Geographical Indications for Kodagu Coffee – A Socio-economic Feasibility Analysis

The feasibility of Geographical Indications (GI) for the Kodagu coffee has been explored, as the coffee is grown under shade and unique conditions in the midst of rich biodiversity; as a result, the productivity of coffee turns out to be relatively low. The results have indicated that productivity of coffee is lower (6 q/ acre) when grown under high shade and native tree cover than under low shade condition (8.9 q/acre). Although, the difference in cost of cultivation between the two shade conditions is not significant, the net gain is to the tune of Rs 10.40/kg for the planters growing under low shade and exotic trees cover. The net loss has been estimated to be around Rs 15.50/kg for the planters growing under high shade and native trees cover. The marginal loss in the productivity of coffee due to shade is not directly reimbursable through the shade benefits. Hence, the coffee planters need to be compensated through a price premium for their products produced under rich biodiversity, thus requiring the GI that ensures quality and price.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Recurrence of nephrotic syndrome following kidney transplantation is associated with initial native kidney biopsy findings

Background and objectives: Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) due to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and minimal change disease (MCD) is a leading cause of end-stage kidney disease in children. Recurrence of primary disease following transplantation is a major cause of allograft loss. The clinical determinants of disease recurrence are not completely known. Our objectives were to determine risk factors for recurrence of FSGS/MCD following kidney transplantation and factors that predict response to immunosuppression following recurrence. Methods: Multicenter study of pediatric patients with kidney transplants performed for ESKD due to SRNS between 1/2006 and 12/2015. Demographics, clinical course, and biopsy data were collected. Patients with primary-SRNS (PSRNS) were defined as those initially resistant to corticosteroid therapy at diagnosis, and patients with late-SRNS (LSRNS) as those initially responsive to steroids who subsequently developed steroid resistance. We performed logistic regression to determine risk factors associated with nephrotic syndrome (NS) recurrence. Results: We analyzed 158 patients; 64 (41%) had recurrence of NS in their renal allograft. Disease recurrence occurred in 78% of patients with LSRNS compared to 39% of those with PSRNS. Patients with MCD on initial native kidney biopsy had a 76% recurrence rate compared with a 40% recurrence rate in those with FSGS. Multivariable analysis showed that MCD histology (OR; 95% CI 5.6; 1.3–23.7) compared to FSGS predicted disease recurrence. Conclusions: Pediatric patients with MCD and LSRNS are at higher risk of disease recurrence following kidney transplantation. These findings may be useful for designing studies to test strategies for preventing recurrence

Geographical Indications for Kodagu Coffee – A Socio-economic Feasibility Analysis

The feasibility of Geographical Indications (GI) for the Kodagu coffee has been explored, as the coffee is grown under shade and unique conditions in the midst of rich biodiversity; as a result, the productivity of coffee turns out to be relatively low. The results have indicated that productivity of coffee is lower (6 q/ acre) when grown under high shade and native tree cover than under low shade condition (8.9 q/acre). Although, the difference in cost of cultivation between the two shade conditions is not significant, the net gain is to the tune of Rs 10.40/kg for the planters growing under low shade and exotic trees cover. The net loss has been estimated to be around Rs 15.50/kg for the planters growing under high shade and native trees cover. The marginal loss in the productivity of coffee due to shade is not directly reimbursable through the shade benefits. Hence, the coffee planters need to be compensated through a price premium for their products produced under rich biodiversity, thus requiring the GI that ensures quality and price

Labor and india's economic reforms

Before liberalization in 1991, India had developed exceptionally complex labor regulations which strengthened the bargaining power of unions and increased job security in the formal economy, at the cost of employment. Deregulation and privatization can be expected to strengthen competition, accelerate productivity growth, narrow gaps between formal and informal labor markets outcomes, and weaken union power. Is this happening in post-1991 India? Because India liberalized its economy so recently, and so gradually, it is too early to tell. Key areas of the economy continue to be highly regulated, including labor markets. Yet, there are signs that industrial relations are changing. Increased competition in product markets and dissipation of rents are eroding the protection labor regulations once afforded workers in formal labor markets. In a more competitive environment, the same labor regulations that once increased job security, might expose workers to greater risks.labor, economic reform, India, regulation of labor markets, economic effects of labor market regulations, public sector labor redundancy,

Emerging Consensus on Labour Market Institutions and Implications for Developing Countries: From the Debates in India

This paper makes a critical intervention to on-going theoretical and policy debates in the economic analysis of labour market institutions (LMIs) in the context of recent debates in India. It focuses on the internal inconsistency of mainstream economic analyses of LMIs, in particular those based on the new institutional economics (NIE) approach, and what appears to be an emerging policy consensus on LMIs within the World Bank and the International Labour Organization (ILO). The paper draws out the possible ideological parallels in these two developments, despite different intellectual origins and intentions of those engaged in these debates. A corresponding modification in policy debates in India is observed in the shifting perspectives from the Second National Commission on Labour (SNCL) to the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS). The apparent emerging consensus in both the theoretical literature and policy debates reveals the tendency for researchers to focus on labour market outcomes and phenomenal forms of LMIs rather than the structures, processes, agencies and relations that underpin them. While this can be seen as an advancement from the traditional distortionist-institutionalist dichotomy, the tendency of this consensus to explain the persistence of seemingly inefficient institutions within the micro-level choice theoretic framework and its appeal to policy agendas on good governance, social capital, trust and civil society, render it vulnerable to appropriation by the mainstream. The paper argues that the emerging consensus on LMIs is an inadequate framework to inform effective policy propositions, and highlights the scope and opportunity for a political economy alternative