Faculty and researcher of economics with a demonstrated history of working in several academic and policy research institutes. Skilled in quantitative modelling and applied econometrics, public economic policies and environmental resources. Graduated from University of Calcutta.
Background: Economic freedom enhances capabilities, incentives and returns on productive efforts ... more Background: Economic freedom enhances capabilities, incentives and returns on productive efforts providing financial assistance, technical knowledge and an effective legal system in agriculture. The study evaluates economic freedom to enhance farm-level efficiency and has identified and assessed four determinants of economic freedom that assumed a positive association with farm-level efficiency. Methods: The principal component analysis is used to measure freedom indices through factor loadings or weights. A questionnaire is designed to assess qualitative responses quantitatively collected through a primary survey in the reference year 2020-21 from one of the agriculturally leading states of India. Result: The study found a strong relationship between farm-size and freedom indices, although the extent of the determinants varies across farms. The weighted mean of economic freedom for medium farmers is higher than that of small, marginal and landless farmers, which reflects the averag...
ABSTRACT: Under a framework for the measurement of social capital at the local decentralized inst... more ABSTRACT: Under a framework for the measurement of social capital at the local decentralized institutions related to three sample female forest protection committees (FPCs) and three joint FPCs, where most of the members live below poverty line and are dependent on food-livelihood security from forest resources, in Bankura district of West Bengal, this paper examines whether social capital is important for the successful development outcomes in female FPCs compared with joint FPCs where women’s involvement is insignificant. This study suggests that the level of social capital is higher for all female FPCs because there already exists the tradition of community solidarity and more developed network of relationships based on cultural norms, absence or poor presence of traditional ascriptive hierarchies, endemic factionalism and common identity that contribute in building an inner dynamic of the development of social capital.
The Government of India has recently announced that Kerala, Punjab, and West Bengal are fiscally ... more The Government of India has recently announced that Kerala, Punjab, and West Bengal are fiscally unsound at the level of general category states. The study reviews this projection and assesses their financial stability and sustainability along the debt-deficit spiral over time. [IEG Working Paper No.329].
Asian Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development, 2021
The study aims to explore labor freedom in the agricultural sector for enhancing the efficiency o... more The study aims to explore labor freedom in the agricultural sector for enhancing the efficiency of farming through policy change towards assigning property rights, rental contracts, and better wage-employment options to rural workers. Labor freedom emphasizes land reform and development policy for improving the economic status and capabilities of rural workers. The paper assessed the labor freedom index, weighted through agricultural property rights, labor wage contracts, and rural development policy. Data envelopment analysis is used to assess farm-level efficiency under the framework of Tobit regression for different size-based farm categories. Farm-level information was collected through a primary survey of 336 rural households of an advanced agricultural state in India. The study found a positive association between farm size and intensity of labor freedom, although the extent of freedom differs among farms. Size-specific variation was also observed for allocative efficiency suc...
The non-governmental but non-profit organisations seem to have occupied a critical space in finan... more The non-governmental but non-profit organisations seem to have occupied a critical space in financing and delivery of health care services at societal needs with limited but critical resources to bridge the gap between deficiency in public sector facilities and unaffordability of for-profit operations. Present study based on a national level primary survey of non-governmental sector in India finds that they are imperative in filling the void, especially providing preventive and promotive health care services. It is observed that this sector contributed around 2.1% of overall health financing in country with a wide variation across subnational states. These organisations generate resources largely from the governments and development partners to facilitate achieving key goals and deliver outcomes to targeted beneficiaries.
Abstract This study suggests gender-sensitive planning for rural community driven forest manageme... more Abstract This study suggests gender-sensitive planning for rural community driven forest management programmes is a favourable way to increase women’s income and reduce the time women spend searching for forest produce and completing ancillary tasks, such as processing. Using primary collected data from a province in India, outcomes from a pioneer attempt to run a gender-sensitive participatory forestry programme were compared with more traditional practices. Notably, women in villages with a female-headed local forest management unit were found to be the major contributor to their family’s income which was received from forest sources after the programme was initiated.
Working Paper No. 11 (2009) Author Nimai Das CanJointForestManagementProgramme Sustain Rural Life... more Working Paper No. 11 (2009) Author Nimai Das CanJointForestManagementProgramme Sustain Rural Life?. A Livelihood Analysis from Community-based Forest Management Groups. NIMAIDAS This empirical study assesses the impact of community-based initiative under ...
This article is based on a study of Public Expenditure Review of Health Spending in Selected Stat... more This article is based on a study of Public Expenditure Review of Health Spending in Selected States of India as part of research project Strengthening Ecosystem for Sustainable and Inclusive Health Financing in India (SESSIHFI). It is observed that the growth of tied fund to health in real term is much lower than the untied one during 14th FC period irrespective of category of states as EAG and Non-EAG. In search of the root of such shrinkage in tied component, it observed that there is a negative growth of central tied transfer to health between 13th to 14th FCs in both EAG and Non-EAG states. A very comprehensive level of analysis using Demand for Grant of several state-budgets since 2010-11 to till date shows that while the growth of tied fund directly devoted to communicable diseases is affirmative (excepting Chhattisgarh), a serous negative growth of expenditure on non-communicable diseases is observed for most of the EAG states and a few Non-EAG states during 14th FC period.
The stability of federal transfers system in long run to be achieved if both the forms of transfe... more The stability of federal transfers system in long run to be achieved if both the forms of transfers, that is to say central devolution (centre to state) and state contribution (state to centre) are stationary and cointegrated. Prior to analyze this issue, it offers a comparative picture of the states with net gain/loss from federal transfers over time. Though, the central resource pools are constantly welled-off by resource mobilizations of the states, the financial devolution patterns however failed to address any corrective measures in favor of the fiscally unhealthy states.
Background: Economic freedom enhances capabilities, incentives and returns on productive efforts ... more Background: Economic freedom enhances capabilities, incentives and returns on productive efforts providing financial assistance, technical knowledge and an effective legal system in agriculture. The study evaluates economic freedom to enhance farm-level efficiency and has identified and assessed four determinants of economic freedom that assumed a positive association with farm-level efficiency. Methods: The principal component analysis is used to measure freedom indices through factor loadings or weights. A questionnaire is designed to assess qualitative responses quantitatively collected through a primary survey in the reference year 2020-21 from one of the agriculturally leading states of India. Result: The study found a strong relationship between farm-size and freedom indices, although the extent of the determinants varies across farms. The weighted mean of economic freedom for medium farmers is higher than that of small, marginal and landless farmers, which reflects the averag...
ABSTRACT: Under a framework for the measurement of social capital at the local decentralized inst... more ABSTRACT: Under a framework for the measurement of social capital at the local decentralized institutions related to three sample female forest protection committees (FPCs) and three joint FPCs, where most of the members live below poverty line and are dependent on food-livelihood security from forest resources, in Bankura district of West Bengal, this paper examines whether social capital is important for the successful development outcomes in female FPCs compared with joint FPCs where women’s involvement is insignificant. This study suggests that the level of social capital is higher for all female FPCs because there already exists the tradition of community solidarity and more developed network of relationships based on cultural norms, absence or poor presence of traditional ascriptive hierarchies, endemic factionalism and common identity that contribute in building an inner dynamic of the development of social capital.
The Government of India has recently announced that Kerala, Punjab, and West Bengal are fiscally ... more The Government of India has recently announced that Kerala, Punjab, and West Bengal are fiscally unsound at the level of general category states. The study reviews this projection and assesses their financial stability and sustainability along the debt-deficit spiral over time. [IEG Working Paper No.329].
Asian Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development, 2021
The study aims to explore labor freedom in the agricultural sector for enhancing the efficiency o... more The study aims to explore labor freedom in the agricultural sector for enhancing the efficiency of farming through policy change towards assigning property rights, rental contracts, and better wage-employment options to rural workers. Labor freedom emphasizes land reform and development policy for improving the economic status and capabilities of rural workers. The paper assessed the labor freedom index, weighted through agricultural property rights, labor wage contracts, and rural development policy. Data envelopment analysis is used to assess farm-level efficiency under the framework of Tobit regression for different size-based farm categories. Farm-level information was collected through a primary survey of 336 rural households of an advanced agricultural state in India. The study found a positive association between farm size and intensity of labor freedom, although the extent of freedom differs among farms. Size-specific variation was also observed for allocative efficiency suc...
The non-governmental but non-profit organisations seem to have occupied a critical space in finan... more The non-governmental but non-profit organisations seem to have occupied a critical space in financing and delivery of health care services at societal needs with limited but critical resources to bridge the gap between deficiency in public sector facilities and unaffordability of for-profit operations. Present study based on a national level primary survey of non-governmental sector in India finds that they are imperative in filling the void, especially providing preventive and promotive health care services. It is observed that this sector contributed around 2.1% of overall health financing in country with a wide variation across subnational states. These organisations generate resources largely from the governments and development partners to facilitate achieving key goals and deliver outcomes to targeted beneficiaries.
Abstract This study suggests gender-sensitive planning for rural community driven forest manageme... more Abstract This study suggests gender-sensitive planning for rural community driven forest management programmes is a favourable way to increase women’s income and reduce the time women spend searching for forest produce and completing ancillary tasks, such as processing. Using primary collected data from a province in India, outcomes from a pioneer attempt to run a gender-sensitive participatory forestry programme were compared with more traditional practices. Notably, women in villages with a female-headed local forest management unit were found to be the major contributor to their family’s income which was received from forest sources after the programme was initiated.
Working Paper No. 11 (2009) Author Nimai Das CanJointForestManagementProgramme Sustain Rural Life... more Working Paper No. 11 (2009) Author Nimai Das CanJointForestManagementProgramme Sustain Rural Life?. A Livelihood Analysis from Community-based Forest Management Groups. NIMAIDAS This empirical study assesses the impact of community-based initiative under ...
This article is based on a study of Public Expenditure Review of Health Spending in Selected Stat... more This article is based on a study of Public Expenditure Review of Health Spending in Selected States of India as part of research project Strengthening Ecosystem for Sustainable and Inclusive Health Financing in India (SESSIHFI). It is observed that the growth of tied fund to health in real term is much lower than the untied one during 14th FC period irrespective of category of states as EAG and Non-EAG. In search of the root of such shrinkage in tied component, it observed that there is a negative growth of central tied transfer to health between 13th to 14th FCs in both EAG and Non-EAG states. A very comprehensive level of analysis using Demand for Grant of several state-budgets since 2010-11 to till date shows that while the growth of tied fund directly devoted to communicable diseases is affirmative (excepting Chhattisgarh), a serous negative growth of expenditure on non-communicable diseases is observed for most of the EAG states and a few Non-EAG states during 14th FC period.
The stability of federal transfers system in long run to be achieved if both the forms of transfe... more The stability of federal transfers system in long run to be achieved if both the forms of transfers, that is to say central devolution (centre to state) and state contribution (state to centre) are stationary and cointegrated. Prior to analyze this issue, it offers a comparative picture of the states with net gain/loss from federal transfers over time. Though, the central resource pools are constantly welled-off by resource mobilizations of the states, the financial devolution patterns however failed to address any corrective measures in favor of the fiscally unhealthy states.
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