This paper first presents evidence to show that in recent years there has been a substantial fall in fertility among illiterate women in India. Subsequently, using the data from the Human Development Profile Survey of 1994, it shows that child schooling among illiterate parents is inversely...

This study identifies industrial corridors (two or more contiguous districts) in India with a special emphasis on their further potential. Using Principal Component Analysis, the study finds that there are five major and three minor industrial corridors in the country. The distribution pattern...

Short term political considerations, bureaucratic inertia, ideological differences, and most importantly- financial constraints, have created a situation where effective slum reform has floundered. This paper concentrates on the city-state of Delhi and puts forth the argument that a successful...

This paper presents a brief review of alternative explanations and views on public versus private schooling in India. The data for this study has been obtained mainly from a sample survey of households conducted by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) in 1994 in rural India,...

This paper reports the results of a pilot study aimed at evaluating the performance of the ICDS programme. The study is based on a field survey conducted in 1996 in ten selected blocks in five states comprising 1362 anganwadi centres, 2700 beneficiary households, 10 CDPOs and 40 circle...

Even as a case can be made out for public spending on elementary education, its link with enrolment rates does not appear strong. However, once efficiency and demand-side factors are accounted for, public spending is seen to make an impact on the rate of enrolment and quality of education as...

Home-based producers are some of the most invisible workers in the unorganised sector. In many industries, including garment making, they comprise a sizeable proportion of the workforce. Because these producers work within the home, often on activities closely related to household production for...

This paper describes the existing framework for delivering public services -- in health and education in India, highlighting inter-state differences in delivery systems. It discusses the constitutional division of responsibilities among the different levels of government, and the legislative,...