External Pub

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc across countries, causing an unprecedented healthcare crisis and supply chain disruptions. Our paper focuses on how households coped and the role of expanded Indian government food subsidies in mitigating food insecurity. Objective: We use panel data from two rounds of household surveys (2019 and 2021) to examine changes in...   Read More

Drawing on nationally representative data from two waves of the India Human Development Survey, this paper examines how family structures, functional health, work participation, and state support interact to shape the well-being of Indians aged 60 and above. We document a gradual decline in intergenerational co-residence, alongside rising proportions of older adults living alone or...   Read More

Using data from a primary survey conducted in rural India, this paper examines how two key survey design features—respondent identity and question framing—affect employment estimates. First, it estimates the causal impact of (a) replacing a single weekly employment question with a set of detailed activity-specific questions, and (b) changing the reference period from a week to individual...   Read More

This paper investigates the macroeconomic and labour market implications of gender equality in unpaid care work and the formalisation of part-time employment in India. The unequal distribution of unpaid care responsibilities significantly limits women’s labour force participation, perpetuating gender disparities in employment and economic outcomes. Using the McCall–Mortensen macroeconomic job search framework, this paper models...   Read More

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are now the leading cause of premature mortality in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), accounting for more than 80% of early NCD deaths worldwide. As LMICs undergo rapid demographic, nutritional, and epidemiological transitions, obesity has emerged as a central driver of cardiometabolic risk—particularly among women. Although NCDs have long been characterised as...   Read More

Private consumption, constituting nearly 60% of India’s GDP, remains the cornerstone of economic momentum, powered by rising disposable incomes, digital adoption, and an aspirational middle class. Manufacturing contributes about 17% to GDP with aspirations to reach 25% by 2030.

Climate change poses significant risks to human health in India, with 80% of the population located in areas highly vulnerable to extreme events, such as cyclones, floods and heatwaves. While India has made progress on several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), risks from climate change can undermine the achievements. This study examines the impact of climate...   Read More

The Indian health system is characterized by persistently high levels of out of pocket payment (OOP). Routinely collected national household survey data were unable to clarify two important concerns: 1. The extent to which higher levels of OOP are prevalent in India’s richer states is largely explained by epidemiological differences; 2. Characteristics of OOP across...   Read More

On examining the relationship of energy consumption with economic growth and carbon emission, we provide the evidence that the petroleum consumption growth significantly contributes to GSDP growth of Kerala (as indicated from regression coefficient of 0.70%), whereas electricity consumption growth affects GSDP growth with a time lag (as evidenced from Granger causality and regression coefficient of .13%). In...   Read More

Air pollution is one of the five leading risk factors for mortality worldwide. India has been dealing with seriousenvironmental problems as its economy develops. The number of automobiles on the road has increased the risk of air pollution.Therefore, to reduce pollution levels, Government of India decided to leapfrog Bharat Stage V (BSV) (equivalent to Euro...   Read More