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[economicsinaction]

Discomforting trends in higher education in the developed world

I am interacting with a set of academics of a highly reputed university in the world. It is one among the top forty universities in the world based on global rankings. At the outset, there is a glittery atmosphere. It has about 55000 students out of which 45000 are undergraduates. A sizeable section comes from other countries. I was there during the graduation time, and hence I could see the…

[economicsinaction]

Homelessness in developed countries: Ineffectiveness of public action

Many people compare poverty in developing countries with the homelessness and presence of beggars in the developed world. I currently stay in the downtown part of Vancouver where such homelessness is visible. There are `interesting’ aspects of homelessness in Vancouver compared to that in cities of the United States of America.  The number of homelessness people (say between 3 to 4 thousands) is…

[economicsinaction]

The political package of Narendra Modi 

The raising political temperature that Modi seems feeling from the (increasingly) competitive democracy of India has made him a lot more open about his approach to politics and economics. He was somewhat vaguely benevolent and inclusive at other times with the slogan of `everybody’s development’. We can decipher his political and economic positions with a higher level of clarity this time. Though…

[economicsinaction]

On the shocking behaviour of two politicians in Karnataka

What is coming out of the so called sex-scandal is shocking. These are not merely sexual advances without consent but sexual harassments, violence and even rape of women who belong to different age groups. We may consider these as the deviant or criminal behaviour of a few persons. But there may be underlying social and structural reasons which encourage such behaviour on the part of…

[economicsinaction]

Growth of Tourism in Himalayas: Inevitably Unsustainable 

I travelled last week to Pelling in east Sikkim via Darjeeling. The travel between Darjeeling and Pelling is peaceful as it attracts much less crowd than say between Siliguri and Gangtok, where traffic jams are not unusual. Parts of Sikkim, though crowded, are cleaner and a little bit more organised.  Two kind of activities in Himalayas have attracted the attention of environmental activists.…

[economicsinaction]

Care on Payment: Opportunities and Challenges 

I encountered the need for paid care first time in my life nearly 14 years ago when my mother-in-law was sick and bed-ridden for about 3 years. It was expensive and very difficult to get. The willingness of a care worker also depends on the family conditions of who needs the service. As I have crossed the age of 60, my current investment plan is to buy/book a slot in a good old-age home.  The…

[economicsinaction]

Violence in intimate and family relationships: An institutional view

There is not a single day without a news of either a person killing the lover or of both lovers committing suicide or a suicide of all members of a family in Malayalam newspapers. One may think that this is a Kerala-specific issue. But there may be violence in family/intimate relationships in other states, which may be tolerated and unreported or even considered normal and hence may not lead to…

[economicsinaction]

On the so called North-South Divide in India

Since many articles in national papers and international magazines have discussed this issue, I am not repeating what is already mentioned. Instead my focus is to think about a pragmatic approach to this problem.  When poverty and indicators of underdevelopment are (have to be) taken into consideration in the allocation of public resources by the government of India, it is inevitable that the…

[economicsinaction]

Aam Aadmi Party and Corruption Cases

Before getting into the core issue, let me express my opinions on a few related issues: First, though I am against using investigative agencies like the ED or CBI to decimate opposition in India, there is some merit in the anti-corruption campaign of the Indian government. It is connected to the political agenda of the BJP. However its credibility in this regard will go up if it can take actions…

[economicsinaction]

t is better if Uttar Pradesh has fiscal deficit 

One can see frequent advertisements by the Government of Uttar Pradesh these days which claim, among other things, that it is a fiscally surplus state. I am not sure whether politicians and officials there understand the real implications of fiscal surplus. They may be influenced by an accounting mind-set (and not by an economic framework) and that may be encouraging them to see fiscal surplus as…

[economicsinaction]

Reflections of a Malayalee on Kerala's economy, politics and society 

(This is a little longer post based on a talk given at the Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum).  Kerala is known for its achievements in basic education and healthcare for all. Its people participate in economic activities not only within the state but also nationally and globally. This participation generates income and it is used for consumption of goods and services. Some of these are…

[economicsinaction]

Nearly 10 incidents of wildlife attacks in two weeks: Need realistic understanding and practical solutions

About 10 people were fatally injured through encounters with wildlife in Kerala during that last two weeks. This may be unusually high within a short period of time. Ordinary people, especially those who live in areas where such attacks take place, are agitated. Opposition parties, as expected from them, launched pubic agitations. There is a demand for higher and immediate compensation. There is…

[economicsinaction]

Publishing research: A few tips based on personal experience

When I gave a talk based on a book in a university in Indonesia, colleagues there asked me to take an additional session to give a few tips on publishing research.  Frankly my publication record in conventional academic outlets is not that high. There are only 7 books and about 20 articles in peer reviewed journals or edited volumes. The late-entry into academics, my hobbyhorse riding in terms…

[economicsinaction]

Hey Academics: Whom are we communicating with? 

I believe sincerely that an academic view on social, economic and political issues is potentially valuable. However this value is not that high in reality. What we communicate is something that many people already know, or the ones which compel them to ask `so what’.  This is not a mere communication issue. The way we communicate shapes the academic products we produce. We communicate primarily…

[economicsinaction]

Direct income from forests as an incentive for conservation

I was visiting Dayak villages in the Sintang regency of West Kalimantan (Borneo) last week. Despite the expansion of palm oil plantation in lands leased out by the government and also in private lands, there are communities which continue to use and protect forests there. These wet-tropical forests provide a variety of products which enable these communities not only to meet their subsistence…

[economicsinaction]

Do we need political parties? 

I am in Indonesia visiting a few universities and organisations at the crucial time of its national elections to elect the next President. This election is remarkable in its history for a possible regression in the quality of its democracy. The country could see an advancement of democracy during the last few decades after the end of dictatorship. The emergence of Joko Widodo (Jokowi) as the…

[economicsinaction]

Discouraging Teenage Sex: Is POCSO an appropriate tool? 

There are many boys especially from tribal communities in India who face court trials for rape due to their sexual/marital relationships with girls who are lesser than 18 years old. Most of these are non-coercive sexual relationships between teenagers or that between a teenager and an adult of say 18-20 year old. Legally, these cases come under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences…