Researchers Publication

The impulse that led to the passing of MGNREGA celebrated the spirit of inclusive development. However, the engineering that rendered the spirit behind MGNREGA into functioning machinery requires repairs and unclogging. Unless we recognise both achievements and challenges facing MGNREGA, it will be difficult to repair it, and this omission will continue to haunt both....   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

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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

India’s economic growth has not eased job insecurity, as employment expansion has remained modest and job quality weak, especially outside agriculture. Manufacturing and services saw limited employment growth between 2012 and 2023, while agriculture’s shrinking share pushed more workers into non-farm sectors that are becoming less labour-intensive even as their economic output rises. Economic growth...   Read More

Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research is a peer-reviewed bi-annual journal published jointly by NCAER & SAGE International. Volume 19, Issue 2, November 2025 includes the following papers- Corporate Foreign Exchange Risk in India: Firm-level Evidence and Some Policy Implications - Rohit Goel, Swapnanil Sengupta and Udaibir Saran Das Risk of Developing NCDs in Later...   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

The objective of this report was to assess the impact of food delivery platforms on restaurants. This is the second of the three part research series on the Food Delivery Platform economy of India. The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) conducted an in-person survey of 640 restaurants across 28 cities with representation from...   Read More

Competitiveness and quality must advance together. Regulation that raises costs without raising safety standards undermines the very manufacturing strategy India is trying to build. India’s decision to withdraw quality control orders (QCOs) on a wide basket of industrial raw materials marks one of the most meaningful regulatory resets in recent years. In a manufacturing economy...   Read More

This is report is the third and concluding part of the research series on the food delivery platform economy. The food delivery platform is an intermediary between three sets of agents – consumers who demand food, restaurants which supply food and workers who deliver food from the restaurants to the consumers. At any point of...   Read More

While India has made progress in installed capacity for renewable energy sources, power generation from renewables remains low. In this post, Chaudhuri and Rath content that renewable energy budgets of several states continue to be limited, with only a few states demonstrating a strong commitment to sustainable energy transition. They recommend balancing capital and revenue...   Read More

Transport systems are vital for connecting people, goods, and services, forming the backbone of global socio-economic progress. Among various modes, aviation has revolutionized connectivity by offering unmatched speed, safety, and reliability. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has identified India as one of the fastest-growing aviation markets worldwide, with its passenger traffic showing a significant...   Read More