Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research

About: Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research is a facility organization based out in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Monetary policy & Inflation. The organization has 307 authors who have published 1021 publications receiving 18848 citations.

Reducing default rate in rural credit: How effective is enhanced supervision approach for formal financial institutions?

Abstract: Formal financial institutions viz commercial banks are gradually shifting their priorities from rural credit due to many practical reasons High default rate and non-viability of rural credit, and increasing pressure on these formal financial institutions, to be more profitable, are few of the basic reasons This paper focuses on one probable approach of default mitigation, that is, enhanced recovery effort, lack of which is one of the potential reasons for high default rate in rural sector The paper models a specific type of interaction between the regulatory and the institution and concludes that in a regulated competitive environment the institutions will not tend to increase effort for higher recovery of delivered credit unless the regulatory intervenes and directs the institutions to do so Even after such intervention from the regulatory, the institutions will find it optimal to invest less in additional recovery effort in rural sector if rate of return is higher or the default rate is lower in alternative sectors of investment

Non-standard Employment, Labour Laws and Social Security: Learning from the US Gig Economy Debate

Abstract: Ramaswamy presents an analytical discussion of the problem of non-standard employment and labour law in the US Gig economy. The ‘gig economy’ and the emergence of precarious nature of work have been at the centre of legal challenges to labour management practices followed by companies like Uber. Focusing on the employee versus independent contractor distinction in the US labour laws, this chapter draws our attention to challenges posed by new technologies to standard labour law definition of employees and the associated provision of social security benefits. Learning from this complex debate is argued to be critical for India undergoing economic transformation and services-led growth.

Choosing between global and local emission control strategies in urban transport sector, which way to go?

Abstract: Cities are engrossed with response strategies for the control of local pollution from transport sector. However, as the transport sector has been growing as major GHG contributor, and there is an increasing scope for investment and support from the international financial institutions, cities often get into confusion on whether to go by local emission control strategies (LEMS) or adopt GHG mitigation strategies (GEMS). This paper presents a comparison between GHG mitigation strategies and local emission control strategies and their potential in controlling non-target pollutant emissions in concurrence with their economic performance. Comparative analysis based on multiple constraint optimization model for Mumbai transport system planning for the next 20 years and incremental cost analysis had revealed that strategies targeting the mitigation of total suspended particulate matter (TSP) could also reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (as non-target emission) and vice-versa. Co-benefits of emission reduction from local emission control strategies are higher compared to that of GHG mitigation strategies. In the incremental cost analysis, both GHG mitigation strategies and local emission control strategies were found performing comparably. Thus, local emission control strategies with better emission reduction potential and also better local acceptance are more favourable than GHG mitigation strategies in long term transportation planning. Therefore, it is recommended that the development projects in urban transportation planning and management may consider local emission control strategies rather than GHG mitigation strategies. The co-benefits (CO2 reduction) of local emission control strategies would still play the attraction for international funding agencies to invest in transport sector and also for CDM opportunities.

Food Security From Free Collection of Foods Evidence From India

Abstract: Despite recognition of the role of free collection of foods in forwarding nutritional security, there is only limited systematic research on its importance and role. This paper provides the first estimates for India, of the extent to which households depend on free collection of foods and examines its association with dietary adequacy and quality. In 2011-12 around 5.8% of all Indian households collected foods free, with some households collecting more than ten distinct food types in a month. For these households, free collection comprised, on average, 4.5% of the total value of food consumption, going upto 15% for a tenth of them. Using a pooled cross-section from 2009-10 and 2011-12 of nationally representative household level consumption data that identifies the source of food, this paper uses an instrumental variable approach to estimate the association between free collection of foods and dietary adequacy and quality. The paper finds that the probabiity of having more than two meals increases when households access free foods and there is robust evidence of higher dietary diversity (77% to four-fold), driven by specific food groups such as vegetables, meats, fish and green leafy vegetables. The findings of this paper point to a need to mainstream discussions of sources of food other than farm, market and state, recognizing explicitly the role of free collection in improving dietary adequacy and quality.

Delegation and Emission Tax in a Differentiated Oligopoly

Abstract: How product differentiation as well as strategic managerial delegation affects optimal emission tax rate, environmental damage and social welfare, under alternative modes of product market competition is examined. It shows that, under pure profit maximization, the (positive) optimal emission tax rate is not necessarily decreasing in degree of product differentiation, irrespective of the mode of competition.