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Miscellany
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 believes that while economists can contribute to more informed policy discussions and public debates they ought to be cautious in offering advice on policy design.
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 knowledge- and evidence-based action is far greater than just action. He emphasises the need to promote a culture of research for the people, with the people, and by the people.
Research gaps and policy priorities: Evidence from Bihar
The gap between research and policy priorities has always presented an enormous challenge both for academics and policymakers. With a scarcity of rigorous evidence in certain areas, this gap is particularly large in the state of Bihar. To address this, International Growth Centre (IGC) India, in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), is working to identify the current state of research and evidence in Bihar for a core set of priority sectors – Health, Agriculture, Financial Inclusion, and Gender. This exercise will enable policy stakeholders to demand more research in crucial areas and understand where new programming and investments can have the greatest impact.
Ashok Kotwal speaks with Jean Drèze
I4I Editor-in-Chief Ashok Kotwal speaks with Jean Drèze, visiting Professor at Ranchi University and an ‘economist-activist’ who has been working in India at the grassroots level for a long time. They discuss a range of issues including cash vs. in-kind transfers; combining academic research with on-the-ground action; improving governance; and the principles of a good society.
Understanding cultural persistence and change
When does culture persist and when does it change? This column examines a determinant that has been put forth in the anthropology literature: the variability of the environment from one generation to the next. It finds that populations with ancestors who lived in environments with more stability from one generation to the next place a greater importance in maintaining tradition today, and exhibit more persistence in their traditions over time.
Economics among the road scholars
Jholawala Economics’ is a derogatory term that the urban elites use to dismiss the arguments of social activists without having to contend with them. However, some of the jholawalas are indeed first-rate economists and their arguments cannot be dismissed easily. Jean Drèze is a prime example. His book ‘Sense and Solidarity: Jholawala Economics for Everyone’ puts together the wisdom that he and his co-authors (especially Reetika Khera) have gathered while doing research motivated by the problems they found at the grassroots level. This article is a condensed version of the thought-provoking introduction to the book.
Fundamental errors in the voting booth margins
Psychologists have long documented that we over-attribute people's actions to innate characteristics rather than to circumstances. This column shows that when we commit this ‘fundamental attribution error’ as voters; we over-ascribe politicians’ success to personal characteristics that merit re-election. Although this mistake can improve politicians’ incentives in ordinary times, the theory also explains lack of institutional reform and poor institutional choices, such as decreased demand for a free press and preferences for dictatorship.
Introducing a new feature: – ‘Explainers’
Our day-to-day lives are tossed around due to economic changes, resulting sometimes from government policies and sometimes by unidentifiable forces of the world economy. Governments always label every policy change as a ‘reform’ there by signaling an improvement. But it isn’t always so. Often it generates winners and losers and we want to know who these are. Our wellbeing is also affected by the churning in the outside world such as artificial intelligence, automation, global warming, oil prices, and so on. We may not be able to control these forces but at least we would like to understand how they would affect us so that we can safeguard ourselves. Moreover, you – our readers – would not be reading I4I if you were not intellectually curious. With this in mind, we are starting a new feature ‘Explainers’.
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