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on Central and Western Asia |
| By: | Michael Stamminger |
| Abstract: | This paper throws light on the issue of privatisation of electricity in Delhi. [Working Paper No. 0032] |
| Keywords: | privatisation, Delhi, Electricity, Power sector, India |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ess:wpaper:id:2669&r=cwa |
| By: | D. Kumara Charyulu; Subho Biswas |
| Abstract: | This paper discusses in detail the vast and rich agricultural knowledge that India has developed since ancient times, and the entire agricultural community trying to find an alternative sustainable farming system, which is ecologically sound, economically and socially acceptable. [Working Paper No. 2010-04-01] |
| Keywords: | Efficiency, organic input units, DEA analysis, drivers for efficiency |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ess:wpaper:id:2641&r=cwa |
| By: | Rakesh Basant; Gitanjali Sen |
| Abstract: | This paper explores how socio-economic, especially socio-religious affiliations, and demographic characteristics of individuals influence participation in higher education (HE). It argues that appropriate measures of ‘deficits’ in participation should inform the nature and scope of affirmative action. The analytical and policy relevance of distinguishing between stock and flow measures, the differences in eligibility for HE across groups are emphasized. After controlling for relevant factors, the ‘hierarchy of participation in higher education’ that emerges from detailed analysis suggests that deficits for some marginalized groups are not high enough to justify reservation for these groups on the basis of low participation. [W.P. No. 2009-11-01] |
| Keywords: | India, Asia, Education, Affirmative Action, Reservation, Caste |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ess:wpaper:id:2672&r=cwa |
| By: | Paul Atherton; Geeta Kingdon |
| Abstract: | While use of contract teachers provides a low-cost way to increase teacher numbers, it raises the quality concern that these less trained teachers may be less effective. We estimate the causal contract-teacher effect on student achievement using school fixed effects and value-added models of the education production function, using Indian data. We allow for both homogenous and heterogeneous treatment effects, to highlight the mechanisms through which the contract teacher effect works. We also present school fixed effects teacher pay equations and predict achievement marks per Rupee spent on regular and contract teachers. We find that despite being paid just a third of the salary of regular teachers with similar observed characteristics, contract teachers produce higher student learning. |
| Keywords: | Student achievement, contract teachers, India |
| JEL: | I21 |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:csa:wpaper:10-15&r=cwa |
| By: | G. Raghuram; V.N. Asopa |
| Abstract: | Rice is exported in two varities, basmati and non-basmati. The basmati rice exports are in three categories: white, brown and parboiled. India earned Rs 18.4 billion in 2001-02 from exports of basmati rice and non-basmati rice contributed Rs 13.3 billion for the same period. This paper focuses on promoting rice exports, for which infrastructural and policy requirements are discussed. [W.P. No. 2008-07-03] |
| Keywords: | basmati, rice, exports, white, brown, infrastructural, policy |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ess:wpaper:id:2666&r=cwa |
| By: | Anupriya Singhal; Aoneha Tagore |
| Abstract: | The world over, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, private sector units were of a laissez-faire variety i.e., the private sector was completely free of state interference. Private enterprises were units owned and managed by individual proprietors and partnerships. Even in India, private business houses in spite of many obstructions placed by the British government flourished and managed to earn huge profits. This was also the era when government investment in industry was zero. Thus, in this paper we try to analyse the rationale behind government investment in industry post independence. At the beginning of the First World War, Europeans managing agency houses enjoyed unchallenged supremacy in the private corporate sector of the Indian economy. At the end of the Second World War this supremacy had been broken and Indian entrepreneurs, advancing by rapid strides in the inter-war period, were now in a position to take over the business of the departing British. [Working Paper No. 0025] |
| Keywords: | eigtheenth, nineteenth centuries, private sector units, British Government, unchallenged supremacy,Indian Entrepreneurs, second world war |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ess:wpaper:id:2668&r=cwa |
| By: | Shivani Daga |
| Abstract: | Pure drinking water is a luxury in India today. However, in case of Delhi, it is just drinking water. Thus , people have begun to realise that in order to enjoy this luxury, they have to pay a price. The people of Delhi are paying exorbitant prices for this luxury. National Capital Territory of Delhi, the capital city of India cannot boast of supplying sufficient water, a basic necessity of life, to all its citizens. Every year people have to spend thousands of rupees in order to acquire drinking water. Purity takes a back seat in the situation of this severe crisis. Every year there are protests on the streets of Delhi and the citizens raise only one question that why can’t the authorities meet their basic demands. [Working Paper No. 0059] |
| Keywords: | Pure drinking water, Delhi,luxury, Purity |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ess:wpaper:id:2656&r=cwa |
| By: | Geeta Kingdon |
| Abstract: | Using new and unique panel data, we investigate the role of long-term health and childhood malnutrition in schooling outcomes for children in rural India, many of whom lack basic numeracy and literacy skills. Using data on students’ performance on mathematics and Hindi tests, we examine the role of the endogeneity of health caused by omitted variables bias and measurement error and correct for these problems using a household fixed effects estimator on a sub-sample of siblings observed in the data. We also present several extensions and robustness checks using instrumental variables and alternative estimators. We find evidence of a positive causal effect of long-term health measured as height-for-age z-score (HAZ) on test scores, and the results are consistent across several different specifications. The results imply that improving childhood nutrition will have benefits that extend beyond health into education. |
| Keywords: | Health, Nutrition, Schooling, India |
| JEL: | I12 I21 |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:csa:wpaper:10-14&r=cwa |
| By: | Girja Sharan |
| Abstract: | A two-phase project is underway to develop greenhouse systems suitable for water scarce, semi-arid region of north-west India (Kutch). The first phase aimed at studying the effectiveness of natural ventilation and earth-tube-heat-exchanger for environmental control, in place of fan-pads commonly used. These measures were able to reduce the need for evaporative cooling significantly and offer scope for further improvement. The second phase, just started, aims at finding cost-effective means of desalinating brackish water for plant use. Arrays of simple basin type solar stills have been used in this region in the past to provide drinking water in villages. The area of stills needed to meet the greenhouse crop requirement works out to approximately half the cropping area. It would be cumbersome to integrate these with greenhouse structure. Besides, these were reported to be difficult to maintain. A new option - solar assisted low temperature thermal desalination - is therefore being pursued. An outline of the work in progress is presented. [W.P. No. 2008-07-02] |
| Keywords: | Greenhouse, water scarce, semi-arid region, Kutch, environmental control, desalinating, brackish water |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ess:wpaper:id:2655&r=cwa |
| By: | Sandeep Parekh |
| Abstract: | The takeover of substantial number of shares, voting rights or control in a listed Indian company attracts the provision of SEBI (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) Regulations 1997. The regulations have been amended nearly 20 times since inception, though the amendments have mainly concentrated on areas which needed no amendment. At the same time a vast number of obvious problems have not been rectified in the regulations. The large number of amendments have also created requirement of a compulsory tender offer of such unnecessary complexity as to make it virtually unintelligible to even a well qualified professional. This paper argues that the complexity in the trigger points for disclosure and tender offer introduced over the years lacks a philosophy, and most of the amendments can not only be deleted but a very simple structure can be introduced making compliance of the regulations straight forward and easy to understand by management of listed companies. Certain other areas which need amendments have also been discussed. Chief amongst these are the provisions relating to consolidation of holdings, conditional tender offers, hostility to hostile acquisitions, definitional oddities, payment of control premium in the guise of non compete fees, treatment of differential voting rights, treatment of Global Depository Receipts and disclosure enhancements. This paper does not try to portray a particular combination of numbers as the best possible set of trigger points and compulsory acquisition numbers but advocates that whatever numbers are adopted should not be changed for several decades. Arguments that state that the changing economic condition requires constant changes with these numbers, it is argued is wrong. [W.P. No. 2009-11-06] |
| Keywords: | shares, Indian company, SEBI Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers, Regulations, compulsory tender, virtually unintelligible, holdings, conditional tender offers, acquisitions, definitional oddities, payment of control premium, economic condition |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ess:wpaper:id:2660&r=cwa |
| By: | Christian Helmers; Manasa Patnam |
| Abstract: | This paper identifies the effect of neighborhood peer groups on childhood skill acquisition using observational data. We incorporate spatial peer interaction, defined as a child’s nearest geographical neighbors, into a production function of child cognitive development in Andhra Pradesh, India. Our peer group construction takes the form of directed networks, whose structure allows us to identify peer effects and enables us to disentangle endogenous effects from contextual effects. We exploit variation over time to avoid confounding correlated with social effects. Our results suggest that spatial peer and neighborhood effects are strongly positively associated with a child’s cognitive skill formation. These peer effects hold even when we consider an alternative IV-based identification strategy and different variations to network size. Further, we find that the presence of peer groups helps provide insurance against the negative impact of idiosyncratic shocks to child learning. |
| Keywords: | Children, peer effects, cognitive skills, India |
| JEL: | C21 O15 R23 |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:csa:wpaper:10-13&r=cwa |
| By: | Mathew Joseph; Alamuru Soumya; Karan Singh; Pankaj Vashisht; Ritika Tewari; Ritwik Banerjee |
| Abstract: | Despite signs of recovery from the global financial crisis, the GDP growth rate for the Indian economy is likely to be between 5.8 to 6.1 per cent in 2009-10, below the 6.7 per cent recorded in fiscal 2008-09. While there has been an improvement in Indian industry, particularly the manufacturing sector, the adverse impact of the fall in kharif production due to a rainfall deficiency will act as a drag on the overall growth of the economy. In the current financial year, the major policy challenges for the government will come from the rather sharp rise in inflation and deteriorating public finances. The balance of payments situation may also require policy attention despite a narrowing of the current account deficit and a considerable capital account surplus because of the appreciation of the rupee. [Working Paper No. 241] |
| Keywords: | Forecasting Indian Economic Growth, Economic Outlook and Conditions, Financial Crisis, Fiscal Sustainability |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ess:wpaper:id:2658&r=cwa |
| By: | Monazza Aslam; Geeta Kingdon |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the relationship between parental schooling on the one hand, and child health outcomes (height and weight) and parental health-seeking behaviour (immunisation status of children), on the other. While establishing a correlational link between parental schooling and child health is relatively straightforward, confirming a causal relationship is more complex. Using unique data from Pakistan, we aim to understand the mechanisms through which parental schooling promotes better child health and health-seeking behaviour. The following ‘pathways’ are investigated: educated parents’ greater household income, exposure to media, literacy, labour market participation, health knowledge and the extent of maternal empowerment within the home. We find that while father's education is positively associated with the 'one-off' immunisation decision, mother's education is more critically associated with longer term health outcomes in OLS equations. Instrumental variable (IV) estimates suggest that father's health knowledge is most positively associated with immunisation decisions while mother's health knowledge and her empowerment within the home are the channels through which her education impacts her child's height and weight respectively. |
| Keywords: | parental schooling, mother's health knowledge, father's health knowledge, media exposure, maternal empowerment, child health, immunisation, Pakistan. |
| JEL: | I1 I2 |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:csa:wpaper:10-16&r=cwa |