31 July, 2025What broad lessons have we learned from 115 studies on unconditional cash transfers?
Globally, around 700 million people currently live in extreme poverty, and in recent years, unconditional cash transfers have emerged as a popular tool for poverty alleviation in low- and middle-incom...
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Tommaso Crosta Dean Karlan Finley Ong Julius Ruschenpohler Christopher Udry 
20 June, 2025
- Articles
Food deprivation: A thali index reveals what poverty estimates do not
Poverty in India is typically estimated based on a poverty line that identifies the purchasing power needed to satisfy the daily calorific intake deemed necessary. In this post, Balakrishnan and Raj m...
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Pulapre Balakrishnan Aman Raj
- 06 June, 2025
- Perspectives
Could better jobs for men have improved gender equality?
Evidence indicates that economic growth can improve gender equality. In this post, Sujata Balasubramanian suggests that India’s high-growth period from 1982-83 to 2011-12 failed to do so substantial...
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Sujata Balasubramanian
- 25 April, 2025
- Articles
Welfare through workfare? Lessons from the early days of MNREGA
Workfare programmes are an old tool to provide necessary income support to the poorest in times of recessions, droughts, and now pandemics. Yet, these are often questioned for their effectiveness. As ...
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Stefan Klonner Christian Oldiges
- 16 December, 2020
- Articles
Building resilience among ultra-poor for times of crisis
Lack of integration into the existing social protection system exacerbates the poor's vulnerabilities, leaving them without adequate support structures during a crisis. In this note, Shagun Sabarwal a...
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Maximilian Lohnert Shagun Sabarwal
- 11 December, 2020
- Notes from the Field
Does workfare work? MNREGA during Covid-19
In the wake of the large-scale return of migrant workers from cities to rural areas on account of the Covid-19 lockdowns and associated job losses, it was apparent that MNREGA would need to play a cru...
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Sudha Narayanan Christian Oldiges Shree Saha
- 01 December, 2020
- Articles
What pay ratios in NIFTY50 companies tell us about income inequality in India
In the wake of the economic crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns, demands for relief from the corporate sector were as vocal as those for affected workers. However, the s...
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Reetika Khera Meghna Yadav
- 20 November, 2020
- Perspectives
Balancing corruption and exclusion: Comment on the response
The role of Aadhaar in reducing corruption in the PDS has been highly controversial. In a recent I4I article, Muralidharan et al. summarised the insights of their study of Aadhaar-based biometric auth...
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Jean Drèze Reetika Khera Anmol Somanchi
- 19 November, 2020
- Perspectives
DUET: Creating a resilient ecosystem for vulnerable populations
Providing their perspective on Drèze’s DUET proposal for an urban work programme, the authors contend that its objective should not just be financial support but the creation of a wider ecosystem t...
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Ishu Gupta Advaita Rajendra Ankur Sarin
- 10 November, 2020
- Perspectives
Examining the macro effects of MNREGA
While numerous micro-founded studies examine the household-level effects of MNREGA, little is known about its aggregate macro effects and long-term benefits to output, if any. Analysing district-level...
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Justin Cook Manisha Shah
- 28 October, 2020
- Articles
Balancing corruption and exclusion: A response
The role of Aadhaar in reducing corruption in PDS has been highly controversial. In a recent I4I article, Muralidharan et al. summarised the results of their study in Jharkhand, which confirmed the 'p...
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Karthik Muralidharan Paul Niehaus Sandip Sukhtankar
- 21 October, 2020
- Perspectives
DUET: Expand to include social protection for informal workers
Commenting on Jean Drèze’s DUET proposal, Rakshita Swamy and Amit Basole highlight its simple design as its strength and propose a more comprehensive approach that also includes social protection f...
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Amit Basole Rakshita Swamy
- 19 October, 2020
- Perspectives
DUET: Some practical concerns
Providing her perspective on Jean Drèze’s DUET proposal for an urban work programme, Ashwini Kulkarni raises pertinent questions about the implementation process. She outlines the role of ‘labour...
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Ashwini Kulkarni
- 08 October, 2020
- Perspectives
DUET: The industrial policy angle
Providing her perspective on Drèze’s DUET proposal for an urban work programme, Swati Dhingra contends that addressing the immediate, monumental problem of joblessness arising from the Covid-19 pan...
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Swati Dhingra
- 08 October, 2020
- Perspectives
DUET: Flexible implementation is key
Commenting on Drèze’s DUET proposal for an urban work programme, Yamini Aiyar contends that it is a welcome opportunity to reclaim the importance of robust social protection for urban India, while ...
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Yamini Aiyar
- 07 October, 2020
- Perspectives
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Tweets by Ideas4IndiaMost Popular Poverty & Inequality Posts
Wealth inequality, class, and caste in India: 1961-2012
The level of wealth inequality in India is close to that of some highly unequal countries in the world. This article assesses the long-term evolution of wealth inequality in the country for the period...
- Nitin Kumar Bharti
- 28 June, 2019
- Articles
Covid-19: What can be done immediately to help vulnerable population
With over 80% of India’s workforce employed in the informal sector and one-third working as casual labour, Covid-19's spread and subsequent unplanned lockdowns, have created economic havoc in the li...
- Reetika Khera
- 25 March, 2020
- Perspectives
A review of the coverage of PDS
The coverage of the Public Distribution System (PDS) has been of wide interest due to the pandemic and lockdown. Based on government data sources, Khera and Somanchi estimate the state-wise coverage o...
- Reetika Khera Anmol Somanchi
- 19 August, 2020
- Perspectives