Respondents using Avaaj Otalo (AO) – a mobile phone based agricultural extension service- are used to receiving weekly voice calls incorporating advice on a number of topics including agricultural inputs, weather, cultivation practices, etc. It never ceases to amaze me … Read More

For the remaining segments of this series, I’m going to specifically focus on the role of qualitative research in the context of impact evaluation. It is often the case that qualitative methods go under-appreciated in this context – after all, … Read More

Currently, I’m involved in the field team training for a second round of data collection for the Bricks project. As we’re in the intervention part of the study, this round is going to be as interesting and challenging as the … Read More

Financial literacy is a complex thing. A broad way of thinking about it is, as the skill to manage one’s financial resources in an informed manner. Defining it is simple enough. It becomes trickier when we set out trying to measure … Read More

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