An autonomous research institute under the Ministry of Finance

 

Sharp fall in female labour force participation rate is not new, but is critical

05/04/2019

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(Coauthored with Namita Jain)
 
Fewer women working is a big problem but if DeMo is cited as the reason for this, how do you explain an equally sharp fall in FLFPR over long periods in the past?
 
The media attention has been …

How to analyse budget forecasting errors

04/04/2019

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Volatility in intergovernmental fiscal transfers has had significant impact on the forecasts of public deficits by state governments.

 

Does the ministry of finance produce biased budget forecasts in India? Does the electoral cycle predominantly determine the fiscal behaviour of the Centre? The answers …

“Parental Leave” as Fiscal policy: The Empirical Evidences from Sweden

03/12/2018

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If the fastest and smartest path towards economic growth is to increase the female labour force participation, one policy which can bring radical change is “parental leave” policy for child care. Making eligibility to paid parental leave “gender neutral” is an urgent policy reform to eliminate the distorted debates …

The Calculus of Consent: Why do we vote?

29/11/2018

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(Co-authored with Lekha Chakraborty)
 
Does democracy determine public expenditure decisions? With Nobel laureate Hurwicz’s revelation that it is impossible to have simultaneously a balanced budget, Pareto optimality (“you are better off without making anyone worse off”) and an incentive compatibility between Government and the citizens, …

Making fiscal transfers gender specific is important. Here’s why

26/11/2018

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(Co-authored with Lekha Chakraborty)
 
The Terms of Reference of Finance Commissions have expanded over the years, but concerns arising out of gender inequality have never been a part of ToR. This has happened in spite of the growing realisation that it is necessary to deal …