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3899 items in total found

Working Papers | 1993

Strengthening Primary Health Care Services: Insights from Qualitative Research in West India

Dileep Mavalankar, Satia J K, and Sharma Bharati

Objectives: To understand reasons for nonuse of Government health services and identify ways to address them. Design and Setting: Indepth interviews of 371 married women of reproductive age were conducted in village of two Primary Health Centres (PHC), of north Gujarat. Five focus group interviews in each of the PHC areas were also conducted. Results and Implications: 1. Acceptance of immunization is high, but needs institutionalization, through community preparation. Women are aware of vaccines(90%), but unaware of diseases, dosage, schedule(69%), therefore do not know the importance of completing vaccine schedule(32%). Vaccines are given at home, but there is substantial dropout in coverage, as women report irregularity of worker(26%), and lack of time(15%). 2. Distributing Iron & Folic Acid tablets may not reduce anemia because, of 60% women served, only 12% consumed for more than 3 months due to side effects and treatment form private sources. 3. There was low demand for antenatal care (46% use) as women do not perceive any benefit unless there is a problem. Delivery care needs improvement, as majority are at home(81%), attended by traditional birth attendants (46%), relatives(18%), private practitioners(24%) and only 3% by ANMs. 4. Sterilization is well accepted but fears remain. Tubectomy was perceived to have least side effects but laparoscopy was preferred as less post operative rest required. Major fears were; laparoscopy causes burning of blood(41%), and vasectomy causes weakness(56%). 5. Low knowledge, demand and use of spacing methods was observed. Knowledge of IUD, condoms and pills was 71%, 63% and 51%. Most women felt that since the natural interval between their children was 2 to 3 yrs, no spacing method was required. Trend was to accept sterilization after the desired family size. 6. People used and preferred private care for major and minor illnesses because private care was thought to be more effective(50%), quick(35%), and more accessible(95). The extension work was restricted to three programs: family planning, immunisation and malaria and the working pattern of the workers does not allow time for counselling and education. The role of primary health care in rural areas and the servering of link between preventive and curative care are discussed.

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Working Papers | 1993

Affine Cost Share Equilibria for Economics with Public Goods

Lahiri Somdeb

In this paper we propose the concept of an affine cost share equilibrium and show that under natural assumptions any optimal allocation corresponds to an affine cost share equilibrium. With linear cost functions and under mild regularity assumptions we show that an optimal allocation is a ratio equilibrium with redistribution. In an appendix to the paper we propose a new proof of the existence of a ratio equilibrium when the preferences of the agents are representable by strictly quasi-concave, continuous and strictly monotonically increasing utility functions.

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Working Papers | 1992

Transition in Indian Society - Part-II Constituents of Technological Industrial Society

Garg Pulin K and Parikh Indira J

This paper explores the constituents of the technological industrial society. It historically reviews the emergence of new societal maps through Renaissance to second world war. It then crystallizes the constituents of the technological ethos. The constituents are mobility, structure of authority, creation of new goal sets, emergence of voluntary relations, extension of internship period, and the nature of work design. The above new processes confronts Indian men women with two contradictory forces. Individuals and society are pulled and pushed in multiple directions and have to make choices. The transition from one society to another anchored in two different ethos creates value dilemmas. One focuses on relationships while other focuses on tasks. These have implications for to-days younger generation in search for partnership and membership in both primary which is family and secondary which are formal work organizations.

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Working Papers | 1992

Sage of a Star Fish: Participative Design of Sustainable Institutions for Natural Resource Management

Anil K. Gupta

Management of natural resources requires reconciliation in the conflicting world views of different stake holders. The conflicts emerge because of the variation in (a) the perception of nature, (b) associated socio-ecological interactions and (c) the ethical values generating respect for non voting members of our society. It is not easy to design institutions for collective action such that resources are managed not only for the current generation but also in a manner that options of future generations are not compromised. An organization becomes an institution when its members use internal commands (i.e. the directions for action emanating from within one self) instead of external demands (i.e. external regulation or direction for individual action). The cultural conditions in both the cases are very different. The paper provides discussion on the issues which affect 'Our' participation in 'Peoples' organizations and institutions in part one. Much of the literature on participation deals with the opposite, i.e. how people participate in the organizations designed by us. The eco-sociological perspective for survival of households over space, season and sector is given in part two. The nature of risks and the strategies for coping with the same are described. The relationship between culture and ecology is discussed in the light of eco-specificity of social interactions in part three. The problem of collective action, the role of risk and redundancy, and resource diversification are discussed in part four. The Eco-Institutional model dealing with interactions between access, assurances, ability and attitudes of the households with ecological resources, institutions, technology and culture and described in part five. How local creativity and innovative potential can become the building block of future development is discussed in part six. How institutions designed on the basis of alternative eco-ethics generate accountability to people and encourage people to people learning is illustrated with the help of the case of Honey Bee network. This global network of innovators at grassroots level builds upon the local excellence, and urge to experiment and evolve technology and institutions for sustainable resource use. The role played by the process of monitoring the collective action by different stake holders is given in part seven. In part eight, the linkages for lateral learning with particular reference to biodiversity are outline. In part nine, the lessons and issues for becoming accountable to people are summarized. The ethical issues in farmer participatory research and implications of scaling up the peoples' organization are brought out in part ten. In the annexure, a discussion on the philosophy of sustainability is presented.

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Working Papers | 1992

Transition in Indian Society - Part-I The Emotive Maps from the Agrarian Ethos

Garg Pulin K and Parikh Indira J

This paper examines the transition occurring in Indian society. For centuries Indian culture, society and its social design is anchored in the traditional agrarian ethos. In the context of this ethos the paper discusses i) the macro-analysis of the Indian ethos and culture, ii) micro-analysis of its institutions and iii) micro-analysis of individuals and unit communities. It further identifies the processes of the Indian ethos viz. the psycho-cultural processes, the social design, the social infrastructures, and the value assumptions as held by the Indian society. The Indian psyche carries the Indian ethos as its heritage in the emotional map of the society and people. The transition to the technological industrial society gives rise to a different experiential ethos leading to emergent new maps of the society. The Indian society and individuals have to make choices in the context of this transition and their choices will shape the emergence of today's society and organizations.

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Working Papers | 1992

A Preliminary Note on Rain-Shadow Effect and Strategic Forestry

Gaikwad V R

The purpose of this note is to present some tentative ideas on rain-shadow effect which may lead to further exploration of: a) The relationship between the rain-shadow effect of the Western Ghats (the Syhadri ranges) and the drought-prone regions in the Peninsular India, especially, the Deccan Plateau; b) Factors associated with the location of and areas under the rain-shadow; and c) Possible effect of manipulation of these factors, (e.g. strategically developed forest cover) on the location of and area under rain-shadow. Underlying this exploration is a question and a philosophy. Why some regions in the Peninsular India have low rainfall and are drought-prone? If low rainfall is due to rain-shadow, we have two options: One, consider rain-shadow as a given, perpetual, natural topographical/geographical constraint, and concentrate on such activities as exploitation and conservation of available underground and surface water, bringing water to the region by canals, and undertaking relief operations during droughts. Two, scientifically analyse the very cause, namely, the factors associated with the rain-shadow effect, and explore the possibility of manipulating these factors to minimize the rain-shadow effect.

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Working Papers | 1992

Monotonic Solutions to Production Planning Problems

Lahiri Somdeb

A common problem in production planning for a public firm producing n distinct commodities in the same plant and facing a cost constraint, is the choice of the levels of output of the various commodities. This is a classical problem in the theory of publicly regulated firms and assumes significance in the absence of objective guidelines in determining the levels of output. It is to the study of such problems that we focus in this paper.

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Working Papers | 1992

Finance for Non-Farm Rural Activities

Gurdev Singh

Rural India supplies a number of non-farm products for consumption in local market, regional market or even international market. Their production is normally carried out in the decentralised sector. The raw materials are either locally produced or managed from outside. Marketing and financing are the two important functions recognised for the success of such activities. This paper gives a brief idea about the availability of institutional finance to this sector. It also reflects on the performance of 'Automatic Refinance Facility of NABARD for financing rural non-farm activities and suggests changes in the facility for providing necessary finance for the development of this important sector.

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Working Papers | 1992

Marketing of Scales in India: Status and Issues

Gurdev Singh and Asokan S R

Seed is a unique agricultural input in the sense it has life, it imbibes productivity potential in it, and it can be multiplied by farmers themselves. In most crops it is the cheapest of all inputs required for increased production. This paper presents brief introduction to the nature of this input, description of existing delivery system identification of issues related to seed marketing in India. The issues are concerned with the primary seed market demand forecast and operational aspects of seed marketing.

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Working Papers | 1992

Indian Economic Forecast November 1992

Rastogi A B

There are confusing signals which are being given by different ministers and their officials about the health of Indian economy. Among all this brouhaha attempt is made to give economic logic to events occurring around us and it is argued that the liberalisation process is very much on track. There is general sluggishness in the economy partly owing to hoarding by traders and slackness in domestic demand for consumer goods. The back of spiraling inflation has been broken and heat of competition is being felt in market place. The governments' credibility is at stake and hence in the coming budget we are not likely to see any hesitation or delay in implementing pre-announced reforms in trade sector and industrial sector.

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