Agrarian distress in Bidar. (NIAS Report No: R5-1999)

Between December 1997 and May 1998 twenty-three cases of suicides related to agricultural crop loss were reported from the north Karnataka districts of Bidar and Gulbarga. Of these, thirteen suicides were by agriculturists in the district of Bidar, and a significant proportion of these was from Bhalki taluka. Though this study was initiated in response to reports of suicides in the district, the study does not focus on the actual cases/households in which distress-related suicides were reported.1 Rather, the study considers the suicides to be symptomatic of larger and more pervasive crises in the region. The crises are ecological,economic, and social; each inter-linked with the other, and combining to produce distress in the region. And it is in the context of these crises that the pervasive distress in the region and the suicides by agriculturists must be understood

Political ‘Darshan’ as Development in Karnataka

From its position as a middle ranking state, Karnataka now competes to be emblematic of globalising India. The state’s development trajectory is beset with many unaddressed tensions. The current dispensation in the state has discovered a new form of statecraft – political ‘darshan’ – in the form of instant development, mass counselling and public spiritualism

Work, Culture and Sociality in the Indian Information Technology (IT) Industry: A Sociological Study

This report presents the key findings of a sociological study of the Indian information technology workforce that was carried out over a period of more than two years, between November 2003 and March 2006, in Bangalore and in three countries in Europe. The objective of the research project, entitled ‘Indian IT Professionals in India and Europe: Work, Culture, and Transnationalism’, was to document the social and cultural transformations that have been set in motion by the rapid growth of the IT and ITES industries in India, and through this to shed some light on wider processes of globalisation. The study focused on the creation of the IT workforce; the new forms of work, employment, organisation, and management, and the new cultures of work that have emerged in this industry, and on the transformations in lifestyle, sociality and identity that are taking place within this new global workforce

Reviewing the Performance of the Government of Karnataka

To understand people’s perceptions about the functioning of their representatives in the legislature, DAKSH, a civil society organisation in Karnataka, conducted a survey in October and November 2009 across 218 legislative assembly constituencies. The results from the survey reflect a stark gap between people’s expectations and their perceptions of the performances of the representatives. A summary of the report

'The education question' from the perspective of Adivasis: Conditions, policies and structures (NIAS Report No. R7-2012)

This report has been submitted to UNICEF, New Delhi by the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bangalore. It is based on a review project undertaken as part of the Education Portfolio of the institute. Drawing on secondary data, insights and ideas from an all-India consultation meet at NIAS, four regional / zonal consultations, data from a project in Chamarajanagar district (Karnataka), and select reviews of educational programmes, this report presents a broad perspective of Adivasi education in India. While we recognise that the educational challenges faced by the tribal people of North-East India are significant and require immediate attention, they could not be represented adequately in this report. We hope an in-depth study of educational issues of the North- Eastern region can be taken up separately. We would like to clarify that while this report is an appraisal of the policies, administrative structures, institutions and programmes that are intended to cater to the educational needs of Adivasis, it is not meant to be a summative review of their educational status. Reversing the dominant ‘deficit approach’, by which the lack of adequate educational attainment is typically ascribed to Adivasis themselves, this report situates itself within the context of the varied forms of displacement, disenfranchisement and violence, which mark the lives of most Adivasis. The challenge of the ‘education question’ among Adivasis is sought to be understood through an analysis of the policy orientations, structures and processes of educational administration, institutions and the constraints within which they operate and the myriad in-built forms of exclusion of the dominant education system. In addition, some attention is paid to the impact of mainstream education on the lives of Adivasis and the continued marginalisation of their knowledge, culture, languages and lives. Our review of the policies, administrative structures, institutions and their impact indicate that the Adivasis receive the lowest cost, poorest quality and indifferently administered education

The Education question from the perspective of Adivasis: Conditions, policies and structures (NIAS Report No.R7-2012)

The National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, through its Education Portfolio initiatives, seeks to link research with advocacy and policy analysis. This report resulting from NIAS' engagement with the Education Portfolio, is an attempt to provide a framework with which to approach and understand the 'education question' among Adivasis. The absence of a comprehensive all-India perspective paper/report on the issues related to education of Adivasis and urgent need to interrogate the impact of the dominant education system on the lives of marginalized and disadvantaged groups compelled us to undertake this project. In addition, our experiences and reflections after a five-year long (2002-2007) involvement with an action research project that sought to enhance elementary education, especially in the Ahramshalas in Chamarajnagar district of Karnataka highlighted for us not only the complexities and challenges that Adivasis face with the dominant education system (in its provisioning, administration, content and impact), but also indicated the need to initiate policy and programmatic changes at state and national levels. This report pays attention to the larger political-economic contexts in which most Adivasis liv; it identifies trends, reviews policies, flags key issues and suggests alternatives that can be taken forward

Correcting Social Disadvantage Book Review: Affirmative Action in the United States and India: A Comparative Perspective by Thomas Weisskopf

There are few issues as contentious as that of the policy of reservation (or positive discrimination and affirmative action), which, because of being studied insufficiently, remains mired in common prejudices. This comparative study of affirmative action policies and their impact in India and the US by the economist Thomas Weisskopf not only fills the gap but also helps address the multiple questions and assumptions that surround the policy. Although the book draws on secondary data and well known studies of policies and programmes, the author subjects the data and their assumptions to a close scrutiny that draws on sharp analytical reasoning but is framed and qualified within the philosophy of social justice and rights. The end result is a book that identifies popular and dominant perceptions and aspects of the policies and then reviews, assesses and comments on their implications for delivering their mandate; that of bringing about equality of opportunity to historically disadvantaged people