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Purpose: The study aims to compare India's public health expenditure at the international and state levels. The paper also empirically examines the regional disparities in NRHM spending across the 21 selected states of India. Design/methodology/approach: The tools of absolute β-and σ-convergence are used in the analysis to test the regional convergence. The average annual growth rate across the states is the dependent variable for β-convergence, and time is the second dependent variable but is used for s-convergence. In contrast, the initial value of NRHM expenditure and the coefficient of variation of NRHM expenditure are used as independent variables, respectively. Descriptive statistics are also used for the study. The data are annual and cover the panel from 2007 to 2020. Findings: The study attests to the hypothesis of β-and σ-convergence for the selected states in the period mentioned. The observed convergence in NRHM expenditure is due to the shift in the government's attention from the non-high focus high focus states to high states through the national rural health mission policy. The coefficient of variation across the states also shows a declining trend and provides the robustness of the σ-convergence. Originality/value: As far as the literature is concerned, none of the existing studies examines the convergence of a public health expenditure scheme like the National Rural Health Mission across the Indian states by applying the techniques of β-and σ-convergence. The novelty of the study is using the newly updated dataset and validating the convergence hypotheses in the National Rural Health Mission expenditure case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is about transnational cancer care in Asia. People with terminal diseases such as cancer increasingly escape devastating prognosis of their local regimes of clinical diagnostic truth by traveling to destinations where medicine is more advanced, yet affordable for them, and hence offers a broader scope for hope. The paper suggests that transnational cancer care provides an instructive case of the enormous geographical disparities in the availability of therapies and how this, combined with economies of hope and the marketization of health care, affects patients and their family caregivers. The primary contribution of the paper is the introduction of the concept of relational subjectivities to the health mobilities literature. The findings presented proof that the concept provides a fruitful analytical lens, yielding not only fresh empirical insights but prompting re-conceptualizations of medical travel itself as hopeful, yet risky transnational acts of family care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE TO study the application and impact of trickle-down economics in National Capital Region (NCR) of India. Design/methodology/approach - The study tried to find out the close conceptual framework of trickle-down theory with economical policies of India through literature review. The study also focused on the economical growth and industrial development in NCR of India through physical observation method. It also posed open and closed-ended questions to find out the development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) locations through survey method (self-designed questionnaire). Findings - The concept of trickle-down economics was implemented in the post reform policies of India. Certain policies like development of SEZs were implemented with a vision to enhance the economical situation of the nation, establish advanced infrastructure, maintain good position in the international market, and generate more employment opportunities in India. Research limitations - The size of the sample used in the study was very small. Only 50 people were included in this survey. Hence, the analysis was limited to just 50 respondents from Special Economic Zones of the National Capital Region of India. It includes the employees and local residents in between 18 to 50 years of age group. Hence, the nature of the entire population was not studied in the paper. The old age group, teenagers, and the illiterate group were not the part of this survey. Practical implications - Such policies can enhance the economical growth and industrial development in the country, thereby establishing world class infrastructure facilities generating more employment opportunities. But, these policies lack opportunities for small scale industrial growth and participation of local villagers in the process of industrial and economical growth. Originality/value -This is to certify that my research paper titled: “Application of Trickle-Down Theory in Economic Policies of India: A study of Industrial Innovation in National Capital Region" is my original research paper and is not copied from anywhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harar (Terminalia chebula) and soybean (Glycine max) are the potential tree and agricultural crops of subtropical region of Himachal Pradesh, India, however the potential of these crops under agroforestry system has not been explored both from ecological and economical point of view. The objective of this paper was to determine the effect of harar–soybean combination on soil chemical properties and to analyse the economics of the agroforestry system as compared to the open system. Soybean was grown under harar trees as per the recommended package of practices. Before sowing and after harvesting, soil samples were collected from four directions (East, West, North and South) at three distances (1, 2 and 3 m) from harar trees and open cropping system (sole soybean) for determining chemical properties (pH, electrical conductivity and organic carbon) and nutrient dynamics (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium). In addition, the soil at two depths (0–15 cm and 15–30 cm) under trees at 2 m distance and in open was analyzed by GC–MS before and after cropping for the presence of allelochemicals that may affect crop yield. The economics of tree-crop combination was worked out and compared with the sole cropping system. The soil chemical properties and available nutrients in soil exhibited maximum values in the north direction. Except available phosphorus content, values of all the studied properties of soil increased with an increase in the distance of soybean crop from harar. It was also observed that values of soil chemical properties and nutrient contents increased significantly after intercropping in comparison to those before intercropping soybean. A substantial increase in soil properties was observed under the agroforestry system over the sole cropping system before sowing and after harvesting soybean. It was revealed that allelochemicals viz., octadecanoic acid, 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid and phthalic acid which do exist in harar trees were also detected in soil under the canopy of harar trees. The total cost of cultivation (Rs. 45,028.49 ha−1), gross returns (Rs. 101,937.78 ha−1), net returns (Rs. 56,909.29 ha−1) and benefit–cost ratio (2.26) were higher under the agroforestry system (harar + soybean) over sole soybean cropping. Improvement in soil health, soybean yield and higher economic returns indicated that combination of harar and soybean can be a viable option for farmers of subtropical areas of Himachal Pradesh for the upliftment of their socioeconomic status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investment in the small-scale enhancement of groundwater recharge through check dams and other recharge structures in rural India is on the order of USD 1 billion/year. However, for any catchment, the optimal capacity of check dams is unknown, and the impacts on downstream flows are rarely determined. This paper describes a method that can be applied to plan recharge augmentation in catchments that have at least one monitored check dam. It was applied in the Dharta catchment of the Aravalli Hills in Udaipur district, Rajasthan, India, where four check dams in an ephemeral stream were monitored by farmers over seven years. For the last three years of this study, the hydrology of two of these check dams was affected by 19 new check dams established upstream. A basic hydrologic model, WaterCress, was calibrated on monitored check-dam storages and used to assess the impacts of the new structures on recharge from those downstream. Then, the model was rerun with a range of capacities of upstream check dams to determine the effects of check-dam capacity on (1) the recharge from the downstream check dam, (2) the total recharge from all check dams, and (3) the frequency of spill from the downstream check dam. Using the available economic information, the benefit–cost ratio was calculated for a range of check-dam capacities. This showed a decline in economic efficiency with each new check dam and defined the optimal capacity. Monsoon size was found to be consequential to results, and longer hydrological records yield more reliable results. The study showed that monitoring check dams, rainfall, and groundwater levels is key to deciding whether additional check dams are economically beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses three important questions. First, what are the trends, levels and sources of income inequality in India? Second, how have been the patterns of income mobility? And finally, exploring the relationship between income mobility and income inequality in the context of India. Results, based on recent India Human Development Survey (IHDS) longitudinal data, advocate that not only is income inequality very high, nonetheless, it has increased - mainly attributable to different income sources - in India. The paper also focused on whether or not this income mobility equalizes longerterm incomes. Results suggest income mobility has resulted in-albeit not robust- equalizing longer-term incomes. Thus, based on imperative findings, the paper suggests, the nature of longer-term wellbeing is crucial to designing policy interventions to effectively tackle inequality and in this context, economic mobility can be seen as an avenue to long-term equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a strong correlation between urbanization and economic development, where cities presently contribute approximately 60% to the GDP and which is expected to increase to 75% by 2030, also affect on the development of Real Estate market. The Guwahati city is rightly termed as the engines of economic growth and innovation. This pace and scale of urbanization is unprecedented for India. Consequently, a number of key policy and governance challenges have emerged in recent years as uncontrolled and unplanned urbanization have continued to add pressure on civic infrastructure systems, where urban India remains underserved by utilities and suffers from inadequate housing stock. A recent study by a technical group constituted by MoHUPA has revealed that with population crossing 1.20 billion in 2011, the magnitude of housing shortage stood at 18.7 million units in 2012. Therefore, creating urban housing stock as a preventive strategy to contain ever-increasing slum population has become a top priority for sustainable urban planning and development. This paper tries to examine the valuation procedure followed in the valuation of real estate. The paper also highlights the various method of valuation method in vogue in the real estate. This paper also tries to analyse the determinants influencing the valuation of property. The paper also tries to bring out the challenges faced during the valuation of real estate in the Guwahati city of Assam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trickle-down has been addressed, so far, using income-based measures of inequality and poverty. However concerns over the inequality in access to other dimensions important for quality of life remains. I revisit trickle-down using the Alkire and Foster (J Public Econ 95(7-8), 2011) class of measures to estimate multidimensional poverty in India. Using NSS data estimates are presented for the 16 major states and are compared to income-based measures. Adding dimensions in poverty measurement results in the reversal of several income-based conclusions about poverty across regions. The paper also finds that contrary to income-based findings, Muslims are less poor than Hindus under the multidimensional criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (NSM) is one of India's flagships programs to drive efforts on climate change mitigation and has been the subject of a long-standing trade dispute with the United States (US) at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The dispute arose over India's use of local content requirements (LCRs) - a policy measure that typically mandates a certain percentage of goods used in the production process to be sourced locally - within the NSM. In the backdrop of India's target to increase solar power capacity to 100 gigawatts (GW) by 2022, this paper presents a socio-legal perspective on whether and how dispute settlement in the WTO impacts India's ambitious solar energy goals. Relying on the literature on fragmentation in international law and international political economy of energy, this paper applies a political economy lens on the solar trade dispute between India and explores: the political economy of LCRs within India's solar policy; the main drivers and underlying politics of the solar trade dispute between India and the US; and the effect of the WTO ruling on regulatory governance of solar energy in India. To do this, the paper relies on a two-pronged qualitative research approach: first, a series of several semi-structured interviews with Indian public officials and relevant stakeholders; and second, an in-depth media discourse analysis of the coverage on the solar trade dispute in leading Indian news outlets with a view to supplement the normative claims emerging from the qualitative interview data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Manufacturing sector growth continues to be topical in the growth journey of Indian economy. The purpose of this paper is to present the modelling and analysis of the combined impact of three key driving sub-systems on the Indian manufacturing growth. It has provided relevant insights and recommendations for its sustainable growth.Design/methodology/approach The impact of three key driving sub-systems: quality of highway-related infrastructure, manufacturing labour productivity and circular material-consumption in the growth of manufacturing has been studied. A System Dynamics (SD) based model to understand long-term implications of the policy variables on manufacturing growth has been developed. Five scenarios have been simulated for analysis.Findings Seven policy variables have been identified which have a significant impact on Indian manufacturing growth. Some relevant insights from the analysis of SD based system-behaviour have been provided which would facilitate the manufacturing growth.Research limitations/implications The paper has addressed the dynamics of only three sub-systems in the study of manufacturing growth. The other sub-systems which also have an impact on the manufacturing growth: Good governance, education quality and technology are recommended to be studied through SD based modelling.Practical implications Specific recommendations for accelerating the manufacturing growth have been made in the paper which has strong practical implications for growth of Indian economy.Social implications Manufacturing sector continues to have a significant impact on the prosperity of India. It facilitates in enhancement of employment and the micro-economic health aspects. Therefore, there is a need to understand the dynamics of the key policy variables affecting manufacturing growth which is very relevant for the society at large.Originality/value An application of the SD approach to analyse long-term implication of policy variables of three sub-systems that have a significant impact in manufacturing growth and five specific recommendations to the policy makers is the value-add. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Resource allocation decisions for disease categories can be informed by proper estimates of the magnitude and distribution of total spending. In the backdrop of a high burden of Non-Communicable Diseases and Injuries (NCDI) in India, and a paucity of estimates on government spending on NCDI, this paper attempts to analyse public sector expenditure on NCDI spending in India. Methods: Various recent budget documents of the Centre and States/Union Territories have been used to extract expenditure on NCDI. The aggregates thus arrived at have been analysed to estimate aggregate and state level per capita spending. State level spending have been compared against disease burden using DALYs. Patterns of spending on NCDI across states were also analysed together with state level poverty to observe possible patterns. Findings: The total spending on NCDI by the government is low at less than 0.5% of GDP. NCDI spending is little more than one-fourth of total health spending of the country and most spending takes place at the state level (80%). The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s share in Central spending on NCDI is around 65%, and currently it spends 20% of its total health spending on NCDI. The gap between spending and DALYs is the most for the economically vulnerable states. Also, the states with high poverty levels also have low per capita expenditure on NCDI Interpretation: India does not depend on donor funding for health. It will have to step up domestic funding to address the increasing disease burden of NCDIs and to reduce the high out-of-pocket expenditure on NCDI. Policies on NCDI need to focus on UHC, service integration and personnel gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The present paper intends to study how to increase box-office collection by producing audience centric film. Objectives: To investigate and examine what audience likes to see in films. Design/Methodology/Approach: The paper has used descriptive research design because it intends to investigative questions and results to discovery of association among variables. Data are collected from 1165 respondents of different age groups, education, income background, and locality through structured questionnaire-cum-interview method. A questionnaire is constructed using Likert scale and administered using convenience sampling approach. Data are analysed using the SPSS 17 software. Research Limitations/Implications: Future research can be conducted for further improvements in measuring techniques and also by adding more volleys of questions. Even in the case of set of influences, they might well differ in other countries or at other times. In sum, all the caveat and limitations just enumerated a need for support in future investigations for using data in multiple time periods, in multiple countries, and with multiple viewers. Future researches can address the generalisability of our findings across time periods and geographical settings. Finding: This paper adds historical and theoretical depth for debate to attitude of audience to watch Bollywood films in respect to characters, likings, and theme of films. The attitude of audience of watching Bollywood films is not an actively researched topic in India. The study therefore contributes toward better understanding to many stakeholders of films while it is being produced. Practical Implications: The findings can provide some relevant scope for directors and marketers of Bollywood movies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The aim of this study is to examine the impact of the industry sector on the voluntary environmental disclosure and the association between the firm's carbon-related risk exposure and the cost of equity. Design/methodology/approach The study covers ET top 20 Indian firms from seven different industry sectors over the period 2011-2014. Environmental Disclosures Model is developed to test the industry sector effect on the voluntary environmental disclosure. Further, a regression model is developed to investigate the association between voluntary environmental disclosure and the cost of equity. Findings Using panel data regression analysis, this paper finds a positive association between the carbon-related risk exposure and the cost of equity capital. Firms with carbon-related risk exposure in capital market have a greater cost of equity. This study also found that the firms, which are operating in the highly environmental-sensitive industry sectors, are more likely to disclose carbon information publicly compared to those, which are operating in the less environmental-sensitive industry sectors. Originality / value Previous literature confirmed that the firm's carbon-related risk exposure adversely affects corporate entities' cost of equity financing in developed economies. Yet, an important question remains unanswered that how investors in developing countries use firm's carbon-related risk exposure in their investing decisions. In this paper, we tried to answer this question within the context of the Indian equity market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice is an important food crop extensively grown in India. It is mainly grown as a wetland crop by transplanting seedlings into puddled fields. Conventional transplanting is the most common practice of rice cultivation in south India. Several factors are responsible for reducing the yield of transplanted rice. One of the cause for yield reduction is weed infestation. Weeds by the virtue of their high adaptability and faster growth dominate the crop habitat and reduce the yield potential of the crop. Normally the loss in yield ranges between 15-20 per cent, yet in severe cases the yield losses can be more than 50 per cent, depending upon the species and intensity of weeds. In this paper, we will summarize and review possible effect of weeds on transplanted rice, weed species, different methods of weed control, labour saving and economics of rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last 15 years, a set of ideas now referred to as "thinking and working politically" (TWP) has coalesced into a "second orthodoxy" about how to take context into account when implementing development interventions. This approach stresses the importance of obtaining a better understanding of the local context ("thinking politically") in order to support local actors to bring about sustainable developmental change ("working politically"). However, the evidence base to justify this new approach remains thin, despite a growing number of programmes which purport to be implementing it. Officials in development agencies struggle with putting it into practice and it is unclear how TWP differs—or not—from similar approaches, such as Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) and Doing Development Differently (DDD). This Special Issue sheds light on what TWP means in practice by examining a set of initiatives undertaken by both development partners and government departments in Nigeria, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, China and India. This overview article outlines, in brief, each of the Special Issue's four papers and then draws out five lessons—for funders and for practitioners—from across all the papers. Our five lessons are: (1) the fundamental importance of undertaking political economy analysis (PEA) to adapt programmes to their contexts; (2) the importance of having a realistic level of ambition for interventions; (3) the need to support local ownership—not just "agreement ownership" (between a donor agency and government) or local "management ownership" of the programme, but critically "driver ownership" by generating trust with the key local actors driving change; (4) the need for a more effective set of tools for measuring results in complex programmes that attempt to achieve improvements in long‐run governance; and, (5) that although the political economy of donors is often seen as a barrier to applying TWP, the articles show how much can be done with a TWP approach if the analysis takes into account the political economy of donors as well as that of the local context. We conclude with a set of operational recommendations for donors and implementors, as well as suggestions of avenues for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The changing population age structure has a significant influence on the economy, society, and numerous other aspects of a country. This paper has innovatively applied the method of compositional data forecasting for the prediction of population age changes of the young (aged 0–14), the middle-aged (aged 15–64), and the elderly (aged older than 65) in China, India, and Vietnam by 2030 based on data from 1960 to 2016. To select the best-suited forecasting model, an array of data transformation approaches and forecasting models have been extensively employed, and a large number of comparisons have been made between the aforementioned methods. The best-suited model for each country is identified considering the root mean squared error and mean absolute percent error values from the compositional data. As noted in this study, first and foremost, it is predicted that by the year 2030, China will witness the disappearance of population dividend and get mired in an aging problem far more severe than that of India or Vietnam. Second, Vietnam’s trend of change in population age structure resembles that of China, but the country will sustain its good health as a whole. Finally, the working population of India demonstrates a strong rising trend, indicating that the age structure of the Indian population still remains relatively “young”. Meanwhile, the continuous rise in the proportion of elderly population and the gradual leveling off growth of the young population have nevertheless become serious problems in the world. The present paper attempts to offer crucial insights into the Asian population size, labor market and urbanization, and, moreover, provides suggestions for a sustainable global demographic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the applicability of Bradford law of scattering of the publications of India and China. The data for the study collected from WOS database, 887 journals publishing 1924 economics subject publications from India and 1627 journals published 4427 Chinese economics publications. The ranked list of journals prepared for both the datasets and the applicability of Bradford's law was tested. The journals distribution pattern of the economics literature fit Bradford's distribution pattern. The applicability of Egghe's model (modification of Leimkuhler's model) was also tested and found valid for both the datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Diabetes is one of the major healthcare challenges in India. The chronic nature of the disease makes the lifetime cost of the treatment exorbitantly high. The medicine cost contributes a major size of expense in diabetes management. To make healthcare available to poorest of the poor, it is imperative to control the rising cost of diabetes treatment. The earlier research works done in this area focuses more on inventory management techniques to control the cost of healthcare. Less interest is shown in the role of better supply chain partnership (SCP) in reducing the cost of procurement of medicine. The purpose of this paper is to develop and use the SCP assessment framework for a diabetes clinic. The approach is generalized enough to be adopted for other similar organization. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopts self-assessment criteria of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) business excellence model for analysis of SCP in the supply chain of a private diabetes clinic in Varanasi. The paper uses analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method for calculation of weights of criteria. Findings The EFQM-based framework can be adopted as easy-to-use tool to make an objective assessment of the SCP. The proposed model in the study is a balanced model between enablers and results, which includes multiple assessment dimensions. The supply chain performance score of the diabetes clinic under study was found as the Tool Pusher, which means the effort in direction of SCP is not too good. The organization needs to clearly define the SCP goal and analyze the results to identify the gap areas. Originality/value The study is first of its kind and contributes to the literature by providing non-prescriptive and easy-to-use SCP assessment framework, for chronic disease care. The case study approach provides a procedure for the healthcare organization willing to adopt this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents updates on studies about manpower, as of July 1979. John L. Palmer of the Brookings Institution is editing the papers for a conference that will study the economic effects and administrative problems of federal categorical wage subsidies. Brian Becker of the State University of New York at Buffalo continues an analysis of the consequences of teenage unemployment. Analysis of the irregular economy continued under the direction of Louise E. Berndt and Louis A. Ferman of the University of Michigan-Wayne State University. Mahmood A. Zaidi of the University of Minnesota is revising the article "Structural Changes and Employment Potential in India," for the third edition of the book "India's Economic Problem: An Analytical Approach."

An introduction to the journal is presented in whcih the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including microfinance in India, economic impact of traffic accidents in Ethiopia, and knowledge management for information technology (IT) industry.

The impressive growth rates in rice and wheat yields achieved in Asia during the 1960s and 1970s were not maintained in the 1980s and 1990s. Cereal yields are still increasing, but the rates of increase have slowed and many farmers are applying larger amounts of purchased inputs to maintain and extend earlier gains in productivity. The declining growth rates are caused largely by declining soil fertility, insufficient use of phosphorus fertilizer, waterlogging, salinization, and groundwater depletion. This paper describes how subsidy programs implemented to motivate adoption of Green Revolution technologies have contributed, over time, to the inappropriate use of inputs and the resource degradation that may be causing the declining rates of growth in crop yields. Alternative policies that encourage farmers to consider the true costs of scarce resources and the long-term impacts of their decisions may be helpful in restoring positive rates of growth in crop yields. Those policies are described within the context of a dynamic, farm-level input use, and decisions made in one year may have long-term impacts on land and water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper aims to examine the impact of initial public offerings (IPO)-year opportunistic earnings management on long-term market and earnings performance.Design/methodology/approach A sample of 150 book-built IPOs over 2001-2006 are analysed based on industry adjusted return on sales and industry adjusted return on assets for six post-IPO years. The quality of earnings is measured in two ways using discretionary accruals and Beneish manipulation score. Modified Jones model is used to estimate the expected accruals and to compute the discretionary accruals for each IPO firm year. Regression model is used to examine the impact of IPO-year quality of earnings on future earnings performance.Findings The paper finds that earnings and market performance of IPO companies are abnormally higher in the IPO-year, as compared to the post-IPO years. Similarly, the quality of earnings during the IPO-year is lower than those in the post-IPO years. The results also show that the opportunistic earnings management in IPO-year has significant negative impact on the long-term adjusted earnings and market performance.Research limitations/implications The present study is confined to the period from 2001 to 2006 for the purpose of post-IPO analysis for a period of six post-IPO years. Thus, the conclusions of this study are to be viewed with this limitation.Originality/value This paper is the first study based on the Indian context to examine the relationship between the quality of earnings of the IPO firm and long-term earnings and market performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amount of rental housing in India has declined significantly over the years for various reasons, including the nature of the rent control laws. This paper assesses the impact of rent control for Mumbai, where it has created a shortfall in formal, affordable rental housing and contributed to distortions in the land market. The paper describes how "first-generation" rent control in Mumbai has led to deterioration of the existing rental housing stock, virtually halted the construction of new housing for rental in the city, and given rise to informal practices such as pagdi or key money. It also analyses the spatial concentration and composition of rent-controlled tenements in the city. It proposes reforms that would allow a gradual move towards rationalized rent controls, arguing that such second-generation controls will help incentivize investments in the rental sector and reduce the demand in the housing market at large, with implications for prices and affordable housing in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T.S. Papola, who passed away in November 2015, was one of the founding members of the Editorial Board of the International Labour Review in 2007. But he was above all a pioneering figure of labour economics in India, whose influential work has gained wide international recognition. Drawing on the author's personal acquaintance and collaboration with Professor Papola, this short article highlights some of his major contributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing nations increasingly seek mega-events in the pursuit of globalization. India has recently renewed such aspirations by hosting the XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010. The purpose of the paper is to assess Delhi's urban transport development through a sporting mega-event as a globalization strategy for a developing country. Therefore, the authors comparatively analyse the transport plans pre-bid (2003) and transport legacies (2013). The authors argue that the alignment of the mega-event needs with Delhi's urban master plan was partially fulfilled as many infrastructural projects were catalysed. However, the Games also compelled the city to invest in developments that were required for the successful delivery of the Games. This paper contributes to the discussion on how mega-events influence urban planning and points out significant challenges and opportunities developing cities face when preparing for a sporting mega-event. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: This paper examines two state-led public-private demand-side financial support programs aiming to raise hospital delivery rates in two neighbouring Indian states-Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The national Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) was complemented with a public-private partnership program Janani Sahayogi Yojana (JSaY) in Madhya Pradesh in which private obstetricians were paid to deliver poor women. A higher amount was paid for caesarean sections (CS) than for vaginal deliveries (VD). In Gujarat state, the state program Chiranjeevi Yojana (CY) paid private obstetricians a fixed amount for a block 100 deliveries irrespective of delivery mode. The two systems thus offered an opportunity to observe the influence of supplier-induced demand (SID) from opposite incentives related to delivery mode. Methods: The data from the two programs was sourced from the Departments of Health and Family Welfare, Governments of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, India. Results: In JSaY program the CS rate increased from 26.6 % (2007-2008) to 40.7 % (2010-2011), against the background rate for CS in Madhya Pradesh, of only 4.9 % (2004-2006). Meanwhile in CY program in Gujarat, the CS rate decreased to 4.3 % (2010-2011) against a background CS rate of 8.1 % (2004-2006). Conclusions: The findings from India are unique in that they not only point to a significant impact from the introduction of the financial incentives but also how disincentives have an inverse impact on the choice of delivery method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to discuss the opportunities and challenges that India offers in terms of leveraging the cultural and economic potential of the fairs and festivals. Design/methodology/approach – This paper sets the tone for the theme by evaluating “fairs and festivals” being organized all year round in different parts of the country, as drivers of economic growth and cultural continuity. Findings – The paper probes the key opportunities and challenges with respect to leveraging the cultural and economic potential of fairs and festivals in India. Practical implications – There are a number of practical implications for practitioners and policymakers that will allow India to optimally leverage the huge cultural and economic potential that the various fairs and festivals offer. This requires a holistic understanding that will ensure that aspirations and concerns of all key stakeholders are taken into account. Originality/value – The research through this theme issue will document the cultural and economic impact of a range of specific fairs and festivals in India. Can these cultural resources be sustained and deployed effectively to have a positive economic impact on the lives of communities connected? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health policy interventions were expected to improve access to health care delivery, provide financial risk protection, besides reducing inequities that underlie geographic and socio-economic variation in population access to health care. This article examines whether health policy interventions and accelerated health investments in India during 2004–2018 could close the gap in inequity in health care utilization and access to public subsidy by different population groups. Did the poor and socio-economically vulnerable population gain from such government initiatives, compared to the rich and affluent sections of society? And whether the intended objective of improving equity between different regions of the country been achieved during the policy initiatives? This article attempts to assess and provide robust evidence in the Indian context. Methods: Employing Benefit-Incidence Analysis (BIA) framework, this paper advances earlier evidence by highlighting estimates of health care utilization, concentration and government subsidy by broader provider categories (public versus private) and across service levels (outpatient, inpatient, maternal, pre-and post-natal services). We used 2 waves of household surveys conducted by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) on health and morbidity. The period of analysis was chosen to represent policy interventions spanning 2004 (pre-policy) and 2018 (post-policy era). We present this evidence across three categories of Indian states, namely, high-focus states, high-focus north eastern states and non-focus states. Such categorization facilitates quantification of reform impact of policy level interventions across the three groups. Results: Utilisation of healthcare services, except outpatient care visits, accelerated significantly in 2018 from 2004. The difference in utilisation rates between poor and rich (between poorest 20% and richest 20%) had significantly declined during the same period. As far as concentration of healthcare is concerned, the Concentrate Index (CI) underlying inpatient care in public sector fell from 0.07 in 2004 to 0.05 in 2018, implying less pro-rich distribution. The CI in relation to pre-natal, institutional delivery and postnatal services in government facilities were pro-poor both in 2004 and 2018 in all 3 groups of states. The distribution of public subsidy underscoring curative services (inpatient and outpatient) remained pro-rich in 2004 but turned less pro-rich in 2018, measured by CIs which declined sharply across all groups of states for both outpatient (from 0.21 in 2004 to 0.16 in 2018) and inpatient (from 0.24 in 2004 to 0.14 in 2018) respectively. The CI for subsidy on prenatal services declined from approximately 0.01 in 2004 to 0.12 in 2018. In respect to post-natal care, similar results were observed, implying the subsidy on prenatal and post-natal services was overwhelmingly received by poor. The CI underscoring subsidy for institutional delivery although remained positive both in 2018 and 2004, but slightly increased from 0.17 in 2004 to 0.28 in 2018. Conclusions: Improvement in infrastructure and service provisioning through NHM route in the public facilities appears to have relatively benefited the poor. Yet they received a relatively smaller health subsidy than the rich when utilising inpatient and outpatient health services. Inequality continues to persist across all healthcare services in private health sector. Although the NHM remained committed to broader expansion of health care services, a singular focus on maternal and child health conditions especially in backward regions of the country has yielded desired results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents three embedded episodes in the life of a polyherbal drug indicated as a preventative measure for hangovers. Invented and marketed in 2005 by a leading ayurvedic pharmaceutical company in India, PartySmart is a reformulated compound based on ayurvedic, biomedical and phytochemical sources. This creative process has involved multiple translations, resulting in hybrid pharmacological models, including, for instance, ayurvedic post-digestive tastes and biomedical effects on enzymatic activities. These modes of therapeutic action are conceptualizations of an active drug – i.e. a digested and metabolized drug. A problem arises, however, in the fact that the ingestion of this drug is linked to alcohol consumption in a country where it is widely considered in negative terms. For this reason, PartySmart was seen as an ambivalent presence in the firm's catalogue and thus a series of interventions aiming to uphold the image of this drug transformed both its social inscription and its materiality. This transformation also took a different, global trajectory as the drug gradually developed as a transnational pharmaceutical commodity and became a new object in new latitudes. By focusing on the social and material dimensions of this drug in these contexts, this paper calls upon science studies to expand the scope of pharmaceutical anthropology. It brings together various layers of analysis to offer new perspectives on contemporary herbal formulations as they traverse material cultures, medical epistemologies, sociopolitical borders, legal environments and social practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR is voluntary commitment on the part of the corporate sector to undertake activities for improving the community wellbeing. This paper aims at reviewing and analyzing the CSR policies and practices adopted by some of the large Indian Companies with the help of their Annual Reports and the Business Responsibility Reports for the financial years 2012-2013 and 2013-2014. The prime objective of this paper is to ascertain whether there will be any significant change in their CSR spending numerically and project volume-wise after the enactment of the Companies Act 2013 and to assess the impact of the recent enactment on their overall CSR spending. This paper also aims at finding whether the CSR policies and programmes of these companies have any strategic approach towards responsible growth and if it is, whether it is linked to their core business or to the long term sustainability of Indian Economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on growth convergence has focused to a great extent on the role of initial incomes as a primary determinant of long-term growth outcomes. Expanded versions of growth models have used other explanators to unpack the growth process. In this paper we add to the literature in two significant ways: (a) we use socioeconomic variables that are sometimes overlooked in explaining growth (such as, political stability and political alliance, social heterogeneity, and demographic distribution), and (b) we demonstrate that earlier analyses may be overlooking the problem of normality and endogeneity in regression models (and we provide alternate methods like instrumental variable and distribution dynamics to control for these). In this paper we analyze the per capita income growth at the subnational level in India for the period 1981-82 to 2010-11 using an expanded growth framework. We find that initial incomes, the ratio of working age group to total population, political stability and alliance, and the extent of development expenditure play a positive and significant role in predicting growth. We also find that, contrary to popular belief, the presence of marginalized groups-namely Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes-have not been a hindrance to growth of per capita incomes in states. Our findings on the influence of social institutions may have significant implications for a public policy of affirmative action in India. The results on the impact of development expenditure on growth is also important for states seeking to increase their growth rates through policy intervention., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

India’s coal demand is forecast to increase at a rapid pace in the future due to the country’s economic and population growth. Analyzing the scope for future production of India’s domestic coal resources, therefore, plays a vital role in the country’s development of sound energy policies. This paper presents a quantitative scenario analysis of India’s potential future coal production by using a negatively skewed curve-fitting model and a range of estimates of the country’s ultimately recoverable resources (URR) of coal. The results show that the resource base is sufficient for India’s coal production to keep increasing over the next few decades, to reach between 2400 and 3200 Mt/y at 2050, depending on the assumed value of URR. A further analysis shows that the high end of this range, which corresponds to our ‘GSI’ scenario, can be considered as the probable upper-bound to India’s domestic coal production. Comparison of production based on the ‘GSI’ scenario with India’s predicted demand shows that the domestic production of coal will be insufficient to meet the country’s rising coal demand, with the gap between demand and production increasing from its current value of about 268 Mt/y to reach 300 Mt/y in 2035, and 700 Mt/y by 2050. This increasing gap will be challenging for the energy security of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monetary policy to be effective, besides an accurate assessment of the economy and precise timing, a clear understanding of monetary transmission mechanism as well as of the channels through which monetary policy affects output and prices is important. Further, what has duly received considerable attention in recent days is the disaggregated effect of monetary policy on output at sectoral level, i.e., whether different sectors respond symmetrically to monetary policy shocks. Extending this line of enquiry, the paper analyzes the effect of monetary policy shocks on the aggregate as well as on the sectoral output of Indian economy using reduced form vector auto regression (VAR) model. In order to understand the direction of response variables (aggregate and disaggregated output) to standard shocks (monetary policy), we employ impulse response functions. We find that the impact of a monetary policy shock at the sectoral level is heterogeneous. Sectors such as mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction and trade, hotel, transport and communications seem to decline more sharply than aggregate output in response to a monetary tightening. We also augment the basic VAR by including three channels-credit channel, exchange rate channel and asset price channel of the monetary pol icy, and analyze the sector specific importance of each of the channel. The channels through which monetary policy is transmitted to the real economy are found to be different for every sector. In most of the cases, multiple channels are responsible for the changes in the aggregate and sectoral output to the monetary policy shock. These results clearly indicate the need for a sector specific monetary policy in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper revisits recent claims that poor households owning cattle in developing countries settings do not behave according to the tenets of capitalism. We point out that the discussion was based on evidence from one single year only, while cows and buffalos are assets whose return varies through time. In drought years, when fodder is scarce and more expensive, milk production is lower and profits are low. In nondrought years, when fodder is abundant and cheaper, milk production is higher and profits can be considerably higher. Therefore, the return on cows and buffalos, like that of many stocks traded on Wall Street, is positive in some years and negative in others. The fact that in a given year the observed return on a risky asset is negative could certainly not be used as a contradiction of one of the basic tenets of capitalism. We report evidence from 3 years of data on the return on cows and buffalos in the district of Anantapur and show that in one of the 3 years returns are very high, while in drought years they are predominantly negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses corporate-led jobless growth propelled by development-induced displacement caused by land acquisition by the State. It shows as its inevitable outcome an expanding informal sector which encroaches upon land-related natural resources allocated to the corporate sector. This reduces the latter's labour productivity and competitiveness along with negative impact on environment and social cohesion. Using the example of India as a multiparty democracy, the paper points to the emergence of a dangerous developmental politics of mutualism between political parties and corporations over land acquisition, which subverts the very democratic process through which political power is wielded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) considered as a growth engine of Indian economy. By its less capital intensive and high labour absorption nature, this sector has made significant contributions to employment generation and also to rural industrialization. However, lack of access to finance and timely credits as well as escalating cost are cited as important reasons for underutilization of the manufacturing capabilities of MSME. State Financial Corporations have been established to provide various types of financial and non-financial assistance to this sector. West Bengal Financial Corporation (WBFC) was setup in the year 1954 with the objective of providing financial assistance to MSME in the state of West Bengal. In this paper, an attempt has been made to analyze the performance of WBFC. Paper is based on secondary data and simple statistical tools and techniques have been used to analyses the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the political complexities of retail liberalization in a developing country such as India in the overall context of liberalization of trade in services. Drawing on the experiences of other developing countries and India's experiences in the past decade of allowing FDI in retail, the paper found that retail modernization is a part of economic development and it will continue to happen. The governments of developing countries have to take into account multiple perceptions related to retail liberalization and design a policy that is non-discriminatory and transparent. Appropriate policies should be in place to support the traditional retailers to face competition. Developing countries should be willing to bind their unilateral liberalization in trade agreements and this will enhance their bargaining power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct injection diesel engine combustion system offers improvements in performance and fuel economy benefits. Four valves per cylinder, turbocharged and intercooled diesel engine became trustworthy for automobile application. Electronic diesel control, use of common rail with increase in injection pressures, and flexibility in injection control has changed the image of diesel engine. Evolutions in piston crown shape, intake ports with different swirl level helped to enhance mixing of air and fuel for better performance and emissions. Paper describes the work done on 4 cylinder diesel engine, upgraded to BS5 (Bharat stage 5) emission norms with 20% power increase. A systematic approach of engine development was fallowed. Engine performance prediction was done using AVL Boost software. Boost Model was validated with existing engine cylinder pressure. Combustion parameters have been varied to predict higher power. Vehicle model has been build using AVL cruise software and used to obtain steady-state load- speed points. Engine emission development has been done on engine test bench. Typical hardware like piston crown, turbocharger, exhaust gas re-circulation system with exhaust gas re-circulation cooler and various combustion parameters were tested and optimized. Suitable after-treatment system was selected and optimised for precious metal loading to reach Bharat stage 5 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses private investment by type for 15 major states over the period from 1993-1994 to 2004-2005. This study is new in investigating the determinants of total private investment and domestic private investment at the state level in the Indian context by using generalized method of moments panel estimator. The results show that there is high variation in private investment across Indian states. The results obtained from the regressions show that private investment in the Indian states is explained by infrastructure, the gross fiscal deficit, market size and labour productivity. This paper contributes to the literature on regional development by empirically establishing the existence of simultaneity between private investment and income at the state level in Indian economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we assert the critical influence of education on health-beliefs among women from India, an emerging economy. We further examine the urban vs. rural differences and the role of social capital in shaping health-beliefs of women. Using nationally representative data of eligible women from India, we find education to have a positive influence on health-beliefs. We find this effect to be higher in rural regions. Further, we find social capital to negatively moderate the effect of education. Our findings stress the importance of education, especially in rural regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 mandates that a company having net worth of Rs 500 cr or more, or turnover of Rs 1,000 cr or more or a net profit of Rs 5 cr or more should spend 2% of its average net profit on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This provision legislating social responsibility by companies in India started a debate regarding the logic behind such mandate because the meaning of the word CSR is itself not clear and different scholars and practitioners have defined the word in different ways. The meaning of the word CSR differs from time to time and place to place. Hence, it also becomes difficult to implement such a law as different stakeholders like companies, implementing agencies, beneficiaries, academicians and regulators interpret it in their own way. The present paper provides a critical analysis of the Companies Act, 2013, Companies (CSR) Rules, 2014, Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013 and various other notifications issued by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. The paper also highlights the intent of the Government of India to incorporate provisions mandating CSR by companies in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India is young nation where average age of an Indian is 27years. Giving employment to this bulge in the population pyramid in the organized sector is not possible. Infact, 93% of the workforce in the country is engaged in informal/unorganized sector, which is the backbone of Indian economy. Entrepreneurial activities have emerged as the best channel to create more jobs in the country, and the MSME sector largely takes the share in it. Similarly, with globalization and the IT sector booming in India - there has been quest for innovation and technology based services. However, the entrepreneurial ecosystem is facing several challenges. More than 80% startups are estimated to shut-down within first 3-years of starting. India was placed 104th (below all BRICS economies) on Global Entrepreneurship Index in 2015. This paper strategically looks into the health of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, in terms of the existing challenges and contemporary policy framework. A considerable sample size across micro-small-medium businesses in Pune and National Capital Region of India were surveyed, besides interviewing experts, analysts, investors and other relevant stakeholders, to complement the research objectives in this context. The findings of the study reveal contemporary requisites of a healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem, wherein community participation plays a major role. The paper also gives a resourceful insight into lubricants of entrepreneurial ecosystem, which has changed lives of many. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose While interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) has been used in health psychology research, it has so far not been applied to seek deeper insights into the patients' experiences about treatment. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap by using IPA to understand patient non-adherence. Design/methodology/approach In total, 18 patients with chronic conditions seeking healthcare services in Goa and Karnataka, India, were selected by using the snowball sampling method. In-depth interviews were conducted face to face. A semi-structured questionnaire developed by the researchers was used to collect the data. IPA was used to explore the themes to predict patient non-adherence. Findings The study results indicate that economic factors, health system related factors, social factors and psychological factors impact patient non-adherence. Patient non-adherence includes medication non-adherence and lifestyle modification non-adherence. Research limitations/implications Being cross sectional in design, the results may not be as appropriate as the results derived from a longitudinal study given that non-adherence occurs over time. Practical implications Patient non-adherence is a global health issue. Multidisciplinary approach to enhance patient adherence to treatment should form part of public healthcare policy. Social implications Exploring the factors influencing patient non-adherence will help the health-care industry stakeholders to reduce healthcare cost and improve patient's quality of life. Originality/value Although there is extensive quantitative research on the prevalence of non-adherence, qualitative research is limited. This paper addresses this gap by using IPA to understand patient non-adherence and its factors and dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnographic inquiry into Ayurvedic commodification in Kerala revealed the prevalence of a distinct regional pharmaceutical market dominated by physician-manufacturers, oriented towards supplying classical medicines to Ayurvedic doctors. This stands in sharp contrast to mainstream Ayurveda that is observed to have undergone biomedicalization and pharmaceuticalization. This paper argues that Kerala's classical-medicine-centric pharmaceutical market constitutes an alternative modernity because it provided Kerala Ayurveda with a different route to modernization impervious to the biomedical regime, as well as endowing it with the institutional power to safeguard its regional identity. Although physician-entrepreneurs are its key architects, it is sustained by value regimes shaped by a unique regional medico-cultural milieu. Even when industrially produced, classical medicines remain embedded within Ayurveda's socio-technical network; unlike proprietary drugs sold as individual product-identities through non-Ayurvedic channels, they travel together as a pharmacopeia, distributed through exclusive doctor-mediated agencies. This clinic-centric distribution format is best conceptualized as an open-source business model as it made low-margin generics viable by packaging them with therapies and services. Besides ensuring better access and affordability, it provided resistance to pharmaceuticalization and intellectual property concentration. By keeping the doctor in the loop, it prevented medicines from degenerating into de-contextualized commodities; the service component of Ayurveda therein preserved went on become the unique selling point in the health-tourism market. The tourism-inspired proliferation of Brand Kerala eventually triggered a paradigm shift in mainstream Ayurveda – shifting focus from ‘pharmaceuticals’ to ‘services’ and from ‘illness’ to ‘wellness’. Furthermore, interacting with hybrid Ayurvedas in transnational markets, Kerala Ayurveda co-produces new alterities countervailing the structurally dominant biomedical paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]