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Showing all content in India
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Blog post
She wins: Electing women in ethnically divided societies
The Indian Constitution reserves at least 33% of seats in rural local governments for women, and Bihar is among the nine states that have opted for 50% reservation. However, women remain heavily underrepresented at the state and central levels. This note investigates how gender interacts with caste, political campaigns, and experiences of discrimination, to shape...
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Blog post
How cleaner cookstoves and fuels could benefit women’s health and the environment
With lesser access to financial resources and greater domestic responsibilities, women face the brunt of the climate change crisis. In particular, women are more affected by indoor air pollution caused by unclean cookstoves or fuel. In this post, Sharma and McDonough discuss the evidence around research efforts in India to promote the uptake of cleaner alternatives for...
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Blog post
Easing contracting frictions with machines: Evidence from India
Mechanisation standardises output and lowers supervision needs for hired labour, freeing owners’ families to engage in profitable off-farm activities A long-standing tradition in economics argues that an essential condition for economic development is the adoption of technologies that increase agricultural productivity, thereby making workers available for other...
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Blog post
Escaping the subsidy-quality trap in India’s retail electricity market
Reducing power prices for commercial and industrial consumers can help utilities raise revenue and enhance service quality across the system In many parts of the developing world, public utility companies providing services like electricity, water, transportation, and sanitation find themselves in a political-economic equilibrium characterised by poor service quality...
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Blog post
Rank and peer effects in higher education: Evidence from India
A more selective academic environment benefits female students along multiple dimensions but male students fail to take advantage of this exposure College education is an important milestone in life. Consequently, there is acute pressure to enrol in more selective colleges as they are expected to provide better teachers, infrastructure, brand value, networking...
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Blog post
Environmental relocation and firm outcomes
Industrial relocation policies have become increasingly popular as a policy tool to combat pollution in the developing world. Using Economic Census data from 2005 and 2013, this article examines the impact of an industrial relocation policy in Delhi, and shows that relocation caused a long-term change in the location and concentration of firms. The data also indicate...
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Blog post
India's Union Budget 2022: Are women’s needs prioritised?
The COVID-19 pandemic has simultaneously exposed and worsened many pre-existing barriers to achieving gender equality. As women face disproportionate risks to their livelihoods and economic security, policy provisions have yet to sufficiently address their needs. Ahead of the Union Budget 2022, I address the pandemic’s impacts on women and propose necessary budget...
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Publication - Project Report
Food security during pandemic times: Insights and perspectives from rural Bihar
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Publication - Policy Brief
Impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on household food security in rural Bihar
Based on a survey conducted in rural Bihar, this study aims to provide evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on food and nutrition security by focusing on rural vulnerable households. The study shows that food insecurity of rural Bihar’s households increased significantly since the pandemic, and the severity of the impact felt when compared to the diverse marginal...
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Blog post
Not by growth alone: The salience of redistribution in poverty eradication
Recent studies posit that the per capita incomes of developing countries are at last on track to catch up to those of industrialised countries as policies and institutions in these countries are converging to those of the rich world. In this post, Enevoldsen and Pande contend that this country-level catch-up will not be sufficient to eradicate extreme poverty, as the...