The Transfer Raj
When Chief Ministers come to power in India, they extensively reshuffle civil servants postings. This column asks why state politicians transfer bureaucrats, whether they favour loyalty over competence, what this means for the administrative efficiency of the Indian state, and what can be done about...
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Anandi Mani Lakshmi Iyer 
01 August, 2012
- Articles
Content Type: Articles
Topic: Governance
Year: 2012
How do Indian voters respond to candidates with criminal charges: Evidence from Lok Sabha elections
An alarming number of India’s politicians have criminal records or some charges against them. This column asks how they manage to get away with it. It looks at evidence from parliamentary elections in 2009 and suggests that while voters dislike crooked politicians, the amount these politicians spe...
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Bhaskar Dutta Poonam Gupta
- 30 July, 2012
- Articles
Content Type: Articles
Topic: Governance
Year: 2012
Manufacturing, management and mysteries
The private sector is crucial to India’s development. This column asks how it can be more effective. Looking at a large sample of Indian manufacturers it suggests that what many firms may be missing is good management.
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Nirvikar Singh
- 27 July, 2012
- Articles
Content Type: Articles
Topic: Productivity & Innovation
Year: 2012
Right to Food: Let's get it right
The proposed inter-state resource allocation in the upcoming National Food Security Bill is anti-poor. It will result in unequal treatment of equally poor individuals across rich and poor states. This column explains why, and poses some questions for the way forward.
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Abhijit Banerjee
- 25 July, 2012
- Articles
Content Type: Articles
Topic: Poverty & Inequality
Year: 2012
A national shame: Hunger and malnutrition in India
One area where India’s development falls desperately short is nutrition. Child malnutrition rates are higher in India than in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. This column argues that there can be no excuses. Policymakers need to better understand the reasons behind this ‘national shame’ and n...
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Anil Deolalikar
- 23 July, 2012
- Articles
Content Type: Articles
Topic: Poverty & Inequality
Year: 2012
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 shou...
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Himanshu .
- 20 July, 2012
- Articles
Content Type: Articles
Topic: Poverty & Inequality
Year: 2012
Understanding the differing fortunes of poor people in India and China
It is no secret that India and China have both been growing impressively and that the incidence of extreme poverty has been falling. But this column shows that if India’s economic growth had been as inclusive as China’s, poverty would have reduced by twice as much over the past two decades. It a...
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Martin Ravallion
- 18 July, 2012
- Articles
Content Type: Articles
Topic: Macroeconomics
Year: 2012
A new voice
It is with some trepidation, but with huge excitement, that I present to you Ideas for India – a new voice in the cacophony of conversations on Indian growth and development. Hopefully, this will be a voice that will clarify rather than obscure, a distinct voice that will grow on you, a voice that...
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Ashok Kotwal
- 18 July, 2012
- Perspectives
Content Type: Perspectives
Topic: Macroeconomics
Year: 2012
Financial Intermediation and Economic Growth in Bihar: A District-Level Analysis
The aim of the project was to assess the effectiveness of the banking sector's contribution to the overall development in Bihar. In a nutshell, the study tries to understand the efficiency of the banking sector in Bihar with regards to its ability to raise deposits and disburse funds to private sect...
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Krishna Gangopadhyay Sanjay Banerji Sushanta Mallick
- 18 July, 2012
- IGC Research on India
Content Type: IGC Research on India
Topic: Money & Finance
Year: 2012
Corruption and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
Corruption continues to strangle India’s public finances. This column presents evidence of embezzlement in India’s flagship rural employment programme and suggests new ways policymakers can test what works in the struggle against corruption.
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Sandip Sukhtankar
- 16 July, 2012
- Articles
Content Type: Articles
Topic: Governance
Year: 2012
The persistence of caste in India: An economic explanation
Despite many efforts by the government and by civic institutions, the caste system continues to have a firm hold on Indian society. This column presents an economic explanation for this persistence and argues that economic development rather than social engineering may be the most effective way to d...
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Kaivan Munshi
- 16 July, 2012
- Articles
Content Type: Articles
Topic: Social Identity
Year: 2012
Land acquisition: Is there a way out?
India is hungry for space to grow into a developed economy. Yet this hunger is increasingly raiding farmland and threatening traditional livelihoods. For some, this is a necessary evil, for others it is unjustified exploitation. This column argues that the debate need not be so stark and that politi...
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Maitreesh Ghatak Parikshit Ghosh
- 16 July, 2012
- Articles
Content Type: Articles
Topic: Macroeconomics
Year: 2017