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This paper examines the Endosulphan pesticide disaster in Kasargod, Kerala, India. The paper argues that the pesticide disaster was the culmination of an agrarian modernization project implemented in the region by the state-owned Plantation Corporation of Kerala (PCK). An exploration of the political ecology of the disaster shows the recolonization of residents and nature by PCK through neocolonial forms of centralized and exclusionary spatial and resource control mechanisms. In this context, the paper questions the glorification of the “Kerala model” of development from the standpoints of environmental justice and resource rights, relying on the lived experiences of the people of Kasargod. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper evaluates the unique development record of Kerala, India. Despite slow economic growth, the state has experienced unprecedented social growth: increased literacy rates, reduced infant mortality rates, higher life expectancy, and improvements in various other social indicators. The aim of this paper is to examine whether the social expenditures of Kerala are economically sustainable. In order to maintain the current level of social development in Kerala, the state must make adjustments to its policies to focus on equitable economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Public participation is generally assumed to be a necessary if not fundamental condition for development. Most studies do not, however, question the kind and level of collective action that would be desirable. This paper provides a novel empirical analysis of the impact of collective action on economic development using data for South India. The paper models collective action as endogenous to economic development and distinguishes between its static and dynamic properties. The results show that while excessive activism may harm state income, collective action in the context of responsible bargaining systems may contribute toward increased economic development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Can remittances spur economic growth in labour exporting countries? This paper uses the case of Kerala - an Indian state that has witnessed increased labour migration to the Gulf since the 1970s oil boom - to argue that the remittances sent by migrant workers help spur economic growth. This is an important finding that is relevant to policymakers and the international development community. Remittances continue to constitute a substantial percentage of GDP in a number of countries, and they have even surpassed official development assistance in South Asia. However, there are obstacles that prevent utilizing the full potential of remittances to spur economic development. Workers send remittances only after repaying the high costs of recruitment, visas, and travel, while weak legal frameworks in the Gulf put workers at the risk of exploitation. Other obstacles for workers include the high costs of international remittance transactions. Finally, to utilize the full potential of remittances, labour exporting countries face the challenge of effectively investing the inflow of remittances on the productive sectors of the economy to promote long-term growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the fast strides of economic development, there are stakeholders who still depend on the traditional knowledge for their livelihood options. The mangroves, which are reported to be declining at a very fast rate, are a natural ecosystem which provides life support to dependent population along the coastal lines. This paper analyses the level of dependence of the marginalized communities on the mangrove ecosystem and its livelihood support level. Kerala coast, covering 10 per cent of the country's coastal line has only less than one per cent of India's total mangrove ecosystem. Majority of mangroves in Kerala are mainly seen in Kannur (44%) followed by Ernakulam (24%). Hence the study was undertaken in these districts. The respondents in this study were those living close to mangroves and depending on mangrove related livelihood options and mostly were residing within 100 m radius of mangrove areas. The mangrove vegetation was extensively used in the past for various purposes like fuel wood, building materials for constructing houses and poles for spreading nets or anchoring canoes in water. However, such dependence for these purposes is currently lesser. The life of all the respondents is closely linked with the nearby mangroves in one way or the other. Urgent measures are needed to preserve the valuable traditional knowledge associated with the mangroves in such a way that future generation can use and enjoy the coastal resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology and technological change are the two major ingredient factors for economic growth and development. Invention and innovation make the technological change in its forms and operation. The diffusion of technology brings the technological change in practice. The potential benefit of any technology is analyzed only when a new and more advanced technology is successfully diffused to a large number of end users. Capable of absorbing such (skill) capacity is also very much concerned one. In the present context, new and advanced technology in the fisheries sector is Information and Communication Technology (ICT); is a state of the art technology of modern civilization. This research paper looks into the role of ICT in the fisheries sector of Kerala and absorptive capacity of the fisherfolk in Kerala to make knowledge base fisherfolk. With the help of GPS, Sonar, Fish remote sensing, Wireless set, Computer, Mobile phone, fishermen can make a significant impact on productivity, cost efficiency, safety and security The study is conducted in two coastal villages; Munambam in Eranakulam and Pozhiyoor in Thiruvananthapuram. All the fishermen got benefited by the Information and Communication Technology with improvement in productivity and income. The diffusion of new knowledge and proper training are major hurdles for the use of Information Communication and Space technologies in an appropriate way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]