31 July 2012: Urbanization and Emerging Infectious Disease: The case of Dengue in Delhi

Olivier Telle
Institut Pasteur, Paris

Abstract:
Dengue, a viral infection transmitted by *Aedes *mosquitoes, is a rapidly growing public health problem in tropical and sub-tropical countries, which appeared in Delhi during the 1990s. The Indian capital is now the most affected area in India with epidemics registered every three to four years. The objective of this research is to understand the link between environmental fragmentation and the geography of dengue in Delhi and examine the role of the combination of factors is responsible for the endemisation of dengue such as lack of infrastructure, governance of the city and the disease, new population behaviour, etc. Urbanisation has always been a factor influencing the emergence of a disease and many studies in health geography have indeed demonstrated that population living in the poor areas of cities were the most affected by classical diseases such as tuberculosis, leprosy, malaria, etc. This paper examines if the model described in classical medical geography for infectious diseases can be extended to an emerging disease like dengue or if new tools and models need to be created to understand emerging epidemics in urban areas.

Date: July 31, 2012
Time: 03:45 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall
Centre for Policy Research,
Dharma Marg, Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi–110021(INDIA)

Location:

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30 July 2012: The Price of Land: Acquisition, Conflict, Consequence

Sanjoy Chakravorty
Temple University

Abstract:
Land acquisition for industry and infrastructure has become a source of major conflict in the last half decade in India. Sites like Singur, Nandigram, Niyamgiri, and Maha Mumbai, and phenomena like the Maoist insurgency are well-known. Some believe that land acquisition is the “biggest problem” in India’s growth path. It is a central political issue in several states. A new land acquisition bill with serious long-term consequences is making its way through parliament. This book asks: What are the facts about land acquisition and the related conflicts? How did the situation reach the current impasse? What are the ways forward?

The explanations are organized around three core themes: the price of land, the role of the state, and changes in land and information markets. The first section is an extensive survey of reality—of land acquisition conflicts (emphasizing selected notorious conflicts), land prices, and agents in the land acquisition process (emphasizing the role of civil society and political parties). The second section explains the origins of the conflicts and the role of the state, especially through the contradictions between the “giving” state (which does land reforms) and the “taking” state (which acquires land). The final section is an analysis of the reality of land markets in contemporary India, especially the rapid rise in the price of urban and rural land, and a critique of the emerging legal and policy approaches to resolving the crisis.

Date: July 30, 2012
Time: 01:00 P.M.

Venue:
Second Floor Conference Room
The World Bank,
70 Lodi Estate,
New Delhi-110003(INDIA)

Location:

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Note:
Please confirm your attendance by mail to Jyoti Sriram at jsriram@worldbank.org by Friday, July 27th.

25 July 2012: Release of a special issue of Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research - Informality—Concepts, Facts and Models

Guest Editors:
Dr. Anushree Sinha, Senior Fellow, NCAER and
Prof. Ravi Kanbur, Professor of Economics, Cornell University

Chief Guest:
Dr. Narendra Jadhav, Member, Planning Commission, Government of India

Panellists:
Dr. Pronab Sen, Principal Adviser, Planning Commission, Government of India
Ms. Ratna M Sudarshan, Former Director, ISST, New Delhi

Abstract:
This special issue of the Journal of Applied Economic Research (JAER) introduces a symposium that pushes the frontiers of research on informality by presenting new facts and a range of ways of conceptualising and modelling informality. There are a number of studies in the literature that show how trade opening and greater globalisation can affect informal employment and informal wages. Most empirical studies, however, do not address the informal sector directly. This special issue of JAER begins with three papers that provide a much-needed exploration of the facts of informality. In particular, more worker-based conceptualisation is introduced in contrast to an enterprise-based one. One of the striking emerging facts is that informality is not declining and may even be increasing—in India and elsewhere in the world. The last four papers in the special issue describe empirical models that trace the interactions of the informal sector with the rest of the national and international economy. In their insightful overview, the editors pose no fewer than ten open research questions that are motivated by analytical and policy concerns. These include: What should be the consensus on how to conceptualise informality? Does greater competition encourage informality or shrink it? Why has informality persisted despite strong growth performance? They conclude that informality remains a vibrant and dynamic area of research and policy analysis. This special issue of Margin is a major contribution to the evolution of the literature on informality.

Date: July 25, 2012
Time: 03:30 P.M.

Venue:
NCAER Auditorium
National Council of Applied Economic Research
Parisila Bhawan, 11, Indraprastha Estate
New Delhi-110002(INDIA)

Location:

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Note:
RSVP - Sudesh Bala on 011-2345-2669 or at sbala@ncaer.org. Please join for tea and refreshments after the event.

6 August 2012: Income Inequality and Fiscal Policy

Sanjeev Gupta
International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Date: August 6, 2012
Time: 03:30 P.M.

Venue:
NIPFP Conference Room, Ground Floor, New Building
National Institute of Public Finance and Policy,
18/2 Satsang Vihar Marg, Special Institutional Area,
New Delhi-110067(INDIA)

Location:

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17 July 2012: Indian Policy Forum 2012 Lecture - India: New Strategies for Economic Development

Dr Y.V. Reddy
Emeritus Professor, University of Hyderabad

Abstract:
The Indian Policy Forum is a partnership between NCAER, The National Council of Applied Economic Research, in New Delhi and the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C. The objective of the IPF is to promote economic research with important issues in Indian economic policy, with commissioned papers, a special lecture and an annual conference leading to a published volume. Started in 1994, it’s now entering its ninth year.

Date: July 17, 2012
Time: 06:30 P.M.

Venue:
Multipurpose Hall, New Wing
Indian International Centre
40, Max Mueller Marg,
New Delhi-110003(INDIA)

Location:

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By Invitation:
RSVP: Geetu Makhija - gmakhija@ncaer.org

18 July 2012: Sovereign Default Fears and Banking Induced Recessions

Alok Johri
McMaster University

Abstract:
I will develop a small open economy model to discuss some issues
pertinent to the recent events in the Euro area. In addition I will
use the model to discuss other sources of aggregate fluctuations
facing open economies that have recently been discussed in the
emerging market business cycle literature.

Date: July 18, 2012
Time: 03:30 P.M.

Venue:
ICRIER Conference Room,
Core 6A, 4th Floor,
India Habitat Centre, Lodi Road,
New Delhi – 110 003(INDIA)

Location:

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