Instead of just worrying about the quantity of finance, we must also worry about the quality of the finance. Too much is labeled climate finance, writes Rahul Tongia.

In this paper, Rajasekhar Devaguptapu examines Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses in detail, breaking the composite AT&C loss figures into constituents to understand if these improvements are sustainable and address the financial problems of DisComs.

The next phase of rapid economic development of the country needs a paradigm change in economic strategy once again, after the successes that have been achieved over the last three decades or so.

While India has not been able to fully exploit its manufacturing export potential, the sunrise sectors, like the solar PV industry, allow it to make its mark in the global export market. To become a competitive player in this segment, India needs to focus on the ...

Anindita Sinh discusses the potential for India and the EU to cooperate towards resilient supply chains for critical minerals given their shared interests and broader economic and geopolitical convergence.

The present paper is concerned with shedding light on the financial viability of setting up public charging infrastructure in a range of implementation situations in an Indian city and the possible role of policies and regulations to make charging business attractive.

The Ministry of Power has notified a formula for “green tariffs” for large (greater than 100 kW) electricity consumers to encourage green power uptake from distribution companies. Our analysis finds that this push to create demand for green power (based on Renewable Energy, or RE) has ...

This paper examines the economics of producing and using green hydrogen in India, focusing on the 2030 timeframe.

This paper analyses the performance of the electricity distribution sector in developing countries under different ownership models.

This blog series maps and surveys the growing number of India’s international partnerships in the critical minerals space, providing readers with a repository of primary sources.

India must see triangular cooperation as means to an end, of learning to strengthen its domestic cooperation capacity and strategy.

The paper is a reflection on the phenomenon of urbanisation in India as seen within the global context. It touches upon the history of urbanisation, discusses its current state and makes enquiries into its future.

In this EPW article, Shishir Gupta, Nandini Agnihotri and Annie George shed light on the state and dynamics of house prices in India by leveraging a unique dataset that gives house prices over the past 30 years.

This book aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the various ways in which climate change and public health are interconnected.

Despite traditional North-South dynamics in climate finance, triangular cooperation offers a promising alternative, allowing emerging economies like India to leverage their own experiences for climate action in the Global South.

This study explores how replacing current fossil fuel taxes with alternative taxation options—such as carbon taxes, user taxes, and goods and services taxes—could affect economic efficiency, emissions intensity, and equity.

BIMSTEC’s name reflects its original mission, yet this original, flexible, sub-regional, technocratic and economic dimension has gradually withered away. How can it craft a productive cooperative in a difficult regional context?

To secure the copper supply chain, strategic investments, adherence to environmental standards, and robust public-private partnerships are crucial.

With more countries, including the UK, and Australia announcing their intention to implement similar CBAM mechanisms, thoughtful consideration of the potential impacts and trade-offs involved is essential.

The paper evaluates how one can predict and plan India’s future in times of uncertainty. It explores how India can analyse geopolitical trends to develop scenarios for the future, and assess the probability of these scenarios becoming reality.

This paper explores the evolving burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among women in India and assesses the alignment between disease prevalence and health insurance coverage through a case study in Meghalaya.

PMAY-U, India's largest urban housing programme, has sanctioned 11.9 million houses since 2015, but faces challenges including poor coverage of slum households and numerous delays.

This paper reviews India's healthcare policy evolution, revealing progress and persistent challenges, particularly in public health spending and rural-urban disparities.

For India to realise its 2047 Viksit Bharat ambition and pursue its strategies for an increasingly competitive and complex world, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) plays a critical role. Yet as we cautioned in last year’s detailed budget analysis, the MEA’s capacity constraints have been posing significant obstacles.

This paper identifies some of the key gaps in policy design and implementation and reflects on the key insights from comparable countries, which experienced similar challenges to India in the recent decades.

The blog argues that common to most of the analysis on Russia-India relations is the restrictive tendency to focus on three pillars: arms, energy, and China. However, a closer review of the relationship shows how they have been expanding to new areas of co-operation in South ...

If India wants to use GVCs to strengthen its export flows, it will have to liberalise the entry of imported goods, specifically inputs/intermediate goods, by lowering the import tariffs.

The paper examines the issues in adapting flexible inflation targeting (FIT) for emerging markets. This framework is crucial for analysing the evolution and performance of FIT in India.

This paper assesses the feasibility of India achieving its stated objective of getting to net zero carbon emissions by 2070 and outlines a possible strategy for the next 10 years consistent with this goal.

Janak Raj, Rahul Ranjan, Vrinda Gupta and Aakanksha Shrawan assess the role of fiscal transfers from the Union government compared to States’ own revenue in explaining their healthcare spending.

This paper estimates the mineral requirements to manufacture the clean energy technologies needed for India to meet its climate action commitments.

While the determinants of declining consumption of overall cereal and food-related items need further investigation, it is useful to understand how undernutrition varies across income quintiles. 

This paper by Indrani Gupta and Alok Kumar Singh attempts to bring out the challenges of policymaking in the context of urban health.

This paper explores the evolving nature of federal financing for health, including the increase in union transfers through Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSSs) and its implications for state-level health prioritisation and capacities.

Given the immense global challenges of the 21st century, the case for MDB reform is clear and undisputed.

This essay draws from existing proposals to outline a framework for procedural and substantive reforms to the AB, suited to changing institutional needs and allowing for regulatory flexibilities to address emerging climate and developmental concerns for the G20 to consider.

This paper assesses the feasibility of India achieving its stated goal of net zero by 2070 and presents a medium-term strategy for what would be required over the next decade to achieve this objective.

The paper outlines the technical attributes and features of the mathematical modelling programs, such as sectoral coverage, economic growth assumptions, modelling algorithms, optimisation methods, etc., with an emphasis on the usability and scalability of the models.

A new policy brief from the Task Force on Climate, Development and the IMF seeks to improve the RST’s design by taking stock of the early experiences of RST programs.

Given the rise in the government debt level in recent times, this paper aims to examine the effect of an increase in government size on risk premium and its transmission in the economy.

This paper argues that India must prioritise the development of multimodal transportation infrastructure beyond coastal areas to bridge the current gap between maritime and land-based initiatives around the Bay of Bengal and spur the creation of sub regional, regional, and inter-regional economic corridors.

Effective implementation of the CCTS will enable Indian enterprises to demonstrate their commitment to low-carbon production processes using green technologies, which can reduce CBAM costs and expand green energy-intensive export opportunities in the EU market.

Considering experiences across various states, the paper advises caution in prescribing the IBDF model as a “standard” policy solution for loss reduction.

The Indo-Pacific countries should use their domestic capacities optimally and participate in global supply chains with a diverse range of partner countries in mining, processing, assembling, and final-use activities. India is currently discussing trilateral cooperation with France and Japan.

The authors argue that there is a need to extend and facilitate access to the ultimate global financial safety net layer: the IMF. We illustrate that by pointing out how Morocco and Mexico have boosted their defensive power by having access to IMF precautionary lines of ...

The Centre for Social and Economic Progress is delighted to share the Annual Report for the calendar year 2023.

This study reviews the strategic aspects and related ramifications of existing and potential surface trading routes between India and the three South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries: Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) member country Myanmar.

This study explores the relationship between economic growth and non-income components (health and education) of the Human Development Index (HDI) for 26 Indian states during the period from 1990 to 2019.

In this paper, Jaimini Bhagwati and Shalini Chauhan trace the legacy of India's railway system, its expansive growth, and ongoing challenges.

The book by Om Prakash Mathur "Changing Paradigms of Urbanisation: India and Beyond", consists of papers on urbanisation, urban regional development and planning, urban governance and finance, and urban research. 

As the global trade policy has moved away from World Trade Organisation (WTO) led multilateralism, towards Regional Trade Agreements, this blog tries to understand the evolution of India’s Regional Trade Agreement (RTA) strategy.

This Policy Brief explores how India has transformed into a positive force on the global stage, achieving domestic climate targets and spearheading innovative approaches in climate diplomacy.

Brazil gears up to lead the G20 with a three-point agenda focusing on combating hunger, poverty, and inequality; sustainable development; and global governance reform.

As a part of CSEP's ongoing work on securing critical minerals for India’s green technology and net-zero transition, this analysis incorporates emerging thoughts on Quad-ASEAN cooperation in creating resilient regional supply chains.

Shivshankar Menon explores the shifting tides of diplomacy. This piece examines the evolving landscape of international relations in a changing world.

Daljit Singh's working paper examines the regulatory framework of the Indian power sector, often criticised for contributing to the financial strain of electricity distribution companies.

India must significantly increase its public spending on health and education, and ensure its effective targeting. This would reduce people’s out-of-pocket expenses, allowing them to allocate funds to their other crucial needs and strengthen the interlinkages between human development and economic growth.

Pricing carbon, either directly or indirectly, provides a price incentive to producers to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, it is important to examine the impact of such governmental policies on the economy, emissions, and particularly households, who will bear the incidence of such taxes.

This paper focuses on tax buoyancy, which includes discretionary policy changes, to examine how the historical relationship of tax revenues with income may have been disturbed by exceptional shocks.

The study argues for the need to consider multiple factors, including efficiency, equity, sustainability, institutional considerations, and the possibility of reducing expenditures on non-essential goods.

This report has been launched by Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada) with an aim to present varied views from APF Canada-affiliated experts on Indo-Pacific Strategy and encourage an understanding of Canada's evolving role in the region.

This research specifically focuses on the uncertainties surrounding the potential impact of CBAM on trade-exposed sectors with high energy intensity, particularly in developing countries like India.

If the world must achieve zero emissions by 2050, it’s impractical and unfair to require all countries to reach that goal simultaneously.

Constantino Xavier's essay offers a policy roadmap to enable Sweden and India to implement joint development cooperation initiatives in third countries in the Indian Ocean region and East Africa.

This working paper attempts to quantify the scale and possible composition of the international financial assistance required to help developing countries fulfill their climate change mitigation and adaption targets and suggests how this might be agreed upon in international negotiations.

Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Utkarsh Patel describe how India could make progress towards meeting its climate change mitigation commitments which involve achieving net zero emissions by 2070.

This paper narrates the story of the evolutionary journey of non-performing assets (NPA) in the Indian banking sector.

In India, existing mine closure legislation lacks provisions to adequately address the socio-economic and cultural aspects, highlighting the need for an improved policy paradigm.

This essay examines India’s energy security in the short and medium term and finds that development needs will drive the country’s energy policy, which balances energy security with the energy transition.

This study tackles the existing research and data gaps regarding pollution generation by incorporating sector-specific data from India’s greenhouse gas inventory.

Madhurima Nundy and Pankhuri Bhatt's paper presents a detailed review and analysis of India’s health insurance landscape, with a focus on voluntary health insurance (VHI).

Shishir Gupta, Nandini Agnihotri and Annie George shed light on the state and dynamics of house prices in India by leveraging a unique dataset that gives house prices over the past 30 years.

Laveesh Bhandari and Aasheerwad Dwivedi study growth in electricity consumption, the key factors affecting it, and its link with economic activity.

The paper highlights the economic importance of mining activities and the need to be environmentally responsible and safeguard the welfare and livelihoods of the local communities.

An increasingly competitive geopolitical context is fragmenting global climate governance and traditional modes of multilateral cooperation. The report maps both what has been done in the past as well as the avenues towards a comprehensive climate strategy built on greater policy coordination and expanded state capacity ...

Rahul Tongia, Aarushi Dave and Utkarsh Dalal study the impacts of times-of-day and seasons on the different types of fuels for generation electricity, their output ramp (swing up or down) rates, daily swings between maximum and minimum output, and relative contributions of each fuel type.

Anoop Singh, Bernard Snoy and Michel Camdessus analyse the need to reform the international monetary system.

Nikhil Tyagi and Rahul Tongia's paper attempts to examine the structure and legacy of electricity distribution in the state with a lens to examine how that impacts the future viability of the distribution companies (DisComs)

The policy brief from the Task Force on Climate, Development and the IMF proposes a ‘loss and damage package’ at the IMF that spans its surveillance, lending toolkit and global policy coordination.

Gulzar Natarajan and V Anantha Nageswaran make the case that poverty alleviation, growth, and climate-related transition, which require both public and private funds, need to be pursued in parallel.

Renu Kohli, Honey Karun and Saumya analyse the non-price policy measures that aim to lower carbon emissions across the G20 countries.

Bhavyanshi Sinha's interview of Sreeradha Datta offers a comprehensive view of the current and future prospects of BIMSTEC as a regional initiative.

For critical minerals, especially those with no known domestic resources, mineral-wise strategies are required to ensure their robust access for India’s manufacturing needs and climate change mitigation ambitions.

The paper argues for a rethink of the existing regulatory and policy requirements pertaining to setting up and, more importantly, scaling up medical colleges, in order to ensure a greater number of seats per college, and for a more equitable distribution of seats.

Rahul Tongia highlights the complexities of green supply and green consumption. More RE is inevitable and welcome. Better accounting and signalling (such as time-of-day and congestion pricing) can help grow RE at lower overall system costs.

While Nepal has experienced significant political and social transformations, the economic conditions and precarity that force Nepali men to migrate in the first place have not changed.

The United States would benefit from working with India to help address the infrastructure needs of smaller South Asian countries, writes Riya Sinha.

This policy brief synthesises insights, relating to key challenges faced in achieving UHC, from six emerging country case studies—Brazil, China, Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand, and Turkey—with varying contexts in their journey towards UHC.

Abhishek Kumar and Divya Srinivasan use data from India (the second-largest steel producer in the world) to estimate the effect of large movements in metal prices during 2011-16.

Shruti Gupta and Kevin James examine the regulatory framework and institutional gaps surrounding off-budget borrowings in India.

This Working Paper examines the key aspects of the relationship between economic growth (EG) and human development (HD) at the all-India and the state-levels.

Rajesh Chadha, Ganesh Sivamani and Karthik Bansal provide an overview of India’s historical, current, and proposed exploration policies, good international practices, issues with the existing system, and recommendations for creating a globally-competitive exploration regime.

Renu Kohli's Discussion Note discusses three significant reasons why the observed tax buoyancy in the recovery year, FY23, must be interpreted with caution.

Anindita Sinh interviews Lopamudra Maitra Bajpai, on her book, "India, Sri Lanka and the SAARC Region: History, Popular Culture and Heritage" and the unorthodox approach to interpreting culture and connectivity in South Asia.

In this paper, Nikhil Tyagi and Rahul Tongia examine the equilibrium of retail pricing, beginning with the question whether prices are in compliance with the Electricity Act 2003 enshrined National Tariff Policy, which states that cross-subsidies should be limited to ±20% of costs.

Shruti Gupta and Kevin James examine the regulatory framework and institutional gaps surrounding off-budget borrowings in India. It attempts to build a comprehensive understanding on the methods used for such borrowings and ascertains their true extent.

The paper demonstrates that a mandatory disclosure law on housing projects can have important, pro-efficiency effects in a developing country, and suggests that such laws may be efficient in a regime of low-state capacity.

In this episode of the Hopkins Podcast on Foreign Affairs, Constantino Xavier discusses India’s foreign policy and its relationship with Russia.

This T20 Policy Brief calls on the G20 governments to recognise the importance of critical minerals and strengthen their supply chains.

Rajasekhar Deveguptapu and Rahul Tongia comprehensively analyse DisCom finances using a long time series that aims to examine and answer pertinent questions on finances and performance.

Based on eight case studies by analysts and scholars from Bangladesh, Nepal, India and Sri Lanka, the report examines China’s growing role in a range of sectors in these four countries, including education, public diplomacy, technology, social media, civil society, party politics, religion, and governance.

Ranjan Mathai, Former Foreign Secretary of India, joins Ganesh Sivamani to discuss what India must do to secure its domestic and international supply chains of ‘critical minerals’.

An assessment of the IMF-led work on climate change with a development centered approach.

An extension of an earlier study with a focus on 43 select critical minerals that emphasizes the need for a national strategy to ensure resilient critical minerals supply chains.

Health as a political priority both for voters and politicians in a democracy is investigated through a survey and pertinent questions are explored.

As we approach the aftermath of the pandemic, the challenge is to reset the pillars of the fiscal architecture and better manage public finances across all levels of government—as the lynchpin of any successful growth strategy in a post-pandemic world.

This is an edited and revised adaptation of remarks by Shivshankar Menon from the E-Launch and Discussion of The State of Southeast Asia: 2023 Survey Report conducted by the ASEAN Studies Centre at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) – Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore, on ...

While the Bay of Bengal is located at the fulcrum of the Indo-Pacific, between the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, it continues to act more as a divider than a link between land and maritime neighbours such as India

Constantino Xavier and Riya Sinha comment on the MEA Budget and how India can become a leading power in an increasingly uncertain, competitive and complex international arena.

Marty Shwarz and Rahul Tongia examine the performance of wind power across climatology, technology, and location.

In this edition of Sambandh Scholars Speak, Anindita Sinh interviews Mayumi Murayama on her book, Northeast India and Japan: Engagement through Connectivity, co-edited with Sanjoy Hazarika and Preeti Gill.

Shishir Gupta and Rishita Sachdeva analyse growth performance over a period of 26 years to understand the drivers behind India's economic growth.

Karthik Bansal and Ishita Kapoor's paper discusses three case studies on Jharkhand, Odisha and Karnataka to highlight procedural problems with obtaining licenses and permits for mining.

The paper finds that the availability of greater data makes it possible to assess a large set of crops over a long period of time, and therefore, greater data points can yield highly robust results.

The Sambandh blog looks at new approaches to strengthening trade and revitalising economic links between South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Abstract India’s coal-heavy electricity system is the world’s third largest and a major emitter of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, it remains a focus of decarbonisation and air pollution control policy. Considerable heterogeneity exists between states in India in terms of electricity demand, generation ...

This analysis provides valuable guidance about the development of the power sector and the costs associated with different development pathways.

The results of this research describe the challenging technological and policy advances needed to achieve the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement.

Riya Sinha interviews Tilak Devasher, Member, National Security Advisory Board of India, and Consultant, Vivekananda International Foundation, on his fourth book, The Pashtuns: A Contested History.

The paper separates motivation as a distinct factor for analysis because, in the absence of strong incentives, not every political opportunity may lead to attention to an issue, and finds that reforms were motivated by a need to gain political legitimacy by an incoming regime, or ...

In this edition of Sambandh Scholars Speak, Nitika Nayar interviews Hazrat Bahar, on his book chapter, “Image of China in Afghan Media."

Health systems in Thailand have been frequently researched since its reforms in early 2000s, especially in the context of  health coverage (UHC).

Sandhya Venkateswaran and Alok Kumar Singh traces the trajectory of health system reform in Brazil, from 1990 to 2019, and analyses the contextual factors that drove the reform process.

Madhurima Nundy and Pankhuri Bhatt analyse systemic transformations and studies the achievements and challenges in reforming health services in Indonesia over the years to the present.

Chapter on "Reinventing Non-Alignment in South Asia:The Foreign Policies of Nepal and the Maldives" by Nicholas Blarel and Constantino Xavier in the book "Routledge Handbook of the International Relations of South Asia".

Rahul Tongia argues about the need to shift the conversation from futuristic Net-Zero ambitions toward practical and equitable emissions trajectories in this year's COP.

The questions this paper answers are: what is the impact of mandatory disclosure of housing quality on prices? Do mandatory disclosures have differential impact across housing sub-markets and income groups?

Rajesh Chadha and Ganesh Sivamani's study results point to policy recommendations for ensuring uninterrupted supplies of critical minerals through enhanced domestic mineral exploration and extraction, along with assured sources elsewhere.

Laveesh Bhandari and Aasheerwad Dwivedi's paper studies three of the many challenges that state governments will face as India transitions away from a fossil fuel–driven economy.

This paper examines the political trajectory of health in five Indian states, in terms of the sociopolitical determinants of attention to health, to understand differences in health status and investments, as well as to gain insights into how health came to be prioritised in some of ...

Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Utkarsh Patel's paper attempts to quantify the scale and possible composition of international financial assistance that might be required to help developing countries fulfil the commitments undertaken in COP26.

This paper investigates the impact of counter-cyclical capital Buffer (CCyB) as a macro-prudential policy, on bank credit risk, during uncertain times, as banking sector stability is crucial in promoting financial intermediation.

The Health System Reforms and Transformation: Insights from Country Studies is a series of six case studies from China, Turkey, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, and Thailand that trace the trajectory of health reforms and draw lessons in understanding key instruments that led to these shifts.

Rajat Verma and Ganesh Sivamani's paper seeks to measure the impact of this cess on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the gross domestic product (GDP) at both the sectoral and national levels.

Abhishek Kumar, Rakesh Mohan and Divya Srinivasan show that nonperforming assets in the banking sector and profit ratios in commodity-sensitive non-financial sectors are highly correlated with global commodity prices.

If South Asia gets connected to Central Asia, three South Asian countries will reap maximum benefits - India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

The paper looks at the key areas in which India needs Public Financial Management (PFM) reforms, building on the provisions of a draft PFM law prepared by an expert group and cited by the Fifteenth Finance Commission.

Anit Mukherjee examines a possibly pernicious effect of a civilian dominated defence ministry and highlights the importance of expertise in enhancing both control and military effectiveness.

Alok Kumar Singh and Sandhya Venkateswaran trace the trajectory of health system reforms, including and prior to Seguro Popular (SP), from 2003 until 2019, and analyses the contextual factors that were instrumental in the reform process.

Sandhya Venkateswaran and Alok Kumar Singh trace the trajectory of health system reform in Turkey, from 2003 to 2019, and analyses the contextual factors that drove the reform process.

Madhurima Nundy and Sandhya Venkateswaran's paper outlines the salient features of health reforms in China and their impact in terms of access, utilisation and equity through a systems framework.

Laveesh Bhandari and Aasheerwad Dwivedi's paper looks at India’s expected energy transition towards a low-carbon future, and studies how government revenues from fossil fuels will be affected over the next two decades.

Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Utkarsh Patel's study shows that there is considerable scope for reducing the volume of emissions through a combination of actions aimed at increasing energy efficiency and shifting progressively to renewable energy to meet the electricity demand.

In this paper, using data from a large emerging economy, Ashima Goyal and Abhishek Kumar identify a structural shock (inflation shock) that explains the maximum forecast error variance of consumer prices

Streamlining a scattered PFM framework in the country by drawing from other countries and proposing reforms in the existing system.

The paper projects India’s mineral needs for green technologies, including renewable electricity generation and electric vehicle manufacturing, in line with the country’s various climate change mitigation objectives over the next two decades.

This paper aims to comprehensively analyse and understand sub-national fiscal marksmanship, with a particular focus on capital expenditure in the social sector.

Jharkhand Mining Summit hosted by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Anchoring Change attempts to answer these and several other such questions, through accounts of organizations from across India, spanning the seventy-five years since independence.

India should aggressively go down the RE path, but not focus on just RE. Energy efficiency, smart systems, energy security, local manufacturing, livelihoods, fiscal balances, etc. are all very important.

The authors use time-varying VAR models to study the effects of option-implied measures of equity and bond market volatilities on the government bond term premium and key macroeconomic variables.

This Discussion Note explores India’s mineral royalty rates, which are among the highest in the world, thus impacting the competitiveness of the mining sector.

The study by Rahul Tongia focuses on ways to encourage the energy transition for developing countries where high costs of capital are a factor in keeping a spread between fossil fuel technologies and non-carbon solutions.

Rahul Tongia's study presents results from the first-of-a-kind model to handle high uncertainty, which uses parametric analysis instead of stochastic analysis for grid balancing based on economic despatch through 2030, covering 30-min resolution granularity at a national level.

Sahil Gandhi, Richard K Green and Shaonlee Patranabis look at the paradox of high vacancy rates and homelessness in Indian cities.

Ganesh Sivamani discusses the Indian mining sector, and how it can become a catalyst for the country’s growth and development with Chanakya Chaudhary, Vice-President (Corporate Services), Tata Steel.

CSEP President and Distinguished Fellow Rakesh Mohan at the Future of Climate & Development, hosted by the Task Force on Climate, Development and the International Monetary Fund.

Political motivation does not always arise by itself, but it is often driven by external factors and stakeholders who contribute to creating or strengthening incentives for political attention, writes Sandhya Venkateswaran, Shruti Slaria and Sampriti Mukherjee.

Social and ecological change in Bangladesh today has been profoundly shaped by colonialism and its legacies, so recognition of this helps us to better understand climate change today.

CSEP Research Associate Ganesh Sivamani presented the paper co authored with Senior Fellow Rajesh Chadha, on critical minerals and green technologies at the 25th Annual Conference on Global Trade Analysis.

India’s power generation is a large source of greenhouse gas emissions. The authors quantify current and future marginal emissions factors for power generation in India across seasons, times-of-day, and states.

What is the import-export trade dynamics of mineable minerals in India, especially after the Atma-Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan? Read the new discussion note by Rajesh Chadha and Ishita Kapoor to know more.

Aashita Dawer's study aims at analysing Judicial efficiency for Supreme Court, high courts and subordinate courts of India. The study uses various regression techniques while highlighting the importance of effective justice delivery.

This paper highlights some of the specificities of other countries and their electricity prices in order to better direct regulatory attention to measures that could be relevant for India, and to gauge where India’s position is when it comes to global electricity prices.

Ishita Kapoor's blog explores the possibility of deep sea bed mining while also safeguarding the fragile ecosystem of ocean beds.

In the first episode of Mining Matters, “Exploration – A Geologist’s Perspective”, Ishita Kapoor discusses various issues relating to exploration, auctions and sustainability, including the environment and affected communities, with Dr Nik Senapati, President of the Australia India Business Council in Queensland.

Rajesh Chadha and Ganesh Sivamani's paper details the construction of India’s hybrid Energy Input-Output Table 2015-16, which has information on the monetary, energy, and emission flows of the economy.

While the first amendments to the Indian Constitution were made to enable the State to redistribute land more equitably, this was followed by land acquisition for developmental projects that displaced Adivasis, Dalits and other vulnerable groups. Read the paper by Kaveri Thara and Ajey Sangai for ...

Asia and the Changing Global Economy: Rebuilding Growth Potential, authored by Anoop Singh, looks at fundamental issues from several perspectives in today’s complex global economy and provides invaluable lessons for what needs to be done to sustain the international framework for global trade and investment.

Comparing expenditure on Solid Waste Management (SWM) and cleanliness performance for 11 municipalities in India, Shishir Gupta and Rishita Sachdeva find out that there is no systematicity between increase in expenditure and improved performance.

The Indo-Sikkim Treaty of 1950 was a recognition of the fact that Tibet’s occupation by China had compromised India’s strategic interests and Sikkim had become of particular relevance to the future security of India.

Shivshankar Menon discusses history in the Indian tradition, the history that is current in India, some common current historical tropes, and why it matters. In the process it seeks to draw some real lessons of India’s history for our national security.

Jaimini Bhagwati, Distinguished Fellow, CSEP, and former Indian Foreign Service officer, talks to Constantino Xavier, Fellow, CSEP about the impact of the Russia-Ukraine crises on India's economic interests in the short and medium term.

Jahnavi Mukul's interview of Sanjoy Hazarika sheds light on the historical perspective and political developments in the North East India by exploring the overarching question of the NER’s difference with the rest of India.

The paper highlights the gaps in the Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas (SVAMITVA) scheme and suggests ways to address them along with proposing an evaluation system to be set in place.

In the first episode of In Dialogue, Shivshankar Menon, Distinguished Fellow, CSEP, and former NSA, talks to Constantino Xavier, Fellow, CSEP, about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, India’s stand, and the implications in the Indo-pacific region.

India has experienced considerable progress in health, in outcomes as also infrastructure. However, the task of addressing the health of India’s citizens remains an unfinished task.

Is media reporting linked to readers' interest? We revisit a paper by Shishir Gupta, Nandini Agnihotri and Sikim Chakraborty on what drives media reporting in India.

Tibet today has ceased to be a factor in India-China relations and India can no longer leverage its past relationship with Tibet for resolution of the present problem with China .

While the pandemic and some of the associated policy measures could reverse the recent downward trends in NPAs temporarily, more durable policy initiatives like bankruptcy reforms are expected to make significant positive changes in the NPA situation of Indian banks.

The paper attempts to take stock of what has been achieved in the COP-26 meetings held in Glasgow in November 2021 and suggest the course of action that developed countries should follow in subsequent negotiations.

The Sambandh blog attempts to understand the complex history of Ladakh and its transformation from being a bridge between the plains of India and Central Asia, to becoming a deeply contested and heavily guarded territory between China and India.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2022-23 on February 1. CSEP scholars Rakesh Mohan, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Vikram Singh Mehta, and Jaimini Bhagwati analyse the Budget and reflect on some of the key takeaways. 

From being a malleable concept, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has come to be strictly defined by legislation. Somewhat corresponding to this, the conversations around impact and governance in the social sector have started changing.

The Sambandh blog explores the mobility and the equilibrium surrounding the lives of the Muslim and Garo Christian communities in the volatile India - Banladesh border zones.

Jaimini Bhagwati examines the effectiveness of the 2016 Insolvency and Bankruptcy Act (IBC) as the most recent legislation to enable quicker resolution of disputes between borrowers and lenders thus encouraging higher volumes of long-term lending.

India is surrounded by neighbours increasingly confronted by conflict and civil war. Understanding how rebel groups build legitimacy and come to govern large civilian populations is critical for New Delhi to craft suitable and innovative policy responses.

Shivshankar Menon suggests crucial domestic factors which have driven China’s path and examines some implications of the role in shaping China’s policy choices.

Rajesh Chadha and Ishita Kapoor analyse the collection, allocation, and expenditure patterns in India’s top 12 mining states through a DMF Utilisation Index (DMFUI).

While the expansion of mining activities may benefit the affected local communities, it may harm them if their benefits do not offset the negative impact on their habitat and earnings.

The progress on several indicators since the 2014-15 survey points to the success of interventions on various fronts, although a cross-year comparison reveals that progress has slowed down for many states.

With a predominantly family health and infectious disease focus, India’s health system is not well geared to deal with the increasing burden of noncommunicable diseases.

The changes being proposed by the government for delicensing distribution and allowing multiple discoms in the same geographical area are unlikely to solve the problems in the power sector, particularly regarding the poor financial health of discoms.

This policy brief focuses on one very specific element: the question of how a meaningful participation of Asian, African, and Latin American democracies can best be encouraged and ensured. The paper offers 5 ideas for maximizing their future involvement.

Results from this note may be used for partial and general equilibrium models (PE and GE) to analyse the impacts of climate-change mitigation policies on the economy, people, and environment.

India and Pakistan have, in the past, entered a dialogue process in the wake of intensely violent periods. The Kashmir talks that began in 2004 are an example.

It is important that the approach used in India for setting and implementation of targets pays attention to, not only environmental impacts, but also the affordability of electricity, and reliability of the power system.

India of 2030 will look very different from an institutional setting and that will perhaps be the core driver of all the surface changes that we will encounter.

Riya Sinha interviews David Brenner on the dynamics of conflict and explores how to engage with EAOs (Ethnic Armed Organisations) in constructive ways in the Myanmar borderland.

Our results indicate that while SWM expenditure per capita is positive and statistically significant at 1% level, waste generation is completely insignificant, argues Shishir Gupta and Rishita Sachdeva.

Hazarika’s Paradigms of Paradiplomacy in the Northeast is pioneering in shedding light on the paradiplomatic efforts made by these North-eastern states, with a particular focus on Assam.

Shaonlee Patranabis and Sahil Gandhi analyse slum laws from three states, studying two approaches to improvement of slums—redevelopment, and provision of property rights.

The best short-term target India could offer would be a planned phasing out of coal based power generation.

The blog explores Sri Lanka’s non-aligned strategy over the years, and the country’s multipronged approach to secure its interests.

India needs to undertake serious research and build a policy framework of being self-reliant in clean energy and high-tech equipment by acting fast on exploring and excavating critical minerals and setting up investments in the downstream value chain of requisite manufacturing equipment at home.

Becoming zero is important, but “date of net-zero” is incomplete, lacking any measure of what the date should be. “Sooner is better” remains a motherhood statement.

India has some of the most aggressive RE targets in the world. How can we offer solutions to balance the electricity grid and osupply and demand?

Anoop Singh and Kevin James and others discuss ways to improve India's human capital indicators.

On the one-year anniversary of CSEP, we bring you eight essential readings on the Indian economy.

Riya Sinha interviews Sanjay Kathuria and Priya Mathur on the changing scenario of the Northeast Region (NER) of India.

The 2015 MMDR amendment introduced the auctions regime, ending first come, first serve allocations, but the system needs a review

Is the experience of borders and boundaries in South Asia different from other regions of the world?

How Sri Lanka's internal politics and socio-economic changes under the Rajapaksas-led government inform Colombo's foreign policy

Amish Raj Mulmi on his new book, All Roads Lead North: Nepal’s Turn to China, and how Nepal views its northern neighbour

In Pallavi Raghavan's new book, we find out how a history of India-Pakistan cooperation 70 years ago matters to foreign policy now

How India’s Integrated Check Posts at its borders with Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Pakistan facilitate regional connectivity

Rakesh Mohan discusses the role of Reserve Bank of India in fighting the economic impact of Covid-19 and the ensuing lockdown.

In this edition, Saneet Chakradeo interviews Ankur Sharma on the parallel currency market in India-Bhutan borderlands

The Next Stop, edited by Vikram Singh Mehta, features 38 global experts on a comprehensive roadmap for India’s natural gas sector.

In this edition, Nitika Nayar interviews Bérénice Guyot-Réchard on her recent work on India and Burma's 'unfinished partition'.

This discussion note argues that India needs to benchmark its fiscal architecture to 21st century international standards.

In this edition, we interview Sunil Amrith on his book Unruly Waters: How Mountain Rivers and Monsoons Have Shaped South Asia’s History.

In this edition, we interview Galen Murton, and Austin Lord, on their article, ‘Trans-Himalayan power corridors: Infrastructural politics and China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Nepal’

This paper introduces the concept of a Sustainable Mining Attractiveness Index to evaluate the mining sustainability in the districts of the Indian state of Jharkhand.

As large parts of Bengaluru remain under water, we revisit a paper by Shishir Gupta and Rishita Sachdeva on the role of funding in delivering better urban services. Using SWM as an example, the authors argue that service delivery levels can increase significantly without spending (much) ...

In this edition, we interview Stuti Bhatnagar on her book “India's Pakistan Policy: How Think Tanks Are Shaping Foreign Relations.”

This paper examines the possibilities for natural gas in India’s energy mix, both through the lens of competitive economic viability as well as the impact its use might have, notably, on carbon emissions.

The study reveals the state of property rights in India and presents an analyses of issues pertaining to security of tenure.

The Model Tenancy Act can improve rent control legislation and contract enforcement to bring vacant houses into the market.

The third generation of economic reforms must direct attention to improving the government’s own competence, at all levels.

In this edition, Riya Sinha interviews Dr. Tina Harris, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Amsterdam, on her book chapter, “The Mobile and Material in Himalayan Borderlands.”

This paper reviews how regionalism is making a comeback in the Bay of Bengal, the challenges of connectivity, and the opportunities and limitations of India’s new approach to BIMSTEC.

This discussion note suggests an integrated approach to addressing the retirement of older coal plants, installation of ECS, etc,.

This visual essay covers fieldwork and findings on how land acquisition and related challenges have delayed strategic infrastructure projects.

How rent control and weak contract enforcement produce unoccupied units and a housing shortage at the same time.

We have curated a list of non-fiction must-reads, handpicked by our scholars, here at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress. Happy reading!

The study looks at the evolving dynamics of the civil society/non-profit sector and examines variations in governance, changes in funding etc. which influence positive outcomes, while also looking at what constitutes positive outcomes.

The study confirms that high‐skilled workers gain greater benefits from living in cities with a rising college share, as the increase in their wage premiums outweighs their rent growth.

Himalayan geopolitics is defined by a complex web of political and cultural ties among the diverse sects of Buddhism.

There is growing public concern in Bhutan regarding India’s increasing development cooperation in the country over the last few years.

No discussion of India's energy future can ignore coal. Across 18 chapters, drawing from leading experts in the field, this book examines all aspects of coal's future in India.

The world is on the cusp of an epochal change in global economic power, not seen since the start of the Industrial Revolution.

The Odisha Input-Output Transactions Table for 2015-16 depicts intersectoral intermediate transactions across 76 sectors of the state’s economy, the final demand for consumption and investment, and trade flows.

The leading cause of injury for older Americans is falls in the home, resulting in more deaths than any other injury, as well as a significant portion of Medicare spending.

The Ministry of Mines issued a notice on proposed reforms in the mining sector under nine different categories. This blog piece gives recommendations and suggestions in response to these reforms as well as additional comments on making the mining sector a catalyst for economic growth and ...

DisComs needs support in the coming months, exacerbated by COVID-19, which has hurt revenues more than the reduction in demand.

The mining royalty rates in India are among the highest in the world. This discussion note takes a view of the various systems of mineral royalty and their implementation for different minerals in India over time and compares it with the systems implemented on other mining ...

The Indian government’s proposed EIA draft has been criticised for diluting the environment assessment process. What are good international precedents that India can follow?

The coal transition is already underway. There may be a lot of uncertainty, but what is even more certain is that the future will not look like the past – and it shouldn’t. The future should be cleaner, more inclusive, more efficient, and more secure, not ...

Mirza Sadaqat Huda’s book offers unique insights into addressing the underlying problems in regional energy cooperation.

India must improve collaboration with neighbours and leverage regional institutions for disaster management.

Land acquisition and lack of coordination has delayed India's development cooperation projects in neighbouring countries

Introduction Tourism is an important metric of a country’s soft power potential, marked by an increase in movement of people and enabling people-to-people connectivity. Over the last two decades, South Asia has emerged as an attractive tourist destination due to its natural and cultural diversity, and ...

After decades of public-sector dominance, and controls that relegated the private sector to minority status in coal mining, India recently launched commercial coal mining via coal mine auctions. Proponents argue this will help bring in not just more capital and improved technology, but also improve the quality of production and ...

In this edition, Dr. Constantino Xavier interviews Dr. Sonam Kinga on his book “Democratic Transition in Bhutan: Political Contests as Moral Battles” published in October 2019 by Routledge India. The Himalayan kingdoms of Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan offer comparative insights on how traditional Hindu and Buddhist ...

In this edition, Sofia Shehana Basheer interviews Dr. Manjeet S. Pardesi on his recent work on South Asian international history. The paper titled “Mughal Hegemony and the Emergence of South Asia as a “Region” for Regional Order-building” was published in the European Journal of International Relations, ...

Over the past decade, India's mining sector, including the non-fuel mineral sector, has been marred by countless controversies.

In this edition of our blog series, Umika Chanana interviews Dr. Anwesha Dutta on her article “Forest becomes frontline: Conservation and counter-insurgency in a space of violent conflict in Assam, Northeast India” published in Political Geography Vol. 77, 2020. In the article [1], Dr. Anwesha Dutta construes the ...

The arrival of COVID-19 in India led to a lockdown requiring 1.3 billion people to stay at home. Economic activity, at least in the first two versions of the lockdown, almost came to a standstill. By many standards, this was the world’s strictest lockdown. Total demand ...

On May 8, India’s defence minister virtually inaugurated a new 80 km-long road in the Himalayas, connecting to the border with China, at the Lipulekh pass. The Nepali government protested immediately, contending that the road crosses territory that it claims and accusing India of changing the ...

Introduction While there is rich extant literature on India’s dependence on and its long-term need for natural gas and coal, there is not a similar understanding of non-fuel minerals, particularly the critical minerals. A study by the Department of Science and Technology and the Council on ...

Few would dispute that change is required in the legislative and regulatory framework of the power sector in India.

Q. Given your expertise in South Asia, by making use of the framework established within comparative politics how do you make sense of India’s South Asian policies in recent times? To what extent does it differ for various regional settings such as BIMSTEC, BBIN, and SAARC? ...

In this edition of the Sambandh blog, Riya Sinha interviews Dr. Elisabeth Leake and Dr. Daniel Haines on their article, Lines of (In)Convenience: Sovereignty and Border-Making in Postcolonial South Asia, 1947-1965, published in the Journal of Asian Studies. The article combines archival history methodology with conceptual ...

This study measures the change in electricity demand in response to weather shocks at the household level in Delhi, and at various aggregate levels in India.

Introduction Despite geographical proximity and the existence of bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements (FTAs), South Asia is one of the least economically integrated regions in the world. Owing to protectionist policies, high logistics cost, lack of political will and a broader trust deficit, intra-regional trade ...

The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act of 1957 regulates the mining sector in India, including specifying the rules for the allocation of mining leases. The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2015 introduced, amongst other changes, the system of auctions to be ...

COVID has unleashed a relatively unique global pandemic with economic, human, and institutional upheavals that haven’t been seen in generations. Economies are in a tailspin, and employment has been one of the biggest casualties beyond direct human health. The collapse of both liquidity and economic activity ...

For decades, India-Bangladesh relations were marred by the question of a comprehensive settlement of the land boundary between both countries, an important aspect of which included facilitating the belated exchange of border enclaves. These were pockets of land embedded entirely in the foreign territory of its ...

I. Economic Growth and Trade Covid-19 has hit the world hard. As on May 11, 2020, there have been a total of 4,215,274 positive cases across the world with 284,672 reported deaths. The U.S. has suffered the highest number of 80,800 deaths. India has reported 67,724 ...

The Prime Minister of India held a meeting on April 30, 2020 to consider reforms in the mines and coal sector to jump-start the Indian economy in the backdrop of COVID-19. The mining sector, which is a primary supplier of raw materials to the manufacturing and ...

India finds itself in an increasingly dangerous world, one that is fragmenting and slowing down economically.

Saneet Chakradeo interviews Rohan Mukherjee and Darren Lim on their article “Hedging in South Asia: balancing economic and security interests amid Sino-Indian competition” published in International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, 2019. Q. In your article [1], you write on the concept of hedging, which describes the ...

These steps can make India's mineral asset allocation process more transparent and create a competitive exploration environment.

India has been highly susceptible to the spread of pandemics. The 1918 pandemic caused devastation across the country, with an excess mortality of 4.5%. While a century has passed since then, the present conditions of dense living and a weak public healthcare system makes the possibility ...

Regional connectivity in South Asia faces challenges that are unique to the region. According to a recent Policy Brief under our regional connectivity initiative, Sambandh, South Asia is arguably the least connected region in the world. Nepal is unique owing to various factors ranging from its terrain, ...

In March 2020, the Government of India passed the Mineral Laws Amendment Bill 2020, which amends the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act), alongside the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 (CMSP Act). For the non-coal mining sector, a key reason for ...

In this edition of our blog series on issues related to India’s neighborhood connectivity, Nidhi Varma interviews Avinash Paliwal, on his recent work “A Cat’s Paw of Indian Reactionaries”? Strategic Rivalry and Domestic Politics at the India–China–Myanmar Tri-Junction published in Asian Security, 2020.  Avinash is the Deputy Director of ...

In wake the of the growing COVID-19 crisis and the strain on healthcare resources, India’s finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on March 26 announced that District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds can be used by state governments to augment healthcare. This includes supplementing healthcare facilities, screening and testing ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has sent shockwaves throughout the global economy. Some economies have been affected more severely than others. It started with a few deaths in Wuhan, China, with the earliest reported case on November 17, 2019. By December 31, 2019, when the Chinese authorities first ...

China's total investment in India exceeds an estimated US$26 billion, exceeding official estimates by 25%.

Impact of temperature on electricity demand: Evidence from Delhi and Indian states

Coronavirus cases are quickly increasing across the globe, with just 580 reported cases (on January 22, 2020), in the span of a few weeks, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases have increased to over half a million across the world. The surge in coronavirus cases ...

With growing number of coronavirus cases in India (and worldwide), policymakers have sprung into action – more information is being disseminated about preventive measures such as hand washing and not touching the face. Social distancing has been suggested as a tool to “flatten the curve”, or ...

In the first of our blog series on issues related to India’s neighbourhood connectivity, Nidhi Varma interviews Mirza Zulfiqur Rahman, Visiting Research Associate, Institute of Chinese Studies, Delhi on his recent work in antiAtlas Journal “Informal Markets and Fuzzy Flows in Fragile Border Zones.” Q: In ...

This paper considers the impact that the shrinking rental sector has had on the opportunities for Indians to migrate.

Introduction India has long been an education hub for students from its neighbourhood.[2] Besides economic benefits, India’s capacity to attract students from neighbouring countries has helped it to form closer political ties and spread its cultural influence and values to the surrounding region. India’s ability to ...

Healthcare expenditure is financed through various sources in a country. It can be financed by the government (state or union), insurance schemes (public or private) or borne by households directly in the form of out-of-pocket expenditures (OOPE). More financing by the government implies less financial burden ...

Emerging economies are expected to experience the highest growth in energy demand in the coming decades, mostly because they are starting from a low or modest base. This means their future energy trajectories must be at an intersection of inclusive, affordable, and sustainable growth. However, for all ...

The India Input-Output Transactions Table for 2015-16 depicts intersectoral intermediate transactions across 131 sectors of the economy as well as the final demand for consumption and investment, and international trade flows.

Marked by a history of political divisions, economic differences, and geostrategic divergences, the Indian subcontinent remains deeply divided, with exceptionally low levels of integration. No other regional power is as disconnected from its immediate neighbourhood as India. Recognising this disconnect as a challenge to India’s economic ...

India's mining sector can be a catalyst for the growth and development of the manufacturing sector and the economy as a whole.

This paper examines enrolment trends, graduation and employment patterns and the quality of Higher Education Institutions in India.

On November 4, 2019, Brookings India hosted the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a panel discussion around reforms based on inclusive and sustainable growth in South Asia with a particular focus on India. The IMF paper, titled “Is South Asia Ready for Take Off? A Sustainable ...

On January 26, 2018, the 68th anniversary of India becoming a republic, New Delhi hosted the leaders of all 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – from the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte to Indonesia’s Joko Widodo, Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi to ...

This is a tentative and an exploratory analysis to assess the productivity of the Supreme Court of India (SC) under different Chief Justices of India (CJI) in terms of accomplished adjudications, which is its core function. In particular, we study the number of judgements passed by ...

The Indian power sector value chain can be broadly segmented into generation, transmission, and distribution sectors. At an all-India level, the total installed generation capacity was 3,56,100.19 MW as on March 31, 2019 (provisional). The peak load demand of 1,75,528 MW during FY 2018-19 was largely met, considering ...