watch | On 09 Jun 2014

Marking Progress Against Child Labour

New estimates presented by International Labour Organization (ILO) indicate that 168 million children worldwide are in child labour, accounting for almost 11 per cent of the child population as a whol...

by International Labour Organisation ILO | On 27 May 2014

The Role of Agriculture in Poverty Reduction: The Indian Experience

Poverty alleviation has been a pre-eminent goal of India’s development efforts since its Independence. Though there has been a significant decline in the incidence of poverty at the national level in...

by Alakh Sharma | On 29 Apr 2014

How to win an Afghan Election

Afghanistan is currently in its second round of presidential and provincial council elections since 2001. In these elections most attention by international observers and analysts is being paid to que...

by Martine Bijlert | On 21 Apr 2014

Women Labour Force Participation and Domestic Violence: Evidence from India

Domestic violence is recognised as a serious violation of women’s basic rights. Conventional economic models of domestic violence suggest that higher participation by women in the labour force leads t...

by Sohini Paul | On 17 Apr 2014

National Manufacturing Policy (2011)

The concern about the stagnant and low share of the manufacturing sector in India‘s GDP necessitated a dedicated policy for the sector with a view to accelerated development, inclusive growth and prov...

by Ministry of Commerce and Industry GOI | On 01 Apr 2014

Problems and Prospects of Small-Scale Industries in India

The decade of the 1990s was marked by considerable deregulation of the industrial economy through delicensing and dereservations. The problem of sickness in small-scale industries is due to under-uti...

by Reddy . Koti | On 11 Mar 2014

Report of the Steering Committee on Rapid Poverty Reduction And Local Area Development for the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012)

The report examines the data on the poor, their characteristics and attempts to profile the poor. It addresses the need to devise a vision for the Eleventh Plan, which derives from the Approach Paper...

by Planning Commission | On 04 Mar 2014

Implementing Integrated Natural Resources Management Projects

The Government of India recently enacted the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act(NREGA) 2005.1 The NREGA guarantees onehundred days of wage employment every year to every rural household whose adu...

by G.M. Antony | On 28 Feb 2014

Education vital for social mobility

Analysis on correlation between parental education levels and students' achievements; impact of government and social mobility strategies on multi-structural problems which inhibit children from achie...

by Economic and Social Council | On 28 Feb 2014

Ending Newborn Deaths: Ensuring every baby survives

This report looks at the progress made in neo-natal care across the world, and also ranks countries in the order of infant mortality rates. The causes of stillbirths, newborn and maternal deaths are e...

by Simon Wright | On 28 Feb 2014

Land, Politics, Work and Home-Life at Adimalathura: Towards a Local History

This paper focuses on the fishing hamlet of Adimalathura located on the coast of the Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala, which has been identified as an area of extreme developmental disadvantage...

by J. Devika | On 11 Feb 2014

Do Indian States have the Power to Devise their Own Policies? A Study on Fiscal Space

With the decentralization process of the 1990s, linked to economic liberalization, there emerged new decisional scope for regional governments to shape their own policies. But the decentralization pro...

by Kim Robin | On 24 Jan 2014

A Turbulent Pakistan: India’s Choices in Response

The fate and future of Pakistan has been an issue of considerable concern and anxiety not only inside Pakistan but in the world at large and South Asia in particular. The Fund for Peace project on the...

by S.D. Muni | On 22 Jan 2014

Access to Justice for Rape Survivors

Taking note of the pervasiveness of Violence against Women (VAW), coupled with insensitive and prolonged investigations & trials, which only furthers the trauma faced by a sexual violence survivor; th...

by Lawyers Collective | On 21 Jan 2014

Security and the Pathways of Women’s Empowerment: Findings from a Thematic Synthesis of the Pathways of Women’s Empowerment Research

While security and women’s empowerment are both prominent development concerns, there has to date been little sustained analysis of the relationship between the two. An unexamined assumption appears t...

by Naomi Hossain | On 15 Jan 2014

Television as a public health awareness tool to reduce tobacco use in India

Tobacco continues to be a major social and health menace across the globe. It is estimated that by 2030, it would account for the death of about 10 million people per year; half of them aged between 3...

by Dr. Pragati Hebber | On 09 Jan 2014

A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Aadhaar

This study estimates the costs and benefi ts of Aadhaar. The analysis takes into account the costs of developing and main- taining Aadhaar, and of integrating Aadhaar with the schemes over the next t...

by National Institute of Public Finance and Policy NIPFP | On 11 Dec 2013

In the Balance: The National Food Security Act vis-Ã -vis the WTO Agreement on Agriculture

This piece analyzes the implications of the National Food Security Act for India's commitments under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) in the context of widespread concern that they might be mu...

by Sudha Narayanan | On 10 Dec 2013

Review of the Institutional Arrangements for Labour Market Information and Skills Anticipation in India

Determining the characteristics of the labour market is one of the fundamental tasks faced by those with responsibility for policy on skills and employment. There is, therefore, a need to identify the...

by International Labour Organisation ILO | On 09 Dec 2013

Asia's Rising Power and America's Continued Purpose

This paper examines a range of possible outcomes in strategic Asia and evaluates the likelihood of each outcome based on the prospective performance of the U.S and the Chinese economies, potential pol...

by Aaron Friedberg | On 26 Nov 2013

Subnational-level Fiscal Health: Stability and Sustainability Implications for Kerala, Punjab, and West Bengal

The Government of India has recently announced that Kerala, Punjab, and West Bengal are fiscally unsound at the level of general category states. The study reviews this projection and assesses their...

by Nimai Das | On 26 Nov 2013

Justice and State-Building in Afghanistan: State vs. Society vs. Taliban: Reflections on a Survey of the Afghan People

In Afghanistan, the process of creating a state judiciary has developed slowly, first through the gradual assertion of state control over sharia courts starting from the reign of Abdur Rahman (1880-19...

by Antonio Giustozzi | On 22 Nov 2013

Strengthening Democracy in Bangladesh

The paper describes of some of the critical challenges to democratization in Bangladesh. While electoral challenges are included, the paper looks beyond elections and describe other factors that can h...

by ASIA FOUNDATION | On 14 Nov 2013

Dishonesty and Selection into Public Service

In this paper, it is demonstrated that university students who cheat on a simple task in a laboratory setting are more likely to state a preference for entering public service. Importantly, it is also...

by Rema Hanna | On 11 Nov 2013

E – Mission Failed

The Central government evolved a computerization policy in 2007 to speed up the cases in the courts, hitherto proceeding at a ‘tortoise pace’. It was called ‘E-Courts Mission Mode Project’. Its object...

by Lawyers Collective | On 25 Oct 2013

Rationalism Rationed

The gruesome murder of Dabolkar, who had been spearheading a movement against superstitions in Maharashtra, has plunged all people of rationalist disposition in shock. Voices are rising that laws sho...

by Oscar F Picazo | On 22 Oct 2013

Identity Politics and Statehood Movements in India

The paper has explored into the reasons behind political mobilization of minority ethnic groups in support of smaller states. In accordance with the above hypothesis, the paper has tried to arrive at...

by Rajat Ganguly | On 11 Oct 2013

The Case of Slum Rehabilitation in Delhi

Delhi Master Plan 2021 introduced the "In-situ rehabilitation" approach to slum redevelopment, in which slum residents transit to temporary housing while the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) reconstr...

by Anubhab Pattanayak | On 10 Oct 2013

Does Economic Growth Reduce Corruption? Theory and Evidence from Vietnam

Government corruption is more prevalent in poor countries than in rich countries. This paper uses cross-industry heterogeneity in growth rates within Vietnam to test empirically whether growth leads...

by Jie Bai | On 03 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

Feminist Practices in Counselling: Reconceptualising Domestic Violence

Review of 'Feminist Counselling and Domestic Violence in India' by Padma Bhate-Deosthali, Sangeeta Rege, Padma Prakash, Routledge, 2013.

by Syna Soosan Abraham | On 19 Sep 2013

A Critique: HIV/AIDS and the Legal and Policy Framework in Sri Lanka

This paper discusses and comments on the legal and policy dimension and the obstacles it poses to a sustainable and effective response to HIV/AIDS as many do not come forward to obtain medical servic...

by Bhavani Fonseka | On 14 Sep 2013

Improving Public Financial Management in India: Opportunities to Move Forward

In recent years the role of a sound PFM system to achieve the objectives of fiscal discipline, strategic planning, and improved service delivery has been getting increasing public attention in India....

by Pratap Ranjan Jena | On 12 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

Statement by Dr. Raghuram Rajan

Statement by Dr. Raghuram Rajan on taking office on September 4, 2013. [RBI Press release].

by Sabeeta Badkar | On 05 Sep 2013

Malaysia: Recent Developments in Agricultural Research

Main issues of concern looking to the future include ongoing maintenance of capacity and infrastructure given government funding cuts, and the training and mentoring of junior staff needed to replace...

by Kathleen Flaherty | On 04 Sep 2013

Anti-Superstition Legislation

After a long and gruelling campaign by ANS for the past eight years to enact a Law against Superstition which harm the citizens, the Maharashtra State Government under the leadership of the new Chie...

by Maharashtra Andhshraddha Nirmoolan Samiti MANS | On 22 Aug 2013

The Mental Health Care Bill, 2013

A bill to provide for mental health care and services for persons with mental illness and to protect, promote and fulfil the rights of such persons during delivery of mental health care and services a...

by Lok Sabha | On 21 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

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

Fuel Price Hike and Indonesia’s Energy Insecurity

Fuel price hikes have always been unpopular in Indonesia, largely because of their wide-ranging impact on the population. Yet, it is undeniable that the current high subsidies are unsustainable. To mo...

by Margareth Sembiring | On 26 Jul 2013

Draft National Sports Development Bill, 2013

To provide for promotion and development of sports and welfare measures for sportspersons, promotion of ethical practices in sports (including elimination of doping practices, fraud of age and sexual...

by Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs YAS | On 12 Jul 2013

An Explanatory Analysis of Deprivation and Ill Health Led Poverty in Urban India: A Case Study of Delhi

This paper examines the multi-dimensional nature of urban poverty with special emphasis on ill-health led deprivation. As a driver of poverty, ill-health reduces the income earning potential and incre...

by Samik Chowdhury | On 28 Jun 2013

The National Policy for Children, 2013

To affirm the Government’s commitment to the rights based approach in addressing the continuing and emerging challenges in the situation of children, the Government of India hereby adopts this Resol...

by Government of India Ministry of Women and Child Development | On 13 Jun 2013

Driving Force: Labour Struggles and Violation of Rights in Maruti Suzuki India Limited

As reports of severe harassment of Maruti workers and their families trickled in in late July 2012, Peoples Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) undertook a fact finding investigation into the inciden...

by PUDR Peoples Union for Democratic Rights | On 07 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

Land Acquisition Bill: Past and Present

Land acquisition, which refers to the process of a government forcibly acquiring private property for public purpose, has been the cause of over a third of the legal conflicts in India in the past dec...

by iGovernment. in | On 19 Apr 2013

Reach out to Peasant Women: A Study from Punjab

Review of the book Those who did not die: Impact of Agarian Crisis on Women in Punjab by Gursharan Singh Kainth.

by Gursharan Singh Kainth | On 15 Apr 2013

Advertisement Placement in TV Programs: Different Roles of ELM and Mood Protection Mechanism

This study explores how involvement of the audience with cognitive/affective program influence their processing of advertisements aired in between the program because of varying involvement within p...

by Mayank Jyotsna Soni | On 12 Apr 2013

Ethical Guidelines for Counselling Women Facing Domestic Violence

This document lays down ethical principles and guidelines to inform counselling practice in the best interest of the client. Ethical principles include Autonomy, Beneficence, Non-maleficence, Veracity...

by ... CEHAT | On 08 Apr 2013

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Amendment) Bill, 2013

A bill further to amend the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992. [PRS]. URL:[http://www.prsindia.org/uploads/media//SEBI%20(A)%20Bill,%202013/The%20Securities%20and%20Exchange%20Board%20...

by Parliamentary Research Service PRS | On 19 Mar 2013

Gambling on the Private Sector at the Cost of the Working Class: NTUI Statement

The budget offers no programme for job creation or any substantive policy measures to contain inflation that continues to erode the real wage while it commits itself to cash transfers and cuts in subs...

by Gautam Mody | On 01 Mar 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

Open Budget Survey 2012: India

India's Open Budget score is 68 out of 100. India's budget documents have been found to be informative and as providing substantial relevant information to people.

by MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DIST GOI | On 15 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

Domestic Violence Prevention Bill, 2012, Bhutan

Recognizing that the domestic violence is a serious social evil; that there is incidence of domestic violence within Bhutanese Society; that victims of domestic violence are the most vulnerable membe...

by National Assembly of Bhutan | On 11 Feb 2013

The Official Emergency Continues: The Ordinance on Sexual Assault

The ordinance is a hasty piece of legislation that has not taken into consideartion situations and conditions that are widely prevalent. It does not remedy existing laws and nor is even an interim me...

by Pratiksha Baxi | 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

Positive and Normative Aspects of Food Policy and the Market in Indian Agriculture-An Empirical Analysis of Government Policy Interventions in Food Management

There are discussions about food management and food policy issues in India in the backdrop of largely unchanging dynamics of slow growth of the farm sector in India. First we deal with the manner in...

by Munish Alagh | On 30 Jan 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

The New Great Walls: A New Guide to China's Overseas Dam Industry, Second Edition

Chinese hydropower companies and banks are now the largest dam builders in the world. Chinese banks have stepped in to fill the gap left by traditional dam funders such as the World Bank. The Chines...

by International Rivers Network IRN | On 15 Jan 2013

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

Corruption Perceptions Index 2012

The Corruption Perceptions Index is constructed by the Transparency International. The Corruption Perceptions Index measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption in countries worldwide. Ba...

by Transparency International TI | On 07 Dec 2012

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

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

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

The Sexual Harrasment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Bill, 2012: Commentary

The Lok Sabha (the Lower House of the Parliament) has, on 3 September 2012, passed the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Bill, 2012 (Bill). The Bill now r...

by Trilegal Bulletin | 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

What Do Teachers Do? Teacher Quality Vis-a-vis Teacher Quantity in a Model of Public Education and Growth

This paper analyses the contribution of teachers in a public education system and its implication for growth. Focus is given exclusively on two teacher-specfi?c inputs (teacher quality and teacher q...

by Mausumi Das | On 21 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

Vital Stats: Parliament in Monsoon Session 2012

Little business was transacted in the Monsoon Session of Parliament as protests over the CAG audit of coal block allocations regularly disrupted proceedings. Both houses fell significantly short of t...

by Devika Malik | On 12 Sep 2012

Health Policy Processes in Gujarat: A Case Study of the Policy for Independent Nurse Practitioners in Midwifery

The policy processes of the policy on ‘Nurse practitioners in midwifery’ (NPM) are described. The policy aims to educate and create a new cadre of competent midwives in the government hospitals as an...

by Sharma Bharati | On 03 Sep 2012

MTNL: Why the Slow Death?

What is the cause of deteriorating services from MTNL? Suggestions are given to improve its services.

by Alex George | On 03 Sep 2012

The Air that We Breathe: Addressing the Risks of Global Urbanization on Health

The Editors examine the lack of correlation between the size of a city and its air quality, noting that the strength of environmental laws and the accountability of the country's government have a gre...

by PLoS Medicine Editors | On 30 Aug 2012

Recent Developments in Kerala State Finances

This paper covers recent trends in a series of broad indicators of the financial health of the Government of Kerala with its developmental policy as the backdrop. It examines fiscal balances in Kerala...

by Tapas K. Sen | On 30 Aug 2012

Revisiting the Devolution of ENR Functions

The devolution of environment and natural resource functions to local government units was a bold move in the history of environmental Management in the Philippines. However, the implementation of the...

by Senate Economic Planning Office SEPO | On 28 Aug 2012

Japan’s Post-Triple-Disaster Growth Strategy

This paper discusses the scope of the many challenges and sets out a long-term strategy for overcoming them and putting the Japanese economy on a stable growth path. [Working Paper No. 376]. URL:[http...

by Masahiro Kawai | On 24 Aug 2012

The Public Interest Disclosure and Protection to Persons Making the Disclosures Bill, 2010

Commonly known as the Whistleblower's Bill, it seeks to establish a mechanism to register complaints on any allegations of corruption or wilful misuse of power against a public servant. The Bill also...

by Parliamentary Research Service PRS | On 17 Aug 2012

The Quality of Governance How Have Indian States Performed?

What is ‘good’ governance? Can the quality of governance be measured? And how do state governments in India measure up by such a measure? [Working Paper no. 104]. URL:[http://www.nipfp.org.in/neww...

by Sudipto Mundle | On 02 Aug 2012

‘The Education Question’ from the Perspective of Adivasis: Conditions, Policies and Structures

Drawing on secondary data, insights and ideas from an all-India consultation meet at NIAS, four regional / zonal consultations, data from a project in Chamarajanagar district (Karnataka), and select...

by P Veerbhadranaika | On 01 Aug 2012

Evolution of Model Concession Agreement for National Highways in India

This paper discusses the evolution of Model Concession Agreement for National Highways, the vital framework on which the success of Public Private Partnership lies. The key learnings of this study wou...

by Ramakrishnan T S | On 18 Jul 2012

Review of Philippine Migration Laws and Regulations Gains, Gaps, Prospects

The Philippines has often been cited as the global model in managing international labor migration. Despite the complexity of our management infrastructure, however, some gaps still remain. This pap...

by Julyn S Ambito | On 12 Jul 2012

Domestic Violence Prevention Bill 2012: Bhutan

This Act ensures a prompt and just legal remedy for the victims of domestic violence; facilitate access to remedies for immediate and effective assistance, shelter homes and protection to the victims...

by National Assembly of Bhutan | On 11 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

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

Has India Emerged? Business Cycle Stylized Facts from a Transitioning Economy

A comprehense documentation - using both annual and quarterly data - an exhaustive set of stylized facts for the Indian business cycle in the pre and post reform period, the data is used to report...

by Chetan Ghate | On 19 Jun 2012

Are Drone Strikes Effective in Afghanistan and Pakistan? On the Dynamics of Violence between the United States and the Taliban

Strikes by unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, have been the primary weapon used by the United States to combat the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This paper examines the dynamic...

by David A. Jaeger | On 01 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

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

Role of Communication in Stigma and Discrimination

The objective of the study was to review media coverage (print ) related to HIV/AIDS in three states (Gujarat, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh) in order to determine the gaps in reporting. [CCMG Working Pa...

by Biswajit Das | On 10 May 2012

The Domestic Workers Convention 2011: Implications for Migrant Domestic Workers in Southeast Asia

The recent International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention concerning Decent Work for Domestic Workers (Domestic Workers Convention 2011) offers an opportunity to finally address the longstanding...

by Pau Khan Khup Hangzo | On 09 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

Draft National Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Policy

The National Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Policy reaffirms the commitment of the Government of India to provide integrated services for holistic development of all children, along the con...

by Government of India Ministry of Women and Child Development | On 20 Apr 2012

Innovative Approaches to Managing Longevity Risk in Asia: Lessons from the West

This paper discusses what is longevity risk, why it is important, approaches used by the West to manage longevity risk and what lessons can be learnt by Asian countries from the experiences of the Wes...

by Amlan Roy | On 18 Apr 2012

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 State of Juvenile Justice in Karnataka

The situation of juveniles in conflict with law and children in need of care and protection across India is precarious. Nothing underlines this more than the situation in Karnataka. While the State Hu...

by Asian Centre for Human Rights ACHR | On 05 Apr 2012

1391 National Budget of Afghanistan

According to M Mustafa Mastoor, the Deputy Minister of Finance, “The national budget is more than just a financial document. It is government’s plan for the development of Afghanistan. We are committ...

by Ministry of Finance Afghanistan | On 28 Mar 2012

Tamil Nadu Budget Speech: 2012-13

Speech of Thiru O. Panneerselvam, Hon’ble Minister for Finance, Government of Tamil Nadu, presenting the Budget for the year 2012-2013 to the Legislative Assembly on 26th March, 2012. [Government...

by Tamil Nadu Government | On 27 Mar 2012

National Budget of Bhutan-2011-12

Budget speech by the Finance Minister of Bhutan. [Budget Speech]. URL:[http://www.mof.gov.bt/downloads/Budgetreport2012.pdf].

by Minister of Finance Bhutan | On 22 Mar 2012

The Conclusion of a Korean Peace Treaty and the U.S. Strategy in the Asia Pacific Region

The current century has witnessed every country locked in a hot race to increase its national power through peaceful development, which made Koreans ever more desirous of peace. But why has the Kore...

by Ho Hak Rim | On 20 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

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

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

Theft and Loss of Electricity in an Indian State

Utilizing data from the power corporation of Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, the politics of electricity theft over a ten year period (2000–09) is studied. It is seen that electricity the...

by Miriam Golden | On 06 Mar 2012

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

The State of the World's Children 2012: Children in an Urban World

The experience of childhood is increasingly urban. Over half the world’s people – including more than a billion children – now live in cities and towns. This report adds to the growing body of eviden...

by United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF | On 01 Mar 2012

Subsidizing the National Food Authority: Is It a Good Policy?

National Food Authority's (NFA) twin mandate of price stabilization and food security has cost the government billions of pesos in losses over the past few decades. As such, there is a need to ...

by Senate Economic Planning Office SEPO | On 28 Feb 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

Mumbai Riots, 1992-3: Revisiting the Affected

Review of the book 'Riots and After in Mumbai: Chronicles of Truth and Reconciliation' Meena Menon, Sage Publications India, 2011, Pp 267 + xcii, Rs. 595/-

by Irfan Engineer | On 17 Feb 2012

Violent Conflict and Human Capital Accumulation

This paper reviews and discusses available empirical research on the impact of violent conflict on the level and access to education of civilian and combatant populations affected by violence. Three ...

by Patricia Justino | On 15 Feb 2012

Aiding Conflict: The Impact of U.S. Food Aid on Civil War

This paper examines the effect of U.S. food aid on conflict in recipient countries (these include Asian countries like Afghanistan, Sri Lanka). To establish a causal relationship, time variation in fo...

by Nathan Nunn | On 08 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

Toward a Framework for Implementation of Climate Change Treaty through Self-enforcing Mechanisms

The paper discusses the pros and cons of the already proposed international cooperative mechanisms toward climate change mitigation and highlights the problem of information revelation, particularly...

by Meeta Keswani Mehra | On 27 Jan 2012

Vital Stats: Assembly Elections 2012

The Election Commission recently announced the poll schedule for Assembly elections in five States – Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa. As parties prepare for the upcoming election...

by Rohit Kumar | On 24 Jan 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

India’s Draft Universal Periodic Report-II: A Case of Forced Marriage?

The paper has the objective of viewing the condition of women in terms of freedom of choice, freedom and expression and right of privacy. Also it views violence against women.

by Asian Centre for Human Rights ACHR | On 20 Jan 2012

Challenges in IMS Reforms: A Global and Emerging Markets Perspective

The current global financial crisis has reopened an old debate on the international monetary system by baring weaknesses and flaws that have long been known. The debate is centred on both stability an...

by Alok Sheel | On 10 Jan 2012

The Open Knowledge Foundation: Open Data Means Better Science

This article focuses on the Open Knowledge Definition and the Panton Principles for Open Data in Science. Some of the tools the group has developed to facilitate the generation and use of open dat...

by Jennifer C Molloy | On 03 Jan 2012

The National Food Security Bill, 2011-as introduced in Lok Sabha

A bill to provide for food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity...

by Lok Sabha | On 30 Dec 2011

The Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, 2010

A bill to lay down judicial standards and provide for accountability of judges and establish credible and expedient mechanism for investigating into individual complaints for misbehaviour or incapacit...

by Parliamentary Research Service PRS | On 29 Dec 2011

Twenty Years of CRC: A Balance Sheet- Volume 1

The report is a rich source with qualitative and quantitative data on the status of children in India from authentic and established sources. [HAQCRC report]. URL:[http://www.haqcrc.org/sites/default/...

by HAQ Centre for Child Rights HAQCRC | On 28 Dec 2011

The Evolving Dynamics of Global Economic Power in the Post-crisis World: Revelations from a New Index of Government Economic Power

This paper develops an index for measuring the economic power of governments viewed as entities in themselves. The basic idea is to encapsulate the economic representative power of a nation’s governme...

by Kaushik Basu | 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

Mullaperiyar – the Issue and the Politics

Discussions and debates are going on in Kerala over the Mullaperiyar dam. A solution is proposed here to solve the issues associated with the dam.

by Santhakumar V | On 19 Dec 2011

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

Exposing the Plight of Farmers in Punjab

Review of the book 'Debt and Death in Rural India: The Punjab Story' by Aman Sidhu and Inderjit Singh Jaijee Sage Publications India, New Delhi, 2011, Rs 750/-, pp 360.

by Gursharan Singh Kainth | On 13 Dec 2011

Legislative Brief: The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill, 2011

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill, 2011 was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, Minister for Finance on March 24, 2011. The Bill was referred to the St...

by M. R. Madhavan | On 01 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

Fifth Krishna Raj Memorial Lecture Series: Moving Towards Universal Access to Health Care- 5

The Fifth Anusandhan Trust’s Krishna Raj Memorial Lecture Series on Contemporary Issues in Health and Social Sciences was held on January 5, 2011. The speakers were Dr. K. Srinath Reddy (Chairperson o...

by Hansa Thapliyal | On 29 Nov 2011

Impact of the Retail FDI Policy on Indian Consumers and the Way Forward

This paper analyses the impact of the retail FDI policy on Indian consumers and make policy recommendations for the Indian government. Based on a primary survey of Indian consumers, the paper examines...

by Arpita Mukherjee | On 28 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

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

Are Cities in Kerala Safe for Women? Summary of the Research Findings of the Study Conducted in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode Cities, Kerala

Among the cities in Kerala, Kozhikode (Calicut) has the highest crime record followed by Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum). The Kerala State Economic Review (2008) showed that atrocities against wome...

by SAKHI Women's Resource Centre SAKHI | On 11 Nov 2011

The Public Procurement Bill, 2011

An Act to regulate public procurement with the objective of maximising economy and efficiency, promoting competition among suppliers and contractors while ensuring a fair, transparent and equitable...

by Planning Commission | On 08 Nov 2011

Coordination Under Uncertain Conditions: An Analysis of the Fukushima Catastrophe

This paper analyzes the impacts of the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, which were amplified by a failure of coordination across the plant, corporate...

by Masahiko Aoki | On 03 Nov 2011

Hospital based Crisis Centre for Domestic Violence: The Dilassa Model

The brief is based on the experience and the success of a hospital based Crisis Centres for women facing domestic violence in Mumbai - Dilaasa. It is a joint initiative of the MCGM and CEHAT, establ...

by ... CEHAT | On 02 Nov 2011

Teaching How to Bridge Neuroscience, Society, and Culture

In most universities, sharp disciplinary and departmental divisions continue to this day and have regrettably translated into the life sciences being taught with scarce attention to their historical a...

by Giovanni Frazzetto | On 31 Oct 2011

Emigration of Women Domestic Workers from Kerala: Gender, State Policy and the Politics of Movement

Restrictions imposed by the Government of India on the emigration of women in ‘unskilled’ categories such as domestic work are framed as measures intended to protect women from exploitation. Specia...

by Praveena Kodoth | On 24 Oct 2011

Macro-Economic Policy Outcomes and Agriculture Relation between Fiscal Deficits and Investment in Agriculture

In an earlier paper (Alagh, Munish, 2011) it was shown that macro economics matters in agriculture. The relevance of understanding the impact of macro-economic policy on agriculture was outlined. A...

by Munish Alagh | On 24 Oct 2011

Relation between Population, Gender and Reproductive Health

Review of the book 'Population, Gender and Reproductive Health'. F Ram, Sayeed Unisa and T V Sekher (eds.), Rawat publications, 2011, 416 pp, Rs 925

by K.S. James | On 20 Oct 2011

A Case for Case Studies

This essay attempts to look beyond the long-standing qualitative-quantitative tug of war in studying society. It takes as an example one approach, the case study, that often acts as a bridge between...

by Ipsita Sapra | On 19 Oct 2011

Report on Socio Economic Status of the Women Domestic Workers- A Diagnostic Study in Five Major Townships: Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Berhmpur, Ssmbslpur and Rourkela of Orissa

Women workers In India constitute one third of the total workforce. Majority of these women are engaged in the un-organized sectors such as agriculture, construction, domestic services etc. The over...

by Bharat Jyoti BJ | On 18 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

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

Valuing the Recreational Uses of Pakistan’s Wetlands: An Application of the Travel Cost Method

This study applies a single-site truncated count data travel cost model in order to estimate the value visitors place on recreation in Keenjhar. The recreational use value associated with Keenjhar...

by Ali Dehlavi | On 27 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

Mitigating Climate Change Through Agriculture

Among the major challenges currently faced by humanity are food security and climate change. Agriculture plays a significant role in both. Adapting to climate change is expected to be an increasing ...

by Claire Schaffnit Chatterjee | On 26 Sep 2011

Integrated Financial MIS for Local Government Public Expenditure Management - A Case Study of Khajane in Karnataka

Expenditure Management is critical to effective public service delivery, especially at the local government level. Leveraging on information systems to aid in expenditure management is viewed as an ...

by Sandeep M S | On 20 Sep 2011

The 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

The New Great Walls: A Guide to China's Overseas Dam Industry

The purpose of this guide is to support groups addressing the impacts of dams built by Chinese companies and financiers. The guide is intended for use by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and in...

by International Rivers Network IRN | On 19 Sep 2011

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

Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography

The Optional Protocol (OP) to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography was ratified by India on September 16, 2005. This is t...

by Government of India Ministry of Women and Child Development | On 16 Sep 2011

Faster, Sustainable and More Inclusive Growth: An Approach to the 12th Five Year Plan

In preparing the Approach Paper, the Planning Commission has consulted much more widely than ever before recognising the fact that citizens are now much better informed and also keen to engage. Over...

by Planning Commission, India | On 12 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

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

Comparison between the Lokpal Bill introduced in the Lok Sabha and the Jan Lokpal Bill

A note comparing the key features of the Lok Pal Bill, 2011 introduced on August 4, 2011 and the Bill prepared by civil society representatives in the Joint Drafting Committee. URL:[http://www.prsind...

by Parliamentary Research Service PRS | On 26 Aug 2011

Determinants of Primary Yield Spreads of States in India: An Econometric Analysis

An attempt is made to identify the determinants of yield spreads between the State and Central government securities in a panel data framework as has been used in several cross-country studies. This...

by Dhritidyuti Bose | On 08 Aug 2011

Parliament Session Alert: Monsoon Session: August 01 – September 08, 2011

Parliament meets for the Monsoon Session between August 01 and September 08, 2011. There will be a total of 26 sittings. The agenda for government Bills includes 35 pending Bills for consideration...

by Kusum Malik | On 01 Aug 2011

Health Care Systems and Conflict: A Fragile State of Affairs

Health care systems are necessary in all countries, the importance of strong health care systems to fragile nations, and the damage done to these systems during conflict, receive less attention t...

by PLoS Medicine Editors | On 29 Jul 2011

Proposals of Working Group for Consideration of NAC-II: Suggestions for Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill 2009 and Resettlement and Rehabilitation Bill, 2009

Land acquisition and involuntary displacement continue to result in great distress and resistance – and often violence – in many parts of the country. NAC-I had reflected carefully on these issues, an...

by National Advisory Council NAC | 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

Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2011

The Bill intends to create a framework for prevention and control of communal and sectarian violence. It also aims to provide relief to victims of such violence. URL:[http://nac.nic.in/pdf/pctvb_amend...

by | On 22 Jul 2011

Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2011

The Bill intends to create a framework for prevention and control of communal and sectarian violence. It also aims to provide relief to victims of such violence. URL:[http://nac.nic.in/pdf/pctvb_amend...

by | On 22 Jul 2011

Pendency of Cases in Indian Courts

The Union Law Minister recently launched the ‘Mission Mode Programme for Reduction of Pendency of Arrears in Courts’. According to media reports, the programme aims to dispose of 40 per cent of the...

by Rohit Kumar | On 15 Jul 2011

Shocks, Economic Growth and the Indian Economy

This paper analyses the impact of domestic and external shocks on the Indian economy. A macro-modelling framework is developed that evaluates the impact of two domestic shocks (rainfall shortfall an...

by B B Bhattacharya | On 15 Jul 2011

Inter-State Imbalances in Essential Services: Some Perspectives

This paper analyzes the inter-state imbalances in three major sectors of the economy, namely, education, health and family welfare, and water supply and sanitation for fifteen major states. It uses...

by C Bhujanga Rao | On 14 Jul 2011

A Thousand Industries In A Thousand Days? State Business Relations and The Puzzle of Orissa's Industrial Performance

In this paper, the phenomenon of 'two types of industrialisation' in Orissa is documented where a fast growing resource based manufacturing sector has co-existed with a stagnant non-resource based...

by Alivelu G | On 11 Jul 2011

Mutual Funds and Market Development in India

A brief description of the role of Mutual Funds in money markets and government securities makets are provided. Some of the regulatory issues that arise are discussed. The role of Mutual Funds in fina...

by Subir Gokarn | On 08 Jul 2011

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

A Study on Gender Based Violence in Kerala

The paper presents gender-based violence and theories its causes and correlates; it then reviews global information on the prevalence of gender-based violence against women and its health consequences...

by SAKHI Women's Resource Centre SAKHI | On 05 Jul 2011

Communal Violence in India

The National Advisory Council recently released a draft ‘Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2011’. The Bill intends to create a framework for preven...

by Rohit Kumar | On 05 Jul 2011

Fiscal Policy for Poverty Reduction, Reconstruction, and Growth

Growth, poverty reduction, and social peace are all undermined when public expenditure management and taxation are weak and when the fiscal deficit and public debt are not managed successfully. And la...

by Tony Addison | On 04 Jul 2011

Getting to a “Grand Bargain” for Aid Reform: The Basic Framework for U.S. Foreign Assistance

In this paper, the author focuses on understanding why long-term development is often subjugated to other objectives in the day-to-day planning processes of the U.S. government. She proposes one way t...

by Jean Arkedis | On 21 Jun 2011

The Global AIDS Transition

This landmark essay proposes a new paradigm for combating AIDS and a new objective around which international donors and recipient governments can coordinate their efforts. CGD senior fellow Mead Over...

by Mead Over | On 20 Jun 2011

India - Reforming Farm Support Policies for Grains

The objective of this study is to analyze some of the recent reforms proposed in the operation of government buffer stocks and provision of price support to wheat and rice farmers in India. Based o...

by Shikha Jha | On 17 Jun 2011

Revenue Potential of Panchayats in Kerala

How much more taxes would it be possible for Panchayats in Kerala to collect? This question is important in deciding the financial allocations to such local governments. Information regarding this m...

by Centre for Development Studies | On 17 Jun 2011

Popular Expectations of Government: Findings from Three Areas in Bangladesh

This paper presents findings from research into expectations of government, based on focus group discussion sessions with over 100 poor and very poor people in rural and urban Bangladesh. The resear...

by Tariq Ali | On 15 Jun 2011

City Governments and Public Water Supply in India: Analysing the Institutional Economics

Given that the 74th amendment to the Indian Constitution stipulates that the water supply service is to be transferred to the city/urban governments this note analyses the institutional economics of...

by Centre for Global Development | On 15 Jun 2011

The Peace Corps in a Smaller World: A New Model for the Next 50 Years

The Peace Corps is 50 years old in 2011. The agency still holds to its founding goals, laid out by John F. Kennedy, of providing technical assistance and promoting understanding. It runs according t...

by Charles Kenny | On 13 Jun 2011

Is it Desirable to Take a World Bank Loan for Strengthening Local Governments in Kerela?

This note analyses the desirability of a loan from the World Bank for strengthening local governments of Kerala under two scenarios. First, is the case where the loan supplements the resources of th...

by Centre for Global Development | On 09 Jun 2011

Impact of Trade Liberalization on India’s Oilseed and Edible Oils Sector

The edible oil and oilseeds sector in India faces many challenges in the new environment of liberalized trade. Government intervention is faced with the task of balancing the interests of different st...

by P.V. Srinivasan | On 07 Jun 2011

Suicide of Farmers in Maharashtra

The present study focuses on examining socio-economic aspects that can be identified as important risk factors and in providing some suggestions to the GOM. [PP-005] URL: [http://www.igidr.ac.in/suici...

by Srijit Mishra | On 02 Jun 2011

Budget for Children Analysis: A Beginner's Guide

This toolkit is designed to train individuals and civil society on how to conduct a child centered budget analysis to support their advocacy work and to hold state accoutable for the fulfilment of chi...

by HAQ Centre for Child Rights HAQCRC | On 02 Jun 2011

Leasing of Degraded Forest Lands

One of the most critical aspects of information about non-forest wastelands pertains to ownership. Not all may be owned by Government. In addition to uncultivated lands which were historically part...

by Planning Commission | On 27 May 2011

Hong Kong’s Linked Exchange Rate System

Hong Kong has had a linked exchange rate regime of one kind or another for most of its history as a trading and financial centre. In 1863 the Hong Kong Government declared the silver dollar – then a...

by Hong Kong Monetary Authority | On 27 May 2011

Towards a Fair Effective and Sustainable Health Care System for India

Newspapers carry frequent news about increasing government spending in health care and the availability of increasingly more specialised hospital care in India. While facilities in private and gov...

by Rajkumar Ramasamy | On 27 May 2011

Monetary Operations and Central Bank Balance Sheets in a World of Limited Government Securities

The limited supply of government securities in some industrial countries has important ramifications for the operating techniques used by central banks to implement monetary policy, provide credit to...

by Mark Zelmer | On 16 May 2011

Bengal Diary: On the Eve of Change: SMS Updates of a West Bengal Tour, April 2011

A tour of West Bengal on the eve of the elections and the results, April 19 – 27, 2011, recorded by a young journalist-in-the-making in a collection of SMS messages.

by Kranti S. Bhatewara | On 13 May 2011

National Environment Policy

The National Environment Policy, 2006 is the out come of extensive consultations with experts indifferent disciplines, Central Ministries, Members of Parliament, State Governments, Industry Associa...

by Ministry of Environment and Forests | On 12 May 2011

Framework Administered Account for Selected Fund Activities: World Bank Subaccount for Selected Fund Activities

In March 2009, the Fund established a new Framework Administered Account to administer external financial resources for selected Fund Activities (the “SFA Instrument”). The financing of activities u...

by International Monetary Fund | On 12 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

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

What do you want from us?

In the past three years, two journalists for El Diario have been killed by drug-cartels and since 2000 more than 64 journalists have been killed throughout the country. The armed conflict between orga...

by Rocio Gallegos | On 08 May 2011

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

National Budget Making: Bottom Up Approach and Inclusiveness

National Budget of the country is the annual program of the Government's expenditure and income for a fiscal year. In a developing economy like Bangladesh, the national annual budgets reflect the gove...

by Atiur Rahman | On 03 May 2011

Armed Conflict, Violence aganist Women and Right to Health

Two of the key highlights of the training were: the absence of counselling services, especially for women in Kashmir given the nature and scale of violence and; the denied right of conflict affected...

by ... CEHAT | On 29 Apr 2011

Encounters

The Tarkunde Committee confirmed that the police and the government of Andhra Pradesh were involved in the cruel practice of committing planned murders and covering it up as encounter. It recommende...

by People's Union for Democratic Rights PUDR | On 28 Apr 2011

Targeting and Distribution of Post-Tsunami Aid in Sri Lanka : A Critical Appraisal

In this study, two types of aid transfers - boats and houses are examined- that were made to rehabilitate tsunami-affected fishery households in Sri Lanka. The goal is to investigate the distributio...

by Asha Gunawardena | On 20 Apr 2011

Ramadan Effect on Price Movements: Evidence from Pakistan

This paper attempts to verify the widespread perception that general price level tends to rise due to the month of Ramadan in Pakistan. For this purpose, the ARIMA methodology (simple and extended f...

by Muhammad Akmal | On 19 Apr 2011

Our Tahrir Square

The government has alienated the public through months of scandal on a scale not seen till now. URL:[http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/t-n-ninan-our-tahrir-square/431532/]

by T.N. Ninan | On 13 Apr 2011

Corruption Cases against Government Officials

The agitation led by Anna Hazare has focussed on the formation of a Lok Pal to address the issue of corruption. Some data on the existing systems of identifying and prosecuting cases of corruption a...

by Rohit Kumar | On 13 Apr 2011

Declining Child Sex Ratio: Addressing the Imperatives

A discussion about the declining sex ratio in India is given. The various reasons for declining sex ratio are outlined.

by Anwesha Sen | On 09 Apr 2011

Issues Related to the Lok Pal Bill

In January 2011, the government formed a Group of Ministers, chaired by Shri Pranab Mukherjee to suggest measures to tackle corruption, including examination of the proposal of a Lok Pal Bill.

by Kaushiki Sanyal | 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

Budget Speech

This paper presents the annual budget of the Goa Government containing the Annual Financial Statement. URL: [https://www.goa.gov.in/portalweb/login/budget_2011-12/speech.pdf]

by Goa Government | On 06 Apr 2011

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women: Implications for Hong Kong

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination, applicable to Hong Kong since October 1996, requires States parties to take steps to address all forms of violence against women. Th...

by Andrew Byrnes | On 06 Apr 2011

Race and Equality: A Study of Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong’s Education System

This report analyzes the key education-related issues raised in these interviews as well as available studies on the needs of ethnic minority communities, press reports, government reports and edu...

by Kelley Loper | On 01 Apr 2011

State Women Policy

The Government of Chhattisgarh is firmly committed to capitalise on its ‘new State advantage’. The State has taken a conscious decision to do away with past legacies and to adopt a fresh approach to...

by Government of Chhattishgarh | On 30 Mar 2011

Status of the Reservation to the Right to Vote in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong government continues to invoke the 1976 reservation to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) entered by the United Kingdom government in relation to Hong Kong....

by Seren S.T. Tang | On 29 Mar 2011

Scheme for “New Initiative in Skill Development through PPP” - Guidelines for Grants-in-Aid and Other Heads

The scheme would facilitate improving both qualitative and quantitative aspects of skill development in Mission Mode by harmonizing efforts of Central / State Governments as well as private sector t...

by Planning Commission, India | On 28 Mar 2011

Parliament Session Wrap: Budget Session – February 21 to March 25, 2011

Nine legislative Bills were introduced during the session. Five Bills were passed and one Bill was withdrawn during the session. Several hours were lost due to interruptions on the issues of appointme...

by Kusum Malik | On 28 Mar 2011

Towards a Human Security Approach to Peacebuilding

In recent decades, international peacebuilding and reconstruction after civil wars have managed to promote stability and contain conflict in many regions around the world, ending violence and enabling...

by Madoka Futamura | On 24 Mar 2011

Trends in Diversion of PDS Grain

This article estimates the proportion of grain "diverted" from the Public Distribution System (PDS) to the open market, using the well-established method of matching state offtake figures published by...

by Reetika Khera | On 21 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

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

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

Poverty Targeting in Asia: Experiences from India, Indonesia, the Philippines, People’s Republic of China and Thailand

Poverty targeting, defined as the use of policy instruments to channel resources to a target group identified below an agreed national poverty line, is used by all governments in Asia in one form or...

by John Weiss | On 11 Mar 2011

Gender Responsive Budgeting: The Case of Kerala

This paper we make an attempt to understand and analyze the budget from a gender perspective. The paper looks into the different areas of allocations, how far it is ‘pro woman’ budget or a ‘gender re...

by Aleyamma Vijayan | On 08 Mar 2011

Women Safety in Delhi

This study focuses on the nature of safety violence in Delhi, the perceptions of safety among women and men, infrastructure to redress their causes and their outcomes. URL: [http://wcd.nic.in/].

by Society for Development Studies | On 08 Mar 2011

Budget for Gender Equity

The budgetary policy of the Government has a major role to play in achieving objectives of gender equality and growth through content and direction of Fiscal and Monetary Policies, measures for r...

by Government of India Ministry of Women and Child Development | On 08 Mar 2011

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Gender Budget 2011-12

The Corporation has decided to implement various schemes for females within the framework of its obligatory and discretionary functions as laid down in the M.M.C. Act. A step towards it, is a separat...

by Municipal Commissioner BMC | On 07 Mar 2011

Targeting Subsidies for Insecticide Treated Mosquito Nets (ITNs): A Conceptual Framework, Experience from other Sectors and Lessons for ITNs

A number of interventions for preventing and treating malaria have now been shown through a combination of clinical trials and economic analysis to be highly cost-effective (Goodman, Coleman et al....

by Eve Worrall | On 07 Mar 2011

Feminist Response to Attempted Suicide: A Model for Public Health Intervention

This is a research based paper which has taken cognizance of violence and suicide together. Background understanding of domestic violence in relation to ongoing physical, sexual or psychological and e...

by Padma Deosthali | On 07 Mar 2011

Budget 2011-12 High Growth Not Reflected in Public Spending

With shrinking public spending, State’s health care concerns are specious. The rise in allocations on the health sector will only have limited impact on its efficiency and availability.

by Ravi Duggal | On 06 Mar 2011

Failed States, Vicious Cycles, and a Proposal

The problems of failed states, including the repeated return to power of former warlords are examined. It is argued that this causes institutions to become weaker and people to get poorer. It is argue...

by Raghuram G. Rajan | On 04 Mar 2011

Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP): Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factors Survey

The overall objective of the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) risk factors survey was to improve the information available to the Government health services and care providers on a set of high-priority...

by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare H & FW | On 24 Feb 2011

Will it be Different this Time?

All proposals and policy measures in the forthcoming Budget may best be summed up as efforts to improve the sustainability of growth. Specific objectives are likely to be lowering inflation and defici...

by IRIS India IRIS | On 22 Feb 2011

Policy and Regulatory Environment for Private Investment in the Power Sector

Private investors respond to risk return tradeoffs. The policy environment and regulatory framework significantly influence risk as well as return in the power sector. Power sector reform and policy...

by Anoop Singh | On 22 Feb 2011

Central Bank Lessons from the Global Crisis

Nine preliminary lessons from the Great Recession for monetary and financial policies are presented. [3rd P. R. Brahmananda Memorial Lecture].

by Stanley Fischer | On 18 Feb 2011

Development in North East People’s Republic of China

Since the government announced the Revitalise the North East policy in 2002 there has been a new focus to regional policy following on from the previous, but continuing, Develop the West policy. For...

by John Weiss | On 17 Feb 2011

Solutions exist

The press (including this newspaper) has been screaming blue murder about the spectrum scandal from the time it was perpetrated in broad daylight, nearly three years ago. Not only did nothing happen,...

by T.N. Ninan | On 10 Feb 2011

Decentralization, Corruption, and Government Accountability: An Overview

The impact of government decentralization on economic performance and growth is a hotly contested issue. Waves of decentralization occurred in many developing countries over the past few decades, fo...

by Pranab Bardhan | On 10 Feb 2011

Moving from Them to Us: Challenges in Reframing Violence Among Youth

This paper describes framing and the challenges particular to the context of violence prevention, with the goal of moving youth violence from being understood primarily as a criminal justice issue dea...

by Lawrence Wallack | On 09 Feb 2011

Privstization in a Small Open Economy with Imperfect Competition

Privatization is analysed in a general equilibrium model of a small, tariff-distorted, open economy. There is a differentiated good produced by both private and public sector enterprises. A reductio...

by Arghya Ghosh | On 04 Feb 2011

Cost-effectiveness Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Options: A Proposed Methodology

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

by Ministry of Environment and Forest | On 03 Feb 2011

Transperancy in Government Procurement

While in their purchase operations, as in all other activities, governments endeavour to maximize the use of scarce financial resources, the 'cost minimising objective underlying competitive bidding r...

by Anwarul Hoda | On 03 Feb 2011

Russia’s Quasi-Sovereign Debt: A Sizeable Contingent Liability

An overview of corporate and quasi-sovereign debt in Russia is provided. Fiscal sustainability in Russia in a broader framework analysed. Scenarios for public debt developments until 2020, also taking...

by Maria Arakelyan | On 31 Jan 2011

Singapore's Exchange Rate-Based Monetary Policy: A Critical Evaluation

The exchange rate-based monetary policy followed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is outlined. Possible theoretical frameworks, including a reaction function is outlined. The way the MAS h...

by Partha Sen | On 31 Jan 2011

Central-Bank Government Relationship in the Context of Emerging Economic Environment

This is a analysis of relationship between the Central Bank of Sir Lanka and the Sri lankan Government. It views the relationship in context of emerging economic environment and global economy.

by P. B. Jauasundera | On 30 Jan 2011

Rethinking Food Security Strategy: Self-sufficiency or Self-reliance

This Policy Brief discusses whether Bangladesh should continue to pursue a national food security strategy based on self-reliance or return to its earlier policy of food self-sufficiency through ...

by Uttam Kumar Deb | On 17 Jan 2011

Globalization and the Urban Poor

The focus of this paper is the effect of contemporary globalization on poverty and inequality in cities of the ‘global south’. Specifically it addresses the impact of globalization on marginalize...

by Janice E. Perlman | On 13 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 Disinterested Government: An Interpretation of China’s Economic Success in the Reform Era

In the last 30 years, China has achieved high economic growth and successfully transformed its economy from a planned economy to a market-based system. The country, to a large extent, has attaine...

by Yang Yao | On 10 Jan 2011

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

Possession and Usage of Insecticidal Bed Nets among the People of Uganda: Is BRAC Uganda Health Programme Pursuing a Pro-Poor Path?

The use of insecticidal bed nets is found to be an effective public health tool for control of malaria, especially for under-five children and pregnant women. BRAC, an indigenous Bangladeshi non-gove...

by Syed Masud Ahmed | On 31 Dec 2010

Responding to Violence Against Women: Role of Health Care Providers

Report of a training workshop for health care providers on responding to violence organised by the Centre for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes (CEHAT), Mumbai.

by Yavnika Tanwar | On 28 Dec 2010

Domestic Violence Against Women: Its Determinants and Implications for Gender Resource Allocation

Using data from a survey of Bangladeshi households, this paper explores the determinants of domestic violence against women as well as its implications for the resources allocated to women. The fi...

by Mohammad Mokammel Karim Toufique | On 27 Dec 2010

How much can Asset Transfers help the Poorest? The Five Cs of Community-level Development and BRAC’s Ultra-Poor Programme

They develop a framework for assessing community-level development programmes, building upon five related elements that are centrally important: confidence, cohesion, capacity, connections and cash (t...

by Anirudh Krishna | On 22 Dec 2010

Is Tibet Entitled to Self Determination?

The purpose of this article is to explore whether Tibet can be said to have a right to self-determination under international law. [CCPL Occasional Paper No. 18]

by Paul Harris | On 21 Dec 2010

Guidelines for Health Professionals in Responding to Women Facing Violence

This is a guidelines for health professionals on methods and need of counseling and helping the victims of violence.

by ... CEHAT | On 20 Dec 2010

Capability Traps? The Mechanisms of Persistent Implementation Failure

Many countries remain stuck in conditions of low productivity that many call “poverty traps.” Economic growth is only one aspect of development; another key dimension of development is the expansion...

by Lant Pritchett | On 15 Dec 2010

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

Parliament Session Wrap: Winter Session – November 09 to December 13, 2010

List of Bills passed, withdrawn, introcuced and pending during the Winter Session

by Kusum Malik | On 14 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

Five Years of NRHM 2005-2010

Health is a State subject and the Government of India has always tried to work in partnership with states to meet people's needs. As the report will indicate, it is through this partnership with const...

by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare H & FW | On 08 Dec 2010

Credibility and Reputationin Peacemaking

The paper analyses credibility and reputation in the context of peace negotiations. Where war provides economic gains to one side, peace is not incentive compatible, and peace agreements will necess...

by Tony Addison | On 08 Dec 2010

Kuttanad Development Project: An Economic Evaluation

This paper attempts an economic evaluation of the Kuttanad Development Project (henceforth referred to as KDP) whioh is part of an overall programme of the Government of Kerala to augment the Produ...

by K. P. Kannan | On 07 Dec 2010

Transparency and Corruption: Does E-Government Help?

Through its pioneering surveys in recent years, the Transparency International (TI) has tried to gauge the extent of corruption in different countries, identify Government departments where corruption...

by Prof. Subhash Bhatnagar | On 06 Dec 2010

Egovernment: Lessons from Implementation in Developing Countries

E-government applications from a large number of developing countries are reviewed. Different models of electronic delivery of services are compared. Delivery through conveniently located service cent...

by Prof. Subhash Bhatnagar | On 06 Dec 2010

'Slippage': The Bane of Rural Drinking Water Sector (A Study of Extent and Causes in Andhra Pradesh)

Slippage is one of the main bottlenecks of achieving full coverage of water and sanitation services in India. This paper makes an attempt to identify the causes of slippage in a systematic manner. T...

by V. Ratna Reddy | On 02 Dec 2010

Census of Castes

The present system of making Census has many advantages such as, taking stock of Indian situation with detailed data regarding the wide diversity of our people and the finding of conditions of life ha...

by Rajesh Komath | On 01 Dec 2010

Issues in Real Estate and Urban Management – A Note

This note raise many policy issues related to real estate and the urban sector. Urban issues and the very high cost of real estate in India have deep rooted problems that have their origin in the po...

by Sebastian Morris | On 22 Nov 2010

Gulf Migration Study: Employment, Wages and Working Conditions of Kerala Emigrants in the United Arab Emirates

This is the fourth in a series of Working Papers published by the CDS on Kerala migration. Unlike the other three, this one is financed by the Kerala Government and the data were collected in UAE. ...

by K. C. Zachariah | On 18 Nov 2010

Import and Domestic Production of Capital Goods From Substitution to Complementarity

Structural Adjustment is aimed at altering the Incentive framework for private enterprise so as to bring it to the centre stage of domestic economic activity. The prime mover for investment and grow...

by D. Narayana | On 08 Nov 2010

Monetary Policy Strategies in the Asia and Pacific Region: What Way Forward?

Monetary policy frameworks in the Asia and Pacific region have performed well in the past decade as judged by inflation outcomes. We argue that this is due to three principal factors: (i) central bank...

by Andrew Filardo | On 08 Nov 2010

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

Private Financing Firms in Karnataka: A Boon for Tax Dodgers

The growth of government financial institutions in India both in terms of number of branches and quantum of credit has been impressive, especially in the post-blank nationalisation period. [Working Pa...

by D. Rajasekhar | On 23 Oct 2010

Going Beyond Gender as Usual: Why and How Global HIV/AIDS Donors Can Do More for Women and Girls

This brief shows how three of the biggest donors to global HIV/AIDS programs can go beyond their stated commitments to address gender inequality and more effectively combat HIV and AIDS.

by Christina Droggitis | On 20 Oct 2010

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

The Role of State Intervention in the Financial Sector: Crisis Prevention, Containment, and Resolution

This paper discusses the role of state intervention for prevention, containment, and resolution of financial crises based mainly on the Korean experience during the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Crises...

by Yoon Je Cho | On 12 Oct 2010

Peace, Prosperity, and Pro-Growth Entrepreneurship

Support for entrepreneurship is widely seen as a mechanism to facilitate prosperity and peace in a growing number of post-conflict states. In this paper they critically evaluate this view. They ar...

by Wim Naudé | On 08 Oct 2010

A Campaign for No UID-Till Complete Transparency, Accountability and People’s Participation

A press conference was arranged which was against the Unique Identity Card (UID) project of Government of India. The panel discussed about the project that the potential to transform the state-citize...

by Shambhu Ghatak | On 08 Oct 2010

Lessons from Japan’s Banking Crisis

The Japanese government’s response to the financial crisis in the 1990s was late, unprepared and insufficient; it failed to recognize the severity of the crisis, which developed slowly; faced no major...

by Mariko Fujii | On 08 Oct 2010

Transparency in Government Procurement

While in their purchase operations, as in all other activities, governments endeavour to maximise the use of scarce financial resources. Some of these objectives are to promote the development of a do...

by Anwarul Hoda | On 07 Oct 2010

Developing Asia’s Competitive Advantage in Green Products: Learning from the Japanese Experience

Right now, governments around the world are spending record amounts of money to kick- start their economies in response to the financial crisis. Fortunately, a great opportunity exists for this fis...

by Fukuya Lino | On 06 Oct 2010

Emergence of Rating Agencies: Implications for Establishing a Regional Rating Agency in Asia

The present analysis sheds light on the setting up a regional rating agency in Asia in the wake of recent financial crisis. We investigate the policy facing a financial regulator while evaluat...

by Ying Yi Tsai | On 30 Sep 2010

The Role of the State in Managing and Forestalling Systemic Financial Crises: Some Issues and Perspectives

This paper reviews recent state interventions in financial crises and draws lessons for crisis management. A number of areas are identified where crisis management could be strengthened, including...

by Charles Adams | On 29 Sep 2010

Macro-prudential Approach to Regulation - Scope and Issues

It is being acknowledged that a macro prudential perspective is critical in designing and pursuing micro prudential regulation of institutions and markets. Two distinct but highly inter-related constr...

by Shyamala Gopinath | On 28 Sep 2010

Debt Policy in a Competitive Two-Sector Overlapping Generations Model

In this paper debt policy in a two-period, two-sector overlapping generations model with Leontief technologies has been analysed. It has been found that debt, issued to transfer resources to the initi...

by Partha Sen | On 28 Sep 2010

Fiscal Policy Issues for India after the Global Financial Crisis (2008–2010)

The need for fiscal consolidation and sustainability is one of the key macroeconomic issues confronting Indian economy. This paper attempts to understand India’s current fiscal situation, its likely f...

by Rajiv Kumar | On 28 Sep 2010

HANTEX: An Economic Appraisal

Most Governments in the Third World Countries have actively promoted cooperatives in the traditional sectors of the economy with a view to overcome the diseconomies of small size. Characterised as the...

by Mridul Eapen | On 27 Sep 2010

The Government of Chronic Poverty: From Exclusion to Citizenship?

Development trustees have increasingly sought to challenge chronic poverty by promoting citizenship amongst poor people, a move that frames citizenship formation as central to overcoming the exclusion...

by Sam Hickey | On 24 Sep 2010

Act, Support and Protect: South Asia Forum for Ending Violence Against Children

Seven girls and five boys from six countries in South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Maldives,Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) took part in the Regional Children's Consultation for the first South Asia...

by Ravi Karkara | On 21 Sep 2010

Women's Work in the Post Reform Period: An Exploration of Macro Data

Development within the framework of economic reforms is often equated to growth rates which are highlighted as the only solution to all problems – be it poverty, unemployment or inequalities based...

by Neetha N | On 21 Sep 2010

Policy Intervention and Response: A Study of the Pharmaceutical Industry in India during the Last Decade

The pharmaceutical industry in India has provoked much debate and sharp criticism, on account of its insensitivity towards the health needs of the Indian people. The vulnerability of the indu...

by P. Mohanan Pillai | On 20 Sep 2010

Dignity on Trial

The report discusses the problems posed by one of the most archaic forensic procedures still in use: the finger test. [CEHAT].

by Human Rights Watch | On 15 Sep 2010

Determinants of Weekly Yields on Government Securities in India

This paper examines the determinants of the Government yields in India using weekly data from April 2001 through March 2009. The analysis covers Treasury Bills with residual maturity of 15-91 day...

by Pami Dua | On 13 Sep 2010

An Economic Theory of Emission Cap Determination By an International Agreement

The objective of this paper is twofold. Firstly, to propose a conceptual and institutional framework for the first step of the Kyoto procedure. This framework is formally expressed in a non-cooperativ...

by Sudhir A. Shah | On 09 Sep 2010

The Evolution of Singapore Business: A Case Study Approach

This volume contains summaries of 12 case studies for three categories of business organisations defined by ownership, i.e. foreign, state and (local) private. The case studies explore the history a...

by Anisha Sabhlok | On 06 Sep 2010

Discontinuity in the Environment, Firm Response, and Dynamic Capabilities

This paper identifies and focuses on a specific type of environmental development called discontinuity. Discontinuities in the forms of rapid technological innovations, regulatory reforms, instituti...

by M. R. Dixit | On 24 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

Roof above the head - A qualitative assessment of rural housing in India

This paper is based on a set of village visits carried out by the authors as part of a study on rural housing sponsored by Holcim Limited. The views expressed here are those of the authors. [Working...

by Shashanka Bhide | On 03 Aug 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

Private Sector in the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme: A Study of the Implementation of Private-Public Partnership Strategy in Tamil Nadu and Kerala (India)

During the past one decade, the concept of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) has gained much prominence in healthcare sector in India. The foremost objective of such partnerships has been to improve th...

by Vangal R Muraleedharan | On 23 Jul 2010

Big Industry Before Independence: 1860-1950

The world over, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, private sector units were of a laissez-faire variety i.e., the private sector was completely free of state interference. Private enterprise...

by Anupriya Singhal | On 16 Jul 2010

The Unsupportable Support Price : The Government in Paddy Auctions of Northern India

In consonance with the global trend of redefining the role of the government in developing and transition economies from producer to facilitator, there is today a lively debate in India on governm...

by J.V. Meenakshi | On 07 Jul 2010

Licenses to Open a School: It’s All About Money

In Delhi, 14 lakh children are out of school. So why is there a shortfall in the supply of schools? Does the government help to better the situation? Why or Why not? In the light of these mind-boggl...

by Mayank Wadhwa | On 07 Jul 2010

Why is Dead DEDA Still Alive?

The paper discuses and analyzes the present state of affairs of the Delhi Energy Development Agency (DEDA).

by Arjun Bhattacharya | On 30 Jun 2010

The Question of Land and Infrastructure Development in India: Urgently Required Reforms for Fairness and Infrastructural Development

In this paper an analytical critique of the law and restrictions as also of the framework of urban planning and a justification for why major change is required in the approach to land markets, lan...

by Sebastian Morris | On 29 Jun 2010

Kisan Credit Card

Provision of timely and adequate credit has been one of the major challenges for banks in India in dispensation of agricultural and rural credit to the farmers. Constant innovation is required in or...

by Danish Faruqui | On 24 Jun 2010

How Long Can The G20 old Itself Together?A Power Analysis

Since its emergence before the Cancun Ministerial in September 2003, the Group of 20 developing countries (which includes South Africa, India, China, Indonesia, Thailand and Pakistan) has become an im...

by Prabhash Ranjan | On 21 Jun 2010

NAMA Tariff Negotiations: What Are South Asia's Best Options?

This paper looks at the possible impact of ongoing tariff negotiations on South Asian countries, namely Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, at an aggregate level or at the Multilateral T...

by Prabhash Ranjan | On 21 Jun 2010

Public Works Department Delhi Government

Public Works Department is engaged in planning, designing, construction and maintenance of government assets in the field of built environment and infrastructure development. This paper talks about...

by Sabith Ullah Khan | On 16 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

Wine Industry in Maharashtra: An Analysis

Two of the countryʹs biggest grape-producing districts, Nasik and Sangli, are in Maharashtra; 20,000 hectares of vineyards here grow more than one lac tons of grapes a year. As much as 99 per ce...

by Sudipto Mitra | On 15 Jun 2010

Agricultural Development for Peace

Agricultural development can contribute significantly to peace by raising incomes and employment, thereby reducing the social frustrations that give rise to violence. Agricultural growth also gene...

by Tony Addison | On 10 Jun 2010

Spatial Inequality in Social Progress in Bangladesh

The paper tracks spatial inequality in social progress in Bangladesh as evidenced from the district level data. It uses a multivariate framework to explore the differential pace of social progress at...

by Binayak Sen | On 04 Jun 2010

Koi Bhookha Na Soye

A report of the workshop ‘Koi Bhookha Na Soye’ was held at the Gandhi Peace Foundation on 14th and 15th of May, 2010.

by Shambhu Ghatak | On 03 Jun 2010

Civil Conflict and Human Capital Accumulation: The Long Term Effects of Political Violence in Perú

This paper provides empirical evidence of the long- and short-term effects of political violence exposure on human capital accumulation. Using a novel data set that registers all the violent acts an...

by Gianmarco Leon | On 27 May 2010

Debt Policy and Economic Growth in a Small Open Economy Model with Productive Government Spending

In this paper, the effects of introducing constraints on government borrowing have been examined by using a continuous-time overlapping generations model of a small open economy. Government placing co...

by Koichi Futagami | 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

Women Safety in Delhi

This paper attempts to question the state of ‘women community” at large with situation depicting the growing rate of crime, oppression and subjugation which is historically unprecedented and its re-...

by Chitra Mishra | On 03 May 2010

OTC Derivatives Market in India: Recent Regulatory Initiatives and Open Issues for Market Stability and Development

The paper seeks to prove the point that the Indian OTC derivatives markets, unlike many other jurisdictions, are well regulated. Only contracts where one party to the contract is an RBI regulated e...

by Dayanand Arora | On 03 May 2010

Commonwealth Games 2010: Displacement of Persons

This research paper analyses Government policy with regard to Jhuggi-Jhopri clusters- a particular type of housing present in Delhi. These colonies are perceived to be illegal by the Government. Wit...

by Eshaan Puri | On 13 Apr 2010

North East: Fallen off the Media Map?

Report from the 11th Media Dialogue ’North East: Fallen off the Media Map? or Why Does the Media Give so Lettle Space to this Vast Region?

by Shambhu Ghatak | On 07 Apr 2010

State Aid and Competition in Banking: The Case of China in the Late Nineties

A reduced form model where banks can pursue other goals than profit maximization is presented. This allows us to test for behavioral changes of banks over time. This model provides a framework to e...

by Xiaoqiang Cheng | On 23 Feb 2010

India's Public Finances: Do They Matter

India’s general government deficits and public debt have remained high despite faster economic growth in recent years and periodic attempts to instil greater fiscal discipline. Modest fiscal tighten...

by Paul Rawkins | On 04 Feb 2010

Dilli Sarkar’s Advertisement Expenditure: Information or Publicity?

To find out whether our government is spending an astronomical amount of taxpayer’s money publicising itself rather than disseminating information, facts and figures were assimilated. By tracking f...

by Kumar Gaurav | On 29 Jan 2010

Assessing the Fiscal Capacity of Indian Governments

The record of different post reform governments in meeting their targets and improving both delivery and finances is assessed. A variety of indices are constructed, and consistency checks devised to m...

by Ashima Goyal | On 27 Jan 2010

Working with Existing Systems: Lessons from INHP

Engaging and strengthening the ICDS and Health programs of the government was a major approach of the two component projects under the RACHNA program, INHP-II and Chayan. Of the two, the INHP interve...

by CARE India | On 24 Dec 2009

Re-Activating Primary Health Centres Through Industrial Partnership in Tamilnadu Is it a Sustainable Model of Partnership?

Kerala’s success in human development demonstrated that efficient functioning of government health care delivery system opens the doors of prosperity for the poor and vulnerable sections of the popu...

by Varatharajan D | On 21 Dec 2009

Fuel for the Clean Energy Debate – A Study of Fuelwood Collection and Purchase in Rural India

In many parts of rural India the use of wood for fuel is the cause of significant environmental and health problems. Efforts to help people switch to cleaner fuels have not been effective and fuelwood...

by ARABINDA MISHRA | On 18 Dec 2009

Climate Conference in Copenhagen Success is a Political Must

This conference is one of the most important and most complex in the history of climate policy negotiations. The objective is to form a treaty as a successor for the Kyoto Protocol. To enable a breakt...

by Eric Heymann | On 26 Nov 2009

Agricultural Subsidies and Negotiations: Strategies and Options

The paper points out that some provisions of the framework will allow developed countries to maintain and, in some cases, even increase domestic farm support and still remain WTO-compliant. In most ca...

by Parthapratim Pal | On 25 Nov 2009

Delivering (sustainable) Services on Scale : Anywhere

This paper addresses issues related to public private partnerships that can enable delivery of comprehensive health care to rural communities.

by Prachi Shukla | On 25 Nov 2009

No One Barked

No reponse form the policies that the government is announcing

by T.N. Ninan | On 20 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

The Chinese Aid System

Questions about Chinese aid—how large it is and how fast it is growing; how decisions are made on how much aid is provided each year; which countries receive it and how much they get; how the aid is m...

by Carol Lancaster | On 10 Nov 2009

The Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace (Prevention and Redressal) Bill, 2007: A Critique

Before 1997, women experiencing sexual harassment at workplace had to lodge a complaint under Indian Penal Code, 1860, ss. 354 and 509. But the Supreme Court, applying Convention on the Elimination...

by Mahalaxmi Tiwary | On 09 Nov 2009

Public Pain, Private Gain

If a private sector partner goes wrong on business assumptions, it should not be the government or the consumer who pays

by T.N. Ninan | On 09 Nov 2009

Institutional and Economic Perspectives on Government Capacity to Assume New Roles in the Health Sector: a Review of Experience

This review paper provides the background to research that will take place in four country case-studies to examine these issues. A key focus of this paper concerns government's capacity to fulfil the...

by Sara Bennett | On 09 Nov 2009

Philosophy and Practice of Financial Sector Regulation – Space for Unorthodoxy

Evolution of the financial sector regulation in India, particularly focusing on the elements of the policy framework which have contributed to the broader stability in the financial sector is depicted...

by Shyamala Gopinath | On 05 Nov 2009

2 headaches, 1 solution

The government simply has to find a way to deliver the basics. That is what will defeat the Maoists and hold off China.

by T.N. Ninan | On 27 Oct 2009

Climate Change and China: Technology, Market and Beyond

The paper discusses the impacts of climate change to the environment of China and most especially to the livelihood of Chinese people there. It analyzed the Chinese government’s position and enumerate...

by Dale Jiajun Wen | On 16 Oct 2009

Warming to Hope

Did you know that there has been no warming of the globe over the past decade?

by T.N. Ninan | On 16 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

Rectifying the Anti-politics of Citizen Participation

Can ‘participatory’ approaches to development constitute a viable strategy for promoting citizenship? This paper addresses this question by scrutinising the equivocal reaction of a peasant community...

by Katsuhiko Masaki | On 13 Oct 2009

Coping with Rising Food Prices: Policy Dilemmas in the Developing World

Rising food prices cause considerable policy dilemmas for developing country governments. Letting domestic prices adjust to reflect the full change in international prices generates inflationary pres...

by Nora Lustig | On 09 Oct 2009

Civil War: A Review of Fifty Years of Research

A review of several decades of scholarship on civil war, focusing on the answers to key questions: Why do wars begin? Who fights? How are armed groups organized? How can we end and prevent internal wa...

by Christopher Blattman | On 05 Oct 2009

Assessing the Impact of Fiscal Policy on Poverty

Fiscal policy measures are a key means by which governments can influence distribution and poverty, but in fact the relationships between fiscal policy and poverty are not well understood. The most c...

by Andrew McKay | On 05 Oct 2009

Dual Practice by Public Health Providers in Shandong and Sichuan Provinces, China

Private practice in the health sector was re-introduced from 1980, when China began its economic reform from a planned economy to a market economy. But today the total number of private sector provide...

by Ying Bian | On 30 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

Do Remittances Impact the Economy? Some Empirical Evidences from A Developing Economy

The study attempts to examine the impact of remittances on macroeconomic activities (private consumption and investment) and its implications on economic growth in India for the period from 1966-67 to...

by Hrushikesh Mallick | On 01 Sep 2009

End of the Recession

The best economic news of the past two years can be that the worst recession in 80 years may be over.

by T.N. Ninan | On 31 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

Swine Flu Casts its Spell across the Globe

The swine flu has come to India also. What measures have been taken by the government to fight against the pandemic?

by Rajeev Mavani | On 12 Aug 2009

“Group Measurement” of NREGA work: The Jalore Experiment

The paper takes a closer look at an experiment of NREGA training mates (worksite supervisors) in Rajasthan to improve worksite management. It is based on a four-day field visit (11-14 February, 2008)...

by Reetika Khera | On 05 Aug 2009

Peasant Classes, Farm Incomes and Rural Indebtedness: An Analysis of Household Production Data from Two States

The paper attempts to appraise the extent of the constraint of credit relations on agricultural production and its differential impact across peasant classes. Additionally, the analysis of the structu...

by Arindam Banerjee | On 04 Aug 2009

Conflict, Crisis, and Abuse in Dharavi, Mumbai: Experiences from Six Years at a Centre for Vulnerable Women and Children

Many victims of domestic violence go to hospitals, but interaction with doctors and nurses tended to stop at treatment for injuries. Engaging with the wider issues—emotional, psychiatric, social, and...

by Nayreen Daruwalla | On 29 Jul 2009

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2008

A bill to provide for free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years.

by Parliamentary Research Service PRS | On 27 Jul 2009

Self-help Co-operatives, Deposit Mobilisation and Supply of Credit

The paper is aimed at exploring as to how such co-operatives (i) function and deal with members while delivering micro finance; (ii) mobilise funds, and (iii) get shaped and reshape the contents of me...

by Gagan Bihari Sahu | On 09 Jul 2009

Financialization of Capital - Deterioration of Working Conditions

This paper addresses the issue of establishing a regulatory regime along the production, supply and value chains of multinational corporations in terms of setting labor standards and protecting worker...

by Fichter Michael | On 08 Jul 2009

Key Features of Budget 2009-2010

Key features of budget presented by the Finance Minister

by Pranab Mukherjee | On 06 Jul 2009

Report of the Internal Working Group on Debt Management

Establishing a debt management office would consolidate all debt management functions in a single agency, and be the catalyst for wider institutional reform and transparency about public debt. It is i...

by Ministry of Finance | On 04 Jul 2009

Emerging Contours of Financial Regulation: Challenges and Dynamics

The paper attempts to analyse the emerging contours of regulation of financial institutions with an emphasis on the emerging challenges and dynamics. [Paper prepared for Financial Stability Review of...

by Rakesh Mohan | On 29 Jun 2009

Sources of FDI Flows to Developing Asia: The Roles of Distance and Time Zones

This paper investigates sources and determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to developing Asia using bilateral FDI flows for the period 1990-2005. With regard to the determinants of FDI...

by Rabin Hattari | On 27 Jun 2009

Sal Seeds, an Untapped Resource in India

Sal seeds could provide effective livelihoods support for poor people when few alternative natural resource based strategies are available

by Sanjoy Patnaik | On 23 Jun 2009

Drug Regulation in the Philippines

Access to essential drugs is vital for the promotion of better health for the entire population. High prices of drugs are being used as an argument for greater government role in the drugs sector thro...

by Allan Grand A. Sobrepeña | On 16 Jun 2009

Subnational Taxes in Developing Countries: The Way Forward

It is critical to emphasize that intergovernmental fiscal relations must be thought of as a system and that all the pieces in the system must fit together if decentralization is to work properly. Vari...

by Richard.M. Bird | On 16 Jun 2009

Climate Change and Youth and/in Local Governments

Can young people help to increase awareness about climate change and its impacts working through local bodies? A perceptive and informative presentation by the UN-HABITAT Youth Advisory Board Member a...

by John Anugraha | On 15 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

Risk Management in the Midst of the Global Financial Crisis

The global economy is passing through its deepest financial and economic crisis of our time. Protecting the Indian economy from the worst impact of the crisis has been a big challenge for the governme...

by D Subbarao | On 08 Jun 2009

Initiatives of NGOs in Kutch Region

Many NGOs occupy a space between public and private sector organisations, and the papers in this special issue demonstrate that the mechanisms required for effective accountability by these NGOs are u...

by Kalpana C Satija | On 06 Jun 2009

Research Governance in Social Science and Social Care Research

The paper summarises the main ethical issues in social science and social care research. It outlines what is meant by research governance, especially as set out in the Department of Health Research Go...

by Jan Pahl | On 05 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

Assessing Policy Choices For Managing SO2 Emisions From Indian Power Sector

The production, transportation and consumption of energy resources, especially of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, generate negative environmental externalities including air pollution....

by Deepa Menon Choudhary | On 18 May 2009

Agricultural Impact of Climate Change: A General Equilibrium Analysis with Special Reference to Southeast Asia

Capitalizing on the most recent worldwide estimates of the impacts of climate change on agricultural production, this paper assesses the economic effects of climate change for Southeast Asian countrie...

by Fan Zhai | On 14 May 2009

Reporting The Olympic Year

This paper discusses if the Olymipic Games presented a change- not change along the lines of South Koreas leap towards democracy after the Seol Olympics, but some small shift- and how the nature of it...

by Jane Macartney | On 05 May 2009

Supporting Youth at Risk: A Policy Toolkit for Middle-Income Countries

Youth at risk can be defined as individuals between the ages of 12 and 24 who face “environmental, social, and family conditions that hinder their personal development and their successful integration...

by World Bank | On 25 Apr 2009

CBDR Principle and Recent Developments at the UNFCCC Ensuring Fairness to Developing Countries

This paper on the CBDR deals with these issues of equity, development and climate change in a holistic way to address the problem from the global south perspective keeping the South Asian requirement...

by Sanjay Vashist | On 24 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

Consultation Paper on Licensing Issues Related to Next Generation Networks

Telecom operators in India have initiated their move towards Next Generation Networks (NGN) by implementing IP based core network. In order to identify & address various issues related to Next Gen...

by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India TRAI | On 04 Feb 2009

Planning for Results: The Public Accountability Information System

The paper proposes a Public accountability information system (PAIS), with a web enabled public information system and a smart card recording all the benefits that the poor are entitled to receive thr...

by Arvind Virmani | On 22 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

Report on the GLobal Financial Crisis and Kerala Economy: Impact and Mitigation Measures

This preliminary report has been prepared with a view to assist the state government in understanding the implications of the crisis, so that appropriate policies and programmes could be chalked to de...

by Centre for Development Studies CDS | On 02 Jan 2009

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

Government Spending, Trade Openness and Economic Growth in India: A Time Series Analysis

The study examines the impact of aggregate government expenditure and its two broader components such as revenue expenditure and capital expenditure on the growth rate of output in the Indian contex...

by Hrushikesh Mallick | On 22 Dec 2008

Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects

This is an initiative by the Planning Commission to formulate “Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects in order to have a unified perspective by all ministries.These guidelines are theref...

by Government of India GOI | On 08 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

Ensuring ‘Collective Action’ in ‘Participatory’ Forest Management

This paper is based on a qualitative analysis of three case studies, each belonging to one of three types of institutional structures: Self-initiated, NGO-promoted, and Government-sponsored JFM. The b...

by Rucha Ghate | On 14 Nov 2008

World Development Report 2007 Development and the Next Generation

The Report examines five pivotal phases of life that can help unleash the development of young people’s potential with the right government policies: learning, working, staying healthy, forming famili...

by World Bank | On 11 Nov 2008

Festivals Under Shadow of Terror

The terror attacks everywhere have impacted on young people’s lives in many ways. A point of view from Vadodara, India.

by Swati Joshi | On 20 Oct 2008

Impact of Urban Growth on Water Bodies The Case of Hyderabad

This study makes an attempt to analyse the transformation of common property resources (the lakes) into private property. [WP No. 60].

by Ramachandraiah C | On 17 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

Deconstructing China’s and India’s Growth: The Role of Financial Policies

This paper uses the standard one-sector neoclassical growth model to investigate why China’s consumption has been low and investment high. This paper looks into the role played by the financial sector...

by Jahangir Aziz | On 07 Oct 2008

Issues Before the Thirteenth Finance Commission

The paper argues that irrespective of the wording of the Terms of Reference (ToR), the Commission would do well to focus on its primary task of recommending transfers to serve the objective of equit...

by M.Govinda Rao | On 06 Oct 2008

Consultation Paper on Media Ownership

The objective of the paperis to obtain the inputs of stakeholders and to generate a discussion on the appropriate policy relating to cross media and ownership restrictions in India. The comments of al...

by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India TRAI | On 03 Oct 2008

Technology Sourcing and Internationalisation of IT firms in India

The paper analyzes the determinants of internationalisation, defined in terms of export intensity and overseas investments, of the IT firms in India. In particular, the paper examines the role of tech...

by Narayanan K | On 01 Oct 2008

Reconciliation and Development

Reconciliation has become an important part of postconflict peacebuilding rhetoric and practice in recent years. As nearly all conflicts today are intrastate, former enemies, perpetrators and victims,...

by Karen Brounéus | On 01 Oct 2008

Women in the Calcutta Municipal Corporation: A Study in the Context of the Debate on the Women's Reservation Bill

This article presents the findings of a survey conducted in 2000 in the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC), where quotas – 33 per cent of seats - for women have been implemented since 1995. [CSH Oc...

by Stephanie Tawa Lema-Rewal | On 30 Sep 2008

Pollution Across Chinese Provinces

The environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis is revisited using 1987-1995 data for Chinese provinces.

by Catherine Yap Co | On 29 Sep 2008

Another Commission is Not Enough:Ram Harri Shrestha and the Corrosive Impact of Impunity on Nepal's Unsteady Peace.

Neplal's maoists initiated the process of crippling the institution of parliamentary dempcracy by giving primacy to military meanse over the political. Mainstream parties, unable to resist petty polit...

by Asian Centre for Human Rights ACHR | On 29 Sep 2008

Goa Musings: Mining

Men who will stop the water: vignettes from Goa's mining heartland

by Hartman de Souza | On 26 Sep 2008

Kandhamal Massacres: Where is the State? Central Government of India must stop the killings

Over 50 persons, mainly Christians, have been killed since the Hindu fundamentalists launched an attack on the Christians following the murder of four members of the VHP including 90 year old Laxmanan...

by Asian Centre for Human Rights ACHR | 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

Food Processing in Andhra Pradesh Opportunities and Challenges

The study is taken up in the state of Andhra Pradesh with the following objectives: 1. To study the opportunities and challenges in processing of rice, fruits and vegetables, oilseeds and livestock...

by S.Mahendra Dev | On 17 Sep 2008

India's Climate Change Policy and Trade Concerns: Issues, Barriers and Solutions

This study assesses the Five Year Plans and relevant government policies adopted to garner India's climate change goals and priorities. It attempts to highlight key climate change concerns from a brie...

by Centre for Trade and Development CENTAD | On 17 Sep 2008

A Better Childhood: Case Studies onChild Labour

Child labour is seen in every corner of the street in India, they are everywhere, they are visible. It is a very complex socio -economic problem and it definitely will be a burden of the growth of Ind...

by Theodora Lee | On 11 Sep 2008

The Naxals get lethal: Chhattisgarh continues to be the epicenter of the conflict

Chhattisgarh continues to be the epicenter of the Naxalite conflict as a direct consequence of the counter-insurgency Salwa Judum campaign. There have been credible reports of serious human rights vio...

by Asian Centre for Human Rights ACHR | On 18 Aug 2008

WCD Thematic Review 1.3:Social Aspects: Contributing Paper: Displacement, Resettlement, Rehabilitation, Reparation and Development

This paper seeks primarily to establish some benchmarks for policy and law for displacement and rehabilitation in India. It will do this by looking briefly at the actual experience of displacement due...

by Ravi Hemadri | On 14 Aug 2008

Fighting Drugs and Building Peace: Towards Policy Coherence between Counter-Narcotics and Peace Building

Over the past years, increasing attention to how “lootable” natural resources fund armed conflict has spurred the development of innovative policies and mechanisms, like the Kimberly Process – a dia...

by Barnett R. Rubin | On 14 Aug 2008

Impact of Proposed Commodity Transaction Tax

The relationship between trading activity, volatility and transaction cost using a three-equation structural model for five top selected commodities namely Gold, Copper, Petroleum Crude, Soya Oil and...

by Pravakar Sahoo | On 07 Aug 2008

A Human Rights Commission Must Have Effective Powers

Ratification imposes specific obligations on a state to incorporate human rights into national laws, to amend legislation, to promote, protect and fulfill human rights and prevent violations of huma...

by South Asians for Human Rights SAHR | On 31 Jul 2008

Managing Capital Flows: The Case of India

From the early 1990s, India embarked on easing capital controls. Liberalization emphasised openness towards equity flows, both FDI and portfolio flows. In particular, there are few barriers in the fa...

by Ajay Shah | On 24 Jul 2008

Between Citizens and Institutions: The Dyamics of the Integration of Water Supply and Sanitation Services in Hyderabad

The purpose of this study is to review the changes that have taken place recently in water supply and sanitation services and examine the role of various stakeholders involved in urban governance in...

by Agnes Huchon | On 15 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

Towards NAMA Modalities

Submitted to Trade Negotiations Committee in response to request of members for language of full modalities on non-agricultural market access (NAMA) negotiations. As a result of the failure of the neg...

by World Trade Organisation WTO | On 19 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

Book Review: Inside the Indian Family

Review of: Democracy in the Family: Insights from India. Edited by Joy Deshmukh-Randive Sage Publications. New Delhi 2008.

by Tulsi Patel | On 26 May 2008

It’s the Network, Stupid: Why Everything in Medicine Is Connected

Social networking is about more than just friends reunited; it’s a framework for understanding even the most basic of biological processes. Two papers in the month of March PLoS Medicine illustrate t...

by PLoS Medicine | On 26 Mar 2008

Tamil Nadu Budget 2008-09

Speech of Prof. K. Anbazhagan, Minister for Finance, Government of Tamil Nadu, presenting the Budget for 2008-2009 to the Legislative Assembly on 20th March, 2008.

by Tamil Nadu Government | On 25 Mar 2008

ICT and Employment Promotion Among Poor Women: How Can We Make It Happen? Some Reflections On Kerala's Experience

This paper deals with the integration of gender in policies relating to information and communication technology to empower socially excluded poor women as producers of this technology. In this contex...

by Mohanan Pillai P | On 25 Mar 2008

A short critique of the Stern Review

The Stern Review (2006) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assert that the greenhouse problem can be solved at a negligible cost. this articls details the argument that both th...

by Ted Trainer | On 17 Mar 2008

A Sugar Policy for India Comment on D R Gadgil

D.R. Gadgil, wrote at length about the need for a long-term sugar policy and its efficient implementation is needed in India. What is the current relevance of his ideas?

by Aparna Mitheel Jaikar | On 13 Mar 2008

Scaling up a Reproductive Health Curriculum In Youth Training Courses

Considering the reproductive health information and service needs of adolescents and youth, the Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) Program, in collaboration with the Min...

by Laila Rahman | On 12 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

Kerala Budget Speech 2008-09

Budget speech 2008-09 by Finance Minister Dr. Thomas Issac

by Government of Kerala Govt | On 07 Mar 2008

Key Features of Budget 2008-2009

Budget presented by Finance Minister

by P Chidambaram | On 29 Feb 2008

The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2007

The Bill seeks to amend the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961.

by Parliamentary Research Service PRS | On 28 Feb 2008

Introducing the Railway Budget 2008-2009

Speech of Lalu Prasad

by Lalu Prasad | On 27 Feb 2008

The Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2007

A bill to provide for the rehabilitation and resettlement of persons affected by the acquisition of land for projects of public purpose or involuntary displacement due to any other reason, and for mat...

by Lok Sabha | On 07 Feb 2008

Requirement of Public Holding for Listing

It is proposed to amend the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Rules, 1957 (SCRR) to make provisions to implement the proposals as suggested at Para 11 in the paper. The comments on these proposals are...

by Ministry of Finance | On 05 Feb 2008

Gender Planning, Budgeting and Auditing

This manual is intended to help local governments to uphold the human rights of women, by involving them in identifying their needs and with their participation, to find possible solutions and move to...

by Aleyamma Vijayan | On 04 Feb 2008

From Theory to Practice: Translating Research into Health Outcomes

Commenting on recent research articles which look at the potential health benefits of behaviour change, the PLoS Medicine Editors say that publication of the findings of such research is only one part...

by PLoS Medicine | On 01 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

Managing Migration in thePhilippines: Lessons for India

The significance of international migration in the Philippines economy and society is discussed. The Government of Philippines plays a supportive and regulatory role promoting internationational migr...

by S. Irudaya Rajan | On 19 Jan 2008

Issues Relating to 3rd Phase of Private FM Radio Broadcasting

The first phase of private sector involvement in FM radio broadcasting was launched by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India vide its notification in year 1999. Based on the ex...

by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India TRAI | On 11 Jan 2008

A Success Story

India's economic reforms are evaluated.

by T.N. Ninan | On 26 Nov 2007

Vaccine Policy in India

The success of an immunisation programme in any country depends more upon local realities and national policies. This is particularly true for a huge and diverse developing country such as India, with...

by Yennapu Madhavi | On 12 Nov 2007

The beast in us all

The tragedies and discrimination that happen in our country in the name of caste shows that there is a beast in all of us.

by T.N. Ninan | On 06 Nov 2007

Newsletter on Regional Economy: A bi-monthly four-state update

A monthly compilation by IRIS.

by IRIS India IRIS | On 22 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

Unorganised Sector Worker's Social Security Bill 2007

A bill to provide for the social security and welfare of unorganised sector workers and for other matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

by Minister of State for Labour and Employment | On 15 Oct 2007

Between Stools

Different options that RBI and government must decide regard to future inflows of international capital to India.

by T.N. Ninan | 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

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

Marketing of Bt Cotton in India: Aggressive, Unscrupulous and False….

The paper examines the prevailing situation of Bt cotton marketing in India. It tells a story of how aggressive and unethical marketing practices are adopted for luring faemers into the Bt cotton trap...

by Centre for Sustainable Agriculture CSA | 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

The Reserve Bank and the State Governments: Partners in Progress

The States, relative to the Centre, have taken the centre-stage in the reform process since the areas of highest national priority now fall essentially within the purview of the States. The unique and...

by Y V Reddy | On 26 Sep 2007

Missing the Bus

Government has done a lot for the development of textile industry. But India is not at all doing well in the international markets compared to countries like China and Bangladesh. Government has not d...

by T.N. Ninan | On 24 Sep 2007

Educational Policy and the Economics of the Family

The implications of alternative ways to model decisionmaking by families for educational policy are analysed. Many of the policy implications associated with credit constraints cannot be distinguished...

by Abhijit Banerjee | On 11 Sep 2007

Where are the SOPs?

Need for SOPs (standard operating procedures) in many government departments can be seen form the maintenance of cities in India. Many unplanned decisions have caused difficulties to pedestrians. It h...

by T.N. Ninan | On 10 Sep 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

The Real Numbers

The macro-economic numbers put out by the official statistical systems do not capture the full underlying reality because of a variety of accounting fudges and delayed decisions. Taken in its totality...

by T.N. Ninan | On 30 Jul 2007

Evaluate Anti-Naxal Policies of the Chhatisgarh Government: Naxal Conflict Monitor April 11, 2007

The State has the responsibility to ensure right to life of the citizens. Involving civilians directly in armed conflicts only increases the risks to their lives and prolongs the conflicts. Common cit...

by Asian Centre for Human Rights ACHR | On 13 Jul 2007

Book Review: Discourses on Women’s Movement: Theory and Action

Review of Writing the Women’s Movement: A Reader Edited by Mala Khullar; Zuban (in collaboration with EWHA Women’s University Seoul).

by Veena Poonacha | On 05 Jul 2007

SAN: Newsletter of All India Secular Forum, II:7, July 2007

Purdah, Haren Pandya Verdict, MP Freedom of Religion Bill, Misdirected Hyderabad Investigation/ Special Religious Zone Concerns: Communal Violence Bill Other regular sections

by Secular Action Network SAN | On 05 Jul 2007

Working Together for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health

Despite years of significant advances in improving child survival and health, the final chapter on ending unnecessary child deaths has not yet been written and advances have stagnated in several count...

by Francisco Songane | On 03 Jul 2007

Selection into Worst Forms of Child Labor: Child Domestics, Porters and Ragpickers in Nepal

A large literature considers why children work, but little is known about why children participate in activities that are labeled worst forms of child labor. The principal international convention o...

by Eric Edmonds | On 19 Jun 2007

Three Essays on the Economics and Finance of Terrorism

Aa framework for the analytical treatment of terrorist problems is suggested and then brings out the importance of financial and socio-economic factors. The framework classifies the various causes of...

by Siddhartha Mitra | On 31 May 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

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

Declaration of SAARC Summits 1985-1998

The Summit declarations of the Heads of State/Government of the Member Countries of SAARC at the conclusion of all the ten SAARC summits that have taken place since the inception of SAARC have been co...

by SAARC Secretariat | On 10 Apr 2007

Language Politics: Learning English

States are struggling to find the right language formula in education, giving rise to political agendas around language teaching. How early should English be introduced in the school curriculum? Shoul...

by Lakshmi Priya | On 03 Apr 2007

Commission of Inquiry

On 1st September 2003, the Government had appointed the Commission under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952, to inquire into the allegations of corrupt paractices and maladministration inot certain...

by Maharashtra Government | On 27 Mar 2007

TB Report

On world TB day, this reoirt gives an idea about how overall the world people are affected byTB and the government initiatives to control TB

by World Health Organisation WHO | On 24 Mar 2007

Educational Development and Wastage in Tripura

The paper evaluates the general educational scene in Tripura three commonly known indicators such as literacy rate, enrolment ratio and wastage rate are used as yardsticks in the present study. though...

by P. Nayak | On 22 Mar 2007

Andhra Pradesh Budget 2007-08

Budget Speech of Finance Minister 2007-08

by Government Andhra Pradesh | On 16 Mar 2007

Suicides by Cotton Farmers in Andhra Pradesh

The paper disuses and analyzes the condition of cotton farmers of Andra Pradesh and the reasons for their committing suicides.

by Reji K Joseph | On 05 Mar 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

The International Mobility of Technical Talent: Trends and Development Implications

This paper charts the complex dynamics of the movement of technical talent in the world economy and assesses broadly the impact of such mobility on both sending and receiving countries. Based on sec...

by Anthony P. D'Costa | On 29 Dec 2006

Impact of Reservations of Panchayat Pradhans on Targeting in West Bengal

The effect of randomized reservations of Pradhan (chief executive) positions in West Bengal local governments (panchayats) for women and members of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) following t...

by Pranab Bardhan | On 27 Dec 2006

Pro-Poor Targeting and Accountability of Local Governments in West Bengal

A commonly alleged pitfall of decentralization is that poverty, socio-economic inequality and lack of political competition allow local elites to capture local governments. This hypothesis is empirica...

by Pranab Bardhan | On 27 Dec 2006

Rights-based Strategies in the Prevention of Domestic Violence

This study is an attempt to broaden the discussion about the prevention of domestic violence against women, informed by a rights based strategy. The study discusses the critical elements of a human ri...

by Pradeep Kumar Panda | On 19 Dec 2006

GATS Negotiations and India: Evolution and State of Play

India’s negotiating position on services has undergone a paradigm shift since the Uruguay Round. From being a leading opponent of the GATS in the early stages, India has now emerged as one of the cham...

by Kasturi Das | On 16 Dec 2006

Gender Disaggregated Analysis of South Gujarat Tribals: Role of Social Capital in Human Development

This paper, based on ‘capabilities’ approach, analyses the ‘development outcomes’ forf ‘tribals’ of rural south Gujarat and examines the relative roles of physical, human and social capital within a...

by Arti Nanavati | On 26 Nov 2006

Women's Rights and the Crises of International Human Rights Intervention

This paper will map the developments that led to the integration of gender into the international human rights law discourse and examine how the language of ‘violence’ and ‘respectable victimhood’ (...

by Oishik Sarcar | On 29 Aug 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

SEPHIS e-journal, Volume 2:3, May 2006

Editorial: Samita Sen, Shamil Jeppie, Carlos Degregori Articles: Hlonipha Mokoena: The Making of a Kholwa Intellec- tual: Introducing Magema Magwaza Fuze. Iman Kumar Mitra:The Economics of Sex in...

by SEPHIS | On 23 May 2006

India Needs to Separate Debt from Monetary Management

The Reserve Bank of India, in its Annual Policy Statement on April 28, 2005, for the year 2005-06, announced its intention to reorient government debt management operations entailing functional separ...

by Charan Singh | On 14 Apr 2006

India’s Post-Liberalisation Growth Experience: An Analysis by the Demand Components

This paper tries to examine the sustainability aspect of the rate of growth (rog) in recent years, designated as ‘the second phase of liberalisation’. This paper is based on the Keynesian framework wh...

by Anamitra Roychowdhury | On 29 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

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

Reproductive Health Services and Role of Panchayats in Karnataka

The paper presents an analysis of the reproductive health care services available to women in rural areas in Karnataka, and the various factors influencing them. Based on survey data on the status o...

by Poornima Vyasulu | On 19 Jan 2006

Conceptualizing NGO-State Relations in Karnataka:Conflict and Collaboration amidst Organizational Diversity

This paper maps the organizational diversity of the NGO sector in Karnataka, a “middle order state” (Vyasulu, 1995), and demonstrates that conceptualizing NGO actions vis-à-vis the state dichotomously...

by Neema Kudva | On 13 Jan 2006

Participation in a School Incentive Programme in Karnataka

Development education policy has recently focused on school-based recognition and conditional cash transfer programs to improve accountability and incentives of school employees and committees. The L...

by Sharon Bernhardt | 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

Sexual Assault Evidence Kit: Institutionalising a Model for Addressing Care and Evidence-Linked Issues

There is sufficient evidence to show that early and good quality documentation of evidence is associated with positive legal outcome and hence this area of reform in medico-legal services need to be a...

by Amita Pitre | On 20 Dec 2005

Choosing to Live: Guidelines for Suicide Prevention Counselling in Domestic Violence

Nearly a million people take their own lives every year, more than those murdered or killed in war. Suicide is a problem that affects people of all ages and economic levels, and is recognised by the W...

by Aruna Burte | On 02 Dec 2005

Riots in Mau: Report on an Investigation

On October 13-14, 2005 Mau in Uttar Pradesh, India experienced widespread violence and communal tension. Mau has a long history of communal tensions. It is largely rural district with a minority of...

by Rooprekha Verma | On 16 Nov 2005

Underground Gun Markets

This paper provides an economic analysis of underground gun markets drawing on interviews with gang members, gun dealers, professional thieves, prostitutes, police, public school security guards and t...

by Philip J. Cook | On 11 Nov 2005

The Problem

Trapped for close to a decade in a vicious cycle of violence and counter-violence, the royal proclamation of 1 February 2005 declaring an emergency, suspending the constitution and fundamental rights,...

by Anonymous | On 30 Aug 2005

Comment: When The State Kills

The militarisation of society, already alarming, has visibly increased since 1 February. The king justifies his takeover as a move towards peace. Peace there will be in Nepal, only it will be the chil...

by Bela Malik | On 30 Aug 2005

Domestic Violence Aganist Women In Ernakulam District

Gender discrimination manifests itself as violence in the family, community, and society. It takes the forms of female foeticide, female infanticide, abuse of the girl child, social harassment, mental...

by Celine Sunny | On 16 Aug 2005

From Governments To Markets: Funding Urban Infrastructure

Provision of quality urban infrastructure is an area of major concern forthe Indian Economy. The environment defined by the context of globalisation and privatisation has implied fiscal compression an...

by Abhay Pethe | On 05 Aug 2005

Public Hospital And Domestic Violence: Report Of The Formative Research Done At Dilaasa

Violence against women is a universal phenomenon cutting across age, culture, caste, religion, and socio-economic status. It occurs in various forms, daily. Of these, domestic violence is almost ubiqu...

by Tejal Barai Jaitly | On 05 Aug 2005

Voice Lessons:Local Government Organizations, Social Organizations, and the Quality of Local Governance

As part the Local Level Institutions study of local life in villages in rural Indonesia information was gathered on sampled household’s participation in social activities. We classified the reported a...

by Lant Pritchett | On 31 Mar 2005