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Academic Themes Archive
Notes on my research, book reviews and discussions on social sciences
This section contains articles on some of my main areas of academic interest including economics, development studies, collective action, social policy, governance and the right to food. A few articles look at software and utilities that would be of interest to researchers. If you are interested in any of these in particular, please click on the subtopic on the menu to your right.
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Shifting from PDS to coupons or cash transfers: Assorted arguments
Posted on May 26, 2011 | No CommentsThis is a part of a series of articles on the proposal to shift from PDS to coupons or cash transfers. To see the introduction, click here . Please read other articles in this topic before getting here… The cost of administering the PDS is high Some economists have pointed out that the cost of administering the PDS is very high, and it is now possible to transfer cash to people at a cheaper rate. This is one of the strongest arguments for a shift from PDS to cash transfers, in my opinion. The amount of money that could be... -
PDS does not reach the right people, let’s shift to cash transfers or coupons
Posted on May 26, 2011 | No CommentsThis is a part of a series of articles on the proposal to shift from PDS to coupons or cash transfers. To see the introduction, click here . Many have argued that half the PDS entitlements reach the “non poor”. I believe that resources are scarce, and the government should spend the money on people who need it most. We should thus be concerned if resources are being spent on those who do not need it. In considering whether resources reach the right people, we should remember that we have a rather poor system of identifying the poor. The poverty-line... -
The PDS does not work, let’s shift to coupons or cash transfers
Posted on May 26, 2011 | No CommentsThis is a part of a series of articles on the proposal to shift from PDS to coupons or cash transfers. To see the introduction, click here . In evaluating alternatives including cash transfers, it is first important to identify both contributions and failures of the system. Proponents of reforms today have focused exclusively on the problems, without dwelling on the things that it has done. There is a reason why the PDS is so popular in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra and increasingly in other states including Chhattisgarh. In all these cases the PDS has worked and means a lot... -
Shifting from PDS to coupons or cash transfers: FAQs
Posted on May 26, 2011 | No CommentsThe Public Distribution System (PDS) in India has come under a vigorous attack in the recent months. There have been calls to dismantle the system and to replace with alternatives such as providing coupons or cash transfers. Without any doubt the PDS has serious problems, and performs abysmally in some parts of India. Unfortunately, these are also among the poorest regions where the need for protection from hunger is the greatest. Considering that the PDS is supposed to contribute to something as fundamental as food security, such poor functioning must be addressed. In the recent past there have been discussions... -
Understanding UID through “radio tags”
Posted on February 2, 2011 | No Comments“Do you want to wear an anklet or do you want to go to prison?” said a US consular officer in Hyderabad about the tagging of some Indian students in the United States to monitor their movements. These anklets contain a GPS device that closely monitors the movements of the students, and will alert officials in case they move beyond areas that they have been authorised to. The anklets provide a useful analogy to the Unique ID (UID) project by the government of India. Let me explain. In an article entitled Prison without walls, Graeme Wood argues that such radio... -
Understanding Tamil Nadu’s commitment to public services: An institutional perspective
Posted on December 31, 2010 | No CommentsMy doctoral dissertation on the question of why Tamil Nadu has an impressive commitment to providing basic public services such as roads, water, electricity and education. -
Why even those who oppose Naxalism should support Binayak Sen
Posted on December 31, 2010 | No CommentsBinayak Sen has just received a life-term jail sentence for sedition or waging war against the state. The specific crime, according to the judgement, was that he conveyed three letters written by a Maoist leader to a Calcutta-based trader. This was supported by a broader claim that Binayak Sen and his wife Ilina have known Maoists, and that Binayak even had Maoist literature at his home! Callous evidence The evidence presented for the critical claims of the case have been disputed. He met Narayan Sanyal several times in jail, under the supervision of jailors and was searched before and after... -
Toothpaste, hair oil, and democracy
Posted on December 15, 2010 | No CommentsA recent survey says that Dalits of Uttar Pradesh have started using toothpaste and hair oil more regularly. Will it have an impact on democracy? Economic and Political Weekly recently carried the report of the survey by Devesh Kapur and others (Kapur et al. 2010). The paper argued that there have been important changes in grooming, eating practices and ceremonial consumption patterns of Dalits, and in general a rapid erosion of discriminatory practices that stigmatised the Dalits of Uttar Pradesh. This interesting survey draws attention to perceived discrimination, and how it has changed since the 1990s. The authors draw attention... -
Where questions stop
Posted on November 4, 2010 | No CommentsA few days ago I was listening to a biologist who recounted a philosophic conversation. In it the philosopher asked a man who had gone to the market why he was there. “To buy vegetables”, the man answered. “Why do you want vegetables?”, the philosopher continued. “So that I can eat” “Why do you want to eat?” “So that I can be healthy” “Why do you want to be healthy?” “Because I will be unhappy if I am not healthy” “Ah, you are in the market so that you can be happy”, said the philosopher and stopped his round of... -
Creating a Yelp for the government
Posted on October 13, 2010 | No CommentsIn 2004 website called yelp.com was created to help people find local businesses such as small restaurants, salons, etc. The idea of the website was simple. Any user or a business can locate itself on the map and provide basic information about itself. For example, a restaurant could describe itself and provide its menu and other details, and any user could review the organisation. Someone who is looking for a service, e.g. salon in a particular area, can now search easily for all salons by the price, services and reviews. What yelp does is to enable people anyone to find...
