News

2019-04-01

Published by Justin

A case for nutrition counselling

Bjorn Lomborg, president of the Copenhagen Consensus Center and Shireen Vakil heads the Policy and Advocacy unit of the Tata Trusts discuss the India Consensus research on Nutrition. The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme is one of the world’s largest programmes for early childhood...

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2019-01-22

Published by Justin

The biggest bang for every buck

Tata Trusts releases an in-depth review of the India Consensus model. The India Consensus approach complements the government’s top-down policy planning model. True to its name, the Consensus brings together a wide range of stakeholders, among them governments, nonprofits, public intellectuals,...

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2019-01-22

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Clone of Technology can’t replace teachers in classrooms

Shireen Vakil discusses our research on the smartest education investments. According to a cost-benefit analysis conducted by India Consensus, a partnership between Tata Trusts and the Copenhagen Consensus Center, an investment of Rs1,333 ($21) per student per year, would create a multiplier effect...

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2018-09-12

Published by Justin

Solutions beyond farm loan waivers

Nilanjan Banik, Professor of Economics at Bennett University, and Manorama Bakshi, Senior Adviser to the India Consensus project discuss smart interventions to improve the lives of farmers. Among all the states in India, Rajasthan has one of the lowest farmer suicide rates. However, this does not...

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2018-08-24

Published by Justin

Giving is a Very Serious Business

A new article published in The Economic Times discusses findings from the Rajasthan Priorities project in the light of corporate social responsibility. The authors, Prabhat Pani, head of partnerships & technology at Tata Trusts, and Dr. Bjorn Lomborg, president of the Copenhagen Consensus...

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2018-08-02

Published by Justin

Improving state finances by reducing power losses

India’s total energy losses are significantly more than international norms—wastage that state budgets cannot afford, but what are the smartest interventions to improve energy distribution and storage? Two separate research papers written for India Consensus seeks to answer this question...

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2018-07-20

Published by Justin

Education reforms: Getting children into classrooms is no longer enough

New research covered by The Hindustan Times shows which policies contribute most effectively to enhancing education in Rajasthan. The Indian government over time has taken several initiatives to make the education system of the country robust. These initiatives, though have improved enrolment and...

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2018-07-17

Published by Justin

Early childhood is when education makes the biggest difference, calling for quality preschool programmes

New research written by Abusaleh Shariff, Chief Scholar US-India Policy Institute, Washington D. C and Amit Sharma, Consultant, The World Bank, New Delhi this paper examines three key interventions to improve early childhood education in Rajasthan: (1) Hire local teachers to improve pre-school...

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2018-06-28

Published by Justin

Why expenditure on 'Swachh Bharat' is worthy and needs to be increased

Nearly half of global deaths from diarrhoea occur in India – and most of these 800,000 annual deaths are due to a lack of clean drinking water and sanitation, according to a comprehensive global study. But what policies will do the most to help? New research by Bjorn Larsen, Environmental Economist...

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2018-06-18

Published by Justin

The cost of easing access to electricity

Research by Gaurav Bhatiani and Harsha Meenawat of IL&FS reviews three important interventions which could contribute to rural household electrification in Rajasthan: grid electrification; solar microgrids; and diesel microgrids. Access to electricity is critical for a modern economy, and a key...

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2018-06-18

Published by Justin

Burgeoning Indian cities need infrastructure development to keep pace with growth

Research by Gagan Nigam of IL&FS examines three interventions which could support the rapidly growing city of Udaipur in Rajasthan. This paper conducts a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of three urban interventions aimed at providing: 24x7 piped water supply, 100 percent coverage for sewage and...

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2018-06-15

Published by Justin

Indian states are testing a new way of setting development priorities

The Economist discusses a development path forward for India, highlighting our latest research findings. What if, instead of promoting favoured schemes, Indian governments instead challenged experts to propose the cleverest interventions they could think of? What if they then got economists to...

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2018-06-03

Published by Justin

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana: The arithmetics of housing for all

New research on costs and benefits from housing policies is written by Amitabh Kundu, Distinguished Fellow at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries and Arjun Kumar, Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Human Development. Kundu examines three important policy interventions:...

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2018-06-02

Published by Justin

Reduce domestic violence, and it will unleash an economic bonanza worth thousands of crores

New research paper by Srinivas Raghavendra, Mrinal Chadha, and Nata Duvvury of the National University of Ireland Galway helps close gaps in the evidence related to interventions aimed at reducing domestic violence. Domestic violence in Rajasthan costs the state an estimated INR 8,200 crore per...

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2018-05-31

Published by Justin

Is loan waiver a panacea for rural distress?

Almost 60% of land holding in Rajasthan is by small and marginal farmers, who cannot reap the benefits of large scale farming and are unable to achieve market prices for their produce. Research published in The Financial Express highlights some of the best policies to improve the livelihoods of...

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2018-05-31

Published by Justin

Why cancelling the LPG subsidy is a poor option

New research by Bjorn Larsen outlines policies which could improve the lives of millions of people in Rajasthan by reducing the pollution caused by indoor cookstoves. Almost 70% of the population in Rajasthan still use solid fuels such as coal, wood and charcoal for cooking, giving off dangerous...

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2018-05-29

Published by Justin

Poverty: The direct approach isn’t always best

An oped this week in Mint reported on research into two important policy options which aim to tackle poverty in Rajasthan. The research was conducted by Munshi Sulaiman, Research Director of Save the Children International, with Michael Murigi of the University of Sydney. Their paper analytically...

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2018-05-25

Published by Justin

Ease of doing business: Land record reforms ahoy!

A new study by Nirupama Soundararajan and Shagun Khurana of Pahle India Foundation (PIF) looks at how business reforms can help Rajasthan get ahead, estimating both costs and benefits of the policies. Rajasthan is currently ranked sixth by the DIPP on the ‘ease of doing business’. The authors’...

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2018-05-22

Published by Justin

Time for Indian states to pick best opportunities to compete globally

New research examines policies for enhancing export trading opportunities from Rajasthan. Rajasthan is India’s largest state in land area and is a leading producer of agricultural commodities. Its ambition is to increase its share of national exports from the present day 2% to much higher levels...

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2018-05-15

Published by Justin

How to improve agricultural productivity

New research published in Mint Newspaper highlights which policies will be most effective at improving agricultural productivity. Small and marginal farmers in Rajasthan suffer from water scarcity together with poor quality seeds. Research shows that policies tackling both these issues would have...

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2018-05-15

Published by Justin

Diabetes and heart disease should be top health priorities

Chronic illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease have a devastating and growing impact and now account for about 60% of all deaths in India. Between 1995 and 2014, the incidence of self-reporting of chronic illnesses in Rajasthan increased from 3 to 20 per 1,000 population. New...

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2018-05-14

Published by Justin

Time to further reduce maternal mortality rate

An article published in The Economic Times highlights opportunities to further reduce infant and maternal mortality. In Rajasthan, infant mortality dropped from 65 to 41 deaths per live birth between 2005/6 and 2015/16. Yet, Rajasthan faces the ongoing challenges of low child immunization levels...

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2018-05-04

Published by Justin

Meet The Eminent Panel

The Rajasthan Priorities project is happy to announce the members of its Eminent Panel. The Eminent Panel members are some of the most prestigious economists in India: Bibek Debroy, Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India and member of NITI Aayog; Rathin Roy,...

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2018-04-12

Published by Justin

Building India’s talent base

New research released today highlights different ways for Rajasthan to solve its skilling crisis. Skilling Rajasthan is a huge challenge: In the next five years, the state needs 53 lakh skilled people in the labour market. However existing initiatives would ensure up to 10 lakh people. When India...

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2018-04-04

Published by Justin

Fighting TB matters since one case treated saves many others

A new research paper released today has tailored, policy-relevant data showing how Rajasthan can bring forward the eradication of Tuberculosis, the ambition set by Prime Minister Modi. Bjorn Lomborg, president of Copenhagen Census Center and Manorama Bakshi, Senior Adviser to the India Consensus...

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2018-04-03

Published by Justin

Identifying the policies that work best against child marriage: Empowerment of girls is the key

Bjorn Lomborg discusses our latest release on smart interventions to address child marriage. Despite significant progress against child marriage, it remains a huge challenge. Last year 320 lakh girls under 18 were married according to UNICEF estimates. The Supreme Court’s landmark ruling...

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2018-03-20

Published by Justin

Ease of Doing Work for Women

Last week, the India Consensus team was asked to speak at PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry ton “Ease of Doing Work for Women” & Report Release on 8th March 2018, by PHD Chamber of Commerce at PHD House, New Delhi. The concept of prioritizing the best Gender policies which was very well...

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2018-02-05

Published by Justin

Latest Presentation to the Rajasthan Economic Association

Dr. Manorama Bakshi, Senior Adviser Outreach and Partnerships for the India Consensus, recently presented at the Rajasthan Economic Association. Her presentation covered such topic as the need for prioritization, finding smart solutions, and putting prices (social, economic and environmental) on...

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2017-12-18

Published by Justin

Talk on Youth Involvement in Development

Earlier this week, Dr Bjørn Lomborg President Copenhagen Consensus Center gave a talk on Rajasthan Priorities to students at Jaipuria Institute of Management, Jaipur campus. The talk focused on how youth can make a positive change in the society by asking the right questions to decision makers.

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2017-12-16

Published by Justin

Presentation of Early Findings

In dinner meet hosted for Rajasthan Priorities project, Bjørn Lomborg, President, Copenhagen Consensus Center presented the early finding of cost-benefit studies along with next years plan of action. The dignitaries present in meet includes Maharaj Jai Singh, K L Jain, President, Rajasthan Chamber...

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2017-12-15

Published by Justin

Chief Secretary of Government of Rajasthan Meeting

Bjørn Lomborg President, Copenhagen Consensus Center and India Consensus team met with Chief Secretary of Government of Rajasthan, Shri Ashok Jain and briefed him on the ongoing policy prioritisation project for the State. He assured all support from the State and appreciated the work done.

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2017-12-14

Published by Justin

Meeting with Finance Commission

India Consensus presented the early finding of Rajasthan priorities project with Rajasthan Finance Commission. Dr. Jyoti Kiran, Chair of Finance Commission emphasized the importance of cost-benefit analysis by India Consensus methodology in policy prioritization process in order to identify the...

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2017-11-29

Published by Justin

First Advisory Committee Meeting

The first Rajasthan Advisory Committee meeting was held on November 28, 2017, at Hotel Clarks Amer Jaipur, Rajasthan. The purpose of the meeting was to examine the list of interventions for cost-benefit analysis and provide recommendations to improve the list further. Learn more about the Rajasthan...

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2017-08-14

Published by Justin

Meeting with Maharaja Jai Singh - from Royal Family

Maharaja Jai Singh- from Royal Family had extended invitation to discuss issues concerning Rajasthan at his Rambagh palace on 28th July 2017. Maharaj is a pioneer in the field of Tourism and Hotel industry wanted to know more about Rajasthan priorities. The discussions revolved around the placement...

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