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Are
we Heading for Another Global Primary Commodity Price
Surge? |
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| Jan
13th 2010, C.P.
Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh |
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| Following
the unprecedented volatility of global commodity prices
in 2007-08, it was widely predicted that the global
economic crisis would generate a dampening effect on
such prices. But the recent revival of prices especially
in some commodities suggests that this perception may
be premature. Examining recent trends in global commodity
prices and the reasons behind them, the article assesses
the prospects for prices in the immediate future. |
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| Cloud
over Islamic Banking |
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| Dec
26th 2009, C.P.
Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh |
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The
large surpluses which accumulated with West Asian oil
exporters after the 1970s generated a demand for financial
products that were sharia-compliant. The Islamic financial
industry, which grew as a result, was seen as a different
and safer component of the global financial sector.
But the Dubai World debacle and much else suggests that
these judgments were not warranted. |
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|
Report
on the State of Food Insecurity in Rural India |
|
| Nov
23rd 2009 |
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| This
Report is an update of the Rural Food Insecurity
Atlas of 2001 released by the M S Swaminathan
Research Foundation (MSSRF) and the World Food
Programme (WFP). Since then, numerous new programmes
have been initiated by the central and state governments
for achieving food security in the country. Giving
a broad indicative picture of the level of food
insecurity in different states and the operation
of the nutrition safety net programmes, the Report
concludes that the State has to play a crucial
role in enhancing foodgrain output, ensuring the
widest access to food through expansion of livelihood
opportunities and promoting biological utilisation
through appropriate investments in public health
measures. |
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| Equity
and Inclusion through Public Expenditure: The potential
of the NREGS |
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| Jan
29th 2009, Jayati Ghosh |
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| In
the present situation of global economic crisis
and national economic slowdown, ''inclusive''
public expenditure, such as in the NREGS, is not
only desirable from a social or welfare perspective
- it also provides very direct economic benefits.
This is because wage employment schemes like NREGS
tend to be self-targeting and thus will lead to
a higher multiplier effect, making government
expenditure more effective in reviving output
and indirect employment. |
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| The
Public and the Private
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| Sep
4th 2009. Prabhat Patnaik
|
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| The
fact that the agrarian crisis or the current raging
inflation in India has not evoked major spontaneous
struggles is linked to the country's transition from
a dirigiste to a neo-liberal economic regime. As Indian
capital becomes increasingly integrated with global
financial capital, and the State increasingly represents
the exclusive interests of the bourgeoisie, the interests
of the people are sacrificed for the sake of the ''nation's''
emergence as an economic power. Further, the capacity
for resistance in our society is also closely linked
to the balance between the public and private sectors,
which too undergoes a fundamental shift under neo-liberalism. |
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| Indian
Labour Market Report 2008
|
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| May
11th 2009. |
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| The
paradoxical feature of a positive GDP growth rate along
with unfavourable employment trends have been one of
the most pressing contemporary concerns related to the
opening up of the Indian economy. This first bi-annual
report published by the Adecco-TISS Labour Market Research
Initiatives seeks to provide a thorough analysis of
the current situation of the Indian labour market in
terms of its composition across different segments,
sectors, regions and gender. It includes detailed analysis
of unemployed and underemployed labour force and even
those who are not in the labour force. The industry
perspective on issues of employment is also captured
through a primary survey of select industries in the
manufacturing and emerging sectors. |
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