Friday, June 29, 2018

2 July 2018: Launch of World Bank Regional Flagship Report- "South Asia's Hotspots: The Impact of Temperature and Precipitation Changes on Living Standards"

Keynote Speaker:
Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Advisor, Government of India

Abstract:
South Asia is highly vulnerable to climate change. Given that many of the poor live in areas prone to climactic shifts and in occupations that are highly climate-sensitive, such as agriculture and fisheries, future climate change could have significant implications for living standards. At the same time, the effect of climate change will vary significantly depending on the level of exposure and the inherent adaptive capacities of individuals, households, and communities. It is therefore important to understand how climate varies spatially and over time at a relatively granular level and to better understand the corresponding spatial effects of climate change on living standards. This report will aid in the development of targeted policies to improve resilience of the people, especially the poor and vulnerable, to future climatic shifts. Using historic and projected climate and household survey data, this study investigates the historic spatial patterns of climate change across South Asia at the district level, the effect of changes in long-term average climate on living standards at the household level, and where the future hotspots may be. The analysis complements studies that have investigated effects of extreme climate events and finds that projected future temperature and precipitation changes could create a significant challenge for certain geographic areas and populations, which could reduce gains in increases to living standards that have taken place over the past decades.

Date: July 2, 2018
Time: 10:15 A.M.

Venue:
Jacaranda Hall,
India Habitat Centre,
Lodi Road,
New Delhi 110003

Location:

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Thursday, June 21, 2018

26 June 2018: Workshop on Predicting 2019: How many census towns will there be?

Shamindra Nath Roy
Kanhu Charan Pradhan
Centre for Policy Research

Abstract:
India’s rural landscape is dotted with numerous villages where people do not work on the farm. The 2011 census highlighted the enormous growth of such areas, with new census towns (CTs) accounting for more than one third of the urban population growth during 2001-2011. The process of urban transformation in India is therefore not much about movement of people from rural to urban areas, rather it is about ‘morphing of places’ from rural to urban. Since the rural-urban identification process in India is ex-ante, using the past census data, this talk seeks to estimate the number of CTs that will be identified in 2019 for the 2021 census. It does so to ask whether the large increase in the number of CTs from 2001 to 2011 census was a one-off phenomenon or part of a longer process of rural-urban transformation. Since such prognosis requires a detailed review of the census methodology of determining CTs, it will also clarify certain challenges that arise during such identification. Along with this methodological review, this talk will present the regional distribution of CTs on the basis of last two censuses and the upcoming predictions; and offer insight on their spatial characteristics in relation to the larger cities and attempts to throw light on their economic characteristics in the broader context of rural-urban transformation. A better appreciation of this transformation is necessary to contextualise how well the policy framework is placed to manage and govern these areas, not only in the present but also in the future.

Date: June 26, 2018
Time: 03:45 P.M.

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

Note:
This workshop is free and there is no registration required.

Location:

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Wednesday, June 20, 2018

4 July 2018: When Should We Trust Artificial Intelligence

Vasant Dhar
Stern School of Business, New York University

Discussant:
Anna Roy, NITI Aayog, Government of India

Abstract:
Modern day artificial intelligence machines learn and improve themselves based on ever-increasing amounts of data that humans and machines generate with each passing day. This happens largely through supervised learning which is a major branch of Artificial Intelligence. But such machines also make mistakes.

In the Seminar, speaker will walk us through various situations in our everyday lives – investing, playing sports, riding in driverless cars, using social media platforms – to encourage us to question the faith we put in technology. He proposes methods to inform executive and policy makers in evaluating the risks associated with data infrastructure initiatives, such as those proposed in his recent Hindustan Times editorial.

Date: July 4, 2018
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Venue:
Kamalnayan Bajaj Conference Room
Brookings India
No. 6, Second Floor,
Dr. Jose P. Rizal Marg,
Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi-110021

Note:
Please RSVP: psharma@brookingsindia.org and contact nmehta@brookingsindia.org for media inquiries.

Location: