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.

CO2 Emission Reduction Strategies and Economic Development of India

Abstract: This article examines the consequences of alternative CO2 emission reduction strategies on economic development and, in particular, the implications for the poor by empirically implementing an economy-wide model for India over a 35-year time horizon. A multi-sectoral, inter-temporal model in the activity analysis framework is used for this purpose. The model with specific technological alternatives, endogenous income distribution and truly dynamic behaviour and that covers the whole economy is an integrated top-down–bottom-up model. The results show that CO2 emission reduction imposes costs in terms of lower GDP and higher poverty. Cumulative emission reduction targets are, however, preferable to annual reduction targets and that a dynamically optimum strategy can help reduce the burden of emission reductions. The scenarios involving compensation for the loss in welfare are not very encouraging as they require large capital inflows. Contrasted with these, scenarios involving tradable emission quota give I...

Sustainability Assessment Methodology of Biomass Utilization for Energy in East Asian Countries

Abstract: In response to the importance of assessing both positive and negative impacts caused by biomass utilization for energy, number of initiatives in the world are currently working on development of criteria and indicators for sustainable biomass utilization. Although there is abundant biomass to be utilized in East Asia, it is difficult to say that countries in this region are at forefront of those initiatives. In this context, in order to provide a decision-making methodology to evaluate sustainability of biomass energy utilization in East Asia, the authors were formed as an expert working group in 2007 and since then has been conducting researches to assess its sustainability with the concept of triple bottom line; namely, environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainability. In addition to the development of a methodology and indicators for sustainability assessment for biomass energy utilization, we have field-tested the applicability of the methodology in selected four East Asian countries. This paper firstly explain the methodology the working group developed, secondly the results and lessons learned from the field-tests of the methodology, and thirdly the latest works based on those lessons, aiming at comprehensive assessment of the sustainability of biomass energy initiatives at small to large scale in East Asian countries.

Through a Glass Darkly: Deciphering the Impact of Oil Price Shocks

Abstract: In order to examine if the impact of oil price shocks depends on the structure of an economy, a vertical (VSC) and a horizontal (HSC) long-run supply curve identification are successively imposed on a three variable VAR with Indian time series data. While core inflation is measured with the VSC, the HSC requires a new concept of demand-driven inflation: Residual (demand) inflation, which gives the impact of short and medium run demand shocks on inflation. Core and residual inflation are both estimated. The data favors the HSC, but both identifications imply that policy demand squeeze aggravated international oil price shocks.

Agrarian Scenario in Post-reform India: A Story of Distress, Despair and Death

Abstract: Indian agriculture today is under a large crisis. An average farmer household’s returns from cultivation would be around one thousand rupees per month. The incomes are inadequate and the farmer is not in a position to address the multitude of risks: weather, credit, market and technology among others. Social responsibility of education, healthcare and marriage instead of being normal activities add to the burden. All these would even put the semi-medium farmer under a state of transient poverty. The state of the vast majority of small and marginal farmers and agricultural labourers is worse off. An extreme form of response to this crisis is the increasing incidence of farmers’ suicides. In such situations, employment programmes can provide some succour to the agricultural labourers and also perhaps to the marginal and small farmers. The least that one can expect from such programmes is rentseeking. Some recent evidences indicate that one can develop institutions to address this. It is this that gives a glimmer of hope in the larger story of distress, despair and death. Incidentally, this paper provides some estimates from National Sample Survey (NSS) region wise information on returns to cultivation and on some aspects of farmers’ indebtedness based on the 33 schedule 59 round survey of 2003. It provides suicide mortality rate for farmers, non-farmers and age-adjusted population across states of India from 1995-2004.

Food consumption and nutritional status in India: Emerging trends and perspectives

Abstract: The paper reviews the trends over three decades in the consumption of cereals, calories and micronutrients and nutritional status based on anthropometric measures using the data sets of NSS, NNMB and NFHS. It provides an explanation for the slow growth of nutrient intake and slow reduction in malnutrition. The paper demonstrates that multiple factors influence the nutritional well-being of a child and argues that besides improving the income of a household, there is a need to improve the health and educational status of mothers.