Dynamics of rural-urban migration in India: 1960-1981

"This paper analyzes a multi-sectoral simulation model of the Indian economy designed to isolate the sources of Indian economic growth and urbanization since 1960. The model shares many common traits with other computable general equilibrium (CGE) simulation models, and its underlying framework is neoclassical. The model stresses spatial issues so that it can provide predictions on rural/urban labor demands, and hence on migration flows. The central issue we seek to evaluate is whether a neoclassical development paradigm can explain adequately the somewhat paradoxical patterns of urbanization and economic growth observed in India since 1960. Our conclusion is a qualified, affirmative response, based on the model's ability to replicate key macroeconomic variables."     

Globalisation and Gender Inequality: Evidence from Labour Market in India

This paper examines quantitative and qualitative dimensions of employment issues in India from gender lens. Inequality in quantitative aspects have been analysed gender gap in work participation, composition and structure of employment. The study finds that female work participation in India has declined sharply despite faster economic growth and improvement in female literacy outcomes. The magnitude of decline is sharper in case of illiterate, women from less privileged class and rural backgrounds. Similarly, even after two decades of economic reform, female workers are highly concentrated in low productive, less remunerative and unpaid family labour category of self employment activities. Considering the qualitative dimension of jobs, the paper finds that the condition of female workers are more vulnerable as they are highly concentrated in informal sector and informal jobs with no employment security, no social security, and are being paid relatively lower wages compared to male workers in most of the sub-sector. The paper argues for an urgent policy intervention to ensure access to decent jobs and to provide protection to these vulnerably placed women workers.

     

Valuing The Beneficts of Air Pollution Abatement Using a Health Production Function A Case Study of Panipat Thermal Power Station, India

The Indian economy today is highly prone to industrial pollution and ismaking compliance decisions in order to meet environmental standards.Environmental regulations impose significant costs upon industry that arefairly high and, therefore, require economic justification. This justificationcan be given by estimating the benefits associated with these costs. Whilethe scientific rationale behind air quality preservation is well understood,its economic rationale for a developing country like India, has to beverified. The objective of the present paper is to estimate the economicvalue that people in an urban area in India (Panipat Thermal Power Station(PTPS) Colony in Panipat, Haryana) place upon improving the air quality.The dose-response method, based on the Gerking and Stanley (1986) model,is used to estimate the economic benefits of air quality improvement. Theseestimates range from one to two percent of monthly income. Income andhealth status variables were significant determinants of peoples'willingness to pay (WTP) for air quality improvements. This lends supportto the neo-conventional wisdom `act now to protect the environment beforeit is too late'. These people are ready to pay for environmentalimprovements. We do believe, however, that the relatively successfulapplication of the dose response method at PTPS colony suggests that thetechnique can be more widely applied in developing countries like India.     

The role of export-driven entrepreneurship in economic development: A comparison of software exports from India, China, and Taiwan

In the puzzle of economic development, there is moderate agreement around one issue: that entrepreneurial, export-led development is likely to produce higher economic growth rates than inward-looking development. This paper begins by taking an overall look at the size and competitiveness of the economies of India, China, and Taiwan, with particular reference to the software and the information technology (IT) sectors. It then focuses on the role of software export entrepreneurship in India and Taiwan as exemplars for other sectors and for formulation of government policy. In Taiwan, successful exporters constitute a model deemed worthy for other companies to emulate. In India, whether the booming software sector will prove to be a sufficient exemplar and catalyst for change throughout the economy and government remains an open question. The paper concludes by taking a look at another related export sector—IT-enabled service exports. Throughout the various sections of the paper, government policy implications remain an important backdrop.     

Export-led Growth in South Asia: A Panel Cointegration Analysis

Abstract

In this paper, we attempt to examine the export-led and manufacturing export-led growth hypothesis for four South Asian Countries; namely, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, using Pedroni’s panel cointegration technique for the period 1980–2002. In this context we estimate growth accounting equations to investigate the impact of exports, manufacturing exports and other important physical and human capital variables on both total GDP and non-export GDP. The study finds long-run equilibrium relationship between GDP (and non-export GDP) and exports along with other variables supporting export-led growth hypothesis. The results also substantiate the existence of manufacturing export-led growth hypothesis. Further, we find that export, fixed capital formation, public expenditure on health and education have statistically significant coefficients re-emphasizing the importance of these variables for higher economic growth.     

Is globalization detrimental to financial development? Further evidence from a very large emerging economy with significant orientation towards policies

This study attempts to explore the relationship between globalization and financial development by endogenizing economic growth, population density, inflation and institutional quality for India during the period from 1971–2013. Using the more conclusivecombined cointegration method, the study provides evidence of cointegration among these variables. The long-run and short-run estimates from the ARDL model and causality tests, respectively, suggest that globalization in its all forms (political, social and economic) and its overall measure as well as inflation are detrimental to financial development, while economic growth and population density both promote financial development. Furthermore, the results also point out that institutional quality is not conducive to financial development in India, and there exists a feedback effect between financial development and inflation. Moreover, financial development is influenced by economic growth, institutional quality and population density.     

From families to formal contracts: An approach to development

This paper develops a theory in which individuals can use one of two types of human/social capital to enforce contracts: “Local capital” relies on families and other personal networks; “market capital” relies on impersonal market institutions such as auditors and courts. Local capital is efficient when most trading is local, but only market capital can support trading between strangers that allows extensive division of labor and industrialization. We show that economies with a low cost of accumulating local capital (say, because people live close together) are richer than economies with a high cost of accumulation when long distance trade is difficult, but are slower to transition to impersonal market exchange (industrialize) when long distance trade becomes feasible. The model provides one way to understand why the wealthiest economies in 1600 AD, China, India, and the Islamic Middle East, industrialized more slowly than the West. We report an array of historical evidence documenting the pre-industrial importance of family and kinship networks in China, India, and the Islamic world compared to Europe, and the modernization problems linked to local capital.     

Economic and other determinants of infant and child mortality in small developing countries: the case of Central America and the Caribbean

Inter-country differences in infant and child mortality are explained by looking at demographic, economic, health and educational factors. A model is presented in which the infant mortality rate, the child mortality rate, and the birth rate are endogenous. The model is tested using cross-national multiple regression analysis and simulations. The presence of simultaneity is confirmed. Introducing non-economic factors transforms the character of the relationship between exogenous and endogenous variables, from a 'diminishing returns' to an 'increasing returns' one. The role played by public expenditure in education, vaccination coverage, low birth weight, female schooling, number of nurses, access to safe water, or malnutrition can be assessed, as well as that played by 'structural adjustment' variables such as the inflation rate or the external debt to GNP ratio. Infant and child mortality can be diminished everywhere in the region with relatively small amounts of expenditure. Disappointing outcomes in some countries obey political rather than economic problems. It would be a mistake to blame the debt crisis.     

Determinants of rural-urban migration in Andhra Pradesh: an inter-district analysis

"This paper is an attempt to analyze the process of rural-urban migration based on the data relating to the ?Place of Birth' for Andhra Pradesh [India]. The specific objective of this study is to present a rigorous economic analysis of the process of inter-district rural-urban male migration as seen from 1971 migration data. With the help of a simple model...the direction and magnitude of relationships between selected explanatory variables and migration have been identified."     

The role of trade openness and investment in examining the energy-growth-pollution nexus: empirical evidence for China and India

Most of the existing literature dealing with the relationship between carbon emissions, energy consumption and economic growth either suffers from ignoring relevant variables such as trade openness or investment, or suffers from using econometric methods that are unable to distinguish between short- and long-term causality and are not robust to the degree of integration of time series used for the analysis. This article suggests using the autoregressive distributed lag approach along with additional explanatory variables such as measures of trade and investment to shed a new light on the link between emissions, energy consumption and income in the two largest and energy-intensive developing economies: China and India. Our results, over the 1971–2009 period, provide evidence that investment plays a major role in shaping the relationship between carbon emissions, energy consumption and income in China while this is not the case in India. Furthermore, trade openness is found to play a key function in the short term in China but does not contribute to the emissions-energy-growth scenario in India.     

Determinants of age at marriage in Karnataka during 1971-1981: a district level analysis

"In this paper we examined the interdistrict variations in mean age at marriage of males and females in Karnataka [India] in two points of time, 1971 and 1981, and also the possible factors influencing this variation....A multivariate analysis of the determinants of mean age at marriage in Karnataka showed that literacy rate, sex ratio of the population and percentage of villages electrified are important in explaining the regional and time variation in age at marriage of both sexes.... Our regression results indicated that a 10 per cent increase in female literacy rate is associated with approximately one-year increase in female age at marriage. However, neither the increase in female literacy nor the changes in the sex ratio of the population could explain all the increase in female age at marriage during 1971-81. This indirectly suggests that there was an increase in female age at marriage among all socio-economic groups."     

高校科技创新、空间溢出与区域经济发展

本文搜集整理了2008—2017年31个省(市、自治区)(因数据缺失,不包括港澳台地区)高校科技创新能力及区域经济发展的空间面板数据,在评价各省域高校科技创新能力基础上运用ArcGIS探寻两者的空间分布特征.利用空间面板模型对高校科技创新能力对区域经济发展的影响进行参数估计;选取时点固定效应的空间杜宾模型将各变量对经济发展的空间溢出效应进行分解.研究结果表明:一是高校科技创新能力和区域经济发展在地理空间上的集聚特征更加集中;二是解释变量高校科技创新能力和各控制变量的提高对区域经济发展水平有显著正向影响;三是空间效应分解后,按直接、间接和总效应的作用方向、数值大小和是否通过显著性水平检验,结果可分为三类.     

Indian women: well-being and survival

The authors examine sex differentials in sustenance and survival in developing countries using the example of India. Lower female life expectancy at birth and the declining ratio of females to males are discussed as evidence of female deprivation. Consideration is given to the feeding, survival, and neglect of female children, to differences in use of medical facilities by sex, and to regional differences by state. This pattern of discrimination is found to persist even in urban areas.     

Benefit-cost analysis of the Indian Family Welfare Programme

Periodic benefit-cost analyses of a family welfare program are essential to evaluate its effectiveness and identify areas in need of modification. Such analyses should include both an assessment of the demographic effectiveness of the family planning program and an economic analysis of its results. This paper reports on a benefit-cost analysis of the Family Welfare Program in India. Information is given on family welfare expenditures, the number of sterilzations performed, and the number of births averted in the 1966-79 period. The number of births averted was highest in 1972-73 (101.40 lakhs) and 1976-77 (259.90 lakhs), the 2 years in which the greatest number of sterilizations were performed. The benefit-cost ratio has declined from 82.06 to 7.05 in the 1966-79 period. This ratio was derived from data on family welfare expenditures and the value of averted births. The benefit-cost ratio growth rate has been -17%, indicating that benefits are not increasing with increases in expenditures. Projections for the 1980-2001 period suggest that the benefit-cost ratio will slightly increase to 11.31 in 1980-81 but again gradually decline to 8.75 by 2001. It is noted that this analysis fails to consider the impact of the family welfare program on productivity, capital accumulation, health status, and nutritional status, all of which have represented important assests. On the other hand, the average annual population growth rate of 2.23% indicated by the 1981 Census clearly points to a need to increase the number of family planning acceptors in India so that benefits are accelerated.     

Human capital and income inequality in India: is there a non-linear and asymmetric relationship?

The article attempts to provide empirical evidence on the relationship between human capital and income inequality in India in a non-linear and asymmetric framework. To capture both long-run and short-run asymmetries, we have employed the non-linear autoregressive distributed lag approach using the relevant data from 1970 to 2016. Findings of the article suggest that education expansion acts as a major factor in reducing prevailing high income inequality, that is an increase in average years of schooling results in more equal distribution of income. In contrast, high economic growth, inflation and trade openness create unequal distribution of income. The asymmetric causality test results indicate that there is unidirectional causality running from female human capital, economic growth and inflation to income inequality. From a policy perspective, we suggest that education expansion should be used as a powerful tool to mitigate income inequality by emphasizing the quality of education. At the same time, policies geared towards social benefits, inclusive education, training for unskilled workers and price stability should be encouraged to attain fair income distribution in India.     

Industrial Location and Spatial Inequality: Theory and Evidence from India

The authors argue that spatial inequality of industry location is a primary cause of spatial income inequality in developing nations. Their study focuses on understanding the process of spatial industrial variation: identifying the spatial factors that have cost implications for firms, and the factors that influence the location decisions of new industrial units. The analysis has two parts. First the authors examine the contribution of economic geography factors to the cost structure of firms in eight industry sectors and show that local industrial diversity is the one factor with significant and substantial cost‐reducing effects. They then show that new private sector industrial investments in India are biased toward existing industrial and coastal districts, whereas state industrial investments (in deep decline after structural reforms) are far less biased toward such districts. The authors conclude that structural reforms lead to increased spatial inequality in industrialization, and therefore, income.     

交通基础设施、空间溢出与经济增长:来自中国的实证研究

This paper develops an empirical model to test the spatial spillover effects of transport infrastructure on economic growth. It uses spatial econometric techniques and provincial panel data of China from 1993 to 2004 to analyze the contribution of transport infrastructure to the economic growth of local province and its spatial spillover effects on the economic growth of other provinces. The main findings include: (1) Transport infrastructure and economic growth of China show an evident pattern of spatial clustering. They largely congregate in developed eastern coastal regions, forming a gradient gradually diminishing from east to west. (2) Output elasticity of local transport infrastructure is 0.106, between the values calculated by early researchers with time series data and panel data. (3) Spatial output spillovers from transport infrastructure are largely positive, but evidences of negative spatial spillovers are also found with population density spatial weights matrix model.      

城际政府公共投资策略互动行为及其形成机制——基于278个地级及以上城市数据的实证分析

文章基于2007年收支分类改革后新的预算科目和278个地级及以上城市的数据,运用SLM、SEM、Durbin和SAC空间计量模型以及ML估计和工具变量GMM估计方法,通过设定相邻、地表距离和最临近三种空间地理矩阵以及工业化水平、土地出让金收入占比、房地产投资占比、城市化水平和FDI五种经济变量空间矩阵,对当前城市政府间公共投资类财政支出的策略互动情况进行了评估与甄别。结果发现,城市政府在相邻地理位置上的显著互动———以策略互补为主,具有特定的外部性范围和变化轨迹,而工业禀赋型、"土地"财政型和FDI型策略互动的影响则具有同质性,且总体低于以外溢效应和标尺效应为主要源泉的地理空间位置上的策略互动水平。最后,文章对相应理论和政策含义进行了探讨。