11 December 2020: Roundtable discussion on "Backdoors to encryption: A viable policy solution?"

Abstract:
There have been a number of recent proposals that seek to place obligations on intermediaries to provide “technical assistance” to LEAs, by either creating backdoors or weakening standards of encryption. However, implementing a general mandate for “technical assistance” can have costs in terms of its effects on civil liberties, network security and on the digital ecosystem more generally. Our paper “Backdoors to encryption: Analysing an intermediary’s duty to provide technical assistance”, examines this debate with a view to understanding the competing interests involved and recommending a way forward.

In this context, the discussion will bring together various stakeholders from the government, technology companies, and civil society to discuss the development of Indian policy pertaining to encryption. What steps can the government of India take to ensure that security, privacy and other interests are given due regard in law and policy?

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

Date: December 11, 2020
Time: 04:30 P.M.

Note:
Please register for the event here.

10 December 2020: Roundtable discussion on "KYC in Indian financial markets: History and the way forward"

Abstract:
The discussion will be based on our paper that traces the roots of the current KYC framework in the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The paper also studies the translation of the FATF requirements into law and regulations made by the Government of India and subsequently the financial sector regulators. We then ask whether KYC can be done differently while meeting our FATF obligations.

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

Date: December 10, 2020
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Note:
Please register for the event here.

12 November 2020: GRM Talks - Webinar Series on Grievance Redress Systems and Consumer Protection

Online Dispute Resolution in India
Chittu Nagarajan, CREK ODR
Pramod Rao, ICICI Bank
Sachin Malhan, Agami

Moderator:
Smriti Parsheera, NIPFP

Abstract:
Online dispute resolution (ODR) refers to the use of technology to enable the effective and timely resolution of disputes. Its genesis lies in the redress of online grievances but the field has expanded since then to cover a range of sectors, including, property settlements, family disputes and, of course, financial transactions. This session will explore the meaning and history of ODR, the current state of the ecosystem in India, and what are India's unique challenges and opportunities. A discussion on these issues is also timely in light of the Niti Aayog's expert committee report on an ODR Policy Plan for India.

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

Date: November 12, 2020
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Note:
To receive login details for the Webinar, please register for the event here.

5 November 2020: GRM Talks - Webinar Series on Grievance Redress Systems and Consumer Protection

Something to Complain About: How Minority Representatives Overcome Ethnic Differences
M.R. Sharan, Center for Global Development

Discussant:
Sabyasachi Das, Ashoka University
Vimal Balasubramaniam, Queen Mary University of London

Abstract:
We study the costs of ethnic differences between local politicians and examine ways to mitigate them. Using data from over 100,000 local politicians in India, we establish – via a regression discontinuity design – that delivery of key public goods suffers when ethnic minority (low-caste) representatives govern under non-minority (high-caste) representatives. We then study an institutional innovation that mitigates these adverse consequences. In our setting, local politicians can file complaints with the higher bureaucracy under a formal complaints technology. We establish that low-caste politicians use the technology, filing over twice as many complaints when exogenously paired with high-caste superiors. Does filing complaints improve outcomes, though? We run a large field experiment involving 1629 low-caste representatives where we randomize offers to file complaints on their behalf. Treated jurisdictions see a 26%rise in public good projects, accounting for 79% of the initial gap in provision, with positive spillovers onto neighbouring jurisdictions.

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

Date: November 5, 2020
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Note:
To receive login details for the Webinar, please register for the event here.

28 October 2020: 6th Quarterly Roundtable – Data Governance Network

Presentation 1: The System Knows Your Name: Behavioural Experiments in Data Privacy in the Global South
Pooja Haldea, Centre for Social and Behavioural Change, Ashoka University

Presentation 2: Regulating Digital Platforms: Bridging the Gap Between Competition Policy and Data Protection
Sharmadha Srinivasan, IDFC Institute

Presentation 3: Backdoors to Encryption: Analysing an Intermediary's Duty to Provide Technical Assistance
Vrinda Bhandari, Delhi High Court and National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP)
Discussant: Udbhav Tiwari, Mozilla Corporation

Abstract:
The Data Governance Network was created in 2019, to create a community of researchers and practitioners that can inform good governance practices in the digital ecosystem and produce innovative research on data governance in India, so as to enable evidence based policy making. The Network brings together some of India's leading policy think-tanks with a view to help create a uniquely Indian model of data governance.

The webinar on the 28th October 2020, is the 6th DGN Quarterly Round Table. The event will see presentation of papers and proposals by researchers from the participating institutions, with a view to highlight the latest research and solicit public feedback thereon. The event seeks to bring together institutional and individual experts, convening stakeholders across industry, government and academia, in order to fuel an engine of implementable policy research.

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

Date: October 28, 2020
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Note:
Please register for the event here.

15 October 2020: Webinar and panel discussion on gender discrimination in the Hindu Succession Act

Panelists:
Rekha Sharma, National Commission for Women
Flavia Agnes, Women's rights lawyer, activist and expert on family law

Moderator:
Jyoti Malhotra, The Print

Abstract:
The Supreme Court's recent judgment clarifying daughters' rights to ancestral property under the 2005 Amendment to the Hindu Succession Act (HSA) has drawn much needed attention to the issue of gender discrimination in the Act. While the HSA has undergone significant reform in terms of giving equal treatment to men and women in the right to inherit ancestral property, the provisions governing devolution of property still unfairly discriminate against women and their families. For example, the scheme of devolution for women's self-acquired property, her husband's relatives have a stronger claim than her own parents, if she dies without children and without creating a living will. We highlight these issues in a recent working paper titled "Gender Discrimination in Devolution of Property under Hindu Succession Act, 1956 (HSA)", and propose a draft amendment bill to remedy the issues.

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

Date: October 15, 2020
Time: 04:30 P.M.

Note:
Please join the webinar here.
Meeting number: 156 598 6099 and Password: 8NYmJsGa3P7

15 October 2020: GRM Talks - Webinar Series on Grievance Redress Systems and Consumer Protection

Building a Grievance Redress System: The CFPB Experience
Chad Tompkins, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

Discussant:
Manoj Pandey, Ministry of Corporate Affairs

Moderator:
K. P. Krishnan, National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER)

Abstract:
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was created after the financial crisis of 2008 to provide a single point of enforcing federal consumer financial laws in the United States. As the primary consumer financial protection authority, the CFPB has amassed enormous experience over the decade in building and implementing a grievance redress system by way of its Consumer Complaints process and integrating it with both financial firms, and consumers, and monitoring the interaction that takes place through the system. This talk will shed light on the inner workings of the Consumer Complaints system.

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

Date: October 15, 2020
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Note:
To receive login details for the Webinar, please register for the event here.

1 October 2020: GRM Talks - Webinar Series on Grievance Redress Systems and Consumer Protection

Talk 1: Addressing Grievances Outside of the Court: Lessons from Grahak Sahayta Kendra
Deepak Saxena, CUTS International, Jaipur

Abstract:
Grahak Sahayta Kendra (GSK) helps financial consumers address their grievances with physical centres that serve as a non-judicial stop point for consumers. We present lessons from the GSK on designs of grievance redress, and the nature of complaints from financial consumers.

Talk 2: Notes on Grievance Redress from the Field
Srishti Sharma, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy

Abstract:
We present lessons from focussed group discussions that were carried out in Nagpur and Mumbai among varying demographic groups accessing different financial products. We gathered insights on access to financial products, incidence of grievances in the formal financial sector, and how consumers interact with formal and informal mechanisms of grievance redress. We found low levels of reporting of grievances irrespective of the economic background and access to financial products among consumers. Lack of awareness of such mechanisms is the most cited reason and common across groups. Consumers from rural areas with poor economic background and limited access to finance showed a high level of tolerance to financial grievances. They cited the fear of retribution as an additional reason for not airing their grievances. On the other hand, the consumers from urban households having high access to financial products reported the complexity of the grievance redress process and lack of trust in such mechanisms as the contributing factors.

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

Date: October 1, 2020
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Note:
To receive login details for the Webinar, please register for the event here.

17 September 2020: Webinar on "How have Indian courts dealt with consumer finance disputes?"

Karan Gulati, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy

Discussant
K. P. Krishnan, National Council of Applied Economic Research

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

Abstract:
This paper studies the role of courts in consumer nance disputes in India. It describes the structure of the courts that consumers can access, such as the consumer courts established under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 (and now 2019), High Courts and the Supreme Court of India. It finds that in the case of banking disputes, courts have generally sided with the consumer when banks behaved contrary to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) circulars. In the case of insurance, courts have taken a pro-industry contractual compliance stance. Hence, consumers did not get a remedy in cases where the contracts had unfair terms. The paper also finds that courts tend to award low compensation, take a long time for adjudication, do not have systems for class action suits, and generally lack specialization to deal with consumer finance issues. All of these are important issues that must be addressed for courts to become more effective in providing relief regarding consumer finance (and other) disputes.

Date: September 17, 2020
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Note:
To receive login details for the Webinar, please register for the event here.

14 August 2020: Virtual talk and panel discussion on 'Topping the Glass Half Full: Opportunities for Regional Trade in South Asia'

Sanjay Kathuria
Centre for Policy Research

Panellists:
Shyam Saran, Centre for Policy Research (CPR)
Nagesh Kumar, UNESCAP
Selim Raihan, University of Dhaka

Chair:
Gautam Mukhopadhaya, Centre for Policy Research (CPR)

Organised by
Centre for Policy Research (CPR)

Abstract:
It would be no overstatement to say that seventy years after the decolonisation of South Asia, economic integration of the region remains disappointing. Intraregional trade as a share of regional gross domestic product (GDP) hovers around only 1 percent in South Asia, versus 2.6 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa and about 11 percent in East Asia and the Pacific. Yet, world history has repeatedly shown trade to be a crucial tool for poverty reduction. Centered around the book A Glass Half Full: The Promise of Regional Trade in South Asia, this event will discuss various challenges to regional economic integration and lessons that can be learned from some success stories. The event will consist of a brief talk by Dr Sanjar Kathuria, editor of the book and a recent addition to the CPR faculty, followed by a panel discussion.

Date: August 14, 2020
Time: 06:00 P.M.

Note:
The session will be held online via Zoom. To register, kindly fill this form.

13 August 2020: Unified Payments Interface: Towards greater cyber sovereignty

Sunil Abraham
ArtEZ University of Arts

Discussant:
Ajay Shah

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

Abstract:
Sunil Abraham will give a talk on his paper titled “Unified Payments Interface: Towards Greater Cybersovereignty” (ORF Issue Brief, No. 380, July 2020). The paper analyses India’s experience in setting up the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and outlines lessons that can be emulated by other countries aiming to provide affordable, ubiquitous and quality digital payment services to their public. The paper argues that the interventionist approach and public-private partnerships fostered by the Indian government have paid off, though there are course corrections required to protect the UPI ecosystem.

Date: August 13, 2020
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Note:
To receive login details for the Webinar, please register for the event here.

15 April 2020: Webinar on "Mobility, Inequality, and the Corona-Crises"

Biao Xiang
University of Oxford

Moderator:
Manoranjan Mohanty, Institute of Chinese Studies

Organised by:
Institute of Chinese Studies

Abstract:
In exploring how a tiny virus has thrown the world into unprecedented crises, this paper calls attention to a particular aspect of the context of the pandemic, namely the relation between intensified population mobility and deepening inequality. Based on observations from China, I suggest that economic restructuring over the last decades has created a mobility-based economic and social order. This could have been a reason why the local government in Hubei, where the epidemic emerged, was reluctant in issuing early warnings, as any disruptions in economic circulation would have broad repercussions. At the same time as the intensification of mobility, the distribution of resources—economic opportunities, medical care facilities, and decision-making power—have become more concentrated to megacities and to the centre. The intersection between mobility and inequality contributes to the spread of virus and slows down decision making during the outbreak. But this condition also enables an “all-out war” style reaction, which is in turn extremely socially disruptive. Ironically, the corona-crises are likely to further intensify the mobility of low-income groups and worsen economic inequality.

Date: April 15, 2020
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Note:
To receive login details for the Zoom Webinar, please register for the event here. ICS will seek to share the login details with only registered participants by the evening of 14th April.

Please note that limited number of seats are available in the Zoom meeting room, and you are hence requested to join the webinar as soon after 3:30 PM as possible.

18 March 2020: Seminar on "Beyond Compulsory Land Acquisition: Land Development Approaches in India and China"

HUANG Yinghong
Jindal Global Law School, OP Jindal Global University

Organised by:
Institute of Chinese Studies

Abstract:
The problems of land development in India and China can be partly ascribed to the hegemony of compulsory land acquisition by the state over other approaches. The latter has been marginalized and deprived of adequate attention for their potentials to provide alternatives to the dominant LA model. In this article, a matrix formulated by two dimensions, participation and benefit-sharing, is developed and applied to categorize both the dominant practice and the sporadic experiments. It holds that the paradigm of land acquisition as the prevailing model for land development should be broken. Various development models are applicable under thoughtful examination of the purposes, the profitability of projects and the local social capitals. Multiple land development approaches do exist in both countries, but legal support and more flexible land development framework should be created and sustained for more inclusive development in either countries.

Date: March 18, 2020
Time: 03:00 P.M.

Venue:
Seminar Room
Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS)
8/17, Sri Ram Road, Civil Lines,
Delhi-110054 (India)

Location:

9 March 2020: One Hundred Homes: Visual survey of wealth and poverty in India

Jeffrey Hammer
Economists Without Borders(ECWB) and NCAER

Organised by
Centre for Policy Research

Abstract:
In 2018, a multi-disciplinary team from India and four other countries collected expenditure data, photographs, 360-degree media, and documentary footage of One Hundred Indian Homes, representing the entire range of income levels found across the country. The result is a website, which lets users visit and compare the One Hundred Homes -- and which upends our conventional wisdom on who's poor and who's not.

This presentation introduces the website but also raises issues about the collection of consumption data in India (and pretty much all poor countries). Problems old and new are discussed.

Date: March 9, 2020
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Room
Centre for Policy Research
Dharma Marg, Chanakyapuri
New Delhi - 110021

Location:

12 March 2020: Next Generation Justice Platform: Vision, Implementation, and Legal Framework

Surya Prakash BS
DAKSH

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

Abstract:
The justice system has made considerable advances in adoption of ICT given the scale of its operation and the large population whose needs it must meet. The design of information systems used by institutions such as the Indian judiciary, lawyers, government departments, police, and prison authorities, does not exploit the full extent of currently commonplace technology, owing to legislative, institutional, and resource constraints. In a recent whitepaper series, DAKSH provides a roadmap for a transformation of the justice system that is not merely technologically oriented, but which sets goals which the process should fulfill, and proposes strategic, technical, legislative courses of action to reach these goals. The speaker - Surya Prakash BS - will present the highlights of these white papers in this seminar.

Date: March 12, 2020
Time: 04:30 P.M.

Venue:
Classroom, 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:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at latha.balasubramanian@nipfp.org.in

Location:

View Larger Map

4 March 2020: Seminar on "Belt and Road from the Ground Up"

Jacob Mardell
Mercator Institute of China Studies (MERICS), Berlin

Chair:
Vijay K. Nambiar, Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS)

Organised by:
Institute of Chinese Studies

Abstract:
Since March 2019, Jacob Mardell has been travelling overland from Brussels to Beijing, learning about Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects and their host countries.

Passing through 21 countries in Southeast Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia he has visited Beijing-sponsored infrastructure projects, interviewed local experts, and spoken to the public about their perceptions of China.

In this seminar, Jacob would like to share his understanding of Xi Jinping’s foreign policy defining initiative, as well as explore some recurring themes and region specific takeaways from his journey along the “Silk Road Economic Belt.”

Contrary to popular perceptions of the BRI as a strategically defined and spatially anchored route running from A to B, Jacob sees ground-level BRI as a hodgepodge collective of projects with varying drivers, outcomes, and realities. For example, Chinese companies come to Serbia because they want to win projects in near-European markets, whereas investments in Tajikistan are driven by overheated markets at home and an appetite for risky, informal environments.

Beyond policy analysis, BRI cannot be understood from a bird’s eye view. Through comparative perspectives, Jacob hopes the international community can better understand and make the best of China’s expanding global economic footprint.

Date: March 4, 2020
Time: 03:00 P.M.

Venue:
Seminar Room
Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS)
8/17, Sri Ram Road, Civil Lines,
Delhi-110054 (India)

Location:

4 March 2020: One Hundred Homes - A Visual Survey of India

Jeffrey Hammer
Economists Without Borders(ECWB) and NCAER

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

Abstract:
“One hundred homes” illustrates with pictures, videos, 360 shots, and family descriptions what people who are the respondents of the standard government surveys look like in real life. It organizes the one hundred visual essays according to the results of a household consumption survey that are used by researchers, statisticians and policy makers to bring out the richness of life under the numbers.

Date: March 4, 2020
Time: 04:00 P.M.

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

Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at latha.balasubramanian@nipfp.org.in

Location:

View Larger Map

26 February 2020: One Hundred Homes

Jeffrey Hammer

Fireside Chat
Govindraj Ethiraj, Jeff Hammer, Evan Wexler

Organised by:
Aksha (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)

Abstract:
A first-of-its-kind visual survey of people's lives across 100 homes representing the various income levels in India.

Date: February 26, 2020
Time: 06:30 P.M.

Venue:
Seminar Hall, First Floor
Kamaladevi Complex, Annexe Building
India International Centre,
40, Max Mueller Marg, Lodhi Estate,
New Delhi-110003(INDIA)

Note: RSVP: hariom@teamworkarts.com

Location:

View Larger Map

24 February 2020: When Diseases Reinvent Urban Space

Samuel Benkimoun
Université Paris-1 and Centre for Science and Humanities (CSH)

Organised by
Centre de Sciences Humaines (CSH)

Abstract:
The ongoing epidemic of Coronavirus showcases the absolute need to monitor properly the spatiality of diseases in terms of case distribution and environmental context. Such a spatial analysis is necessary to be able to apprehend the determinants of the disease’s spread. The disciplinary field of health geography aims to identify the spatial characteristics that influence the emergence of disease outbreak and make certain territories more vulnerable than others. Yet while geographical factors influence the spread of diseases, analysing this very diffusion of diseases also reveals significant information about a territory’s spatial dynamics.

This presentation will focus on the case of dengue fever—whose burden is globally estimated at 390 million infections per year according to WHO—in the city of Delhi. I will attempt to show how the case of dengue invites us to rethink urban space and question the notion of “cities” as complex and dynamic systems of flows with constantly changing boundaries. This is due to the fact that diseases are not confined to administrative perimeters but move where infected people go. Recently, dengue has also been brought into the public political debate, with the campaign by the Delhi government entitled “#10Hafte10Baje10Minute”. Delhi citizens were exhorted to get rid of mosquito breeding sites (i.e. the vectors of dengue transmission) by devoting 10 minutes each week to inspecting their own houses and surrounding areas. Such an objective of dengue eradication raises questions regarding the priority focus of public policy. At what scale should health policy be implemented, and on which geographical areas should it focus? This is particularly relevant given the frenetic urban growth that the city of Delhi experiences.

To support this analysis, we will rely on a very unique dataset provided by Facebook in the frame of its “Data for Good Project”. This data gives an accurate record of users’ mobility across all of Northern India. Combined with other data sources such as Census data, dengue cases records from sentinel hospitals, or satellite imagery on urban settlement, this data will allow us to conduct geospatial analysis at a suburban level and present various indicators and cartographies depicting a broader picture of Delhi’s urban context regarding the dengue issue.

Date: February 24, 2020
Time: 05:00 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Room (Ground Floor)
Centre for Science and Humanities (CSH),
2, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road,
New Delhi - 110 011

Note:
For registration, RSVP mentioning your full name to:
neeru.gohar@csh-delhi.com

Location:

4 March 2020: Missing Women

Siwan Anderson
University of British Columbia

Organised by
Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Delhi Center on collaboration with IWWAGE

Chair:
Yamini Atmavilas, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Abstract:
In developed countries, given similar conditions and care, women tend to live longer than men. By contrast, there is an extreme demographic deficit of women in many parts of the developing world. Estimates suggest that there are up to 200 million women who are “demographically” missing due to gender discrimination. This talk will explore the age at which these women are “missing”, where in the developing world they are located, which disease environments are most relevant, and cultural factors that might contribute to this alarming female deficit. It will also point to some policy changes that can help to ameliorate this extreme gender discrimination.

Date: March 4, 2020
Time: 03:30 P.M.

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

Location:

View Larger Map