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Himanshu .
Himanshu is Assistant Professor of Economics at Centre for Study of Regional Development, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He is also visiting fellow at Centre de Sciences Humaines, New Delhi. Prior to joining JNU, he has been a research fellow in economics at the Centre de Sciences Humaines and C R Parekh fellow at Asia Research Centre of the London School of Economics. His areas of research include issues related to poverty, inequality, employment, food security and agrarian change. He has been involved with various government committees including Expert Group on Measurement of Poverty (Tendulkar committee), National Statistical Commission and Ministry of Rural Development. Himanshu writes a fortnightly column on issues related to development in MINT. Himanshu has received the Sanjay Thakur Young Economist Award of the Indian Society of Labour Economics and Personnalité d’ Avenir of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Himanshu received his Ph.D. in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University.
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India's farm crisis: Decades old and with deep roots
In this Perspectives piece, Prof. Himanshu argues that the crisis in Indian agriculture today is not a new one; it goes back many years. Therefore, the problems of farmers cannot be addressed by the band-aids of higher minimum support prices and cash transfers. He presents an analysis of the causes and an outline of what needs to be done.
Is India a tax haven for the rich?
In April, the government released tax data, which provided a break-up of taxes by income categories for the year 2012-13. In this article, Himanshu, Associate Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, contends that by increasing tax exemptions and subsidies for the wealthy, and through various tax giveaways, the government has reduced its capacity to spend more on essential sectors such as health, nutrition and education.
Statistical priorities for the ‘Great Indian Poverty Debate 2.0’
In the final post of a six-part series on the estimation of poverty in India, Himanshu summarises attempts by researchers to estimate poverty using three varied approaches, given the lack of official consumption expenditure data. He considers the validity of recent estimates against the reality of declining wages. His view remains that if the outstanding statistical issues outlined here aren’t resolved, the upcoming NSS estimates on consumption expenditure will not end, but likely spark, a third round of the poverty debate.
A proposal for universal basic services
In the context of the ongoing debate on the idea of a universal basic income for India, Prof. Himanshu of Jawaharlal Nehru University argues that we first need to ensure that all citizens have access to basic services such as health and education, provided by the government.
Insights from long-term studies of Indian villages
Much of our knowledge of change in rural areas depends on longitudinal village studies. Drawing upon a number of village studies carried out over the years in India, this column provides a broad picture of how the economic and social structures of villages are changing, and the consequences for production, employment, migration, inequality and other key issues.
Walking the poverty line
As India’s Planning Commission seeks to review its measurement of poverty, the issue has become a hot topic for public debate. This column argues that while poverty lines should be used as benchmarks for policy, they should not be used to decide who receives benefits and who doesn’t – nor should they distract us from the real issues of poverty.