31 May, 2021The Covid-19 crisis and food security
India’s national lockdown in 2020, imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19, threw millions of people out of work and sharply reduced earnings for those who remained employed. Based on data from mu...
-
Jean Drèze Anmol Somanchi 
21 June, 2021
- Perspectives
Covid-19: Impact on income inequality in India
Even as global inequality was falling, income inequality in India increased during 1990-2019. With the occurrence of Covid-19, the trend of increasing income inequality in the country is expected to n...
-
Mrinalini Jha Rahul Lahoti
- 01 September, 2021
- Articles
PDS, National Food Security Act, and Covid-19
Introduced in 2013, the National Food Security Act (NFSA) brought about fundamental reforms in the public distribution system (PDS) and most importantly, declared a legal ‘right to food’. Based on...
-
Ruchira Boss Mamata Pradhan Devesh Roy Sunil Saroj
- 16 August, 2021
- Articles
Can Rahul Gandhi’s minimum income guarantee proposal work?
Congress president Rahul Gandhi has promised a minimum income guarantee scheme for the poor if the party is voted to power in the upcoming elections. Discussing the proposal and associated concerns, P...
-
Maitreesh Ghatak
- 07 February, 2019
- Perspectives
Cash transfers and adult labour outcomes in developing countries
The basic economic model of labour supply predicts that when an adult receives an unexpected cash windfall they should work less and earn less. This underlies concerns that cash transfers will undermi...
-
Sarah Baird David McKenzie Berk Özler
- 07 December, 2018
- Articles
In which countries do children have the best chances to surpass their parents' education?
Intergenerational mobility contributes to social stability and cohesion, and is associated with higher, more inclusive economic growth in the long-term. This article presents global trends in absolute...
-
Ambar Narayan Roy Van der Weide
- 28 November, 2018
- Articles
Intergenerational mobility across the world: Where socioeconomic status of parents matters the most (and least)
Intergenerational mobility is important for fairness and economic efficiency in a society. This article uses data from a new global study spanning five decades to show that average relative mobility i...
-
Ambar Narayan Roy Van der Weide
- 28 September, 2018
- Articles
How income gains from globalisation are distributed
Globalisation stirs a diverse range of sentiments and views: some credit globalisation for boosting economic well-being while others blame it for worsening inequality. This article examines the effect...
-
Valentin Lang Marina Mendes Tavares
- 08 June, 2018
- Articles
Enhancing nutrition among the poor: UBI vs. welfare programmes
Some proponents of universal basic income (UBI) for India believe that the unconditional cash transfer should replace existing welfare programmes. Based on analysis of National Sample Survey data, thi...
-
Ranjan Ray Kompal Sinha
- 28 May, 2018
- Articles
Who does not get caught by social safety nets?
While implementation failure is an oft-cited reason for low coverage rates of welfare programmes, even relatively well-implemented programmes can fail to reach intended recipients. Based on an experim...
-
Sarika Gupta
- 14 May, 2018
- Articles
Can India make a universal basic income work?
According to the Economic Survey 2016-17, universal basic income may prove to be a more effective antipoverty intervention than India’s largest welfare schemes. Discussing the Survey’s proposal, S...
-
Saksham Khosla
- 16 April, 2018
- Perspectives
Aadhaar that doesn’t exclude
Aadhaar is in the news today partly because of security concerns and partly because of reports that the poor are unable to receive PDS rations because of failures in Aadhaar authentication. In this ar...
-
Ashok Kotwal Bharat Ramaswami
- 11 April, 2018
- Perspectives
Parikshit Ghosh speaks with Avinash Dixit
In this podcast, Parikshit Ghosh (Member of the I4I Editorial Board & Associate Professor, Delhi School of Economics) speaks with Avinash Dixit (John J. F. Sherrerd '52 University Professor of Economi...
-
Avinash Dixit Parikshit Ghosh
- 15 January, 2018
- Podcasts
Aadhaar, biometrics, and the PDS in Jharkhand
Aadhaar-based biometric authentication was made mandatory for obtaining rations under the Public Distribution System in Ranchi district in Jharkhand in August 2016. In this article, Nazar Khalid demon...
-
Nazar Khalid
- 10 January, 2018
- Perspectives
Rags to riches? Understanding social mobility in India
To what extent is an individual’s status in society determined by the position of his or her parents? Analysing data from the Indian Human Development Survey, 2011-2012, this column finds that the p...
-
Vegard Iversen Anirudh Krishna Kunal Sen
- 13 November, 2017
- Articles
Twitter feed
Tweets by Ideas4IndiaMost Popular Poverty & Inequality Posts
Covid-19: What can be done immediately to help vulnerable population
With over 80% of India’s workforce employed in the informal sector and one-third working as casual labour, Covid-19's spread and subsequent unplanned lockdowns, have created economic havoc in the li...
- Reetika Khera
- 25 March, 2020
- Perspectives
Lockdown, life, and livelihood in the times of Corona
After around 36 hours of the lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in India, the Finance Minister announced a slew of welfare measures amounting to Rs. 1.7 trillion to support the vulnerable popu...
- Arjun Kumar Balwant Singh Mehta Simi Mehta
- 07 April, 2020
- Perspectives
EWS reservation in higher education: Affirmative action or vote bank politics?
The Constitution (103rd Amendment) Act, 2019, provides for 10% reservation for the economically weaker sections (EWS) in higher educational institutions within the general category. In this post, Devi...
- Devika Malhotra Sharma
- 11 September, 2019
- Perspectives