Publication Page Archive

NCAER News is a monthly digest where you can learn about NCAER's research outputs, its latest events, and offerings.

India’s digital expansion over the past decade has been unprecedented. The country’s internet user base grew from roughly 198 million in 2015 to more than 1.03 billion by 2025, driven by affordable smartphones, low-cost mobile data, and rapid expansion in digital infrastructure. Drawing on nationally representative data from the India Human Development Survey (IHDS-III), this...   Read More

Every climate conference promises finance. Every time, the money arrives in the wrong form, in the wrong channel and in the wrong magnitude. Now the world is trying again. Last month, the G7 finance ministers reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to climate finance. But the real question isn’t whether climate finance can be raised. It’s whether...   Read More

The Code's effects on employment and productivity depend less on its provisions than on how mandates interact with firm size, labour market structure, and worker perceptions of contributions. Social security – the provision of a safety net against retirement, health expenses, and income shocks – is a foundational principle of formal employment. In India, this...   Read More

Improving standards compliance, institutional coordination, and farmer-market linkages is critical for enhancing India’s competitiveness in global agri-food trade India stands at a pivotal moment in global agri-food trade. It is among the world’s largest producers of rice, milk, spices, fruits, fisheries, and several horticulture products, yet its share in global agricultural exports remains modest at around...   Read More

The IHDS Forum is a monthly update of socio-economic developments in India by the IHDS research community, based on the India Human Development Survey, jointly conducted by NCAER and the University of Maryland. While two earlier rounds of the survey were completed in 2004-05 and 2011-12, respectively. Fieldwork for the third round was undertaken in...   Read More

India’s recent gains in women’s employment and leadership reveal both expanding opportunities and the structural barriers that continue to shape economic agency. The trends highlight a doubling of women in managerial roles alongside a rise in the rural female labour force participation rate (LFPR) to 45.9 percent. To what extent does this shift signal genuine...   Read More

Schools shift to online teaching during heat waves or pollution. Poor children suffer, as they cannot access instruction. India’s education policy today rightly emphasises better learning outcomes, equitable and inclusive education, and the human capital required to achieve the country’s developmental goals. But for millions of children, the basic condition that makes all of this...   Read More

Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research is a peer-reviewed bi-annual journal published jointly by NCAER & SAGE International. Volume 20, Issue 1, March 2026 includes the following papers- Climate Change and Indian Crop Yields: Impacts and Projections - Amit Mitra, Souryabrata Mohapatra, Sovini Mondal, Srija Basu Chaudhury and Sanjib Pohit Oil Prices and Equity Market...   Read More

In the fourth part of our series on India’s new labour reforms, Afridi and Talukder focus on the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 – in terms of its rationale, the key legislative changes that it entails, state-level implementation, and what the existing theoretical and empirical literature says about potential impacts. They contend that...   Read More