This paper explored key issues in how knowledge of the environment is constructed in the Third World. Drawing on which, it showed that there are both explicit and implicit ways in which this knowledge is contested. Particularly, it discussed how implicit forms of contestation are problematic in Third World economies because they are exclusionary and also where such issues become ‘headlines’ only after environmental damage and accompanying social injustices have resulted. It concludes by raising crucial questions for environmental research in the Third World where there is limited role of governments and communities in protecting their environment
The Antonsen - Bormann idea was originally proposed by these authors for the
computation of the heat kernel in curved space; it was also used by the author
recently with the same objective but for the Lagrangian density for a real
massive scalar field in 2 + 1 dimensional curved space. It is now reworked here
with a different purpose - namely, to determine the zeta function for the said
model using the Schwinger operator expansion.Comment: To appear in Journal of Physics:Conference Series (2012
"In this study, we examined India's domestic support policies to understand their classification and measurement for the purposes of official World Trade Organization (WTO) notifications. We then employed the underlying methods to prepare shadow notifications of India's domestic support for 1998-2005. Following that, we explored alternative support-definition scenarios and their possible effects on shadow notifications. Preliminary support estimates for 2006-2007 and a projection for 2015 are also provided with a discussion on how the latest WTO (2008) draft modalities are likely to impact India's domestic support. India's official notifications began in 1995 with green box support of nearly US2billionandlimiteduseofspecialanddifferentialtreatment.Theproduct−specificaggregatemeasureofsupport(AMS)wasnegativebecauseexternalreferencepriceswerelargerthanminimumsupportprices.Nonproduct−specificAMS,bywayoffertilizer,electricity,irrigation,credit,andseedsubsidies,accountedforabout7percentofthevalueofagriculturalproductionin1995.Insubsequentnotifications,for1996and1997,severalkeychangeswereobserved.Thefirstwasthetransferof80percentoffertilizer,irrigation,andelectricitysubsidiesfromnonproduct−specificAMStospecialanddifferentialtreatmentoflow−incomeandresource−poorfarmers.Product−specificAMSremainednegative,butthevalueofproductionwasreplacedbyeligibleproduction,whichwassetequaltoquantitiesprocuredbypublicagenciesin1996and1997.Shadownotifications,basedonourunderstandingoftheunderlyingmethods,showedthatgreenboxsupporthadgrowntonearlyUS8.0 billion in 2005. Estimates of input subsidies to low-income and resource-poor producers declined between 1998 and 2002, but they amounted to about US4.5billionor4percentofthevalueofagriculturalproductionin2005.Product−specificAMSremainednegativethrough2005mostlybecauseofthewidegapbetweenexternalreferencepricesandminimumsupportprices.Nonproduct−specificAMSaccountedforabout1percentoftheannualvalueofagriculturalproductionfor1998−2005.Alternativesupport−definitionandmeasurementscenariosshowedapossibleincreaseinproduct−specificAMS.However,reallocatinginputsubsidiesfromspecialanddifferentialtreatmenttononproduct−specificAMSwouldonlyeliminatesomeoftheslackinthelatter′sdeminimisexemption.WithIndia′sgeneralelectionsexpectedinearly2009,theimmediatefutureincludespopularpoliciessuchascreditsubsidiesandsignificantgrowthinminimumsupportprices.Nevertheless,non−product−specificAMSwouldnotlikelyexceedthelimitsproposedintheDohaRound(thatis,10percentofvalueofproduction)evenwithpopularpolicies.However,product−specificAMSwouldturnpositive,especiallyincereals,withhighgrowthinsupportpricesandtheappreciationofRupeeasseeninrecentyears.Projectionsfor2015suggestthatdeminimisexemptionswouldbeaboutUS16 billion each for product-specific and non-product-specific AMS, giving India ample flexibility in domestic support policies." from authors' abstractAgricultural policies, WTO Doha round, WTO compliance, Notification of domestic support, India agricultural support policies, Globalization, Markets,
This paper provides an overview of the Reserve Bank of India's approach to macroprudential regulation and systemic risk management, and reviews lessons drawn from the Indian experience. It emphasizes the need for harmonization of monetary policy and prudential objectives, which may not be possible if banking supervision is separated from central banks. It also notes that supervisors need to have the necessary independence and flexibility to act in a timely manner on the basis of available information. Macroprudential regulation is an inexact science with limitations and needs to be used in conjunction with other policies to be effective.macroprudential regulation; systemic risk management; monetary policy; banking supervision; central banks