Monday, March 31, 2014

4 April 2014: Sanitation and health externalities: Resolving the Muslim mortality paradox

Dean Spears
CDE, ISI, Delhi

Abstract:
In India, Muslims face significantly lower child mortality rates than Hindus, despite Muslim parents being poorer and less educated on average. Because observable characteristics would predict a Muslim disadvantage relative to Hindus, previous studies documenting this robust and persistent pattern have called it a \puzzle" of Muslim mortality. This paper offers a simple solution to the puzzle in the form of an important sanitation externality. Most of India's population defecates in the open, without the use of toilets or latrines, spreading fecal pathogens that can make children ill. Hindus are 40% more likely than Muslims to do so, and we show that this one difference in sanitation can fully account for the large (18%) child mortality gap between Hindus and Muslims. Building on our finding that religion predicts infant and child mortality only through its association with latrine use, we show that latrine use constitutes an externality rather than a pure private gain: It is the open defecation of one's neighbors, rather than the household's own practice, that matters most for child survival. The gradient and mechanism we uncover have important implications for child health and mortality worldwide, since 15% of the world's population defecates in the open. To put the results in context, we find that moving from a locality where everybody defecates in the open to a locality where nobody defecates in the open is associated with a larger difference in child mortality than moving from the bottom quintile of asset wealth to the top quintile of asset wealth.

Date: April 4, 2014
Time: 11:30 A.M.

Venue:
Seminar Room 2
Indian Statistical Institute Delhi Centre,
7, S. J. S. Sansanwal Marg,
New Delhi-110016 (INDIA)

Location:

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Monday, March 24, 2014

2 April 2014: Building State Capacity for Better Program Implementation: Evidence from Biometric Smartcards in India

Karthik Muralidharan
University of California, San Diego

Abstract:
In this lecture organised by NCAER, Karthik Muralidharan will present results from a path-breaking three-year study, done jointly with Paul Niehaus (UCSD) and Sandip Sukhtankar (Dartmouth), on the impact of using biometrically-authenticated Smartcards to make payments to NREGS and Pension beneficiaries in Andhra Pradesh. Mr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission will be the Chief Guest at the lecture and lead the discussion.

Social protection programs in India are often plagued with leakage and corruption, and beneficiaries often face several challenges in accessing payments. One of the most promising attempts to increase state capacity to effectively implement programs is India’s ambitious initiative to provide all residents with a biometrically-authenticated Aadhar number linked to bank accounts, which can be used to directly transfer benefits. While this is a promising initiative, skeptics have raised several concerns including implementation challenges, subversion by vested interests, exclusion errors, and cost effectiveness.

The Andhra Pradesh Smartcard Program used biometrically-authenticated Smartcards to make payments under NREGS and Social Security Pensions and was a functional pre-cursor to the integration of Aadhar with these programs. Prof. Muralidharan will present results from a large-scale, scientifically rigorous, randomized impact evaluation of the AP Smartcard program on beneficiary experiences and leakage. The study finds that the new technology delivered a faster, more predictable, and less corrupt payments process that was also highly cost-effective (in spite of several implementation challenges). The results suggest that investing in secure authentication and payment infrastructure can significantly enhance “state capacity” to effectively implement a broad range of programs.

Date: April 2, 2014
Time: 05:30 P.M.

Venue:
Multi-Purpose Hall
India International Centre (New Wing),
Max Mueller Marg, Lodi Estate,
New Delhi - 110 003

Note:
Participation by Invitation only.
For queries contact Ms Sudesh Bala at sbala@ncaer.org or on 011-2345-2669.

Location:

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31 March 2014: The Economics and the Econometrics of Human Development

James J. Heckman
University of Chicago, USA

Date: March 31, 2014
Time: 05:30 P.M.

Venue:
Sri Ramakrishna Hall,
Institute of Economic Growth,
University of Delhi Enclave,
North Campus,
Delhi–110007(INDIA)

Note:
Please join us for High Tea at 5:00 p.m.
RSVP: Dr. S.K. Sen - E-mail:sushil@iegindia.org, Ph:9810184203

Location:

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Tuesday, March 18, 2014

28 March 2014: The Value of Investing in Early Childhood Development

James J. Heckman
University of Chicago

Date: March 28, 2014
Time: 08:30 A.M.

Venue:
The Taj Palace (Roshnara Hall),
Diplomatic Enclave,
2, Sardar Patel Marg, IB Colony,
Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi–110021(INDIA)

Location:

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Note:
Please RSVP to Samta Arora (samta@ccs.in | +91 99538 27773) by Wednesday 19 March. Due to space limitations, this is an invitation-only event.

20 March 2014: Friend or foe or family? A tale of formal and informal plants in India

Gunjan Sharma
World Bank

Abstract:
This paper examines the interaction between formal (organized) and informal (unorganized) plants in the manufacturing sector in India. How has the size and productivity of the plants in the organized sector affected the plants in the unorganized sector? How have informal plants affected formal plants? Are the magnitudes of the effects symmetric in either direction? The evidence shows that there are positive horizontal and vertical spillovers in each direction. Informal firms are an important supplier of inputs to formal firms. Employment and output in the organized sector is greater in those states in India that have a greater presence of unorganized suppliers of inputs. Conversely, unorganized employment and output are greater in states that have a greater presence of organized buyers of inputs. But there are two important asymmetries in the relationship between the organized and unorganized sectors. First, the unorganized sector is much more dependent on and responsive to organized sector presence than vice versa. Second, unorganized sector productivity is dependent on and responsive to organized sector productivity and presence but the reverse is not true.

Date: March 20, 2014
Time: 03:00 P.M.

Venue:
Seminar Room (First Floor)
Department of Economics,
Delhi School of Economics,
New Delhi-110007(INDIA)

Location:

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Friday, March 7, 2014

10 March 2014: Making Agriculture work for Nutrition: Getting Policies Right

Prabhu Pingali
Cornell University and Tata-Cornell Agriculture and Nutrition Initiative

Date: March 10, 2014
Time: 05:30 P.M.

Venue:
Sri Ramakrishna Hall,
Institute of Economic Growth,
University of Delhi Enclave,
North Campus,
Delhi–110007(INDIA)

Note:
Please join us for High Tea at 5:00 p.m.
RSVP: Dr. S.K. Sen - E-mail:sushil@iegindia.org, Ph:9810184203

Location:

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Thursday, March 6, 2014

13-14 March 2014: 12th Research Meeting of NIPFP-DEA Research Program

Organised By: Macro/Finance Group at NIPFP

Conference Program

Date: March 13 - 14, 2014
Time: 9 A.M. to 6 P.M.

Venue:
Magnolia Conference Room,
India Habitat Centre,
Lodhi Road,
New Delhi-110003(INDIA)

Location:

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Tuesday, March 4, 2014

10 March 2014: 8th Sir John Crawford Lecture on “Australia’s economic reform story and how it has yielded twenty-two consecutive years of growth in Australia”

Gary Banks AO
Australia and New Zealand School of Government

Hosted by:
Australian High Commission

Date: March 10, 2014
Time: 06:30 P.M.

Venue:
The Residence,
Gate No 5,
Australian High Commission,
1/50 G, Shantipath, Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi 110021(INDIA)

Note:
R.S.V.P. crawfordlecture2014@gmail.com
(please carry your photo id)

Location:

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