The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
This paper takes the position that a useful governance perspective must be informed by the socio-economiccultural milieu, and in the specific Indian context must sit on a tripod of ”political reality”, ”state of decentralisation” and ”basic economic principles”. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region is one of the most important growth engines …
Sparring Points Besides Lokpal Bill, politicians have sparred with civil society on four key pieces of legislation RTI Act: Various arms of government first block it, now place conditions designed to strangle transparency Right to Food: The Planning Commission differs with activists on what percentage of poor should be covered …
On May 30, as the joint drafting committee of the Lokpal Bill met for the fifth time in the conference room of the ministry of finance in North Block, trouble was already brewing. In the last four meetings, the contentious issues had been put on the backburner and the government’s …
JAIRAM RAMESH, 57, is perhaps the most visible Minister of Environment and Forests India has ever had. His decisions in project after project have had industry and activists play a ‘he-loves-me, he-loves-me-not’ game. In a brief interview at his New Delhi office, a visibly tired Ramesh talked of why India …
In order for REDD+ carbon emission mitigation targets to be reached, the primary driver of forest clearing globally, agriculture, must be fundamentally addressed by governments implementing REDD+ Programmes. This paper evaluates the extent to which countries participating in the World Bank Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) readiness activities are actively …
This report examines the progress that MGNREGA has made in the rapid expansion of employment provision through its demand-driven rights-based approach. It highlights experiences from states that have successfully implemented the Act and discusses the evidence on the impacts on poverty and social inclusion in India.
Groundwater has played a significant role in the maintenance of India’s economy, environment, and standard of living. India is the largest groundwater user in the world. Through the construction of millions of private wells, there has been a phenomenal growth in the exploitation of groundwater in the last five decades. …
Today, the world produces enough to feed all seven billion of its inhabitants – but nearly a billion people still go without. This paper is about why this global scandal continues, and what can be done to solve it. Its central argument is that access to food is as important …
The FAO has released a report titled "Reforming Forest Tenure: Issues, Principles and Process," which reviews current status and challenges related to tenure of forested lands, and lists ten principles for reform. The report highlights the role of forest tenure reform in achieving sustainable forest management and improved livelihoods, noting …
This publication examines the role of foundations, trusts, and funds (FTFs) in delivering benefits derived from mining projects in the developing world. Chapter two addresses the necessity of sharing benefits from mining projects and identifies the situations under which a dedicated instrument such as an FTF can support that process. …
This compendium published by Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) and CISCO presents selective cases on the use of ICT for effective urban governance and service delivery in India.
“This magazine is not a product of a desire to capture share of the information market. It is a product of a need and desire to fill a critical information gap.” Anil Agarwal, founding editor of Down To Earth, wrote this in his introduction to the launch of the fortnightly …
Day-to-day data to be posted online to ensure transparency, will provide clearer picture of how scheme is faring in Capital To keep a daily record of the mid-day meals served at its schools, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has decided to maintain a register. It will record the number …
PUBLIC interest lawyer Prashant Bhushan was nominated by Anna Hazare as one of the five civil society members to the 10-member committee constituted by the Central government to draft the new Lokpal Bill by June 30. With his father, former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan, also in the same committee, critics …
Global policies and instruments to tackle climate change look very different once translated into domestic programmes of action, reflecting varied institutional capacity, competing priorities, and diverse political cultures and political economies. In light of these variations, this article analyses how clean energy is governed in India, both through and beyond …
In recent months, the BJP-dominated Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Congress-led Delhi government have been outdoing each other in floating proposals and schemes for better governance. The MCD is in the throes of implementing a new Residents' Welfare Committee (RWC) scheme. Not to be left behind, the Delhi …
An additional 3 billion Asians could enjoy higher living standards, and the region could account for over half of global output by the middle of this century, says a ADB commissioned report. This potentially promising future for the region sometimes referred to as the "Asian Century" though plausible, is by …
What are the world's best and worst places to be a mother? The 12th annual Mothers' Index analyzes health, education and economic conditions for women and children in 164 countries. Norway ranks 1 this year and Afghanistan ranks last. The United States comes in at 31 among the 43 developed …
The Indian state of Bihar has long been a byword for bad governance. It was however governed particularly badly between 1990 and 2005, and has since experienced something of a ‘governance miracle’. How can we account for the 1990–2005 deterioration? The answer lies in the interaction of three factors.
