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The challenge of identifying economic activities of firms

The reliability of India’s GDP estimates has been debated extensively. A key challenge in the construction of macro-aggregates lies in the proper identification of firms’ economic activities as firms ...

  • Perspectives

How sanitation facilities in schools can improve educational outcomes

The Indian government launched the School Sanitation and Hygiene Education programme in 1999 to build latrines in schools. Analysing data from nearly 140,000 schools in 2003 - some of which received a...

  • Articles

Expected income support and child health

Government of India’s maternity support programme – Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana – seeks to provide income support to pregnant women and lactating mothers in rural India. Evaluating the program...

  • Articles

Climate change and Indian agriculture

Indian agriculture remains vulnerable to the vagaries of weather, and the looming threat of climate change may expose this vulnerability further. This article presents findings from a study that uses ...

  • Articles

Are we prepared for the future of work?

Given the threat of jobs displacement on account of the rise of automation and artificial intelligence, it has become crucial to develop a high-quality labour force with advanced cognitive skills. In ...

  • Perspectives

Do Indian voters mind their representatives getting rich in office?

Asset declarations, requiring politicians to disclose their financial information, are becoming increasingly common across the world. In India, financial declarations are part of public affidavits fil...

  • Articles

When electoral quotas reduce caste-based discrimination

While affirmative action policies are widely used to tackle the underrepresentation of certain groups, their efficiency is fiercely debated. This article uses novel data from India to explore how quot...

  • Articles

Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme: Assessing impact in Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra

Government of India launched the National Land Records Modernisation Programme in 2008, with the aim of establishing a system of titles to ensure conclusive proof of land ownership. The programme was ...

  • Articles

Evidence, policy, and politics

Commenting on the concept of evidence-based policy, Jean Drèze argues that the relation between evidence and policy needs further thought. Based on his involvement with social policy in India, he beli...

  • Perspectives

How governance and public expenditure impact human development

The state of Madhya Pradesh displays wide variance in human development outcomes across its districts. This article examines the link between public expenditure, quality of governance, and human devel...

  • Articles

Do dishonest people gravitate towards the public sector in India?

The corruption level in the public sector may not only depend on punishments and systems put in place to deter corruption, but also on who chooses to enter the sector. This article finds that people w...

  • Articles

Research, for whom?

In this note, Dr Abhay Bang discusses the importance of research in development. Giving examples from his 30 years of experience of working in the social sector, he contends that the power of knowledg...

  • Notes from the Field