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What metric best measures a nation’s progress? A composite metric that is a combination of different factors is not as sound as it may seem at first sight because of the subjective bias involved in the weights allotted to individual … Read More

According to the World Health Organization, the distinct roles and responsibilities of men and women in a given society, dictated by culture’s gender norms and values, give rise to gender differences and inequality- that is, differences between men and women … Read More

Nachiket Mor The financial inclusion and efficiency gains associated with ubiquitous access to digital payments systems are very high. Digital payments can reduce transaction costs by up to 90 percent[1], save the Government more than Rs. 1 lakh crore[2], and … Read More

Image Source: PTI In this general election, many candidates are banking on votes based on the performance of poverty reduction and social security schemes. India has a plethora of such schemes, and the government has invested billions of rupees in … Read More

Photocredit: Quirky Kid Social exclusion has been defined as ‘the process through which individuals or groups are wholly or partially excluded from full participation in the society within which they live’.  Gender, caste or ethnic disadvantage translates into social exclusion … Read More

Although this view is rapidly changing, qualitative research sometimes carries a reputation of being a less reliable or trustworthy approach than say, econometrics. More often than not, this stems from a belief that qualitative research is fundamentally subjective and therefore … Read More

After the Andhra Pradesh crisis in 2010 hit, the extensive media coverage on predatory lending practices, coercive collection methods and resulting farmer suicides due to over indebtedness etched itself in public memory. Microfinance had promised the upliftment of the poor … Read More

There is revived interest in the role of informal credit in India, with researchers using a variety of innovative tools to study informal products and their delivery channels. While the majority of informal loans may come from professional moneylenders, such lenders are … Read More