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Purpose: The primary objective of the paper is to examine the asymmetric Cointegration and asymmetric causality between financial development and poverty alleviation on annual data in Indian context over the period from 1980 to 2019. Design/methodology/approach: First nonlinearity test by Brooks et al. (1999) is applied to ascertain the nonlinear behavior of the variables used. Once the nonlinear behavior of variables is confirmed, asymmetric and nonlinear unit root tests by Kapetanios and Shin (2008) are applied to check for the order of integration of selected variables. Next, nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model (NARDL) is employed to analyze the asymmetric Cointegration. Finally, Hatemi-j- asymmetric causality tests is applied to work out the direction of asymmetric causality. Findings: The empirical findings document the existence of asymmetries in the short-run as well as long-run between poverty and financial development. The asymmetry reveals that negative financial development shocks leave a more profound impact on poverty alleviation than their positive equivalents. The findings of Wald's test also confirm the presence of asymmetric Cointegration. The asymmetric cumulative dynamic multipliers used to examine the behavior of asymmetries and adjustments with respect to time lend credence to the results calculated using NARDL estimator. This result exhibits the robustness of the model. Furthermore, the result emanating from recently introduced asymmetric causality test reveals a unidirectional asymmetric causality between negative shocks in financial development and poverty. The findings of the present study necessitate the need for investigating asymmetric and nonlinear effects in finance–poverty nexus, which existent literature has completely neglected, in order to have relevant policy conclusions. Research limitations/implications: The study used "Per capita consumption expenditure" as a measure for poverty due to lack of continuous time series data on headcount ratio. In future, researchers can extend this study by incorporating headcount ratio as a measure of poverty in their respective works. There is further scope of research on this issue by finding out the impact of formal and informal sources of credit on poverty separately. A panel data study for developing countries over a period of time could further confirm/negate the findings of the present study. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge none of the studies in Indian context has scrutinized asymmetric and nonlinear impact of financial development on poverty. To dredge up asymmetric structures at work, the authors have used the highly celebrated NARDL estimator. To enrich the existent body of knowledge along the lines of asymmetric (nonlinear) linkages, the authors have also used recently introduced asymmetric causality test by Hatemi-j-(2012) to find out the direction asymmetric causality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate how a community psychiatry model, referred to as the Mental Health Action Trust (MHAT) in India, provides decentralized care and comprehensive services to people with severe mental illness living in poverty. Using the complex adaptive system (CAS) framework, the authors aim to understand the factors that contribute to the diverse outcomes of the MHAT community mental health programme as observed in four different locations. Design/methodology/approach: Four MHAT clinics were purposively chosen from two districts in Kerala. A comparative case study methodology was used to document each clinic's MHAT services and activities, as found during field visits and interviews with staff members and volunteers. Findings: The study shows that all four clinics met the basic aim of providing free, quality mental health care to the poorest populations, although not all aspects of the comprehensive model could be equally provided. Alignment with the MHAT vision, appropriate leadership, the relationship with partners and their level of community engagement determined the varied success between clinics. Originality/value: The current study evaluation stresses that community ownership is crucial. Careful attention must be paid to the characteristics of selected partners, including their leadership styles and ability to garner resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the present study is to examine the inter-relationship between the multi-dimensional poverty and water poverty using household level data for Indian states. Design/methodology/approach: A modified water poverty index (MWPI) for both rural and urban households was created using the five components approach and various quantifiable proxies. Principal component analysis (PCA) has been used for the construction of MWPI. Multidimensionality of poverty (MPI) is measured using the Alkire and Foster methodology. Further, the study has utilized correlation and Tobit regression analysis to show the relationship between MWPI and MPI. Findings: The empirical findings suggest that there is a positive and significant relationship between multidimensional poverty and water poverty, with the extent of relationship being greater in rural areas. The results show that in rural areas all the components of water poverty has significant impact on multidimensional poverty, whereas in urban areas except use component all others have significant impact on multidimensional poverty. Further, components of multidimensional poverty were also found to be significantly impacting water poverty. Practical implications: The study suggests that policymakers cannot treat both forms of poverty in isolation. If India aims to reduce poverty, then it needs to pay significant attention to improving water conditions. Originality/value: This is a pioneering attempt to construct water poverty index at the household level while accounting for micro-level differences for Indian economy. It highlights that water poverty leads to multi-dimensional poverty and vice-versa. Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-12-2021-0731. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study on spatial analysis of child labour in India is a macro level analysis on child labour using the census data, 2011 of Government of India. The population census which is conducted once in 10 years only provides district level data on work-force distribution. The study has spatial analysis of child labour in the age group of 5–14 years in India. To assess the magnitude of the children in the labour force, district level data of Census 2011 has been used in the study. The study has made an attempt to identify the districts where there is high level of children in the labour force. This paper aims to estimate the magnitude and trends of children's workforce participation using the census data as it is the only data base, which is available at the district level since 1961 onwards. The study has made an attempt to identify the clustering of child labour across districts in India and how child labour is clustered by different background characteristics. Design/methodology/approach: The study has used ArcGIS software package, GeoDa software and local indicator of spatial association test. Findings: The findings of study reveal that the proportion of rural, total fertility rate (TFR) and poverty headcount ratio is positively associated, whereas female literacy and the pupil-teacher ratio are negatively associated with child labour. It suggests that in the hot-spot areas and areas where there is a high prevalence of child labour, there is need to increase the teacher's number at the school level to improve the teacher-pupil ratio and also suggested to promote the female education, promote family planning practices to reduce TFR in those areas for reducing the incidences of child labour. Research limitations/implications: The study also recommends that the incidences of child labour can be controlled by a comprehensive holistic action plan with the active participation of social workers. Practical implications: The promulgation of effective legislation, active involvement of judiciary and police, political will, effective poverty alleviation and income generation programmes, sensitisation of parents, corporates and media can play effective role in mitigating the incidences of child labour in India. To achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) adopted by world leaders in 2015 to eradicate child labour in all its forms by 2025. Social implications: The study aims to achieve the SDGs adopted by world leaders in 2015 to eradicate child labour in all its forms by 2025. Originality/value: The study is purely original and there are no such studies in Indian context by using the latest software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand the patterns and incidence of child labour in India and to examine the magnitude of child labour across different social groups. It analyses the impact of the socio-economic background of the children on their participation in the labour market. Design/methodology/approach: The paper primarily relies on the data collected from secondary sources. The census of India data and the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) 66th round data (2009–2010) on employment and unemployment in India for the study. The dependent variable on child labour has been computed by the author for the analysis in the paper. Findings: The findings of the paper suggest that poverty is not the only determinant of child labour, but gender and caste of a person is also a significant factor for child labour. The study found that children from lower-caste backgrounds in India seem to participate more in the labour market. In terms of gender, the study found that boys are more likely to engage in economic activities or paid jobs while girls are more likely to engage in household activities. Originality/value: Data used in this paper has been extracted by the author from unit level data provided by NSSO. The variables used for the analysis in the presented paper has been constructed by the author and the figures provided are the result of the author's estimation on data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between financial sector development and poverty reduction in India using annual data from 1970 to 2012. The paper attempts to answer the critical question: does financial sector development lead to poverty reduction? Design/methodology/approach – Stationarity properties of the series are checked by using Ng-Perron unit root test. The paper uses the Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bound testing approach to co-integration to examine the existence of long-run relationship; error-correction mechanism for the short-run dynamics and Granger non-causality test to test the direction of causality. Findings – The co-integration test confirms a long-run relationship between financial development and poverty reduction for India. The ARDL test results suggest that financial development and economic growth reduces poverty in both long run and short run. The causality test confirms that there is a positive and unidirectional causality running from financial development to poverty reduction. Research limitations/implications – This study implies that poverty in India can be reduced by financial inclusion and financial accessibility to the poor. For a fast growing economy with respect to financial sector development this may have far-reaching implication toward inclusive growth. Originality/value – This paper is the first of its kind to empirically examine the causal relationship between financial sector development and poverty reduction in India using modern econometric techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – China and India are two of the fastest growing economies in the world, and poverty reduction has been substantial in both countries through the past few decades. Yet they have very different profiles in terms of food security and undernutrition – while at the micro-level China has performed well in terms of undernutrition, India has not. The purpose of this paper is to examine linkages between poverty, food security, and undernutrition in both countries. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, the authors discuss the linkages between poverty, food security, and undernutrition at the micro level, describe the literature, and make inferences for targeting the remaining poor, food insecure, or undernourished in both countries. Findings – In China, there is a need for better tools for targeting the poor or malnourished. In India, more effective state-level policies should be better understood by the central government and disseminated to less successful states. Originality/value – In this paper, the authors describe data sources on poverty, food security, and undernutrition in both China and India, and correlates with changes in all three. The authors try to understand what factors appear to lead to reductions in all three, pointing out data gaps in both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the acceptance of mobile-money (m-money) among target populations, i.e. below-poverty-line citizens in India, using the technology acceptance model (TAM). The m-money service is a major initiative that can enable the provision of low-cost and speedy money transfer through mobile phones, especially in developing countries such as India. For a large section of the population in India, m-money can act as a way to achieve financial inclusion. However, for m-money to succeed, users should accept the initiative wholeheartedly. Design/methodology/approach – The survey data were collected from 225 actual and prospective m-money users and analysed using partial least square technique. Findings – The findings imply that the trust and the core constructs of TAM such as perceived usefulness, trust and attitude towards usage contribute in influencing the intention to accept m-money. Perceived ease of use neither impacts perceived usefulness nor attitude towards usage. Practical implications – This research also provides possible explanations for the significant relationships between the constructs and discusses how this information can be used to enhance the acceptance of m-money among poor Indians. Originality/value – This research is original and is based on primary data collection and its interpretation. It provides thorough empirical insights on the acceptance of m-money among poor Indian citizens which is currently a weakly addressed and empirically less explored area of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Purpose -- The four Asian tigers, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan (also called Four Dragons) experienced miraculous high growth rates in the pre-1990s period and rapidly transformed their economic status from less developed "basket cases" to developed high-income countries gaining entry to the rich OECD club of countries. These countries even in the post-1990s, barring few years, have continued to grow further and are an inspiring role model for the newly emerging economies. The purpose of this paper is to adduce certain trends in these countries since the 1990s and specifically examine role of human capital and knowledge building, productivity convergence and intra-regional trade in the Asian tigers'. The authors examine these in the context of India. Design/methodology/approach -- The paper in a simple descriptive yet analytical approach explores the relevance of above factors in the Indian context. Findings -- The study observed that India ranks far below the Asian tigers in the knowledge economy index (KEI). The results at the sub-national level showed large disparities across the states in knowledge economy reflecting country's difficulties in catching up with other countries overall. Regarding labour productivity, the results show that India was moving away from the benchmark country until 1990 ( pre-reform period) and started catching up particularly due to physical capital (not necessarily human capital) since 1995 onwards. Originality/value -- The study is unique due to several reasons. First, it contributes to the literature examining contemporaneous Asian tigers and Indian economies performance as not many studies exist in this area. Second, the study also builds a unique first ever KEI at the sub-national level for India and is, therefore, a contribution in this respect. Finally, the study also contributes to the literature on Indian economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a broad overview of welfare schemes in India and their impact on social protection during a period of high economic growth. It summarizes India's performance with respect to select economic and social indicators relative to select low and middle-income countries in the Asia Pacific region. It further overviews trends in some key select economic and social indicators for India and discusses India's attainment in Social Protection relative to an index of such protection provided by the Asian Development Bank. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses a comparative statistical approach and evaluates India's performance in key social welfare areas vis-à-vis that of countries with economic performance comparable to that of India. It also evaluates India's progress along these parameters over time. Findings – The basic messages of this paper are: first, compared to low and middle-income countries in the Asia Pacific India's economic performance has outstripped its performance in social and welfare indicators. Second, nevertheless India is spending less on social welfare programs and other welfare schemes than many countries in the Asia Pacific, including some of those whose economic performance has been less impressive than India's. Third, the efficiency and effectiveness of key welfare programs in India need to be substantially improved. Particular attention needs to be paid to female participation in and their access to social welfare programs. Originality/value – Informed analyses of social sector spending in India and their impact on welfare outcomes are relatively scarce although descriptive studies of social sector spending and welfare schemes abound. This paper attempts to fill this gap with a cross-country as well as intertemporal analysis of India's performance in these key areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the issues and concerns of Indian rural credit, which is a powerful tool for enhancing production and productivity and for poverty alleviation. Further it highlights some of the strategies adopted by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to increase the rural credit facilities in the rural area of India. Design/methodology/approach – The various tools of rural credit are analysed in detail. The Regional Rural Bank (RRB) who play a vital role in increasing the rural credits is studied. Self Help Group (SHG)-Bank Linkage model of NABARD which creates an interface of the informal arrangements of the poor with the banking system is also analysed in detail. Findings – Rural credits serve as a tool for providing a sustainable livelihood for millions of rural Indians who don't have a means of livelihood. Several organisations like RRBs, Microfinance Institutions, NABARD, etc. are playing a major role in providing rural credit facilities to rural India. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is formulating and regulating the policies and procedure to make the rural credit facilities available to most of the needy. In spite of several efforts put up by various organisations to increase the rural credit facilities, several challenges will prevail in the years to come. Originality/value – These aspects of the financial sector remain undervalued in mainstream literature on rural credit. With India being a nation in which more than 70 percent of people live in rural areas and rural credit being a powerful, and the only, tool for rural people in providing a means of livelihood, its importance and potential should be known to each individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - By using the World Bank's new poverty data that are based on the most recent International Comparison Program report, this research aims to revisit the response of poverty rate to increase in real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. Design/methodology/approach - The response is summarized in terms of elasticity of poverty with respect to real GDP per capita, which is the ratio of annual percentage fall in poverty rate to annual percentage increase in real GDP per capita. The main calculations are done for the entire group of less-developed countries (LDCs), poverty-dense South Asia region, and India, which probably has the highest poverty rate. The periods studied are 1981-1990, 1990-1999, and 1999-2005. The calculations are done for four different poverty measures. Findings - Five major points are noted. First, the elasticities generally show a declining tendency over the period, indicating that poverty-reducing impact of income growth has been weakening. Second, the elasticities show huge differences across the poverty lines, and generally decline with higher poverty lines. Third, while global elasticities for $1.00 poverty line bear some resemblance to those reported or used by many scholars, elasticities for $2.00 and 2.50 poverty rates are dramatically lower, and reinforce the view that many influential estimates show the effect of income growth on poverty to be much higher than the data indicate. Fourth, elasticities for poverty-dense South Asia are again seen to be much lower than those for the entire LDC group. Fifth, for India, where $2.00 and 2.50 poverty rates are higher than even in Sub-Saharan Africa, the elasticities are extremely low and have been declining despite an acceleration in income growth. The overall implication seems to be that income growth has generally been less pro-poor during the globalization era of the 1990s and the 2000s than during the 1980s. In particular, income growth in India seems to have had an extremely small impact on poverty, and that impact, notably for $1.00 and 1.25 poverty lines, has been declining. Originality/value - First, although there is a vast literature on growth elasticities of poverty, this seems to be the first study that uses World Bank's new poverty data to judge the impact of income growth on poverty. Second, this is the only study that directly estimates and compares elasticities for the four poverty lines of $1.00, 1.25, 2.00, and 2.50, and shows large differences in the elasticities for different poverty lines. Third, this is probably the only work that compares elasticities for the 1980s, 1990s, and the 2000s. Fourth, although some indication of very low elasticities for South Asia and India does exist in a recent study, $2.50 elasticities reported in the present work for India, and even South Asia, should constitute an eye-opener for scholars, policy-makers, and international organizations in regard to the potential role of income growth in poverty reduction. Fifth, the observed decline in most elasticities during the 1990s and 2000s, as compared with the 1980s, despite higher income levels and growth rates, may shed light on the likely role of globalization in reducing poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The concept of poverty traps based on a critical threshold that distinguishes transitory from chronic poverty gives rise to a crucial policy distinction between cargo nets and safety nets. While safety nets are designed to prevent the non-poor and transitorily poor from falling into chronic poverty, cargo nets are meant to help those who fall below the critical threshold to help them climb out of chronic poverty. The study attempts to determine the factors that affect a beneficiary artisan's decision to use the toolkits provided, i.e. to climb up using the cargo net of improved toolkits and become more active economically. Design/methodology/approach - The paper is based on primary data collected from the supply of improved toolkits to rural artisans (SITRA) programme in 2001-2002. It is performed on the dataset consisting of 6,788 observations (beneficiary artisans). Due to some missing data 700 observations could not be used. Thus, only 6,088 observations are considered for the purpose of the ordered logit analysis. Findings - The paper develops the related concepts of conditional and structural rigidities restraining the movement and studies the role of these rigidities in determining the economic mobility of a beneficiary household when a climbing cargo net is provided. The paper finds that there is strong evidence that governments are confused about the concept of poverty reduction and alleviation strategies. The study reveals that narrower targeting on beneficiaries with lower conditional rigidities is better as they are more likely to use the toolkits and hence increase their income from craftsmanship and so promote both economic growth and poverty reduction. Research limitations/implications - The study focuses on a specific poverty alleviation programme. The findings are restricted to a special economic group at all India level. Nonetheless, the study highlights that a thorough understanding of the conditional and structural rigidities faced by a beneficiary artisan and how these affect his economic behaviour would be very useful in both designing and implementation of poverty reduction programmes. Originality/value - This paper will be of value to researchers, policy makers seeking to gain better understanding of targeting. The paper observes that appreciation of significant conditional rigidities are useful while designing programmes - particularly while targeting the beneficiaries - structural rigidities are more important while implementing and monitoring these programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to bring out the shortcomings of the ETA model imported from developed countries when it is assessed for its focus on poverty alleviation in a developing nation (India) and to suggest improvements in the existing framework. Design/methodologylapproach - The paper explores the current performance of ETA process in India, critically analyses the philosophy of continued sidelining of environmental protection in favour of unrestricted economic growth in the light of evidence regarding growing inequality. Findings - The paper finds that for the proponent driven ETA model to contribute towards poverty alleviation, a new ‘socio-ecological linkage document’ is needed. This will bring out the fragile linkages that marginalized communities have with their local ecosystems and can be prepared with the help of local ecological knowledge. A framework to integrate the socio-ecological linkage document into the ETA-SEA-SA domain is presented. Practical implications - The paper shows that the supportive framework of generating the ‘socio-ecological linkage document’ has the potential to enhance the EIA-SEA-SA process in terms of ensuring that plans, policies, programs and projects are sensitive to the need of ecosystem dependent poor. Originality/value - The paper proposes a framework to support the alternative thinking that poverty alleviation can be enhanced through preservation of ecosystem linkages, in contrast to the modern paradigm of economic growth at the cost of ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to highlight that child labour is complementary to adult labour in the brick kiln industry. Design/methodology/approach - The paper presents a case study of bonded labourers in the brick kiln industry of Southeast India. Findings - The paper finds that child labour is used by parents in the moulding process in order to avoid falling into debt bondage. In this industry, brick making is organized as a home-based enterprise. Thus, child labour increases the family productivity and consequently its income. In case of a ban on child labour bonded parents will be worse-off. NGOs can play an essential role by preventing families from falling into bondage and by improving their living standards. Originality/value - The results may help the NGOs address child labour issues in the developing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]