The Distribution of Household Wealth in India

assets, liabilities, vertical inequality, horizontal inequality, land, real estate

Who plans and who lives? Urban planning lessons from Bangalore – Part One

Using the example of the 2005-2015 Bangalore Master Plan, Jayaraj Sundaresan challenges the reliance on international expert knowledge when it comes to planning Indian cities

Economic Impact of CDM Implementation through Alternate Energy Resource Substitution

Since the Kyoto protocol agreement, Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) has garnered large emphasis in terms of certified emission reductions (CER) not only amidst the global carbon market but also in India. This paper attempts to assess the impact of CDM towards sustainable development particularly in rural domestic utility sector that mainly includes lighting and cooking applications, with electricity as the source of energy. A detailed survey has undertaken in the state of Kerala, in southern part of India to study the rural domestic energy consumption pattern. The data collected was analyzed that throws insight into the interrelationships of the various parameters that influence domestic utility sector pertaining to energy consumption by using electricity as the source of energy. The interrelationships between the different parameters were modeled that optimizes the contribution of electricity on domestic utility sector. The results were used to estimate the feasible extent of CO2 emission reduction through use of electricity as the energy resources, vis-à-vis its economic viability through cost effectiveness. The analysis also provides a platform for implementing CDM projects in the sector and related prospects with respects to the Indian scenari

Out of school and (probably) in work: Child labour and capability deprivation in India

This paper explores the hypothesis that the phenomenon of child labour is explicable in terms of poverty that compels a household to keep its children out of school and put them to work in the cause of the household’s survival. In exploring the link between child labour and poverty in the Indian context, the paper advances the view that the nature of the connection is more readily apprehended if both the variables under study are defined more expansively and inclusively than is customarily the case. Specifically, the suggestion is that it may be realistic to include those children who are conventionally categorized as ‘non-workers not attending school’ within the count of child labourers. It is also suggested that poverty is meaningfully measured in terms of a multi-dimensional approach to the problem, wherein the aim is to assess generalized capability failure—arising from want of access to elementary infrastructural facilities and essential amenities—with respect to a number of basic human functionings. The core of the paper’s argument is presented by means of a simple analytical model of child labour and deprivation, and the issues emerging from it are studied in the Indian context with the support of both primary and secondary data

Growth and inequality in the distribution of India's consumption expenditure 1983 to 2009-10

This paper undertakes an assessment of the evolution of inequality in the distribution of consumption expenditure in India over the last quarter-century, from 1983 to 2009-10, employing data available in the quinquennial 'thick' surveys of the National Sample Survey Office. We find that plausible adjustments to the data, along with an emphasis on 'centrist' rather than 'rightist' or 'leftist' inequality measures, lead to a picture of inequality in the distribution of consumption expenditure widening over time, which is at odds with the impression of more or less unchanging inequality conveyed in some of the literature available on the subject in India

There’s always the river: social and environmental equity in rapidly urbanising landscapes in India

In the pursuit of sustainable and liveable cities, Indian built environment practitioners and policymakers are understandably focused on aspects of infrastructure, sanitation and health, given the problems of pollution and environmental degradation are significant urban problems. However, there is little demonstration of understanding of the part that landscape could play in tackling such issues. To explore this, the paper examines two urban rivers in India. It calls on interviews with practitioners, residents and users in Madurai and Ahmedabad, focusing on access and use of the river to explore social and environmental equity. The findings suggest that free, public and safe access to the rivers have reduced over time in both cities, for different reasons. Perceived environmental quality of both rivers has also worsened. We suggest that urban river infrastructure should be reconceptualised to explore the feasibility and acceptability of a more holistic approach to understanding Indian riparian urban landscapes