The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
The papers in the special issue on Rammanohar Lohia (EPW, 2 October 2010) did not dwell on the socialist leader’s thinking on local governance and local development, ideas which continue to be relevant today for rural development.
This document discusses the status of Panchayats and approach to roadmap, strengthening democratic functioning of the Panchayats, functions of the Panchayats, functionaries of the Panchayats, Panchayat finances and accounting, e-Panchayat, Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled areas) Act, decentralized governance in the north east states, legal framework & the road ahead.
Interest in Lokpal has revived, thanks to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's diktat on fighting corruption. Here is the lowdown on a watchdog that neither the political nor the administrative executives want.
2010 was a loud year for the environment. High profile projects—from Vedanta to Posco and Navi Mumbai airport to Lavasa—hit the headlines for non-compliance with environmental regulations. While 2009 was the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal gas tragedy, it was only last year that we were all outraged by the …
This World Economic Forum report provides an overview of 37 selected global risks as seen by members of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Councils and offers suggestions for coordinated policies that promote long-term growth. The World Economic Forum has published its Global Risks 2011 report, which suggests that global …
This paper provides guidance for local, national and international organisations responding to climate change on how to build "informational governance": the effective response that both incorporates ICTs into a strategy for external climate change action, and which utilises ICTs as a tool for the internal planning and implementation of organisational …
Big river basins are complex systems of people and nature. This article explores the resilience of nine case studies of big river basins. A system description and generic conceptual model suggests that resilience to changes in water quantity is critical. When water becomes limiting, the social-ecological system must adapt rapidly …
Four drafts and three years later, the Policy on Open Standards for e- Governance was finally released on November 15. The policy is a victory for the open source community fighting since 2007 for the use of free and open formats to manage and create digital data of the Centre …
This new UN report focuses on the current issues and challenges which national and local governments, the business sector and organised civil society are facing. It highlights several critical issues – demographic and economic trends, poverty and inequality, the environment, climate change and urban governance and management. The report throws …
At the request of the Planning Commission, Arghyam and WaterAid agreed to co-ordinate and support a process of civil society consultation for inputs on rural and urban drinking water and sanitation for generating recommendations for the Approach Paper to the 12th Five Year Plan of the Government of India. In …
This report aims to provide a first mapping of the global governance of biodiversity, through an investigation of the interactions between the various actors, institutions, norms, tools and processes that structure it. It chooses to do so by bringing together different visions or perceptions on the nature, shape and characteristics …
This paper critically analyzes the decision making systems behind the proposed Pune metro rail system and its detailed project report, and exposes many weaknesses in both. The decision making system is seen to be ad?hoc, and not sufficiently transparent or participative. The detailed project report suffers from many serious methodological …
This report identifies ways in which local governments can address climate change, both at the policy level and on the ground. It outlines approaches for national governments, development agencies and specialist climate change institutions to improve the performance of local governments in addressing climate change.
The Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation (MoFSC) has recently passed a proposal and drafted an amendment bill to revise the Forest Act 1993. This Act provided the legal foundation for community forestry programme in Nepal during the past two decades. However, the MoFSC has justified its recent move for …
This paper is a collection of reflections from a field visit to three districts in the middle hills and Terai belt of eastern Nepal (Sunsari, Dhankuta and Morang) which set out to explore the various dimensions of the resilience of climate-affected communities. By sharing the perceptions and insights of community …
Multiplicity of regulatory authorities has not been carefully considered by the government while proposing to set up the National Environment Assessment and Monitoring Authority (NEAMA). For example, it is not difficult to visualise a situation where in a city we might have a district/regional office of State Pollution Control Board …
Improved energy efficiency (EE) is a critical response to the pressing climate change, economic development and energy security challenges facing many countries. This handbook draws on the experience of hundreds of energy efficiency experts around the world as well as extensive searches of energy efficiency good governance case studies and …
The International Energy Agency (IEA) published the results of its global Energy Efficiency Governance study as a summary handbook and a detailed report. This study aims to provide government officials and stakeholders with guidance on how to establish effective structures to promote energy efficiency. It highlights the importance of developing …
Rankings are no pyramid; they are a ladder and there's room for only one at each rung. A historical advantage in infrastructure and its fields of gold may have kept Punjab on the top rung of the India Today State of the States study for long but Himachal has broken …
