Why some poverty-fighting programmes show no net impact
An increasingly popular way to tackle acute poverty is ‘targeting the ultra-poor’. The scheme provides not only money but also training and support and has been hailed a huge success in its origin country Bangladesh. But this column evaluates a copycat scheme in southern India and finds that the...
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Jonathan Morduch Shamika Ravi 
16 October, 2012
- Articles
Content Type: Articles
Topic: Poverty & Inequality
Year: 2012
Child malnutrition in India and what can be done about it
While many things are getting better in India, the disturbing levels of child malnutrition are hardly changing. This column explores why and asks what can be done. It calls for more conditional cash transfers to poor rural families and better education on how to feed their children.
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Anu Rammohan Pushkar Maitra
- 15 October, 2012
- Articles
Content Type: Articles
Topic: Human Development
Year: 2012
Why Indian education needs to get back to reality
What is the best advice to give an Indian education department official? This column argues that the best thing officials can do is drop the assumptions and stick to reality – otherwise many children will be missed out and left behind.
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Rukmini Banerji
- 12 October, 2012
- Articles
Content Type: Articles
Topic: Human Development
Year: 2012
Cutting delays in MNREGA wages
Officials in charge of paying MNREGA wages in the state of Andhra Pradesh can now expect to receive fines if there are delays. This column shows how this move was made possible by a simple automated system, how effective it has been, and how the rest of India should follow suit.
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Reetika Khera Saloni Chopra
- 10 October, 2012
- Articles
Content Type: Articles
Topic: Governance
Year: 2012
Child malnutrition: Why wealth isn't the only problem
Why does child malnutrition persist in India? This column argues that the reason is not limited to poverty or inadequate access to food; but that a lack of knowledge about healthy nutrition plays a vital role.
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Nisha Malhotra
- 08 October, 2012
- Articles
Content Type: Articles
Topic: Human Development
Year: 2012
Is economic growth always the best policy?
Is economic growth the best way to reduce poverty, raise life expectancy, and improve people’s health? This column looks at different Indian states over the last 20 years. It argues that governments that pursue economic growth cannot be accused of neglecting their social aims.
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Arvind Subramanian
- 05 October, 2012
- Articles
Content Type: Articles
Topic: Macroeconomics
Year: 2012
The Clean Development Mechanism in India – is it working?
The Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol allows developing countries to profit from climate friendly projects, and India is second only to China in using the mechanism to help reduce its carbon emissions. But, unlike China, India does not have a national policy. This column argues that ...
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Johannes Urpelainen
- 01 October, 2012
- Articles
Content Type: Articles
Topic: Environment
Year: 2012
Climate Volatility Change and Precautionary Behaviour
Climate change has generated much attention. Upward trends in average temperature are well documented facts. Relatively less studies have been undertaken on the impact of the increase in climate volatility, including weather extreme events, on behaviour.
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Giacomo De Giorgi Luigi Pistaferri
- 30 September, 2012
- IGC Research on India
Content Type: IGC Research on India
Topic: Environment
Year: 2012
How to keep more girls in school? Lessons from Bangladesh
For years developing countries have been trying to increase parents’ incentives to send their children, particularly girls, to school and keep them there. This column looks at the success of Bangladesh, where the number of girls in school now exceeds the number of boys. It argues that money talks ...
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Mushfiq Mobarak
- 24 September, 2012
- Articles
Content Type: Articles
Topic: Human Development
Year: 2012
On ideology
In recent debates over issues such as the National Food Security Bill or the use of the Unique Identification, we seem to find people with similar values in opposing ideological camps. This editorial seeks to understand why that might be, and argues that we should steer clear of misidentifying the m...
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Ashok Kotwal
- 12 September, 2012
- Perspectives
Content Type: Perspectives
Topic: Miscellany
Year: 2012
The resurgence of poverty
Policymakers who aim only at lifting people out of poverty miss an essential fact: even as many people move out of poverty, many others fall back into it. This column argues that tackling poverty requires not only helping the existing poor, but also preventing the growth of future poverty
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Anirudh Krishna
- 09 September, 2012
- Articles
Content Type: Articles
Topic: Poverty & Inequality
Year: 2012
Education in Bihar: Still a long road ahead
In the north Indian state of Bihar, education has been improving faster than in the rest of the country. But as this column reminds us, Bihar is starting from the bottom. For education to continue to improve, Bihar needs to universally provide drinking water facilities, separate toilets for girls in...
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Nishith Prakash
- 07 September, 2012
- Articles
Content Type: Articles
Topic: Human Development
Year: 2012