-The Hindu Business Line Clientelism - tying benefits to political choices - cannot work because voting preferences cannot be ascertained. Do parties and their local agents link access to government services and benefits from government welfare schemes to how voters vote, or are expected to vote? This political strategy, which social scientists refer to as clientelism, depends on a massive investment in local leaders who collect information on voters' party preferences, vote choices...
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Retail Inflation Slows to 9.87% in December
-Outlook Some moderation in vegetable and fruit prices eased December retail inflation to three-month low of 9.87 per cent, giving the Reserve Bank of India more leeway to manage interest rates. Inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for November has been revised marginally downwards to 11.16 per cent from preliminary estimate of 11.24 per cent. Vegetable prices on annual basis rose 38.76 per cent in December, a slower pace than...
More »Failing to build on success -CP Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh
-The Hindu Business Line Whatever the criticisms against the UPA government may be, its effort to provide employment to large sections of the population under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act must be lauded. Yet, after the initial success of the scheme, the enthusiasm of the Central government itself seems to have diminished in its second term in power. How palpable is the shift to lower gear? Representatives of the UPA...
More »AAP delivers on water promise, but bills to rise for big consumers -Neha Lalchandani
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday kept its promise of free water - 20 kilolitres per month or an average of about 660 litres a day per family - but it came with a rider and a whammy for bigger water consumers. The rider is that if consumption exceeds 20 kl, you would be billed for the entire water consumed, and the whammy was that...
More »Census reveals only marginal increase in the differently-abled population-Aarti Dhar
-The Hindu From 21.9 million in 2001, it has gone up to 26.8 million in 10 years - 2.13% to 2.21% The latest Census figures on disabilities have shown only a marginal increase in the number of differently-abled people in the country with the figure rising from 21.9 million in 2001 to 26.8 million in 10 years. In percentage terms, it has risen from 2.13 per cent to 2.21 per cent, as...
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