As a country grappling with political and infrastructural problems, there are very few issues that do not evoke extreme, often diametrically opposite, reactions in India. Population control Bills, vaccination policy, farmer income initiatives, river water sharing mechanisms or surrogacy laws—there is no dearth of topics that have triggered controversy, and …
ISLAMABAD (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Pakistan has reinstated its ministry for climate change, suggesting the government plans to pay more attention to the issue as countries prepare a new international deal to curb global warming. In 2013, when the same government came to power, it downgraded the ministry to a …
The Global Gender Gap Report 2014 emphasizes persisting gender gap divides across and within regions. Based on the nine years of data available for the 111 countries that have been part of the report since its inception, the world has seen only a small improvement in equality for women in …
Campaigners including National Trust and Greenpeace ask politicians to demonstrate their commitment to the environment. Green campaigners are calling on all of the UK's political parties to include key environmental pledges in their manifestos ahead of next spring's general election. The UK is well-placed to lead the transition to a …
While government spending on pro-poor community asset creation and income-transfers could have compounding positive effects on poverty reduction, it is important to first study trends in the allocation of funds, particularly as they relate to the susceptibility of the program to political clientelism. This paper uses expenditure data at the …
Fourteen years ago, the Millennium Declaration articulated a bold vision and established concrete targets for improving the existence of many and for saving the lives of those threatened by disease and hunger. There has been important progress across all goals, with some targets already having been met well ahead of …
While millions more children in developing countries are in school than was the case at the turn of the millennium, there is growing awareness of a ‘learning crisis’, with many of those in school unable to meet basic standards. In addressing this, the role of power and politics has been …
Are ostensibly demand-driven public programs less susceptible to political clientelism even when private goods are allocated? Investigate this conjecture using expenditure data at the local level from India’s National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. By focusing on one state where accountability and transparency mechanisms have been employed and implementation efforts have …
Maharashtra MLAs demand the establishment of Energy Committee in the Assembly Mumbai. Members of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly recently petitioned the Speaker of the Assembly to form a standing committee on Energy in the Assembly. This is the first time that the Maharashtra MLAs have raised such an issue in the …
Kerala's decentralised experience has demonstrated that democracy is more than just balloting. But deepening democracy is a continuous quest for justice and freedom. While participatory democracy has powerful theoretical arguments, its empirical basis continues to be weak. This article explores how far local governance in Kerala has deepened democratic practice …
Today, we stand at a juncture where the chief beneficiaries of the neo-liberal model of “development” have succeeded in presenting it as the one best suited for everyone’s needs, which the Bharatiya Janata Party has used to garner electoral support. If we are honest about fighting Modi, it is time …
The NDA government must have a proactive and positive environment agenda. It must strengthen environmental oversight and not weaken regulations. But it must go beyond clearance of projects to take urgent steps for fixing air and water pollution; sanitation and regeneration of forests and water bodies; and provide access to …
The NDA government must have a proactive and positive environment agenda. It must strengthen environmental oversight and not weaken regulations. But it must go beyond clearance of projects to take urgent steps for fixing air and water pollution; sanitation and regeneration of forests and water bodies; and provide access to …
This report describes the progress African countries are making on strengthening the quality of policies and institutions that underpin development. It presents Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) scores for the 39 African countries that are eligible for support from the International Development Association (IDA). This year's report expands coverage …
Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship & Democracy released the 2nd Edition of the Annual Survey of India's City-Systems (ASICS). ASICS 2014 is an objective benchmarking exercise of Indian cities and undoubtedly the most comprehensive evaluation of Urban India. Covering 21 cities, the survey throws up interesting insights on citizen participation, public …
To riot about food, rioters needed much more than motivations of hunger and outrage, or else world history would consist mostly of food riots. In addition rioters needed both sufficient solidarities to be able to act collectively, and sufficient confidence that the benefits (getting food, both immediately and in more …
The map shows different environment- and development-related issues that gained attention in Lok Sabha elections 2014. Click on the icons to read details of problems in a particular area.
In a rare example in otherwise high-decibel technology-driven campaign, electioneering in tribal-dominated Surguja constituency in Chhattisgarh stood out because of political parties dumping plastic in a concern to environment. Almost all parties in the fray in this scenic constituency unanimously avoided the use of plastic during the campaign and instead …
Africans express growing attachment to democracy according to citizen attitude surveys conducted by the Afrobarometer in 34 countries . Seven out of ten Africans prefer democracy to other political regimes, and the proportion of deeply committed democrats (that is, those who also reject authoritarian alternatives) has risen steadily over the …
