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Working Papers | 1991

Why Does Poverty Persist in Regions of High Biodiversity?: A Case for Indigenous Property Right System

Anil K. Gupta

The extent of rural poverty has been noted to be unusually high in the Vavilov centres of genetic diversity. Be it rice in Orissa, India or potato in Peru, the cultivator preserving genes for diversity are unable to benefit from newer technologies. The regions of specialized cultivation with mono crop or very low level of diversity and low risk conditions provide markets for mass consumption of external manufactured inputs. Paradoxically, this is possible precisely because genes for resistance to diseases/pests are available from high risk gene diverse environments. In view of the recent upsurge of global interest in indigenous knowledge system, it is necessary to analyse ethical, scientific, political, economic, ecological and cultural implications of extortion of surplus from biodiverse regions. Paper addresses following questions: (a)What are the institutional, organizational and public administration aspects of high deprivation among people managing high biodiversity? (b) If biodiversity is sustained through cultural diversity, is modem concept of state in a capitalistic society inherently unsuitable for cultural pluralism? (c) If cultural diversity implies different images of good life, how does one compensate a non-demanding, non-articulate but disadvantaged community maintaining biodiversity? (d)Should one do pediree analysis of major commercial hybrids and other seeds, trace the sites of genetic sources and attribute proportionate profits to these communities/societies? Should insistence of intellectual property right by western society be accepted by developing countries so that claim for indigenous property rights (IPR) could be exercised? (e) In what forms and through which fiscal and organizational instruments, the compensations be routed back to the preservers of biodiversity? (f) How should public resource transfer and budgetary mechanisms be designed so that people living in biodiverse regions have incentives to stay on instead of migrating out? (g)If biodiversity in perhaps majority of niches can be maintained only through (and not without) human interference (selection pressure, cultural or ritual compulsions for different types of tasks/cultivars), how should conservation policies be designed in a culturally compatible manner? (h) What are the ethical dilemma that scientists working on IPRs face while earning individual career and professional rewards and doing advocacy for the communities whose lifestyles continually deteriorate in the meanwhile? (i) What are the legal possibilities for codifying claims of different communities over IPRs and value adding recombinations of genes preserved through IPRs. The paper provides argument for changing the nature of discourse. The existing epistemology relies excessively on the language of such elites whose own record of sharing their rent with providers of knowledge is not very honourable? I argue that such a code of conduct should be developed which disqualifies such professionals/scientists from participating in the debate on IPRs who have not demonstrated some way of sharing rents with the providers of knowledge. I believe that valid and authentic institutions for protecting IPRs will emerge only if the nature and arena of discourse is radically altered. The paper is divided in six parts. In first part-I, I present discussion on diversiy and deprivation. Part-2 deals with Cultural diversity and rise of modern bureaucratic state. In part 3, I describe ways of compensating local communities and individual farmers for preserving diversity through breeding, selection and institutional development. In part-4, legal, organizational and fiscal instruments for routing compensation for preservers of bio-diversity are detailed. Part- 5 includes arguments on the need for redefining Indian position on intellectual property rights. In part-6, the ethical dilemma in conducting discourse on bio-diversity are mentioned and paper is summed up in the end.

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Working Papers | 1991

Estimates of Fixed Capital Stock in Registered Manufacturing Sector in India

Aggarwal Ashok K

The main objective of the paper is to provide estimates of fixed capital stock in large organized manufacturing industries in India. Various theoretical as well as empirical issues which have a bearing on the measurement of capital stock have been discussed in the paper. The study provides the details of measuring capital stock keeping in mind the limitations of the available data. The study provide a time series of subsequent improvements in the methodology and estimation have also been suggested.

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Working Papers | 1991

Women Mangers in Transition: From Homes To Corporate Offices

Parikh Indira J and Shah Nayana

This paper discusses the shift of the Indian society from agrarian to industrial, and from rural to urban with reference to women in this process of transition. The career paths of women in management are classified in three distinct phases of about fifteen years each and the subsequent movement from being job-oriented to career-oriented to profession-oriented are discussed. In all the three phases women had distinct characteristics as far as their interface with home and work was concerned. They held a different corporate perspective in each of the three phases. They brought along the baggage of social structures, roles and relational processes of the previous phase and the role models of the preceding phase were identified with. In the second half of the paper, the external and internal barriers to women's growth in management are discussed. External barriers range from culture, society, family to government policies and the economic factor. Internal barriers vary from mobility, socialization to duty at odd hours. Recognizing the need for change at a broader level, subsequently, training issued are directed towards building a new ethos of management in the relevant socio-cultural context.

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Working Papers | 1991

An Estimation of Social Time Preference Rate for India and its Public Policy Implications

Tewari Devi D and Pandey I M

This paper estimates the social time preference rate for India using DMVL model. The fundings of the study suggest that public investment in India has been grossly misallocated. The current problems of Indian economy can not be dissociated with the DDW deliberate misallocate of public resources in the past.

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Working Papers | 1991

Monitoring Cost, Transaction Interlinkage and the Selection of Optimal Loan Contracts: Evidence from Rural India

Samar K. Datta

Costly monitoring is an important market imperfection in developed as well as developing economies. In developed countries monitoring costs are usually minimized through intermediation. The intermediation process is hampered, however, by market fragmentation typical of developing agrarian economies. Borrowers may choose to use private moneylenders rather than formal banking sector intermediaries. A theory of loan contract choice is developed which emphasizes the role of monitoring costs and transaction interlinkages. The theory is tested against survey data from rural West Bengal. The results are consistent with the main conclusions of the model.

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Working Papers | 1991

Analysis of Wagon Utilization and Estimating the Optimal Freight Transport Effort (Loaded and Empty Wagon Movement) for the Indian Railways

G. Raghuram

Over the past four decades, the freight movement output of the Indian Railways has increased substantially. The tonnes originating increased over fourfold from 73.2 million tonnes in 1950-51 to 302 million tonnes in 1988-89. During the same period, the net tonne kilometers (NTKMs) increased nearly sixfold from 37.6 billion in 1950-51 to 222.4 billion in 1988-89. This phenomenal increase in freight output has been possible primarily through a) better inputs and b) better utilization of the inputs. In this context, it is the purpose of this paper to: a) Identify the key inputs whose growth have contributed to the increase in freight output, with an exphasis on wagons. b) Analyze the determinants of the improved utilization of wagons. In 1987-88, the empty wagon kilometres was 34% of the total wagon kilometres, up from a low of 26.8% in 1955-56. In absolute terms, the empty wagon kilometres in four wheeler units (FWUs) were 6052 million in 1987-88 while it was 1486 million in 1955-56. This (6052 million wagon kilometres) works out to four trains of nearly 67 FWUs travelling empty, the entire Railway system of 62000 kms, every day. The empty wagon lead has been increasing from 220 kms in 1950-51 to 395 kms in 1987-88. In this context of the loaded and empty wagon movement, it is the further purpose of this paper to estimate the optimal transport effort in terms of a) loaded wagon movement and b) empty wagon movement In order to estimate the loaded wagon movement, the commodity movement pattern has to be estimated. There are nine commodities, all bulk in nature, which account for 91.0% of the goods carried (tonnes originating), generating 89.7% of the tonne kilometres in 1988-89. These nine commodities are coal, iron ore, cement, foodgrains, mineral oils, chemical manures, iron and steel, limestone and dolomite, and salt in the order of importance in terms of tonnes originating. Intrastate allocations are first considered and assumed as taking place by road. Efficient distribution of the remaining surplus/deficit of each of the commodities for interstate movement by rail is assumed and estimated using transportation models for all the commodities.

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Working Papers | 1991

Approaches to Institution Building

Garg Pulin K and Parikh Indira J

This paper traces the history of Behavioural Science approaches in India. The paper examines the task centered, and identity centered approach to organization development. It differentiates between the institutional and structural modalities of organizations. The institutional modality has philosophy, mission, aim, direction and resource energy, tasks/targets, roles and performance and evaluation and rewards. These two are integrated with management control systems and sentient systems. If these are well integrated then wholesome organizations emerge with processes of coordination and control, sutonomy and discretion, organizational learning, renewal and regeneration and finally for individual a sense of belonging, mobilization of their resources and commitment. This further leads to organization processes of correspondence, convergence, coherence and congruence for task efficiencies. Indian organizations require IB processes so that organizations has individuals become dynamic and wholesome.

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Working Papers | 1991

Corporate Investment in Agriculture Research: Issues in Sustainable Development

Anil K. Gupta

The productivity of agricultural inputs has been consistently declining over last two decades. Given the economic squeeze, Indian economy cannot afford to provide resources required for such a non-sustainable use of inputs. Even in the affluent countries, the non-sustainability of external input oriented agriculture is being realised. The excessive use of pesticides and disruption of the ecological chain due to high residual toxicity and treadmill effect; imbalanced use of nutrients and consequent nutrient mining of soil; declining water tables, etc., are some of the early warning signals. Need for maintaining genetic diversity in different crops and thus fillip to national seed industry is another area of urgent concern. Increasing control of Multi-National Corporations in the agri-input industries is adversely affecting the indigenous incentives for R & D for development of eco-friendly technologies. We have done a survey of Indian agri-input companies to identify the patterns of investment in research within these companies and in public sector universities/institutes. The problems faced by small companies in pursuing R & D and getting support from agricultural universities are highlighted. Several areas of future research and policy modifications are discussed: (a) environmental scanning - how would debate on intellectual property rights in Europe affect the interests of Indian companies - large or small; What should be the role of public sector R & D institutions given global competitiveness and increasing role of private sector; (b) should a database on technological trends be developed for better forecasting and negotiation domestically and globally, (c) what type of fiscal incentives be provided for encouraging corporate sector to pursue R & D, particularly by the smaller companies, (d) should farmers cooperatives remain indifferent to R & D processes, should not cooperative federations invest in specific well defined R & D programmes, (e) how to support research on farm equipment by small artisans, private companies with the for hand tools or bullock, camel or tractor drawn implements. What type of banking support in required for investing in R & D (f) should seed companies not be allowed to lease or buy land for setting up research farms, (g) how should India stake its claim to intellectual property of people, pastoralists, horticulturists and the artisans, (h) can corporate sector build upon watershed projects in dry regions as sites for multi location testing of new technology in different agro climatic zones, (i) can private sector help in commercialization of publicly developed technologies with royalty payments to state, how to strengthen these links G) can farmers, breeders (livestock, crop, trees) association be involved in trilateral R & D arrangements with public and private organisations? (k) what should be the role of NGOs, (I) how should private companies share their profits with the people or communities whose technical innovations they have scaled up, (m) how should linkage between credit and technology be strengthened at different levels in the country particularly in high risk environments so that corporate sector is emboldened to invest in R & D.

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Working Papers | 1991

Coarse Cereals in Indian Agriculture A Review of Performance and Prospects

Gajanana T M

Emerging imbalances in Indian agriculture in Indian agriculture reflected in the differences in production performance of different crops are now well recognised. One of the causes of these uneven agricultural situations is the relatively poor performance or complete stagnation of the important coarse cereals. Coarse cereals are the staple diet of millions of peasants and labourers. Not only are these cereals cultivated under rainfed conditions but they are also grown in drought-prone areas. Consequently, their production is subject to violent fluctuations. Coarse cereals constitute about 22 per cent of production and 38 per cent of area under cereals. The proportion of these cereals has been declining over the years and the yields of these crops are quite low. Growth rate analysis indicates that the performance of coarse cereals has not at all been satisfactory particularly after the major technological breakthrough in Indian agriculture during the mid 60s. in this paper an attempt has been made to analyse the performance of coarse cereals and to identify the constraints hindering growth of these cereals. Policy options are suggested to overcome the constraints and to bridge the burgeoning supply-demand gap in the availability of these cereals.

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Working Papers | 1991

Adjustment to Risk in Farming-An Assessment of Drought-Prone Farmers Strategies in Karnataka, India *

Gajanana T M and Sharma B M

Weather-induced instability in farming in the predominant rainfed lands is fairly well recongised. Faced with the problems of frequent droughts and the resultant risk in farming, farmers strategies to cope with the situations during and after the drought. An attempt is made in this paper to examine the nature and extent of risk in farming and an assessment is made of the adjustment/management mechanism adopted by the farmers in one of the drought-prone districts of Karnataka.

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