Monday, December 26, 2016

5 January 2017: Decomposition of Debt-GDP Ratio for United Kingdom:1984-2009

Piyali Das
Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad

Abstract:
Most advanced nations today are witnessing a peacetime public debt surge that match post World War levels. This raises concerns about fiscal financing and liquidation of the stock of debt especially in the face of changing demographics. United Kingdom being one of the advanced nations with a high level of public debt and an aging population is facing similar issues of fiscal financing. This paper attempts to decompose the evolution in the debt-to-GDP ratio of UK between 1984-2009 into nominal returns, inflation, GDP growth rate, primary de ficit and the maturity structure of the debt. The results of the decomposition show that the government of UK inflated away part of the debt but most of the adjustments were due to low interest rates and changes in the primary deficit.

Date: January 5, 2017
Time: 03:30 P.M.

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

Location:

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Note:
For details: Please contact nipfp.seminar@nipfp.org.in

Friday, December 16, 2016

12 January 2017: Measuring the Natural Rate of Interest: International Trends and Determinants

Thomas Laubach
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Washington DC

Abstract:
U.S. estimates of the natural rate of interest – the real short-term interest rate that would prevail absent transitory disturbances – have declined dramatically since the start of the global financial crisis. For example, estimates using the Laubach-Williams (2003) model indicate the natural rate in the United States fell to close to zero during the crisis and has remained there through the end of 2015. Explanations for this decline include shifts in demographics, a slowdown in trend productivity growth, and global factors affecting real interest rates. This paper applies the Laubach-Williams methodology to the United States and three other advanced economies – Canada, the Euro Area, and the United Kingdom. We find that large declines in trend GDP growth and natural rates of interest have occurred over the past 25 years in all four economies. These country-by-country estimates are found to display a substantial amount of comovement over time, suggesting an important role for global factors in shaping trend growth and natural rates of interest.

Date: January 12, 2017
Time: 04:30 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T 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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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

13 December 2016: An Update on Air Quality

Sunita Narain
Centre for Science and Environment

Moderator: Isher Judge Ahluwalia, ICRIER

Date: December 13, 2016
Time: 07:00 P.M.

Venue:
Gulmohar Hall, Gate No. 3
India Habitat Centre
Lodi Road,
New Delhi – 110 003(INDIA)

Location:

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Friday, December 9, 2016

13 December 2016: Seminar on "Emerging Issues in State Finances Post – Fourteenth Finance Commission – Analysis of State Budgets 2016-17"

Organised by:
National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi

[Programme]

Date: December 13, 2016
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall No. 2,
India International Centre,
Main Building, 40, Max Mueller Marg,
New Delhi - 110003.

Location:

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Note:
By invitation. RSVP: Dr. Manish Gupta, manish.gupta@nipfp.org.in

13 December 2016: Revisiting Decoupling and Recoupling of BRIC Stock Markets with U.S. and Eurozone

Divya Tuteja
Delhi School of Economics

Abstract:
It has been well-documented in the literature that recent crises have led to large fluctuations in financial markets around the world. In this background, the objective of this paper is to assess decoupling vs recoupling of BRIC stock markets with the U.S. and Eurozone stock markets in the post 2000 period. We first, estimate the time-varying conditional correlation of the BRIC stock markets with the U.S. and Eurozone stock markets using a DCC-GARCH model. Thereafter, we identify regimes in the correlations using the Bai and Perron (2003) algorithm for endogenous selection of break dates. We study the behaviour of the conditional correlations during various identified phases with emphasis on the recent crises in the West. Finally, we test for a change in causal links among the markets across the regimes.

Date: December 13, 2016
Time: 11:30 P.M.

Venue:
Seminar Room No. 2
Indian Statistical Institute Delhi Centre,
7, S. J. S. Sansanwal Marg,
New Delhi-110016 (INDIA)

Location:

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19 December 2016: Cities and Flooding: The State of the Art

Abhas K Jha
World Bank

Abstract:
Most major cities (ranging from Mumbai, Chennai, Sao Paolo, Hanoi, HCM City, Beijing, Shanghai, Jakarta etc.) of the world have been hit hard over the past few years with severe flooding events. What should policy makers do? The talk will explore options for forward-looking operational assistance to policy makers and technical specialists in the rapidly expanding cities and towns of the developing world on how best to manage the risk of floods. It will take a strategic approach, in which appropriate risk management measures are assessed, selected and integrated in a process that both informs and involves the full range of stakeholders.

Date: December 19, 2016
Time: 03:30 P.M.

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

Location:

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Note:
RSVP to sci-fi@cprindia.org

Cancelled due to public holiday - 12 December 2016: Innovations in Monetary Policy for Financial Inclusion: The Bangladesh Experience

Atiur Rahman
Former Governor, Central Bank of Bangladesh

Date: December 12, 2016
Time: 04:30 P.M.

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

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

9 December 2016: Integration Among US Banks: Trends and Determinants

Abhinav Anand
University College Dublin

Abstract:
We study integration among a large sample of 1109 US banks over a quarter-century: 19902014. We define a banks level of integration (measured in percentages) as the degree of dependence of its stock returns on common national banking factors. We show that the median US banks integration has risen from 4.4% in 1990 to 10.1% in 2014. Integration across banks is highly unevenly distributed, obeys a power law and for the median systemically important bank, corresponding integration levels are 610 times higher. The US banking sector is segmented into a small group of core banks, strongly integrated with each other; and a large group of weakly integrated banks in the periphery. Determinants of US banks integration include bank size, its market beta and its idiosyncratic risk, which have a significantly positive marginal impact; while increased reliance on deposit financing and short term financing have a significantly negative marginal impact on integration.

Date: December 9, 2016
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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Tuesday, November 29, 2016

16 December 2016: Ethnic Diversity and Microenterprise start-ups

Vinod Mishra
Monash University, Australia

Abstract:
Until recently, factors determining the decisions made by microfinance institutions (MFIs) to extend loans to business start-ups had not been explored. Recent evidence shows that MFI performance with regards to funds issued for small business start-ups depends on MFI-level characteristics such as profit orientation. We argue that these decisions do not only depend on MFI-specific practices or characteristics, but also on the role that ethnic diversity plays. Using data on microfinance lending activities for business start-ups, we examine the impact of ethnic diversity on microenterprise start-ups. Results show that ethnic diversity negatively affects the provision of financial capital for business start-up.

Date: December 16, 2016
Time: 03:00 P.M.

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

Location:

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Note:
For details: Please contact nipfp.seminar@nipfp.org.in

Monday, November 28, 2016

2 December 2016: Panel Discussion on “Health and Morbidity in India: Evidence and Policy Implications”

Detailed Programme

Organised by:
Brookings India

Date: December 2, 2016
Time: 03:00 P.M.

Venue:
The Auditorium
Library Building,
Teen Murti House,
New Delhi-110011

Location:


Note:
Please RSVP shamika.ravi@brookingsindia.org to confirm your attendance.

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

12 December 2016: Innovations in Monetary Policy for Financial Inclusion: The Bangladesh Experience

Atiur Rahman
Former Governor, Central Bank of Bangladesh

Abstract:
Growth in Bangladesh, since independence- has been bottom-up and relatively labor-intensive; and hence generally inclusive. However, as the country became a lower-middle income country in 2015, ensuring growth with inclusion and equity has become the prime challenge for policy makers. Financial inclusion has been prioritized to promote social cohesion and equity. The Central Bank of Bangladesh, under the prudent leadership of Dr. Atiur Rahman has been at the fore front of this campaign. Developmental role of the Central Bank has been manifested to unprecedented extents through recent efforts of Bangladesh Bank. Dr. Rahman during his long tenure (2009-16) as the Governor of the Central Bank of Bangladesh- has led a campaign that has combined short-term business cycle fluctuation management with long-term sustainability agenda. The end result has been a stunning macroeconomic stability with significant outcome of inclusive finance. He will be sharing his experience regarding innovations in monetary policy for financial inclusion.

Date: December 12, 2016
Time: 04:30 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T 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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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

18 November 2016: Health externalities of Indias expansion of coal plants: Evidence from a national panel of 40,000 households

Dean Spears
RICE

Abstract:
Coal power generation is expanding rapidly in India and other developing countries. In addition to consequences for climate change, present-day health externalities may also substantially increase the social cost of coal. Health consequences of air pollution have proven important in studies of developed countries, but, despite clear importance, similarly well-identified estimates are less available for developing countries, and no estimates exist for the important case of coal in India. We exploit panel data on Indian households, matched to local changes in exposure to coal plants. Increased exposure to coal plants is associated with worse respiratory health. Consistent with a causal mechanism, the effect is specific: no effect is seen on diarrhea or fever, and no effect on respiratory health is seen of new non-coal plants. Our result is not due to endogenous avoidance behavior, or to differential trends in determinants of respiratory health, either before the period studied or simultaneously.

Date: November 18, 2016
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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Tuesday, November 15, 2016

16 November 2016: NPCI Initiatives in Digital Payments

Dilip Asbe
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)

Abstract:
NPCI is mandated by RBI to run retail payment systems. It is improving the National Electronic Clearing Service into an Automated Clearing House. It has launched Rupay Cards. It has pioneered faster payments in india through Immediate Payment Service and the recently launched Unified Payment Interface. All these initiatives are promoting digital payments in the country.

Date: November 16, 2016
Time: 02:00 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T 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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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

Thursday, November 3, 2016

10 November 2016: Biofortification

Howarth Bouis
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Date: November 10, 2016
Time: 03:00 P.M.

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

Location:

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Tuesday, November 1, 2016

4 November 2016: Seminar on New Thinking on Health Policy

Organised by:
Macro/Finance Group, NIPFP

Program

Abstract:
At the seminar, the participants will showcase new research in various fields of health care, along with policy recommendations. This will include health care regulation, health information systems, the implementation of health related schemes, non communicable diseases, etc.

Date: November 04, 2016
Time: 10:30 A.M.

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

Note:
Participation is registration based only. Those interested may please register at seminar@nipfp.org.in

Location:

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Tuesday, October 25, 2016

25 October 2016: Workshop on Urbanization, Demographic Transition, and the Growth of Cities in India, 1870-2020

Chinmay Tumbe
Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A)

Abstract:
Why is India urbanizing slowly? Why do some cities grow faster than others? This paper examines the nature of urbanization and urban growth in India since the late 19th century against the backdrop of the unfolding demographic transition. It argues that (a) Urbanization within India exhibits a tight relationship with economic growth at the regional level (b) The demographic divergence between rural and urban natural growth rates since the 1970s that is attributed to stagnant agricultural productivity and rural literacy levels in large parts of India has slowed down the pace of urbanization, especially in the Northern hinterlands (c) City population growth rates peaked in the 1980s and will see a marked deceleration in the coming decades with substantial variations driven by investments in specific sectors such as Information & Technology (d) Human capital externalities in a period of demographic transition draw in migrants but also reduce fertility such that its relationship with city growth rates, as observed in Indian data is mixed (e) Labour mobility in India is high but is mostly male-dominated, semi-permanent, and remittance-based in nature leading to masculine urbanization with important implications for urban growth and urbanization. By integrating the demographic transition with urban processes, this paper explains India’s relatively slow pace of urbanization, the inter-city variation in population growth rates and the paradox of faster urban growth combined with slower urbanization in the North relative to the South.

Date: October 25, 2016
Time: 03:45 P.M.

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

Location:

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2 November 2016: Pathways to Reducing Poverty and Sharing Prosperity in India: Lessons from the Last Two Decades

Rinku Murgai
World Bank

Abstract:
India is uniquely placed to help reduce global poverty and boost prosperity. The country has the largest number of poor people in the world, as well as the largest number of people who have recently escaped poverty. There is an emerging middle class but the majority of people are still vulnerable to falling back into poverty. What lessons do the past two decades offer for what it will take for the country to sustain progress and bring about deeper changes?
 
This talk brings together the key insights from extensive and in-depth research conducted by the World Bank on India’s experience in reducing poverty and sharing prosperity. The Synthesis paper on which this talk is based offers an overview of the trends in living standards and mobility in India. This is followed by a discussion of the main drivers of poverty reduction. The final section sheds light on some of the gaps India needs to fill for sustaining mobility and spreading prosperity more widely. Link to paper: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/24988

Organised by:
Brookings India

Date: November 2, 2016
Time: 03:00 P.M.

Venue:
Lecture Theatre
Brookings India
No. 6, 2nd Floor,
Dr. Jose P Rizal Marg,
Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi-110021

Location:


Note:
Please RSVP shamika.ravi@brookingsindia.org so we can save a seat for you.

Monday, October 17, 2016

21 October 2016: How central planning came to India

Kumar Anand
Free A Billion, Mumbai

Abstract:
This session revisits independent India’s economic history, especially the first two decades. What were the policies that were implemented by the leaders of the time? What was the thinking and motivation behind some of these policies? Why is it that rapid industrialisation did not lead to a corresponding improvements in the general living standard of Indians? An answer to some of these questions are attempted, which contradicts the prevailing mainstream opinion on some of these matters.

It is often believed that ideas of economic freedom and reforms are “not Indian” and have been imported from the ‘West’. However, research into modern Indian history showcases the rich indigenous liberal tradition that stood against ideas of a centrally planned economy. This session also briefly presents an overview of such a tradition, which remains largely overlooked or forgotten today.

Date: October 21, 2016
Time: 04:30 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T 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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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

21 October 2016: Public choice theory: a story of the ideas

Kumar Anand
Free A Billion, Mumbai

Abstract:
Public Choice Economics uses the insights of economics to explain political processes such as elections and bureaucracy. It explains that the probability of "market failure" must be compared with the probability of "government failure", in order to make rational choices about what should be done by governments and what should be done by markets.

This session introduces the field of Public Choice and its origins. This is a talk where we take a closer look at the history of ideas in Public Choice, how it developed over the last three centuries, who were the thinkers, what were the building blocks that were introduced, and what present day public policy relevance does the theory has for us.

Date: October 21, 2016
Time: 03:00 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T 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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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

Friday, October 14, 2016

18 October 2016: Seminar on Impact of FFC and restructuring of Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Centre and States on Health Expenditure

Organised by:
Macro/Finance Group, NIPFP

Program

Abstract:
NIPFP is organising a seminar to deliberate and discuss the impact of the changed fiscal scenario in lieu of the 14th Finance Commission recommendations and restructuring of the Centrally Sponsored Schemes, on the Health Expenditure commitments of the Centre and States. These changes have initiated a process of overhaul of the fiscal architecture at both Central and State levels. The motivation for the seminar is to bring together researchers and stakeholder to share their views and initiate a dialogue.

Date: October 18, 2016
Time: 10:30 A.M.

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

Note:
Participation is registration based only. Those interested may please register at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

Location:

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Monday, October 3, 2016

6 October 2016: Problems of market abuse in India

Sandeep Parekh
Finsec Law Advisors

Abstract:
The concept of securities regulations covers a field straddled between the fields of finance and law. While both manipulation and insider trading prohibition—fall under the broad umbrella of fraud, in India the law on insider trading has somewhat diverged on its own course.

A fair securities market is one in which the savers and the users of capital are brought together in a mutually beneficial partnership. A significant impediment in a productive relationship is asymmetry of information, which, along with conflict of interest, ranks among the major ills that adversely affect the interests of investors. Greed, leading to dropping one's guard, is equally at the root of investors coming to grief. The securities market has no shortage of persons who take advantage of the unequal relationship between the less informed investor and the better informed but less scrupulous purveyor of products. It merits saying that the securities market in the absence of fraud, manipulation, mis-selling, insider trading and the like, can reward all participants. Yet, regrettably, some investors have seen the bulk of their savings vanish on account of illegal and criminal practices. This seminar will discuss the broad contours of both fraud and insider trading and progress to current issues in the enforcement and interpretation. Both false positives and false negatives are an issue with the enforcement.

Date: October 6, 2016
Time: 04:30 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T 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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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

Monday, September 26, 2016

27 September 2016: The evolution of India Stack and the Unified Payments Interface

Sanjay Jain
EkStep and iSPIRT

Abstract:
The Government of India’s Open API Policy (2015) stated that the Government envisaged making its services digitally accessible to citizens through multiple channels, such as web, mobile and common service delivery outlets. The JAM trinity - Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile phones makes it possible for digital services to reach every Indian.

The India Stack is a name used to collectively cover specific APIs that allow govts and businesses to utilise govt. services to deliver services to Indian residents. These APIs have been developed by various organizations over the last 7 years, starting with Aadhaar, which launched an authentication API in 2010. These APIs are owned by government departments, and other public organisations.

India Stack provides 4 distinct layers:

A presence-less layer where a universal biometric digital identity allows people to participate in any service from anywhere in the country;
A paper-less layer where digital records move with an individual's digital identity, eliminating the need for massive amount of paper collection and storage;
A cashless layer where a single interface to all the country's bank accounts and wallets democratizes payments; and
A consent layer which allows data to move freely and securely to democratize the market for data;

Each layer has a specific technology - Aadhaar authentication and eKYC, eSign and Digilocker, Unified Payments Interface, and consent architecture - with corresponding public APIs.

Date: September 27, 2016
Time: 04:30 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T 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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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

Monday, September 19, 2016

21 September 2016: Seminar on Quality of Services in Telecom and Data Services: Issues, Challenges and Solutions

Organised by:
National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi

In collaboration with
CUTS International, Jaipur and Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi

[Agenda]

Abstract:
CUTS and IIT have recently published a report on QoS in mobile data services, which is available at: www.cuts-ccier.org/QOSII/pdf/Mobile_Internet_Services_in_India-Quality_of_Service.pdf.

Our aim is to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders to generate a debate on the findings of the study. This will be followed by a broader discussion on the next steps towards achieving better QoS in telecom and data services.

Date: September 21, 2016
Time: 04:30 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T 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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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

Thursday, September 15, 2016

19 September 2016: Global Rise of Populism and Elite Distrust: Its Roots and Political Response

Bruce Stokes
Pew Research Center

Abstract:
A rising tide of populism is sweeping the globe.  Political ideologies that were earlier seen as fringe dogmas in the Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, the UK and the US and even in Asia, are now very visible on the political landscape.  Mainstream politics in the UK and the US is arguably turning anti-global, and there is a growing distrust of elites, exemplified most strikingly in UK’s vote to leave the European Union.

Date: September 19, 2016
Time: 11:15 P.M.

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

Location:

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Note:
RSVP to president.cpr@cprindia.org

22nd September 2016: Misled and Mis-sold: Financial misbehaviour in retail banks?

Renuka Sane
ISI, New Delhi

Abstract:
We use an audit methodology where auditors ask for tax saving instruments from banks and document the disclosures made on product features at the time of sale. In private sector banks with high sales incentives, the high commission product is recommended. In public sector banks, where there are deposit mobilisation targets, fixed deposits are recommended. Banks rarely make voluntary disclosures on product features. When specifically requested, information provided is inaccurate or incomplete. Our results demonstrate the challenges of mandating disclosures when buyers have little understanding of the relevance of product characteristics, and distributors are themselves ignorant or influenced by incentives.

Date: September 22, 2016
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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19 September 2016: Drones for building land title databases

T. L. Satyaprakash, Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon

Abstract:
Property rights in India are unclear and badly recorded. Though the genesis of the problem lies in the colonial period, they have persisted for years due to consistent lack of effort and attention by successive Governments. Land titling, which involves keeping a record of land titles and ensuring that the records are always true and reliable is a cornerstone of land administration. It is one of the ways of eliminating problems around land ownership and marketability of land rights.

Developments in technology can help solve this massive administrative problem. Drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are being used extensively in land surveying and solving problems of land titling around the world. In India, use of drones for this purpose will first require coordination among various departments of the Central Government in order to ensure that drones are permitted to be used for such purpose. State Governments will have the primary responsibility of ensuring this, as land administration is a state subject under the Indian Constitution. The legal and administrative issues surrounding the use of this technology need to be carefully evaluated and assessed.

Date: September 19, 2016
Time: 04:30 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T 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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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

16 September 2016: Human resources for health: “wicked” problems or misunderstood?

Kabir Sheikh
Public Health Foundation of India

Abstract:
India, like many other countries, struggles with governance of its human resources for health. It is common knowledge that there are too few qualified health workers, that they are too unequally distributed to serve population health goals, and that the quality of services they provide is troublingly inconsistent.  Inter-governmental bodies and national governments periodically rediscover these “wicked” problems and frequently advance previously attempted solutions - which often face failure, in repeating historical cycles of policy amnesia. 

With examples from the speaker’s research and experience of policy reforms of 15 years, this talk will outline the inadequacies of prevailing, largely instrumental approaches to governance of human resources for health, such as retention, substitution and assimilation. The talk will illustrate how deeper socio-political phenomena such as professional dominance, pluralism, parallel systems and regulatory capture have shaped the character and dynamics of the health workforce, rendering it resistant to common policy solutions.  The talk will conclude with instances of encouraging policy processes and political responses to health workforce problems, followed by a general discussion.

Date: September 16, 2016
Time: 03:30 P.M.

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

Location:

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Note:
RSVP to ndevaraj@accountabilityindia.org or rseth@accountabilityindia.org

Friday, September 9, 2016

15 September 2016: Cesses in the Indian tax regime: A historical analysis

Ashrita Prasad Kotha
Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University

Abstract:
The Constitution of India is quasi federal, a feature which is also apparent from the provisions regulating distribution of revenues between the union government and the various state governments. India’s “co-operative federalist” fiscal structure has historically empowered the union and state governments to raise revenue by levying taxes, fees, cesses, surcharges, etc. In the schedule to the Indian Constitution which delineates the legislative competence of the respective governments to impose taxes and fees, there is no mention of cess. That may be owing to the fact that a cess, as clarified by judicial precedents, is either a tax or a fee depending on the specific facts. The unique feature of a cess though is that it raises revenue for an earmarked purpose.

By virtue of a constitutional amendment in the year 2000 union cesses are not required to be shared with state governments. Recent enquiries into the usage of funds collected under the head of cess has revealed a lack of accountability. This has resulted in the Fourteenth Finance Commission cautioning against the frequent usage of cesses. Even so, the union government has only recently announced a new cess (Swachh Bharat Cess) to promote its cleanliness and sanitation drive. The following questions emerge for study: Where does the power to levy cesses emanate from? Has the power been exercised in consonance with the avowed object backing it? In the wake of the criticism that cesses have been met with, will history help us to defend the power to levy cesses? Or is it the end of the road?

Date: September 15, 2016
Time: 03:30 P.M.

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

Location:

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Note:
For details: Please contact nipfp.seminar@nipfp.org.in

15 September 2016: Independent Judiciary and Rent Seeking in India

Shruti Rajagopalan
State University of New York

Abstract:
What explains the nature and volume of interest-group activity in the judiciary in recent decades? The existing literature has attributed this shift to the increasing power of the Indian Supreme Court; fractured legislatures; coalition politics; changes in ideology; greater emphasis on positive rights, etc. I explain this by examining the incentives faced by interest groups while choosing the judiciary as the forum for rent seeking. Unlike the typical explanations from the perspective of the judiciary supplying the changes in rules; the talk offers a demand-driven explanation, analyzing the incentives of interest-groups seeking rule changes.

Date: September 15, 2016
Time: 05:00 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T 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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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

Monday, August 29, 2016

1st September 2016: An Application (or Two) of the Synthetic Control Method (SCM) in Policy Evaluation

Devesh Roy
IFPRI, New Delhi

Abstract:
We estimate the impact of the Hartz Reforms, the most prominent labor reforms in Germany since the Second World War, on the German labor market. We adopt a cross-country program evaluation approach where, employing Synthetic Control Method (SCM) for comparative case studies, we utilize the characteristics of OECD countries to construct a counterfactual for Germany. We find that while the reforms did not impact the overall unemployment rates they did increase temporary employment. We trace this result to elevated labor force participation with accompanying composition effect that channeled the increased number of participants to temporary employment.

SCM is tailor made for situations where there is one – or a handful of – treated units compared against a large number of control units. SCM also has specific advantages when the heterogeneities across comparison units are substantive and important.

We have used SCM in a number of policy evaluation cases that fits this description. We studied changes in sources of insurance coverage due to the 2006 Massachusetts health reform, which is the precursor to the Affordable Health Care reform, or popularly known as Obamacare.

Exploring the variation among U.S. states we have looked into the possible causes of income inequality: in one paper we examined if the Right-to-work Laws that passed in four U.S. states over the last five decades contributed to the rising inequality. In another paper, a work-in-progress, we test the impact of minimum wage hike on inequality.

We have employed SCM on issues of international trade and development. We have investigated the impact of NAFTA on regional CO2 emissions, impacts of the TRIPS agreement on the pharmaceutical industry in India – international trade, in particular.  We are also studying the impact of grid separation – a novel electricity distribution policy – in Gujarat, India, on outcomes related to agriculture and leakages in distribution.

Date: September 1, 2015
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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Tuesday, August 16, 2016

23 August 2016: The “Know-Do” gap in primary health care in India

Jeffrey S. Hammer
Widrow Wilson School, Princeton University

Abstract:
Recent literature has dealt with the “know-do” gap in medical care. That is, what doctors actually do in practice is often very different from what they know they should do. This paper presents some descriptive statistics comparing measurements of these two concepts. For the “know” dimension, data from interviews presenting hypothetical cases to both MBBS and non-MBBS practitioners are presented. These are compared with actions taken by the same providers in their actual practices as observed by standardized patients – actors presenting with the same symptoms as the hypotheticals. The differences between the two are not well explained by usual theories of “supplier induced demand” or “asymmetric information” that are common in the literature.

Date: August 23, 2016
Time: 04:30 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T 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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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at latha.balasubramanian@nipfp.org.in

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

27 July 2016: The Role of Historical Resource Scarcity in Modern Gender Inequality

Chandan Kumar Jha
Le Moyne College

Abstract:
This study detects a curious correlation between historical resource scarcity and modern gender inequality: current economic circumstances held constant, there tends to be more gender inequality in regions less endowed with agro-ecological resources, considered historical given the stability of geographical conditions. The proportion of national land area that is potentially arable, and the proportion of national ancestral land suited to agriculture, are each negatively related to the UNDPs Gender Inequality Index, and positively related to both the UNDPs Gender Development Index and females less males life expectancy at birth. Such a connection holds at the subnational level as well. Indian districts better endowed with rainfall and cultivable land have, on average, proportionately fewer missing women, that is, higher population sex-ratios. Further, respondents of the World Values Survey residing in sub-national regions with ancestral lands better suited to agriculture are less likely to hold the opinions that men ought to have more right to scarce jobs and that men make better political leaders than women. We consider these findings consistent with historical resource scarcity having played a role in the evolution of gender norms biased against women that prevail to this day.

Date: July 27, 2016
Time: 03:30 P.M.

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

Location:

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Thursday, July 21, 2016

26 July 2016: Workshop on Geographies of care and intimacy: Early insights from oral histories of informal sector migrants in Delhi and Hyderabad

Vinay Gidwani, Priti Ramamurthy, Sunil Kumar and Lokesh

Abstract:
A key insight of recent social science scholarship on India is the paucity of reliable formal sector employment, compelling a very large portion of India’s workforce to find uncertain livelihoods in an assortment of rural and urban informal sector work, the latter consisting of construction, street vending, petty retail, transportation, waste picking, sex work, and domestic service labor to name but a few venues. This vast population has been variously characterized as a “wasteland of the dispossessed” (Sanyal 2007), a state of “wageless life” (Denning 2010), a “surplus population” (Smith 2011), a “precariat” (Standing 2011), and a “floating reserve army” (Breman 2013). Possibly because the employment challenge that confronts countries like India with its vast youth demographic is so humbling, the existing scholarship in fields like labor studies, urban geography, rural sociology, and feminist studies has been resolutely economistic. With few exceptions, it has had little to say on the experiences, life-making activities and desires of the men and women, who toil in India’s cities even as they remain enmeshed with ongoing lives in their villages. While there is every reason to be perturbed by the looming employment challenge that confronts nations like India what is conspicuously scarce in this litany of gloom are humanizing accounts that plumb how denizens of the informal economy experience and narrate their life-worlds: their longings, desires, and indignities; their practices of care and violence; their loneliness, friendships, and found intimacies; and their conflicted attitudes to love, marriage, kinship, sex, and patriarchy.

In this seminar, we will present preliminary insights on the intimate lives of first- and second- generation rural-to-urban migrants in Delhi and Hyderabad, based on the first phase of ongoing oral historical research. Our research strives to bring humanistic insights to existing political economy scholarship on migration and employment; while it is not policy-oriented, we hope it can indirectly inform policy initiatives on informal sector work and urbanization.


Date: July 26, 2016
Time: 03:45 P.M.

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

Location:

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Monday, July 18, 2016

4 August 2016: National Agriculture Market and the Political Economy of Agriculture Marketing

Pravesh Sharma, ICRIER

Abstract:
The launch of the National Agriculture Market (NAM) in April 2016 by the Prime Minister signaled the first serious resolve of the NDA government to address the challenge of creating a unified national market for agri produce. It was expected that the launch of the e-marketing portal seeking to virtually integrate physical mandis would be vigorously followed up by the government to create an alternative buying option for farmers by the time the kharif marketing season came up in October this year. However, the early progress of e-NAM suggests a familiar lapse into hesitation and confusion, as the roll out remains sluggish and legacy players in agriculture trade prepare to reap the real harvest of a (so far) bountiful monsoon. This talk seeks to throw light on the fate of NAM in the larger political economy of agriculture marketing, especially at the State level, and uses past experiences of similar reform initiatives to predict some likely outcome scenarios.

Date: August 4, 2016
Time: 04:30 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T 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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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

20 July 2016: Session on Alternative Energy & Smart Transportation Lessons from Israel

Eyal Rosner
Chairman and Director of Administration, Fuel Choices Initiative, Prime Minister's Office, Israel

Abstract:
For the last few decades Israel is considered to be the "Start Up Nation". Several developments led the Israel high tech to lead several sectors in the global high tech scene, among them – Agricultural, ICT, water tech. defense, Internet etc.

Over the last few years, the Startup nation phenomena grew substantially to a new phase with 1200 new startups establishing every year.

One of the fastest growing area is alternative energy and smart mobility with ~ 500 new companies established over the last five years.

The lecture will try to explain the startup nation phenomena, why alternate energy and smart mobility and how Indian business sector can try to leverage the Israeli capabilities.

Date: July 20, 2016
Time: 04:00 P.M.

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

Location:

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Wednesday, July 13, 2016

22nd July 2016: Disguised Corruption: Evidence from Consumer Credit in China

Sumit Agarwal
National University of Singapore

Abstract:
The paper uncovers a disguised form of corruption using a unique and comprehensive sample of credit card data in China. Bureaucrats—defined as those working in the government—receive 14 percent higher credit lines than non-bureaucrats with similar income and demographics, but their accounts experience a significantly higher delinquency rate and subsequently a higher likelihood of debt forgiveness by the bank. These patterns are concentrated among bureaucrats with greater power and in regions that can be classified ex ante as more corrupt. As a “quid pro quo”, bank branches associated with greater credit provision to bureaucrats receive more deposits from the local government. Consumers in regions with greater credit provision to bureaucrats receive significantly lower credit lines relative to similar consumers in other regions. Using staggered crackdowns of provincial-level political officials as exogenous shocks to the risk of corruption investigation, we find that the new credit cards originated to bureaucrats do not enjoy a credit line premium, and bureaucrats’ delinquency and reinstatement rates are no higher than those of non-bureaucrats in the treated provinces during the post-crackdown period. The paper uses estimates to infer the size of credit extended for corruption related reasons in China.

Date: July 22, 2016
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Venue:
Lecture Theatre
Brookings India
No. 6, 2nd Floor,
Dr. Jose P Rizal Marg,
Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi-110021

Location:


Note:
Please confirm your participation at shamika.ravi@brookingsindia.org

Friday, July 8, 2016

14 July 2016: Fate of Medical Malpractice around Legally Defined Code of Conduct for Medical Professionals

R. K. Sharma, Medico-legal Consultant

Abstract:
Media reports are horded with cases of medical malpractices across India. A lot of violence is also reported against doctors and other health care professionals. Why do these all happen? Are doctors alone responsible or consumerism and unrealistic expectations from doctors, and spiraling healthcare costs responsible too?

The profession of medical practice is changing its shape. From being an art, it has become one dependent on machines. The cost of setting hospitals has gone through roof. An MRI machine costs 5 crores. As govt has failed to provide health care to masses, private sector has come in a big way in providing healthcare facilities and they are obviously not on charitable mission; they want to make money as fast as others are making in other business. So how do they go about it? They do it through the doctors forcing them into malpractice and violation code of conduct. The common medical malpractices are referrals, fee sharing, commission from diagnostic labs and favours from pharma companies. Consent is also a concern which needs to be addressed.

Date: July 14, 2016
Time: 04:30 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T 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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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

1st July 2016: Transporting India to the 2030s

Rakesh Mohan
Brookings India

Abstract:
The discussion will focus on India’s transport needs over the next couple of decades, and what we need to do to satisfy them.

Organised by:
Brookings India

Date: July 1, 2016
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Venue:
Brookings India
No. 6, 2nd Floor,
Dr. Jose P Rizal Marg,
Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi-110021

Location:


Note
Please confirm your participation at info@brookingsindia.org.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

28 June 2016: The Urban Landscape of Love and Marriage: A Study of the Middle Class in Delhi

Parul Bhandari
Centre de Sciences Humaines, (CSH), New Delhi,

Abstract:
The ideals of love, romance, and choice marriages are increasingly associated with city dwellers, and more specifically with the so-called progressive, modern, ‘neoliberal’ middle class. This talk deconstructs and unpacks these categories and ideals, posing the poignant questions of what it means to be middle class in Delhi? More specifically, this talk examines the construction of middle class identity by young professionals in Delhi, through their experiences of romance and criteria for selection of a spouse. The first part examines the changing landscapes of urban Delhi - coffee shops, restaurants, leisure spaces, and describes the specific ways in which these spaces enable a middle class identity. The second part of the talk focuses on the ideals of being middle class. In that, it elucidates the way these ideals are appropriated by both the section of the middle class that ‘belongs’ to Delhi and those who have migrated to Delhi to acquire higher education and better professional opportunities. This talk then explains the construction of middle class identity in experiences of romance and matchmaking in the urban space of Delhi.

Date: June 28, 2016
Time: 03:45 P.M.

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

Location:

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Friday, June 24, 2016

30 June 2016: The law on medical malpractices and possible reform areas

Gopinath N. Shenoy, Medico-legal Consultant

Abstract:
The speaker will be sharing his experience as member of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) on the Medical malpractice and the existing regulations and the involvement of enforcement agencies in streamlining medical practice. He will concentrate on four key areas: (i) disclosures mandated by law; (ii) referral practices and commissions; (iii) consent; and (iv) duty of physician towards patients - all in terms of protecting the patients, especially: where they spend; how and on whom they spend; when they spend; and, are these logical.

Date: June 30, 2016
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T 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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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

Monday, June 13, 2016

23 June 2016: The Multiplier Debate and the Eurozone Crisis

Joshua Felman
International Monetary Fund

Abstract:
In a famous paper, Blanchard and Leigh (2013) discovered that there was a strong link between fiscal consolidation projected in Spring 2010 and subsequent growth forecast errors. They interpreted this link as indicating that forecasters had used multipliers that were far too low. This paper argues that this interpretation was not correct. The real problem was that forecasters failed to foresee the euro area crisis.

Date: June 23, 2016
Time: 04:30 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T 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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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

Friday, June 3, 2016

9 June 2016: Integration between spot and futures markets and the way forward in commodity markets

Samir Shah
NCDEX

Abstract:
Indian agricultural market structure is characterised by over 7000 markets (APMCs). Each market in most states (other than a few states which have started the reform process) act as disconnected markets where a skewed market structure exists with an average of only 4-5 buyers to every seller. This deprives the small and marginal farmer from effective access to markets. We believe that 'right to market access' should be a cause that needs to be championed for farmers in India. 'Right to market access' means the ease with which a farmer can sell across grade, location and time. NCDEX Group and Government of Karnataka pioneered the beginning of this program of 'right to market access' through a reform program by building the first ever State Agri Market (SAM) initiated a few years ago. More recently Government of India has initiated an e-NAM project to set up a National Agri Market. Agri futures have been developed by NCDEX over the last 13 years. How can we build an effective market structure that integrates NAM, SAM, Futures seamlessly?

Date: June 9, 2016
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T 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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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

3 June 2016: PAISA 2016 A new era in fiscal devolution in India? Studies Tracking fiscal devolution to State governments and Panchayats in India

Opening Remarks:
Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India

Discussants:
Indira Rajaraman, Retired professor of economics and member of Thirteenth Finance Commission of India
Santosh Mathew, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development
Pinaki Chakraborty, Professor, National Institute of Public Finance Policy

Moderator:
M.K. Venu, Founding Editor, thewire.in

Abstract:
The papers will explore the evolving devolution narrative in India from two perspectives. The first paper will present findings from a detailed exploration of 19 state budgets to understand the effects of the Fourteenth Finance Commission (FFC) recommendations on resource allocation at the state level. This paper will specifically focus on implications of the FFC recommendations on social sector investments and the emerging role of the Union government in this changed scenario.

The second paper studies the decentralization narrative from the perspective of Gram Panchayats. Through a detailed exploration of the Karnataka state budget and an expenditure tracking exercise that focuses on 30 Gram Panchayats in Mulbagal Taluka, Kolar district, this study tracks trends in fiscal decentralization in the state and attempts to identify the specific quantum of monies spent in the jurisdiction of Gram Panchayats contrasted with the money that Gram Panchayats actually receive.

Date: June 3, 2016
Time: 10:00 A.M.

Venue:
Lecture Room 2
India International Centre,
Max Mueller Marg,
New Delhi - 110003(INDIA)

Location:

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Note:
Please rsvp to ndevaraj@accountabilityindia.org

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

27 May 2016: Dissenting Diagnosis

Dr. Arun Gadre and Dr. Abhay Shukla

Abstract:
Complaints about the state of medical care are increasing in today's India; whether it is unnecessary investigations, botched operations or expensive, sometimes even harmful, medication. But while the unease is widespread, few outside the profession understand the extent to which the medical system is being distorted. Dr. Arun Gadre and Dr. Abhay Shukla have gathered evidence from seventy eight practicing doctors, in both the private and public medical sectors across six states and across 23 fields of medicine (including traditional), to expose the ways in which vulnerable patients are exploited by a system that promotes unscrupulous medical practices. Drawing on the frank and courageous statements of these seventy-eight doctors dismayed at the state of their profession, Dissenting Diagnosis lays bare the corruption afflicting the medical sector in India and sets out solutions for a healthier future.The duo will be talking on how Medical malpractice has pushed India to face poverty, how regulatory insufficiency has pushed medical personnel to promote "Hospital Mall" culture in medical practice.

Date: May 27, 2016
Time: 04:30 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T 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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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

30 May 2016: Understanding Land Acquisition Disputes in India

Namita Wahi
Pallav Shukla and
Ankit Bhatia
Centre for Policy Research(CPR)

Abstract:
The law and practice of land acquisition has historically been a hugely contentious issue in India. The British colonial state enacted a number of laws, the most important of which was the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, to facilitate the state's takeover of land pursuant to its power of eminent domain. This law was in force for a 119 years, until its repeal and replacement by the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (the “LARR Act, 2013”). On 31 December, 2014, the Union government notified the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement(Amendment) Ordinance, 2014 (the “LARR Ordinance, 2014”), which substantially amended the provisions of the LARR Act, 2013. The LARR Ordinance, 2014 was re-promulgated twice but a bill to replace the Ordinance, ("the LARR Amendment Bill, 2015") was not passed into law. The government's inability to garner parliamentary support to pass the LARR Amendment Bill, 2015, into a country wide law, testifies to the intense and continued political contestation regarding this subject. 

Despite its persistent and polarising nature, the debate on land acquisition has been marked by a lack of systematic and comprehensive data in support of particular positions. Existing studies on land acquisition have tended to focus on particular issues, like compensation, or on particular conflicts, or have been otherwise limited in terms of geography and time.  In this study, the Land Rights Initiative team will present findings from a systematic study of all cases on land acquisition decided by the Supreme Court of India from 1950 to 2015. The LRI team analysed these cases along various metrics, such as public purpose, procedure, compensation, invocation of the urgency clause, pendency of claims, and tracked trends with respect to distribution of conflicts across geography and time, and central and state laws. This is the first comprehensive country wide study of land acquisition disputes since India's independence. In this seminar, the LRI team will present our findings from this study and describe questions for future research. 

Date: May 30, 2016
Time: 09:00 A.M.

Venue:
Conference Room 2
India International Centre,
Max Mueller Marg,
New Delhi - 110003(INDIA)

Location:

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Note:
Registration is mandatory. To register, please click here

Thursday, May 12, 2016

14 May 2016: Bankruptcy Laws & Cross-Border Insolvency in India - The Way Ahead

Organised by:
Centre for Transnational Commercial Law,
National Law University, Delhi

Programme Schedule

Date: May 14, 2016
Time: 10:00 A.M.-4:00 P.M.

Venue:
National Law University
Sector 14, Dwarka,
New Delhi – 110078

Location:

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

13 May 2016: Financial Regulations for Improving Financial Inclusion

Liliana Rojas-Suarez
Center for Global Development

Abstract:
The rise of digital technology has nurtured a growing industry around the world in financial services that benefit the poor, from mobile payments and money transfers to micro-savings and mobile-based crop insurance. But as the financial landscape evolves to include these disruptive innovations, new players and new business models could bring fresh risks to individual users and to financial systems. So how should policymakers respond?

A new, major report from the Center for Global Development, Financial Regulations for Improving Financial Inclusion sets out how regulators can make the goal of financial inclusion compatible with the traditional mandates of financial regulation: safeguarding the integrity and stability of the financial system, while also protecting consumers from fraud. The Report advances specific recommendations on three key three key regulatory issues: What should a pro-inclusive competition policy be? How can regulations support leveling the playing field between providers? And how should know-your-customer rules be designed? Examples from a number of developing countries, including India support the Report’s recommendations.

Date: May 13, 2016
Time: 04:30 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T 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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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

3 May 2016: Enabling a national market in agriculture: Components of a national market and related legal issues

Devesh Roy
International Food Policy Research Institute

Abstract:
The proposed National Agricultural Market (NAM) in India is conceived as a nationwide electronic trading portal that would create a network of wholesale markets (mandis) and market yards. Structured as a virtual market place, to a large extent like existing models of ecommerce, identically it requires the back end support that takes the form of both infrastructure (for example warehousing, grading, packaging and standards) as well as institutions (formal changes in laws and its implementation protocols). NAM as a virtual marketplace will allow a farmer with subscription to portal to sell his produce to the destination with the best price (net of the marketing costs). Any buyer, for example a food processor, can benefit from not having to be physically present or having to depend on traders in the relevant Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) area. Since taxes and charges will still apply, in essence it is a common market not a single market.

NAM envisions one license for the entire state and a single point levy. Further, it envisages electronic auctions for price discovery. With these provisions, it is expected that seamless transfer of agriculture commodities within the state and beyond can take place thereby expanding the market for farmers and traders. By virtue of being a common national market, in some respects at least the NAM would have to supersede the structure of the existing APMC. Under the current system of APMC that are under the respective jurisdiction of the state governments, different licenses are needed to trade in each market. Similarly, there are market specific fees that need to be incurred.

With this background this paper addresses the following research questions with regard to NAM. How far do indicators suggest a basis for NAM? Does the current state of market exhibit lack of effective integration and in which commodities? What are the elements of the NAM on the backend? To what extent are the attributes of the existing marketing infrastructure such as backend support suited for the NAM? What changes in the backend (infrastructure and institutions) would be needed to make NAM effective?

We argue that with buyers and sellers anonymous and not proximate, NAM will need commensurate development at the backend (infrastructure and institutions) for the actual transaction to take place in a reasonably frictionless way. Based on a simple analysis of the marketing infrastructure and institutions, we believe that a lot needs to be done in order to make an arrangement like NAM work.

Institutionally also NAM would require several changes. Agriculture is a state subject and APMC act covers a wide array of commodities including cereals, oilseeds and high value items such as fruits and vegetables and meat products. In that sense, commodities that have diverse marketing requirements are more or less treated in the same manner. Even with market liberalization, allowing private trade and removing marketing parastatals are necessary but not sufficient for efficient markets to evolve. In the absence of proper infrastructure and institutions, spatially dispersed markets may continue to lack integration.

We first look at the extent of integration across markets by taking a core periphery approach where the principal market is defined based on comparatively high market arrivals. Towards this, we use prices data from the wholesale markets at high frequency and use time series techniques to assess spatial integration. We find that there are several commodities that are characterized by a lack of spatial integration. The lack of integration implies that there are frictions in markets. NAM is expected to bring down the level of frictions that would lead to spatial integration. With spatial integration, prices will tend to equalize and there will be a co-movement of prices across markets.

Minimizing friction in transactions characterized by disaffiliate buyers and sellers would require changes that go beyond merely creating the online platform. To analyze this issue, we employ a sparsely available data to map out the state of the wholesale markets that exist in the country and try to assess their readiness for NAM. In the context of food products, several physical and institutional infrastructure are necessitated by design. Example of these requirements include weighing, grading and transport infrastructure, food safety certification systems, cold storage, quality standards among others. Mapping out the wholesale markets we find that markets are severely lacking in terms of their credentials to support an initiative like NAM. In terms of the organizational structure, NAM envisions about conforming to the regulations of the each state’s Mandi act. Moreover, all transactions that actually take place would be considered a throughput of the local mandi which would continue to earn the transaction fee (SFAC 2015). Hence, the transformation of the system could be revenue neutral for the states and may even be revenue expanding depending on the elasticity of the transactions with respect to the base expansion that would likely follow from NAM.

Apart from a one single license for trading in each state and a single point levy of transaction fee, apart from the revenue implications, political economy would also play a critical role in the adoption of NAM by state governments. Note the important backend support embedded in the functioning of the common market platform in Karnataka. First, there is a single licensing system. Rashtriya e-market Services Limited (ReMS), offers automated auction and post auction facilities (weighting, invoicing, market fee collection, accounting), assaying facilities in the markets, facilitate warehouse-based sale of produce, facilitate commodity funding, price dissemination by leveraging technology. Under NAM, these amenities are going to be needed on a scale that would be many times larger.
 
Date: May 3, 2016
Time: 04:30 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T 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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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in