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.

Fragmented landholding, productivity, and resilience management

Abstract: The operation of a number of non-contiguous parcels of land as a single farming unit is known as land fragmentation. It is a widespread and persistent phenomenon and, at the same time, widely criticized by development agencies. Available evidence clearly suggests that the unqualified faith in the merit of consolidation is not justified; fragmentation may have some rationale. This paper substantiates the latter position with a case study of an irrigated agricultural system. Thereafter, it locates fragmentation within the broader context and analyses its role within a hierarchy of phenomena in the linked social and ecological local system. For this analysis an evolutionary game model is used. It is shown that fragmentation increases the resilience of the system of cooperation. The study concludes by suggesting an appropriate strategy for resilience management.

Input Substitution in the Indian Paper Industry: A Variable Cost Function Approach

Abstract: The trend towards trade liberalisation in developing countries is likely to increase the flow of recyclable waste paper from industrialised countries, raising concerns about the impact on local sources. Central to an analysis of the impact of international trade is the substitutability between imported and domestic waste paper by the paper industry as the main user of these inputs. It is particularly important in view of the uncertainty regarding future prices and availability of domestic forest raw materials and imported pulp. This paper presents the results of a survey which was undertaken among paper mills in Gujarat and Maharashtra, in India. The aim of the survey was to collect a cross section of data for firms in India which use waste paper as the primary material input to calculate not only an estimation of elasticities of substitution between imported and domestic waste paper but also the price and cross elasticities of raw materials, labour and energy. The results suggest that the substitution possibilities between the three specified inputs, are limited. The same conclusion is drawn for the substitution between imported and domestic waste paper, given the total material cost.

Economic development in Orissa: Growth without inclusion?

Abstract: The economy of Orissa has been lagging behind the national economy by several decades. Its per capita net state domestic product, a measure of average income, stood at Rs.20200 for 2006-07 which falls behind the national average by about 35 per cent. Moreover, the gross domestic product of the state grew by a considerable lower rate than many other states for a long time despite its high growth potential. Drawing on the experience of several countries as well as that of India, various studies concluded that economic growth was the most critical factor for reduction of incidence of poverty in the state. It now seems that there has been a turning point in the last few years and the economy of Orissa has witnessed an acceleration in terms of the gross state domestic product (GSDP). The evidence presented here clearly shows that the economy is poised for a take-off to a high growth phase, almost similar to that at the national level. On the poverty dimension, however, the recent developments have been gloomy, to say the least. The consumption expenditure surveys carried out by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), the standard source of data for poverty analysis in India by official and non-official investigators, shows that the period 1993-2004 has witnessed a reversal of the achievements made on the poverty front during 1983-93. The prima facie evidence points towards a case of growth without inclusion and needs further probe.