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Matching keywords : West Bengal, Assembly Elections

Book Review of 'Empire and Ecology in the Bengal Delta: The Making of Calcutta'.

Review of Empire and Ecology in the Bengal Delta: The Making of Calcutta by Debjani Bhattacharyya. Studies in Environment and History Series. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018. Illustratio...

by | On 07 May 2020

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

Examining the state level heterogeneity of public health expenditure in Indi a: an empirical evidence from panel data

This study explores the relationship over an extended period of time between an increase in per capita public health expenditure and per capita state’s domestic product (per capita inc...

by Deepak Kumar Behera | On 16 May 2018

Naga media, the elections and ‘solutions’

Naga newspapers’ unwillingness to engage with the real issues plaguing the state was on display in the recent elections.

by Vikas Kumar | On 24 Mar 2018

Budget Speech West Bengal: 2018

Finance Minister, Dr. Amit Mitra presented the West Bengal budget on 31st January, 2018.

by Amit Mitra FM, WB | On 05 Feb 2018

Consumption Pattern in West Bengal - A Study of Per Capita Expenditure Elasticity by Income Group

The understanding of consumption patterns of the households of different income groups is essential for the development of successful food security policies. In recent years the studies on consumption...

by | On 08 Dec 2017

Toilet Access among the Urban Poor – Challenges and Concerns in Bengaluru City Slums

Urban expansion in India over the last few decades has placed cities in a challenging situation with limited infrastructure facilities affecting the quality of life of people who live in low income se...

by Manasi S | On 13 Sep 2017

Toward a New Frame for Regional Films: Manbhum Videos and the Other Side of (Indian) Cinema

This article focuses on the production and mass circulation of locally produced videos in and across socially marginalized areas of Bengal. It emerges from the research conducted on the video industry...

by Madhuja Mukherjee | On 31 Aug 2017

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

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

by Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes | On 17 Aug 2017

The Importance of Being Siliguri, or the Lack Thereof Border-Effect and the “Untimely” City in North Bengal

Debashis Chakraborty visited Siliguri for the first time in 1952. After the final examinations of Class IV, this was his first trip to Siliguri to visit the part of his family that had relocated to th...

by Atig Ghosh | On 04 Aug 2017

What is Causing Radicalism in the MENA?

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

by Fadi Farasin | On 03 Aug 2017

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

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

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 25 Jul 2017

Rural Medical Practitioners: Who are they? What do they do? Should they be trained for improvement? Evidence from rural West Bengal

The private healthcare sector in rural India is often dominated by unqualified rural medical practitioners (RMPs). However, there is limited evidence on RMPs and potential for an intervention to reduc...

by Subrata Mukherjee | On 19 May 2017

LED Street Lighting Best Practices - Lessons Learned from the Pilot LED Municipal Streetlight and PLN Substation Retrofit Project (Pilot LED Project) in Indonesia

The Pilot LED Project was successful in demonstrating significant savings and in developing new specifications for LED luminaires that focused on luminaire performance, quality of delivered illuminati...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 07 May 2017

Book Review: ‘Kadhakaran of Arabee Cundree’

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

by Kavya Murthy | On 07 Mar 2017

Darwin's Man in Brazil: The Evolving Science of Fritz MuÌler

David West's detailed study on the life and work of Fritz Müller, an evolutionary biologist and colleague of Charles Darwin, is the culmination of three decades of inquiry. The depth and scope of r...

by Amy Cox Hall | On 15 Feb 2017

The Case Against Weaponising Water

With growing water scarcity across many parts of the world, competition over access to this vital resource has been known to spark conflict. Following the September 2016 Uri attack in India, the gover...

by | On 14 Feb 2017

Vehicular Pollution in Indian Cities: What can the Central Budget do?

Indian cities are facing the problem of severe air pollution and vehicles are a major source. The economically vibrant cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai provide numerous job opp...

by Sudakshina Gupta | On 24 Jan 2017

Dealing with GST in the Union Budget 2017

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

by Lekha Chakraborty | On 23 Jan 2017

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

Strength of Partisan and Candidate Ties in India

This study estimates the impact of incumbency on re-election prospects of parties and candidates in India, between 1977 and 2014, for Lok Sabha elections. Regression discontinuity design is used to es...

by Aditi Singhal | On 05 Dec 2016

Analysis of the Kerala Assembly Elections, May 2016

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

by D Dhanuraj | On 21 Oct 2016

Review: The Making of International Human Rights: The 1960s, Decolonization, and the Reconstruction of Global Values

Review of The Making of International Human Rights: The 1960s, Decolonization, and the Reconstruction of Global Values. Human Rights in History Series. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016.

by | On 17 Oct 2016

Growth and Distribution: Understanding Developmental Regimes in Indian States

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

by | On 07 Oct 2016

A Study of Government Urdu Primary Schools in Bengaluru

This study provides an overview of Urdu-medium primary schools in the Bengaluru urban district of Karnataka in India. Akshara’s research examined access to government-run Urdu-medium schools and iss...

by Divya Vishawanath | On 23 Sep 2016

Encouraging Women to be Entrepreneurs

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

by Lakshmi Priya | On 30 Aug 2016

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

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

by K. Vaijayanti | On 29 Aug 2016

Performance Pay and Malnutrition

We carry out a randomized controlled experiment in West Bengal, India to test three separate performance pay treatments in the public health sector. Performance is judged on improvements in child maln...

by | On 29 Aug 2016

Migration and Refugee Issue Between India and Bangladesh

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

by | On 22 Aug 2016

Medical Education and Emergence of Women Medics in Colonial Bengal

In the existing narratives the wider colonial contexts of institutionalization of western science and medicine and growth of curative medicine, changing patterns of education and health services for...

by Sujata Mukherjee | On 01 Jul 2016

Maternal Anthropometry and Birth Outcome among Bengalis in Kolkata

This study has done a test as to what degree anthropometric measurements are useful and efficient in predicting birth outcome of pregnancy and also to determine the quantitative associations of anthr...

by Samiran Bisai | On 27 Jun 2016

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

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

by | On 24 Jun 2016

Prosumers in Bengaluru: Lessons for Scaling Rooftop Solar PV

The City of Bengaluru in the Indian state of Karnataka is making progress on rooftop solar PV installations, mainly through its utility implemented net-metering program. Yet, much more needs to be don...

by Sarah Martin | On 17 Jun 2016

Employment Growth in West Bengal : An Assessment

West Bengal witnessed the highest growth in non-agricultural employment between 2004-05 and 2009-10 amongst all the states in India. The state also witnessed the highest growth in manufacturing emp...

by Subhanil Chowdhury | On 16 Jun 2016

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

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

by | On 10 Jun 2016

Campaigns, Digital Media and Mobilization in India

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

by | On 07 Jun 2016

Property Rights and Gender Bias: Evidence from Land Reform in West Bengal

While land reforms are typically pursued in order to raise productivity and reduce inequality across households, an unintended consequence may be increased within-household gender inequality. We analy...

by | On 03 Jun 2016

Draft Report on the Implementation of Status of Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014

This report is an outcome of the continuous interaction of YUVA Urban and National Hawkers Federation (NHF) with the street vendors across different states. They have been a part of the struggle of...

by Sadaf Zafar | On 31 May 2016

Climate Change in Madhya Pradesh: Indicators, Impacts and Adaptation

Climate variability and climate change pose an enormous pressure on population, infrastructure, livelihood, and socio-economic conditions. Evidences of climate change are already visible on many secto...

by Vimal Mishra | On 30 May 2016

Aid and Conflict in Afghanistan

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

by International Crisis Group | On 26 May 2016

Afghanistan’s Political Transition

This report reviews Afghanistan’s 2014 presidential election and the related political contests. Drawing on interviews in Kabul and the work of researchers in several provinces, this study does not se...

by International Crisis Group | On 26 May 2016

Political Conflict, Extremism and Criminal Justice in Bangladesh

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

by International Crisis Group | On 26 May 2016

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

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

by Moneer Alam | On 25 May 2016

Mumbai’s Coastal Road: Hollow Pretexts, Harsh Consequences

The coastal freeway is a 34-km road planned along the entire Western Coastline of Mumbai. This presentation attempts to understand Social and Environmental Impacts of the proposed road on the city of...

by | On 20 May 2016

Understanding the Elections in Assam (part 2)

Muslim population, and this population may play a large role in the outcome of Assam’s election. In this piece, CPR researchers Bhanu Joshi, Ashish Ranjan, and Neelanjan Sircar examine the complex con...

by Bhanu Joshi | On 20 May 2016

Performing Poriborton

Congress, stormed to power in West Bengal under the simple slogan poriborton (change). In this piece, Bhanu Joshi, Ashish Ranjan, and Neelanjan explore how Mamata went about demonstrating this change...

by Neelanjan Sircar | On 20 May 2016

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

This report provides an analysis of Asset Comparison of Re-contesting MLAs in Puducherry Assembly Elections, 2016

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 19 May 2016

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

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

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 19 May 2016

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

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

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 19 May 2016

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

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

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 19 May 2016

Tamil Nadu: Analysis of Asset Comparison of Re-contesting MLAs in Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections

This report analyses the assets of the candidates re contesting in the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 19 May 2016

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

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

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 19 May 2016

Dossier of The Proposed Iron Ore Mining in the Sawantwadi -Dodamarg Stretch of the Sindhudurg Dist, Maharashtra: India Mining Projects in the Northern Western Ghats

Various mining projects have been proposed in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. The proposed mining area seeks to destroy about 200 sq km. in the Western Ghats part of the Sawantwadi and Dodam...

by | On 18 May 2016

Politics, While Young

Attempts to reconstruct a young voters' bloc have been crucial to campaigns around the globe. But caste and class fissures run wide and deep among that demographic, and India's youth might converge mo...

by Anish Nair | On 13 May 2016

Bill for Compulsory Voting

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

by Bhanu Joshi | On 09 May 2016

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

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

by N Rajendran | On 09 May 2016

Understanding the Election in Assam (Part 1)

The mainstream narrative on Assam is defined by an excessive focus on linguistic, ethnic, and religious strife, but many of the voters speak of development and economic growth, not social conflict, as...

by | On 05 May 2016

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

This report provides analysis of asset comparison of re-contesting MLAs in the West Bengal Assembly Elections

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 04 May 2016

West Bengal: Analysis of Criminal Background, Financial, Education, Gender and other details of Candidates in Phase 6

This report provides information about the criminal, financial and other background of the candidates contesting in phase 6 of the West Bengal Assembly Elections.

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 04 May 2016

Employment Growth in West Bengal : An Assessment

This paper analyzes the employment generation in the state of West Bengal

by | On 29 Apr 2016

Political Intolerance in Bengal

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

by | On 29 Apr 2016

Tamil Nadu: Fragmented Politics in Tamil Nadu

2014 elections in Tamil Nadu is a point of no return for the Congress much like the 1967 general elections. But consolidation of the OBCs that led to the DMK’s emergence is now over and the fragmentat...

by | On 29 Apr 2016

Assam: Analysis of Asset Comparison of Re-contesting MLAs

This report provides an analysis of the assets owned by re contesting MLAs in the Assam Assembly Elections.

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 28 Apr 2016

Assam: Analysis of Criminal Background, Financial, Education, Gender and other details of Candidates in Phase 2

This report provides information about the financial, criminal and other backgrounds of the candidates contesting in phase 2 of Assam Assembly Elections.

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 28 Apr 2016

Assam: Analysis of Criminal Background, Financial, Education, Gender and Other Details of Candidates

This report provides information about the financial, criminal and other backgrounds about the candidates contesting in phase 1 of the Assam Assembly Elections.

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 28 Apr 2016

West Bengal: Analysis of Criminal Background, Financial, Education, Gender and other details of Candidates in Phase 5

This report provides information about the financial, criminal and other backgrounds of the candidates contesting in the phase 5 of the West Bengal Elections.

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 28 Apr 2016

West Bengal: Analysis of Criminal Background, Financial, Education, Gender and other details of Candidates in Phase 4

This report provides information about the financial, criminal and other backgrounds of the candidates contesting in the phase 4 of the West Bengal Elections.

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 28 Apr 2016

West Bengal: Analysis of Criminal Background, Financial, Education, Gender and other details of Candidates in Phase 3

This report provides information about the financial, criminal and other backgrounds of the candidates contesting in the phase 3 of the West Bengal Elections.

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 28 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

West Bengal: Analysis of Criminal Background, Financial, Education, Gender and other details of Candidates in Phase 2

This report contains information regarding the financial, criminal and other background of the candidates contesting in the Phase 2 of the West Bengal Elections.

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 28 Apr 2016

West Bengal: Analysis of Criminal Background, Financial, Education, Gender and other details of Candidates in Phase 1B

This report provides information regarding the financial, criminal and other backgrounds of the candidates contesting in the phase 1B of the West Bengal Elections.

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 28 Apr 2016

West Bengal: Economic Review

This report has been prepared by the West Bengal Chamber of Commerce. It includes data on various sectors including but not limited to: Employment, Industry, Agriculture, Power and Trade.

by Chamber of Commerce | On 27 Apr 2016

West Bengal: Education Status Report

This report provides information about the state of education in West Bengal.

by | On 27 Apr 2016

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

This report provides information about the financial, criminal and other backgrounds of the candidates contesting in the phase 1A of the West Bengal Elections.

by | On 27 Apr 2016

West Bengal: Census Report 2011

This report if from the Census of India. It provides information about literacy rates, sex ratio, population in West Bengal of the year 2011.

by | On 27 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

The Redistributive Effects of Political Reservation for Minorities: Evidence from India

We examine the impact of political reservation for disadvantaged minority groups on poverty. To address the concern that political reservation is endogenous in the relationship between poverty and res...

by Nishith Prakash | On 11 Apr 2016

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

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

by | On 05 Apr 2016

The West Sumatra Earthquakes: Not Learning Our Lessons?

A big earthquake hit the ocean floor off Southwestern Sumatra, Indonesia on 2 March 2016. Tsunami warnings were issued by the government to the whole Sumatran regions. How effective are Indonesia’s...

by Jonatan Lassa | On 28 Mar 2016

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

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

by Ronojoy Sen | On 22 Mar 2016

Living the ‘Absence’ The Rajbanshis of North Bengal

While often it describe the modern era - framed by the Post-Enlightenment narrative - as one marked by an unprecedented concern for identity and identification, it often lose sight of the parallel pro...

by Samir Kumar Das | On 21 Mar 2016

Winners and Losers in the Arab Awakening

On January 25, 2012, one year has passed since the protests began on Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Events in the Middle East and North Africa over the past year have altered many previously held beliefs abou...

by | On 14 Mar 2016

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

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

by Ronojoy Sen | On 14 Mar 2016

Budget Speech West Bengal: 2016-17

Speech of Finance Minister, 2016.

by West Bengal Government | On 14 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

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

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

by Sanjay Bhardwaj | On 01 Mar 2016

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

Development Policies and Democratic Disruptions: Predicaments of the Marxist Left

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

by | On 25 Feb 2016

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

China Buys into Afghanistan

This article examines three elements of the popular narrative of China’s involvement in the development of Afghanistan’s vast natural resource wealth. It argues that Chinese companies invested in Afgh...

by Erica Downs | On 14 Feb 2016

Does Governance Contribute to Pro-poor Growth? Evidence from Pakistan

This paper explores linkages between governance and pro-poor growth in Pakistan for the period 1996 to 2005. The analysis indicates that governance indicators have low scores and rank at the lowest pe...

by Rashida Haq | On 14 Feb 2016

Consumption Smoothing in the Demand for Health Care

We investigate how, in temporary economic hardship, agents change their consumption of health services, and how this depends on whether the service is universally free-of-charge visits to GP’s or priv...

by Nicolai Kristensen | On 07 Feb 2016

MDGs to SDGs: Have We Lost the Plot?

In September this year, world leaders will meet in New York at the United Nations General Assembly. Top of the agenda will be the passage of a resolution laying out global development goals for the fi...

by Charles Kenny | 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

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

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

by Ellen L. Frost | On 31 Jan 2016

Founding of IWMI In Sri Lanka

The parliamentary general elections in 1977 was a watershed in the political landscape of Sri Lanka. The government that came into power mid-year sought a more liberalized and open economy, and hence...

by Nanda Abeywickrama | On 30 Jan 2016

A Safe Public Transportation Environment for Women and Girls

This report provides evidence from three quite different cities in ADB’s Central and West Asia region of the prevalence of women being harassed on public transport. It goes on to show the impacts of t...

by Asian Development Bank Institute | On 29 Jan 2016

Elite Politics and Dissent in Sri Lanka

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

by | On 29 Jan 2016

Recognition of Forest Rights and Livelihoods of Tribal Communities: A Study of Western Ghats Region, Kerala State

The study tries to examine the implementation process of the Forest Rights Act 2006 in Kerala, in terms of providing individual holding land rights and community rights over forest products. The stu...

by Jyothis Sathyapalan | On 29 Jan 2016

Competition and Response in Small Firm Clusters: Two Cases from Western India

This paper addresses the different firm level strategies adopted to face up to the pressures of competition by two industrial clusters in the highly industrialised state of Gujarat. The overwhelming p...

by Keshab Das | On 28 Jan 2016

Linking Conservation with Livelihood: Lessons from Management of Gir-Protected Area in Western India

The paper talks about linking-up of regeneration efforts within and outside the Protected Area (PA) by treating them as an integrated ecological system may help better management and also protection o...

by Amita Shah | On 28 Jan 2016

Rising Powers in International Development

The setting up of the New Development Bank was first suggested by India in early 2012 in order to fund its domestic energy and infrastructure needs, namely power transmission, 11 roads and ports. Fina...

by Stephen Spratt | On 22 Jan 2016

Does Marginal Cost Pricing of Electricity Affect the Groundwater Pumping Behaviour of Farmers? Evidence From India

The purpose of this evaluation was to quantify the impact of the recent policy change in West Bengal relating to the pricing of electricity from a flat-rate tariff to a metered tariff. The study attem...

by Meenakshi J V | On 21 Jan 2016

Conducting Elections in the World’s Largest Plural Society

The paper discusses the need to have elections completely free of crime, and abuse of money, based on a perfect electoral roll, and with full voter participation.

by S. Y. Quraishi | On 19 Jan 2016

The Laboratory and its Double: The Making of the Scientist-Citizen at TIFR

If the utopian ideals of Bhatnagar with which we began our journey saw science as existing without national boundaries, Bhabha’s institute which attempted to mirror that utopian ideal focused on erasi...

by Indira Chowdhury | On 19 Jan 2016

Whose Side Are You On? Identifying The Distributive Preferences of Local Politicians in India

The literature on decentralized public programs suggests that errors in the targeting of anti-poverty programs are rooted in the capture of these programs by local elites or local politicians. Consist...

by Mark Schneider | On 18 Jan 2016

A Tale Of Two Villages: Kinship Networks And Political Preference Change In Rural India

This paper develops a theory on how voters form and change political preferences in democratic developing world contexts. In the developing world, where state institutions are often weak, voters tend...

by Neelanjan Sircar | On 18 Jan 2016

Job Search Processes for Tribal People from Jharkhand and West Bengal

Millions of job seekers in South Asia, including many tribals, are forced by lack of local employment opportunities to migrate towards urban areas. This fieldwork-based study aims to understand specif...

by Rajib Dhar | On 13 Jan 2016

Impact of Participatory Forest Management on Financial Assets of Rural Communities in Northwest Pakistan

The system of participatory (or joint) forest management was commenced in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan in 1996 through Asian Development Bank's funded project. These forest refo...

by Tanvir Ali | On 08 Jan 2016

Analysis of Myths and Realities of Deforestation in Northwest Pakistan: Implications for Forestry Extension

Pakistan is among those countries, which have very high deforestation rate. The remaining forests are very diverse in nature and of significant importance for the country’s economy and livelihoods of...

by Tanvir Ali | On 08 Jan 2016

State Building, Political Progress, and Human Security in Afghanistan

Based on the Asia Foundation’s , "Afghanistan in 2006: A Survey of the Afghan People." , the papers in this volume analyze survey data on the opinions and perceptions of Afghans towards government, pu...

by | On 02 Jan 2016

A Connectivity-Driven Development Strategy for Nepal: From a Landlocked to a Land-Linked State

Nepal's lackluster economic performance during the post-conflict period (that is, after November 2006) has been driven by remittances from the export of labor services and the improved performance of...

by Pradumna Rana | On 29 Dec 2015

Thailand’s Investment in India’s Northeast: Strategies, Potentials and Risks

The imperatives for Thailand’s investment in the Northeast have come from two important considerations, reflecting longterm strategic objectives of the Look West Policy of Thailand. First, India’s nor...

by | On 22 Dec 2015

Achieving the Malaria MDG Target: Reversing the Incidence of Malaria 2000–2015

In this joint publication, UNICEF and the World Health Organization report that between 2000 and 2015, malaria mortality rates among children under age 5 fell by 65 per cent, saving an estimated 5.9 m...

by United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF | On 17 Dec 2015

Human Rights and Asian Values

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

by Amartya Sen | On 10 Dec 2015

Challenges to Human Security in the Arab Countries

In Arab countries, a widespread lack of human security undermines human development, according to the Arab Human Development Report 2009: Challenges to Human Security in the Arab Countries. This repor...

by | On 26 Nov 2015

From Paper State to Caliphate: The Ideology of the Islamic State

This paper sets forth the main lines of the ideology of the Islamic State and carefully follows its historical trajectory. Part I, Doctrines, takes up the group’s fundamental religious and political b...

by Cole Bunzel | On 22 Nov 2015

The Sunday Edit: Bringing Back Beef

Beef bans and intolerance of the diversity that abounds in this country are clearly not the way to win elections.

by Ravi Duggal | On 15 Nov 2015

Impact of Migration on Poverty and Development

This paper reviews the literature on migration in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, East Africa and West Africa in order to highlight the complexity of migration patterns and impacts. It is...

by Tasneem Siddiqui | On 19 Oct 2015

The Battle for Bihar

While the politics of caste and personalities do seem to be relevant to the elections to the Legislative Assembly in the eastern Indian State of Bihar, with the multi-phase polls beginning on 12 Octob...

by | On 19 Oct 2015

Bihar Ten Years of Election Watch: Comprehensive Reports on Elections, Crime and Money

Ten years of election watch in Bihar.

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 12 Oct 2015

Development Strategy in Bihar through Revitalizing the Agricultural Sector: A Preliminary Analysis

Based mainly on secondary data and partly on primary information obtained through field surveys in selected rural areas in Bihar in 2011, this paper firstly argues the critical importance of agricultu...

by | On 11 Oct 2015

Regional Inequality in Bangladesh in the 2000s: Re-Visiting the East-West Divide Debate

The term “East-West divide” as a way of describing regional disparity in Bangladesh has emerged in the policy discourse only in the 2000s. The administrative divisions belonging to the western part of...

by | On 08 Oct 2015

Public Good Provision in Indian Rural Areas: The Returns to Collective Action by Microfinance Groups

Self-help groups (SHGs) are the most common form of microfinance in India. The authors provide evidence that SHGs, composed of women only, undertake collective actions for the provision of public good...

by | On 01 Oct 2015

Surviving in Bihar

Can election change the condition of Bihar? At least improving the transport facilities....

by T.N. Ninan | On 26 Sep 2015

Comparative Notes on Indian Experiences of Social Democracy: Kerala and West Bengal

This paper compares, in historical perspective, the conditions for democracy, economic development and well-being in India and Scandinavia. Within India, it compares the states of Kerala and West Beng...

by | On 16 Sep 2015

Global Nutrition Report: Actions and Accountability to Accelerate the World’s Progress on Nutrition

This report highlights the global nature of malnutrition and the successes and bottlenecks in addressing it. Malnutrition continues to affect the lives of millions of children and women worldwide. Eve...

by International Food Policy Research Institute | On 08 Sep 2015

Soccer Vs. Jihad: A Draw

There is much that militant Islamists and jihadists agree on, but when it comes to sports in general and soccer in particular sharp divisions emerge. Men like the late Osama bin Laden, Hamas Gaza lead...

by James M. Dorsey | On 07 Sep 2015

Ghar Wapsi for Logic

If there is one thing the Census 2011 shows, it's that India will remain overwhelmingly Hindu forever

by T.N. Ninan | On 29 Aug 2015

Globalisation and Labouring Lives

Newer production processes with changing global spaces have produced newer division of labour and work categories. The two studies presented here draw attention to the shrinking space for articulation...

by Swati Ghosh | On 31 Jul 2015

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

For a sample of 42 high and middle income countries analyzed over a period of 30 years ranging from 1982 till 2011, this paper shows that while an efficient trilemma policy choice can help lower inf...

by | On 31 Jul 2015

Whither Right to Food? Rights Institutions and Hungry Labour in Tea Plantations of North Bengal

This paper explores what constitutes the mechanics of the legal and the administrative world of food rights in the Dooars area of West Bengal, specifically food rights of the tea plantation labourers....

by Geetisha Dasgupta | On 24 Jul 2015

Commodities Update: The Importance of Potatoes

The recent potato crisis affecting Bengal and Odisha has to be seen for what it is: an artificial situation created by traders and markets with help from the state.

by | On 23 Jul 2015

Book Review: Partitioned Lives: Migrants, Refugees, Citizens in India and Pakistan, 1947-65

Review of Partitioned Lives: Migrants, Refugees, Citizens in India and Pakistan, 1947-65. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2012. xii + 254 pp. Rs. 521/-, ISBN 978-0-19-808177-7.

by Rohini Hensman | On 22 Jul 2015

Tailor-Made Lives: Accidents and Discontent among the Garment Industry Workers in Udyog Vihar, Haryana

On 12 February 2015, hundreds of workers of garment factories at Udyog Vihar, Gurgaon, came out on the streets and pelted stones at some of the garment factory buildings in response to the rumour of t...

by PUDR Peoples Union for Democratic Rights | On 05 Jun 2015

Report of the Sixty-Eighth World Health Assembly on Contributing to Social and Economic Development: Sustainable Action across sectors to Improved Health and Health Equity (follow-up of the 8th Global Conference on Health Promotion)

The framework provides guidance to Member States on taking country-level action across sectors for improving health and health equity. Such action includes the support of the health sector to other se...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 02 Jun 2015

Progress Report of the Sixty-Eighth World Health Assembly

The comprehensive mental health action plan 2013–2020 was adopted by the Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly in May 2013. The present report summarizes progress made in implementing the action plan. The...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 01 Jun 2015

Report of the Sixty-Seventh World Health Assembly on WHO Global Disability Action Plan 2014–2021

This provides guidance on the draft action plan for better health to disable people. There are more than 1000 million people with disability worldwide, about 15% of the global population. The prevalen...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 01 Jun 2015

Report of the Sixty-Seventh World Health Assembly on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition

This report describes progress in carrying out the comprehensive implementation plan on maternal, infant and young child nutrition, endorsed by the Health Assembly the global strategy for infant and y...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 28 May 2015

Report of the Sixty-Seventh World Health Assembly on Improving the Health of Patients with Viral Hepatitis

The Health Assembly adopted resolution on viral hepatitis, in which, inter alia, it urged Member States to support or enable an integrated and cost-effective approach to the prevention, control and ma...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 28 May 2015

Report of the Sixty-Eighth World Health Assembly on Global Technical Strategy and Targets for Malaria 2016–2030

Recalling resolutions on malaria control, and accelerating efforts to control and eliminate malaria in developing countries, particularly in Africa, by 2015. Acknowledging the progress made towards th...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 27 May 2015

Report of the Sixty-Seventh World Health Assembly on Global Vaccine Action Plan

In May 2012, the Sixty-fifth World Health Assembly endorsed the global vaccine action plan in resolution and requested the Director-General to monitor progress and report annually, through the Executi...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 27 May 2015

Draft Report of the Sixty-Seventh World Health Assembly on Global Strategy and Targets for Tuberculosis Prevention, Care and Control after 2015

At the Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly the executive board drafted a global strategy targets for tuberculosis prevention, with a aim to accelerate the global expansion of tuberculosis care and contr...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 26 May 2015

Report of the Sixty-Seventh World Health Assembly on Financing of Administrative and Management Costs

An external review, commissioned by the Programme, Budget and Administration Committee of the Executive Board, was prepared in May 2013, providing detailed analysis of WHO’s administrative and managem...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 26 May 2015

Report of the Sixty-Seventh World Health Assembly on Strategic Resource Allocation

At the Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly in May 2013, Member States requested the Director-General to propose, for consideration by the Sixty-seventh World Health Assembly, in consultation with Member...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 26 May 2015

Report of the Sixty-Seventh World Health Assembly on Framework of Engagement with Non-State Actors

At its 134th session, in the provisional agenda the Executive Board have requested the Director-General to develop a framework of engagement with non-State actors and separate policies on the engageme...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 25 May 2015

Report of the Sixty-Seventh World Health Assembly on Improved Decision Making by the Governing Bodies

At its 134th session, in the provisional agenda the Executive Board considered two reports by the Secretariat on options for improved decision-making by the governing bodies, which included four recom...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 25 May 2015

Book Review: Reading Darwin in Arabic, 1860-1950

Review of Reading Darwin in Arabic, 1860-1950. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2014. 448 pp. Rs. 2,854 , ISBN 13 9780226001302.

by Maurice Jr. M. Labelle | On 25 May 2015

WHO Reform: Progress Report on Reform Implementation

This report summarizes the progress of WHO reform since the report to the Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly. It provides an update on developments in each of the three broad areas of reform (programme...

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 22 May 2015

Report of the World Health Assembly Executive Board on its 133rd and 134th Sessions

The Executive Board held its 133rd session on 29 and 30 May 2013 and its 134th session from 20 to 25 January 2014. This report summarizes the main outcomes.

by World Health Organisation (WHO) | On 22 May 2015

IMI Konnect Volume 4 Issue 1 - January 2015

The January 2015 issue of IMI Konnect (Volume 4, Issue 1) contains the following articles - Does Monetary Policy Limit Lending Behaviour of Banks? by Samaresh Bardhan; Entrepreneurship Education in In...

by IMI Konnect | On 24 Mar 2015

Making Democracy Work: Culture, Social Capital and Elections in China

This paper aims to show that culture is an important determinant of the effectiveness of formal democratic institutions, such as elections. It is found that social capital complements democratic insti...

by Gerard Padro -i-Miquel | On 23 Mar 2015

Tribute: Jasodhara Bagchi

Jashodhara Bagchi was a leading Indian feminist critic and a prodigious professor in her field. She was a scholar who voiced women's cause and worked for their empowerment. She also was chairman of...

by Vibhuti Patel | On 19 Jan 2015

Obituary: Jasodhara Bagchi - Feminist Scholar, Women’s Movement Activist

Jasodhara Bagchi, feminist scholar, activist and leader of the women's movement and a pioneering women's studies academic passed away on January 9, 2015 after a brief illness in Kolkata, India.

by | On 11 Jan 2015

Jasodhara Bagchi : "The Women’s Movement and I"

A short post on PosterWomen that first appeared in July 25, 2011 in which Jasodhara Bagchi, the late feminist scholar and activist talks about her involvement with the women's movement in India.

by Jasodhara Bagchi | On 11 Jan 2015

Student Politics: A Game-Theoretic Exploration

The student parties on campus are essentially student wings of larger national parties, which command huge amounts of resources that are used during elections, often instigating conflict and violenc...

by Soumyanetra Munshi | On 01 Dec 2014

Violence against Women in Politics A study conducted in India, Nepal and Pakistan

This study addresses the nature, extent and reasons for women’s political participation within India, Nepal and Pakistan. All three countries have recently elected or are in the process of electing th...

by Ranjana Kumari | On 27 Nov 2014

Analysis of Criminal and Financial Details of Candidates and MLAs from Jharkhand: Based on 2009 Assembly Elections

Jharkhand Assembly elections 2009 were held in five phases from November 16, 2009 to December 13, 2009. This report includes the analysis of voting trends, criminalization, money power, gender etc in...

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 05 Nov 2014

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2014: Analysis of Criminal Background, Financial, Education, Gender and other details of Candidates

Maharashtra Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) have analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 2336 candidates out of 4119 candidates who are contesting in the Maharashtra Assemb...

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 14 Oct 2014

“Vote Share” and “Representativeness” of MLAs Elected in 2009 ASSEMBLY Elections from Maharashtra

Details of Maharashtra election in 2009.

by Association for Democratic Reforms ADR | On 13 Oct 2014

The 100 Laws Project: Compendium of Laws to be Repealed

100 laws are identified which can be repealed. The laws in this compendium need to be repealed on account of any one of three reasons: they are either redundant (having outlived their purpose), they...

by Centre for Civil Society CCS | On 08 Oct 2014

Genesis and Evaluaton Political Parties in India

In the last two decades, there has been a substantial change both in the nature of politics in India as well as in nature of relationship between the state and the society. One of the very important m...

by Satri Kesalu | On 29 Sep 2014

Abolishing Indonesia’s Direct Local Elections: Missing the Forest for the Trees?

The Indonesian House of Representatives is due to pass a bill ending direct elections of local leaders, leaving the selection process to legislators in regional parliaments. Is such a move missing the...

by Jonathan Chen | On 25 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

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

Inter-Regional Report on Labour Migration and Social Protection

Since the 1970s in particular, the countries of Western Asia and those of the Asia-Pacific region have been closely linked to each other through highly extensive movements of people. Opportunities cre...

by United Nations Economic and Social Commission (UNESCAP) | On 17 Jun 2014

Young Leaders in the Parliament - Know your MP

The 2014 General Elections has marked its place in election history- one is the margin of victory witnessed which was the largest in the history of Indian democracy. The second factor unique this time...

by IRIS Knowledge Foundation IKF | On 06 Jun 2014

Global Employment Trends for Youth 2013: A Generation at Risk

This issue of Global Employment Trends for Youth provides an update on youth labour markets around the world, focusing both on the continuing labour market crisis and on structural issues in youth lab...

by International Labour Organisation ILO | On 30 May 2014

Bengalis, but not Men? Bhadralok Masculinities in Adda

Drawing on interviews with 16 men and women in two age groups – fifties and twenties – and participant observation in adda sessions in an undergraduate college in contemporary Kolkata, this paper atte...

by Romit Chowdhury | On 13 May 2014

Developing Democracies in Southeast Asia:Theorizing the Role of Parties and Elections 1 Forthcoming in Southeast Asia and Political Science: Theory, Region, and Method

Political parties and elections lie at the center of modern democratic politics. Elections function as the chief means of holding leaders accountable for their actions in democratic societies. Politic...

by Erik Kuhonta | On 28 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

Elections 2014: What Do the Manifestos of Political Parties Promise Children?

A quick look at the manifestos of the five national political parties, Indian National Congress (INC), Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), Aam Admi Party (AAP), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM) and S...

by HAQ Centre for Child Rights HAQCRC | On 10 Apr 2014

Indian Youth and Electoral Politics - An Emerging Engagement

Review of the book 'Indian Youth and Electoral Politics - An Emerging Engagement' edited by Sanjay Kumar; Fellow at Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS); April 2014; pp 180; Rs 450.

by Nandini Bhattacharya | On 07 Apr 2014

Can Government-Allocated Land Contribute to Food Security? Intrahousehold Analysis of West Bengal’s Microplot Allocation Program

Secure land rights are a critical, but often overlooked, factor in achieving household food security and improved nutritional status in rural areas of developing countries. This study evaluates the im...

by Florence Santos | On 17 Feb 2014

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

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

Nepal’s Constituent Assembly Elections: A Lesson For The Convicted Politicians?

As Nepal prepares to hold the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections on 19th November 2013, there already seems to be one positive lesson: those “convicted of a criminal offence involving moral turpitu...

by Asian Centre for Human Rights ACHR | On 11 Nov 2013

Economic Conditions of the In-Migrant Workers in Kerala: A Case Study in the Trivandrum District

The major objective of the paper is to examine the economic conditions of the in-migrant workers in Kerala. This has been done by analysing their savings, income and consumption pattern and nature o...

by Dilip Saikia | On 11 Nov 2013

Social Media and Elections

Social Media and search results can be readily manipulated which has remained unappreciated by the press and the general public. During time of elections, when the stakes are high, electoral candidate...

by Panagiotis Metaxas | On 06 Nov 2013

Asymmetric Information and Middleman Margins: An Experiment with West Bengal Potato Farmers

A study middleman margins, trading mechanisms and the role of asymmetric information about prices between potato farmers and local trade intermediaries, in West Bengal, India is conducted. Farmers in...

by Sandip Mitra | On 23 Oct 2013

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

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

Delhi State Budget 2013—2014 Disappoints Children Once Again

On the 20th of March 2013, the Honorable Chief Minister of Delhi presented her budget to the Legislative Assembly. What did she have in it for children? The budget has to be analysed in the light of t...

by HAQ Centre for Child Rights HAQCRC | On 03 Jun 2013

Options and Determinants of Rice Residue Management Practices in the South-West Region of Bangladesh

This study examines options for managing rice residue and the factors that determine its management in the south-west region of Bangladesh. Study results indicate that while straw length, low-elevatio...

by Mohammed Ziaul Haider | On 29 Mar 2013

Kerala Budget Speech 2013-14

Finance Minister Shri. K. M. Mani has presented the State Budget for the coming financial year 2013-14 in the Kerala Legislative Assembly on 15 March 2013. This is the eleventh budget by the minister...

by K.M. Mani | On 15 Mar 2013

Evaluation Study of Tribal/Folk Arts and Culture in West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhatisgrah and Bihar

The status of various forms of tribal and folk art and culture are explored. The influence of tribal and folk art & culture on the socio-economic conditions of the subjects covered under survey are...

by Gramin Vikas Seva Sanshtha GVSS | On 26 Feb 2013

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

Social Fragmentation, Public Goods and Elections: Evidence from China

This study examines how the economic effects of elections in rural China depend on voter heterogeneity, for which religious fractionalization is taken as a proxy. [BREAD Working No. 366]. URL:[http:/...

by Gerard Padro-i- Miquel | On 09 Jan 2013

Building a Knowledge Base on Population Ageing in India: Report on the Status of Elderly in Select States of India, 2011

To understand the ageing in India, a primary survey was carried out in seven states – Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal – having a higher percentage of...

by United Nations Population Fund UNFPA | On 08 Jan 2013

How Indian Voters Respond to Candidates with Criminal Charges: Evidence from the 2009 Lok Sabha Elections

What are the response of voters to candidates who have reported that they have criminal charges against them? A analysis within the framework of a simple analytical model which assumes that criminal c...

by Bhaskar Dutta | On 02 Nov 2012

National Commission for Minorities: Communalising Assam Riots?

The Asian Centre for Human Rights has alleged that the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) is communalizing the riots in Assam. [ACHR]. URL:[http://www.achrweb.org/reports/india/NCM-2012.pdf].

by Asian Centre for Human Rights ACHR | On 24 Aug 2012

Environmental Changes and Ripples for Water Security in Southern States

Environmental change is regarded by many geopolitical experts as one of the biggest threats to international security in the coming years. In Southern Asia, its impact on rivers, and thus water secur...

by Dhanasree Jayaram | On 07 Aug 2012

Western Myanmar Unrest: Partisan Portrayals Risk Extremist Implications

The violence in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State appears to have died down. However, partisan portrayals of the violence risks jeopardising the security of locals and Myanmar’s reform process with extr...

by Kyaw San Wai | On 31 Jul 2012

The Effects of Democratization on Public Goods and Redistribution: Evidence from China

This study investigates the effects of introducing elections on public goods and redistribution in rural China. A large and unique survey was collected to document the history of political reforms and...

by Yang Yao | On 05 Jun 2012

Inter-Party Competition and Electoral Campaigning in Rural Malaysia: The Pendang and Anak Bukit By-Elections of 2002

The Pendang parliamentary and Anak Bukit by-elections for the Kedah state legislative assembly were among the most contentious of by-elections in recent Malaysian politics. Held simultaneously on 18...

by K Ramanathan | On 10 May 2012

Encouraging Myanmar’s Reforms: Engage Beyond Sanctions

The paper analyzes the state of reforms in Myanmar and the need to increase the pace of these reforms

by Kyaw San Wai | On 02 May 2012

Urban Policies: Political Gimmicks?

Review of the book 'Re-visioning Indian Cities: The Urban Renewal Mission' by Christopher Manickam. Author of the book: K. C. Sivaramakrishnan, published by Sage, New Delhi.

by Christopher Manickam | On 23 Apr 2012

Research Study on Women’s Empowerment, Good-governance and Decentralisation : Assuring Women’s Participation in Panchayats of Two Backward Districts of Northern Part of West Bengal

The study focused on the factors and forces behind the participation of women in Panchayat Structure specially after the seventy third Constitution Amendment Act. The role performance, role awarenes...

by Dilip Kumar Sarkar | On 20 Apr 2012

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

Causes of Emissions from Agricultural Residue Burning in North-West India: Evaluation of a Technology Policy Response

The burning of agricultural field residue, such as stalks and stubble, during the wheat and rice harvesting seasons in the Indo-Gangetic plains results in substantial emissions of trace gases and pa...

by Ridhima Gupta | On 28 Mar 2012

Annual Report (2011-12) on The Working of State Power Utilities and Electricity Departments

Major shifts in the policy initiated in the electricity sector are well documented, only then the effect of the policy change can be analyzed, especially from the point of view of laying down future p...

by Planning Commission | On 19 Mar 2012

Not the Remembered Country

The food security Bill's focus ignores changes in agriculture and eating habits. [BS editorial]. URL:[http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/t-n-ninan-notremembered-country/467874/].

by T.N. Ninan | On 19 Mar 2012

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, GOI 2012-13

This brief uses Government reported data to analyse Sarva Shiksha Ahiyan performance along the following parameters: a) Overall trends in allocation and expenditures, b) Expenditure performance across...

by Accountability Initiative | On 16 Mar 2012

Budget of Nepal 2011-12

Budget speech by Nepal Finance Minister. URL:[http://www.mof.gov.np/publication/speech/2011/pdf/budgetspeech_english.pdf].

by Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal | On 06 Mar 2012

Under trial Prisoners: Quicker Trial and Human Rights

Discussion on the human rights violation of under trial prisoners.

by Ranesh Chandra Majumdar | On 06 Mar 2012

Failed Mechanism: How the CDM is Subsidizing Hydro Developers and Harming the Kyoto Protocol

Five years age, International Rivers started monitoring the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), concerned that funds marked for climate change mitigation would be used to encourage c...

by Barbara Haya | On 01 Mar 2012

Saving Mumbai

What Mumbai needs as a starting point is a city administration that is accountable to the city's residents, and a directly elected mayor, as in all great cities of the world. [BS Weekend Ruminations]....

by T.N. Ninan | On 22 Feb 2012

Economics of Mango Cultivation

The paper is based on "Commodity Specific Study on Mango" undertaken by NABARD in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal. For the study, A total sample of 186 respondents was sele...

by G.D. Banerjee | On 17 Feb 2012

Chinese Commodity Imports in Ghana and Senegal: Demystifying Chinese Business Strength in Urban West Africa

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, independent entrepreneurial migrants from China have been increasingly flocking to Africa in search of “greener pastures.” This paper scrutinizes the...

by Laurence Marfaing | On 25 Jan 2012

Worldwide Incidence of Malaria in 2009: Estimates, Time Trends, and a Critique of Methods

Measuring progress towards Millennium Development Goal 6, including estimates of, and time trends in, the number of malaria cases, has relied on risk maps constructed from surveys of parasite prevale...

by Richard E Cibulskis | On 25 Jan 2012

To Bt or Not to Bt? Risk and Uncertainty Considerations in Technology Assessment

Production costs and crop incomes in drought years are analyzed to test a simplistic theory of risk based on first principles. A mixed-methods framework is employed to draw inferences by combining da...

by Sarthak Gaurav | On 24 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

Antiques and Adat: The Changing Face of Paka’s Mini-museum, Kampung Benuk, Penrissen, Kuching

This paper is an account of recent developments at Paka's mini-museum, which culminated in the production of English text panels for its collection in March 2005. As it turned out, working on these...

by Liana Chua | On 19 Jan 2012

Seasonal Migration and Risk Aversion

Pre-harvest lean seasons are widespread in the agrarian areas of Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Every year, these seasonal famines force millions of people to succumb to poverty and hunger. An incentive...

by Gharad Bryan | On 20 Dec 2011

Data from State Assemblies: Some trends

How often do our State Assemblies meet? Do MLAs get enough opportunity to scrutinize Bills? Are all budget demands discussed on the floor of the House? PRS studied the work done by 13 State Assemblies...

by Parliamentary Research Service PRS | On 07 Dec 2011

Turning the Tide

If the story earlier was that the number of Maoist-affected districts was increasing, that no longer seems to be true. URL:[http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/t-n-ninan-turningtide/456691/].

by T.N. Ninan | On 02 Dec 2011

The Politics of Water Discourse in Pakistan

The policy brief explores the evolving discourse on water issues in Pakistan where the process of political articulation, securitization and mobilization which often links water to Kashmir is studied....

by Medha Bisht | On 24 Nov 2011

"I did not ask for it". Sexual Harassment: Impressions from Mumbai

Sexual harassment is a global issue. In a recent case in Mumbai, two young men, Keenan Santos (24) and Reuben Fernandez (29) were stabbed on 20 Oct 2011 while confronting some unknown men eve-teasing...

by Indira Gartenberg | On 14 Nov 2011

Growth and Election Outcomes in a Developing Country

With the exception Brander and Drazen (2008), who use a comprehensive cross-country database consisting of both developed and developing countries, the hypothesis that rapid growth helps incumbents...

by Poonam Gupta | On 31 Oct 2011

What is driving the Indian middle class towards electoral politics? Evidence from Delhi

Neighborhood Associations have assumed an important role in public policy decision making as the principal voice of the middle class across urban India. In recent years, these associations have sought...

by Poulomi Chakrabarti | On 20 Oct 2011

Environmental Journalism in South Asia

Book review 'The Green pen: Environmental Journalism in India and South Asia' by Keya Acharya and Frederick Noronha (eds) Sage, 2010, page 312, Rs 395.

by Vrijendra | On 19 Oct 2011

Populations at Risk: Other End of Youth Bulge

While there is much written on the youth bulge in developing countries, little is being done to address the problems of the elderly. And yet demographically, it is this section that is showing high gr...

by Lakshmi Priya | On 10 Oct 2011

One Hundred years of Economic Change in Bengal: Re-visiting the Economic Life of a Bengal District

Through the use of secondary data, field visits and focus group discussions, this study explores the dynamics of the evolution of the economic life in Greater Faridpur over the last 100d years (1910-2...

by Selim Raihan | On 04 Oct 2011

Tackling Malnutrition: What can Targeted Nutritional Interventions Achieve?

A key queestion is: which groups should receive priority in a situation of constrained resources? Ideally the twin dangers of leaving out malnourished groups from the purview of the policy, and cov...

by Gopalakrishna Kumar | On 17 Aug 2011

Financial Inclusion in India: A case-study of West Bengal

The study seeks to examine the extent of financial inclusion in West Bengal. It is observed from the study that although there has been an improvement in outreach activity in the banking sector, the...

by Sadhan Kumar Chattopadhyay | On 03 Aug 2011

Getting the Politics Right for the September 2011 UN High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases

The UN General Assembly’s decision to convene a “high-level meeting on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide” in September 2011 creates a major, timely opportunity to...

by Devi Sridhar | On 02 Aug 2011

Chronic Poverty in South West Madhya Pradesh: A Multidimensional Analysis of its Extent and Causes

The structuralist perspective envisages poverty, especially in rural India, as a long duration phenomenon. Over time, most of the structural features of poverty have remained more or less intact. As a...

by Amita Shah | On 02 Aug 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

Primary School Teachers: The Twists and Turns of Everyday Practice

The paper examines the role played by of classroom environment in the development of a teacher. The paper studies the concept of 'teacher development' in India. URL:[http://www.eruindia.org/files/Tea...

by Vimala Ramachandran | On 08 Jul 2011

New Sources of Development Finance: Funding the Millennium Development Goals

As a result of the Five Year Review of the World Summit for Social Development, the UN General Assembly in September 2000 adopted a resolution calling for 'a rigorous analysis of the advantages, disad...

by A. B. Atkinson | On 20 Jun 2011

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

History in Bengali Literature: A Study of Selected Bengali Novels

Great novelists through their writings placed the history of the Indian national and social awakening movement in literature.The context of this article is great three novels of three great littérat...

by Sarmistha Ghoshal | On 09 May 2011

Order of Business or The 4th Session of the National Assembly

This paper presents the agenda of the fourth session of the National Assembly of Bhutan. URL: [http://www.nab.gov.bt/publication/104TH%20SESSION%20AGENDA.pdf]

by National Assembly of Bhutan | On 05 May 2011

An Irreversible Gain in Freedom of Expression

In this World Press Freedom Day editorial, the authors explore the events taking place in the Middle East and North Africa and the positive outcomes for freedom of expression the peoples' revolutions...

by Martti Ahtisaari Ahtisaari | On 04 May 2011

Do Local Elections in Non-Democracies Increase Accountability? Evidence from Rural China

Unique survey data is used to study whether the introduction of local elections in China made local leaders more accountable towards local constituents. A simple model is developed to predict the e...

by Monica Martinez Bravo | On 18 Apr 2011

Indian Gendercide: A Great Threat to Security

The result of 2011 census of India is almost all heartening. Literacy is up; life expectancy is up; family size is stabilizing. But there is one grim exception- India’s already skewed infant sex rati...

by Gursharan Singh Kainth | On 15 Apr 2011

Assam: Alienating the Natives

The issue of Bengali speaking Muslims has been brought up in Assam time and over again and this point has also been used at the time of elections to polarize the communities along religious lines.

by Ram Puniyani | On 05 Apr 2011

Do Interest Rates Matter? Credit Demand in the Dhaka Slums

The advent of microfinance lending in the last two decades has been hailed as a key development in the fight against poverty. The New York Times (1997), for example, on its editorial page, has promote...

by Rajeev Dehejia | On 17 Mar 2011

Preservation of Lakes in the City of Bangalore

The Karnataka High Court, while hearing a public interest litigation on the state of lakes and waterbodies in and around Bangalore, constituted a ten-member commitee under the chair of the high court...

by N. K Patil | On 04 Mar 2011

Teacher Absence as a Factor in Gender Inequalities in Access to Primary Schooling in Rural Pakistan

Public-sector education in many countries in western and southern Asia, including Pakistan, is characterized by separate schools for boys and girls at the primary and secondary levels. In this paper...

by Sharon Ghuman | On 25 Feb 2011

The Global Economic Crisis after One Year: Is a New Paradigm for Recovery in Developing Countries Emerging?

The economic downturn and recession, which spread across the globe following the US sub-prime mortgage crisis in September 2008, has become the dominant news topic of the past year. One year into the...

by Wim Naudé | On 09 Feb 2011

Valuing the Environment in Developing Countries: Modeling the Impact of Distrust in Public Authorities’ Ability to Deliver on the Citizens’ Willingness to Pay for Improved Environmental Quality

This paper employs the choice experiment method to estimate local  citizens’ valuation of a public intervention which proposes to improve the  quality of an important environmental resource, namel...

by Ekin Birol | On 09 Feb 2011

Global South, Sephis e-magazine, Vollume 7:1, 2011

List of Contents Articles Arindam Samaddar, Prabir Kr. Das and Stephen R. Morin, 'Technology Adoption and its Constraints: The Cascading Effects in Two West Bengal Villages' Erick Tejada Sanchez, '...

by SEPHIS | On 07 Feb 2011

The State of the World's Children: Celebrating 20 Years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (henceforth referred to as ‘the Convention’) was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 20 November 1989 and entered into force on 2 September 1990. It is t...

by United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF | On 17 Dec 2010

Regional Sources of Growth Acceleration in India

Gujarat, West Bengal, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu were the major contributors to the growth acceleration in India after 1991-92. Although the Regional Disparity may increase tempor...

by Ravindra H. Dholakia | On 25 Nov 2010

Barriers to Expansion of Mass Literacy and Primary Schooling in West Bengal: Study Based on Primary Data from Selected Villages

This paper examines factors affecting literacy and access to school education in West Bengal, India, and reports the results of a binomial probit model estimated with primary data from ten villages...

by V. K. Ramachandran | On 16 Nov 2010

Report of the Evaluation Study on Hill Development Programme in Assam and West Bengal

The major objectives of the current evaluation study was to understand the approach and strategy for the implementation of Hill Area Development Programme (HADP) and analyze the "impact‟ of the...

by Planning Commission, India | On 20 Oct 2010

Politics for winners

The Gandhi mother-son duo and the prime minister have come down on two sides of the land acquisition/environment debate. Manmohan Singh is focused on delivering 9 per cent economic growth; he sees a c...

by T.N. Ninan | On 24 Sep 2010

Parking Space for the Poor: Restrictions Imposed on Marketing and Movement of Agricultural Goods in India

Agricultural markets in India have been regulated since 1928 with the inception of the "Royal Commission of Agriculture." Policy intervention in agriculture was virtually absent till the Bengal Fam...

by Mayank Wadhwa | On 16 Jun 2010

East and West: The Twain Shall Meet: A Cross-cultural Perspective on Higher Education

This paper seeks to explain certain cultural differences that may have contributed to this imbalance between the Indian and American higher education systems.[W.P. No. 2009-04-03]

by Tejas A. Desai | On 08 Jun 2010

Transcending Boundaries: Indian Nurses in Internal and International Migration

This paper discusses the case of Indian nurses who take up their profession as part of a family strategy, where planning for education and migration are intrinsic to the whole process. In effect, th...

by Sreelekha Nair | On 03 Jun 2010

'Bed and Board' in Lieu of Salary: Women and Girl Children Domestics in Post Partition Calcutta (1951-1981)

The present study attempts to see how a particular labour market, that is, domestic service, a traditionally male domain, became segregated both by gender and age in post partition West Bengal (WB) a...

by Deepita Chakravarty | On 25 Mar 2010

Industrializing West Bengal? : The Case of Institutional Stickiness

The paper discuses the role played by institutional behavior in determining the policy outcomes of a state. Apart from secondary data the paper is also based on information collected from selected sta...

by Deepita Chakravarty | On 19 Mar 2010

Female Work Participation and Gender Differential in Earning in West Bengal

Female work participation in West Bengal is one of the lowest among all the states in India. However, it varies widely across the state’s 341 blocks. An analysis of some block level characteristics...

by Indrani Chakraborty | On 26 Feb 2010

MDG-Based Poverty Reduction Strategy for West Bengal

The purpose of this paper is to examine the poverty situation in West Bengal in a multidimensional framework and to explore possible strategies towards reduction of poverty in the state, keeping in...

by Achin Chakraborty | On 22 Feb 2010

What Determines the Success and Failure of ‘100 Days Work’ at the Panchayat Level? A Study of Birbhum District in West Bengal

West Bengal is not among the best performing states with regard to NREGA. The performance of all districts in the state is not equally discouraging. Some districts, in fact, have done well in gener...

by Subrata Mukherjee | On 19 Feb 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

Regional Analysis of Gender-Related Development: Districts of Western India

In this paper the diverse dimensions of gender development are examined using individual indicators for the districts of the western region of India. The western region for the purpose of this study...

by Preet Rustagi | On 24 Nov 2009

Environmental Sector China: From Major Building Site to Growth Market

China’s economy is booming at the expense of its environment. The country’s resource efficiency is nowhere near the level of western nations. Per unit of gross domestic product China consumes more tha...

by Eric Heymann | On 22 Oct 2009

Survival Lessons Water Management Traditions in the Central-Western Himalayas

India is home to fantastic water harvesting traditions that have evolved over millennia. The central western Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are no exceptions to these traditions....

by People's Science Institute PSI | On 21 Sep 2009

The Afghan Economy After the Election

There were many challenges involved in the conduct of the elections. For example, the people had to cast votes among 16 presidential candidates (2 candidates withdrew two days before the elections) i...

by Manabu Fujimura | On 17 Sep 2009

State-Led or Market-Led Green Revolution? Role of Private Irrigation Investment vis-a-vis Local Government Programs in West Bengal’s Farm Productivity Growth

This paper estimates respective roles of private investments in irrigation and local government programs (land reforms, extension services, and infrastructure investments) in the growth of farm prod...

by Pranab Bardhan | On 14 Sep 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

Mexican Swine Flu—A New Threat to Humanity

The article provides information pertaining to the recent outbreak of "swine flu", which has spread beyond Mexico and the US. The present study shows that the outbreak has lot to do with industrial fa...

by Shambhu Ghatak | On 09 Jun 2009

Economic Growth, Governance and Voting Behaviour: an Application to Indian Elections

The focus of this paper is on the potential economic factors underlying voter behaviour in a democracy. It develops a simplified model based on economic theory (welfare & conditional probabilities)...

by Arvind Virmani | On 28 Apr 2009

Vote-Buying and Reciprocity

In this paper, how social preferences overcome the commitment problems implicit in vote-buying is examined. Data used for the study is a survey information on vote-buying experienced in a 2006 munici...

by Frederico Finan | On 03 Apr 2009

EC Controversy: What are the Issues? EC Controversy: What Are the Issues

A comprehensive and logically rigorous analysis of the issues raised by the recommendation of the Chief Election Commissioner N.Gopalaswami for the removal of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla, the...

by Ramaswamy R. Iyer | On 03 Apr 2009

Budget 2009-10, Orissa

Budget speech of finance minister

by Orissa Government | On 13 Mar 2009

Does Timing of Elections Instigate Riots? A Subnational Study of 16 Indian States, 1958-2004

Whether timing of the elections leads to riots or not within India. In other words, does timing of elections instigate riots? Using time series crosssectional data for 16 major Indian states for the...

by Krishna Chaitanya Vadlamannati | On 09 Jan 2009

The Economic Impact of Forest Hydrological Services on Local Communities: A Case Study from the Western Ghats of India

Building upon a larger research project at four sites in the Western Ghats of peninsular India, this study examines the link between stream flow, agricultural water use and economic returns to agric...

by SHARACHCHANDRA LELE | On 02 Jan 2009

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

Carrying Over: Analysing Female Utopias and Narratives of Education from 17th-century France to 18th-century Britain and 20th Century India

The paper carries the reader across and over great spans of space and time, with an Indian feminist woman academic journeying back to seventeenth-century ancien regime France, to 1770s Scotland, to 17...

by Bagchi B | On 01 Oct 2008

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

Educational Attainment of Youth and Implications forIndian Labour Market: An Exploration through Data

The link between education and labour market has a profound intellectual lineage, spanning across schools. An integrating view shared by these perspectives is the significance of education as a pivo...

by G.D Bino Paul | On 10 Sep 2008

Another Look at Renewables on India’s Sagar Island

Much existing literature champions renewables implementation on India’s Sagar Island as an unqualified rural electrification success story. Photovoltaic (PV) and wind systems put in place by the West...

by Sam Shrank | On 25 Aug 2008

Women's Reservation Bill

Women's Reservation Bill

by Parliamentary Research Service PRS | On 24 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

SEPHIS e-Magazine Global South, Volume 3: No.4: April 2008

Debolina Dutta and Oishik Sircar: From Sex Worker to Entertainment Worker: Strategic Politics of DMSC Madhurima Mukhopadhyay: Virginity Lost and Regained: Hymenoplastic Honour in Urban India Nandit...

by SEPHIS | On 15 Jun 2008

How can electoral success be sustained by a ‘lagging development’ regime?

Left coalition ruled West Bengal for uninterrupted three decades. The study reveals that despite ruling for such a long period the state still lags behind in eradication of problems like poverty, as c...

by Arup Maharatna | On 04 Jun 2008

Liberation, May 2008

New Mineral Policy 2008 Quota Verdict CPI(M) Coimbatore Congress SPECIAL FEATURE Democracy in S Asia: Nepal Mandate Post-Poll Pakistan Bhutan Polls and Other features.

by Liberation | On 24 Apr 2008

Popular Perceptions of Emerging Influences on Mortality and Longevity in Bangladesh and West Bengal

Although new environmental and pathological threats to human survival and longevity have been documented, relatively little is known about how these threats are perceived in the popular imagination. D...

by Sajida Amin | On 09 Apr 2008

Goa Budget 2008-09

Budget presented by Goa finance minister for the year 2008-09.

by Goa Government | On 01 Apr 2008

West Bengal Budget 2008-09

Budget and Annual Financial Statement for the year 2008-09.

by West Bengal Government | On 25 Mar 2008

Islam at the Ballot Box

So far, no Islamist party has managed to win a majority of the popular vote in any of the Muslim countries where reasonably clean elections are held. If anything, the Islamist share of the vote has be...

by Amir Taheri | On 24 Feb 2008

Pakistan’s Historic Opportunity for Change

Opinion polls show less than 20 per cent of Pakistanis now approve of President Musharraf, who has been described as an indispensable ally in the war against terrorism by some members of the Bush admi...

by Husain Haqqani | On 24 Feb 2008

Estimating the Economic Benefits of Arsenic Removal in India: A Case Study from West Bengal

People living in almost fifty percent of the districts in West Bengal are exposed to arsenic contaminated water. The economic costs imposed by arsenic-related health problems are estimated. Data from...

by Joyashree Roy | On 08 Feb 2008

Book Review: Visualizing Children: Images and Imagination

Review of Erika Langmuir Imagining Childhood. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006. 256 pp. Illustrations, notes, index. $55.00 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-300-10131-7.

by Loren Lerner | On 15 Jan 2008

Advice for Ms Gandhi

Congress party has to find out why the aam aadmi has deserted the party? There are some advice to Sonia Gandhi which she will not get from her advisors.

by T.N. Ninan | On 31 Dec 2007

Understanding Gujarat Elections: What Does it Portend for Indian Democracy?

With the re-election of Narendra Modi and the BJP will the current disarray in the party give way to strong optimism to strive for power at the centre?

by Ram Puniyani | On 24 Dec 2007

‘Inclusive Citizenship’ for the Chronically Poor: Exploring the Inclusion-Exclusion Nexus in Collective Struggles

The promotion of ‘inclusive citizenship’, through which the disadvantaged engage in collective struggles for justice and recognition, has been attracting growing attention as a solution to chronic p...

by Katsuhiko Masaki | On 19 Dec 2007

Pakistan’s Last Bid for Democracy

This Essay examines the factors retarding democracy in Pakistan and asserts that now, more than ever, the country’s political forces must work together to fight common foes.

by Colum Murphy | On 27 Nov 2007

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

Post-Autistic Economics Review: Issue No.43, September 15, 2007

Growing inequality in the neo-liberal heartland George Irvin ................................................................................. 2 - Science, ideology and development: Is there a ‘Sust...

by PAER Post Autistic Economic Review | On 16 Sep 2007

Better Than the Rest

India’s good economic performance and friendlier ties with important countries that have been either distant or hostile, is achieved by a leader with whom the country can feel at ease. But Dr. Manmoha...

by T.N. Ninan | On 06 Aug 2007

Trade and Economic Arrangements Between India and South Asia in the Context of Regional Construction and Globalisation

The different arrangements and groupings involved between India and South- East Asia are presented. The multi-faceted relations between them is asked in institutional terms, but also in normative term...

by Laurence Henry | On 06 Jul 2007

Budget 2007-08

Budget Speech by Finance Minister Dr. Asim Kumar Das Gupta

by West Bengal Government | On 03 Apr 2007

Is There a Global Bioethics? End-of-Life in Thailand and the Case for Local Difference

As developing countries build allopathic medical systems, what should their bioethics be? In this essay, we explore possible answers to this question, ultimately arguing that Western bioethics is insu...

by Scott Stonington | On 03 Jan 2007

Emerging Megalopolis: Bangalore, From ‘Boiled Beans’ Town to Advanced IT City

Historically, Bangalore’s growth and physical spread had been dictated by the location decisions of certain important industrial, institutional and residential activities, rather than as an outcome...

by G.S. Sastry | On 04 Dec 2006

Verdict 2004: From Identities to Issues and Interests?

This paper is a humble attempt to take an intellectual and political position while analyzing the 2004 election results in the context of neo-liberal regime in India and also tries to portray whether...

by Maidul Islam | On 31 Mar 2006

The Urban Siliguri and Adjacent Rural Stone Crushers

The river Balasan near Siliguri carries the natural resources like stone, sand, boulders. People live on the riverside and are involved in work like collection of stones and sand, crushing the stones...

by Somenath Bhattacharjee | On 27 Mar 2006

Regional and Gender Disparities in Agricultural Wages

This study on agricultural wages shows that states like West Bengal and Gujarat have performed well in providing gender equal wages to men and women. Kerala’s performance in maintaining gender equal w...

by Shambhu Ghatak | On 26 Mar 2006

Role of Japan in BIMSTEC

The main objective of the paper is to explore the role of Japan in the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral and Technical Cooperation (BIMSTEC). The analysis suggests that BIMSTEC-Japan cooper...

by Mukul Asher | On 26 Feb 2006

The Economic Costs of the Iraq War: An Appraisal Three Years After the Beginning of the Conflict

Many aspects of the Iraq venture have turned out differently from what was purported before the war: there were no weapons of mass destruction, no clear link between Al Qaeda and Iraq, no imminent dan...

by Linda Bilmes | On 25 Feb 2006

SEPHIS e-journal, volume 2:2, January 2006

A number of contributions on cinema in the South. Articles on the making of a historical documentary by Gairoonisa Palekar, a student in South Africa, and on an important aspect of the movie industry...

by SEPHIS | On 02 Feb 2006

Elementary Education: Rising Expenditure, Poor Quality: Book Review

Review of 'The Economics of Elementary Education in India: The Challenge of Public Finance, Private Provision and Household Costs' edited by Santosh Mehrotra; Sage, New Delhi; 2005, pp.328.

by P. Geetha Rani . | On 20 Jan 2006

Gautam Chattopadhyay (1924-2006): Street-fighting Historian

In tribute: Gautam Chattopadhyay's life and times.

by Kunal Chattopadhyay | On 11 Jan 2006

Hepatitis B and the Case of the Missing Women

In many Asian countries the ratio of male to female population is higher than in the West -- as high as 1.07 in China and India, and even higher in Pakistan. A number of authors (most notably Sen, 19...

by Emily Oster | On 27 Nov 2005

New Institutionalism And Legislative Governance In Indian States: A Comaparitive Study Of West Bengal And Uttar Pradesh

In contrast to behaviouralism, which held that institutions reflect the society in which they are embedded, New Institutionalists argue that institutions have an inner logic of action, enjoy autonomy...

by Sudha Pai | On 01 Sep 2005