Labour, Employment and Human Development in South Asia, edited by Ashoka Chandra, Horst Mund, Tripurari Sharan and C.P. Thakur

BR Publishing

SBN: 81-7018-975-6 1998 p545 Rs. 575 / US$ 28.75

This volume is an outcome in response to the need for regional tripartite interactions on labour and social issues where academics and non-governmental organisational also are enabled to provide inputs and facilitate the much needed social linkages for economic growth and human progress in South Asia. Written by labour economists, industrial relations experts and labour and social activists, the volume is important in putting together some scholarly papers with national and regional perspectives on issues of labour market and employment; industrial relations; and poverty and human development in South Asia in the wider context of the ongoing changes in the global economy. With a concern throughout to offer concrete suggestions for policy and action, the book is comprehensive enough as also specific to be key reference for all concerned with labour market and human development issues in the context of economic restructuring.

Empowering Rural Labour in India: Market, State and Moblisation edited by R. Radhakrishana and Alakh N. Sharma IHD

ISBN: 81-900948-0-7 1998 p440 Hardback Rs. 450

Even though there are signs of improvement in the levels of living and earnings during the 1980s, the rural labour, which is the most vulnerable among various groups of workers, has been largely bypassed by the process of socio-economic development in India over the last five decades. The processes of structural adjustment programme underway in the economy have a direct as well as indirect bearing on the rural labour. In the emerging scenario it is necessary to examine afresh the recent trends and policies which have implications for the empowerment of rural labour.
This volume, containing twenty one articles from experts and activists, provides an indepth insight into the recent developments and processes at work in the rural labour markets in India and evaluates how far the attempts towards their empowerment have been successful. In this context, this volume examines in detail, both at micro and macro levels, the role of operations of the market forces, state interventions and mobilisation by trade unions, political parties and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs).
The volume will be useful for academicians, policy makers, social activists and all those interested in the studv of rural poor in general and rural labour in particular.

India Water Vision 2025 ( a report)

The study presents a comprehensive report on the various processes involved in the development of India Water Vision 2025, and is based on a number of national and zonal level discussions and meetings. The participants in these discussions represented various stakeholders including ministers, senior government officials, academicians, media persons and representatives of NGOs and the private sector. While a vision was not to be constrained by present-day realities, it was considered important to quantify the implications of the Sustainable World Scenario in terms of food security, livelihood security, health security, ecological security and water resources development.

Social and Economic Security in India, edited by S. Mahendra Dev, Piush Antony, V. Gayathri and R.P. Mamgain IHD

ISBN: 81-900948-4-X 2001 p523 Hardback Rs. 750

Social security measures in India have gained much attention in the wake of increasing informalisation of the economy consequent upon the introduction of economic reforms in the early 1990s. It is widely feared that this will result in a rise in deprivation and poverty as the workers in the unorganised sector lack even minimal security mechanisms necessary for social and economic well-being.
While the debate on growth-mediated or support-led strategies remains unsettled, this volume presents an exhaustive analysis of various aspects of social and economic security in India—policies, financial allocation, implementation, reach and coverage of programmes, especially with regard to the vulnerable sections and state-level initiatives. They highlight the need for a more comprehensive and sensitive policy framework that caters to the emerging changes and trends in the economy. Though growth is a necessary condition for the efficient working of such a security mechanism, various state and micro-level experiences clearly establish the catalytic role of social and economic security in the process of overall development.
As against the conventional concept of social security, which is essentially relevant in the context of the organised sector in developed countries, this volume underscores the need for a broader interpretation of social security in a developing country like India characterised by a high degree of deprivation and vulnerability of a large section of the population. The twenty-two articles in the volume covering a wide range of issues and experiences relating to the social and economic security system aim to invoke a renewed interest among researchers and policy-makers as well as social activists and voluntary workers in reviewing the existing system with a view to develop an alternative framework that ensures security for all.

Informal Sector in India, edited by Amitabh Kundu and Alakh N. Sharma IHD

ISBN: 81-900948-5-8 2001 p440 Hardback Rs. 650

Recent decades have witnessed a rapid increase in employment in informal sector, particulary in the developing world. India, too, has experienced this phenomenon, with this sector accounting for over 90 per cent of all employment. The process has further been accelerated with the initiation of the programmes of liberalisation and globalisation since the early 1990s. The emergence of the informal sector has often been viewed as providing a solution to the growing problem of unemployment by ensuring sustainability of livelihood for large sections of the population, particularly the poor. Indeed, a significant part of the incremental employment generated in the nineties is in informal activities, both within manufacturing and tertiary sectors. And yet, it remains one of the less researched areas in the context of formulating a development policy.
The present volume makes a comprehensive effort to analyse the present trend, understand the dynamics of development and assess its implications for the workforce and the people. It overviews the conceptual and methodological issues relating to the identification of informal sector and informal workers and analyses the trends and structure of growth in recent years using both secondary and primary data. It examines the issues pertaining to wages/earnings, productivity, macro-micro linkages, etc., and attempts to determine its prospects of growth, providing meaningful employment to a large section of the workforce in future years, Aspects of discrimination in the labour market have also been covered, particularly by bringing in the gender dimension. The efficiency and welfare implications of the increasing absorption of labour force in this sector have been examined by focussing on the support system and issues relating to social protection.
The volume, in general, attempts to identify areas and avenues that can be pursued to find solutions to the problems confronting this sector and thus help in developing a policy perspective for its healthy growth.

Coming to Grips with Rural Child Work: A Food Security Approach edited by Nira Ramachandran and L. Massun.

IHD ISBN 81-900948-6-6 p Hardback Royal Vo Rs. 750/-

The book is the outcome of the IHD-WFP Workshop on 'Food Insecurity and Child Work' held in Delhi in March 2001. Poverty, seasonal food distress and vulnerability to hunger due to recurrent natural calamities alter the lifestyles and coping mechanisms of affected families with adverse consequences on the freedom and the education of their children. However, the availability of timely support in the form of food can become the turning point of the decision to enrol the child in school as against work, to ensure regular attendance of the already enrolled children and to eventually break the vulnerable household-child labour syndrome.
Part I explores this theme across space, in terms of seasonality and time-use and through the gender lens. Four papers deal with different aspects.
Part II seeks to explore the determinants of child work with a view to establishing links between child work, schooling and food insecurity. This section contains four papers.
Regional disparities across the country remain sharp. As such, no single policy measure is likely to suffice throughout the country. Part III contains a set of six papers covering six child labour-prone states of the country.
Linking nutritional and educational poverty with the persistence of child work leads naturally to the question of the means to offset the impact of these determinants. Part IV is a collection of six papers dealing with this theme.
The last chapter seeks to answer the questions raised in the introduction based on a review of the preceding chapters, while also incorporating the highlights of the discussions at the workshop.

Towards a Food Secure India: Issues and Policies edited by S. Mahendra Dev, K.P. Kannan and Nira Ramachandran

ISBN 81-900948-7-4 2003 Hardback Royal 4vo 464 p. Rs. 750 / US$40

The volume, containing the contributions of a good number of scholars, discusses food security in India in a broad framework which go beyond supply and demand. It is not only a comprehensive publication, but also one which addresses critical issues and emerging concerns on food security such as the demand for and supply of foodgrains in future; policy response to domestic reforms and globalisation; regional scenario and micro-level experiences; and ongoing perspectives such as the working of the PDS, nutrition and right to food. The book will be extremely useful for all those concerned with analysis of and the formulation of policy for food security.

Contents and Contributors

Introduction: S. MahendraDev, K.P.Kannan andNiraRamachandran.
Part I: Estimates of Demand for and Supply of Foodgrains in India : Praduman Kumar and Surabhi Mittal; P.C. Bansil; CM. Hanumantha Rao.
PART II : Response to Macro Policy and Globalisation : Vijay S. Vyas; Yoginder K. Alagh; S. MahendraDev.
PART III: Regional Scenario : Amaresh Dubey and Orester Kharpuri; S. Indrakant andS. Harikishan; K. P. Kannan; Vidya Sagar; Jos Mooij; Nisha Srivastava.
PART IV : Grass Roots Experiences : VM. Rao and R.S. Deshpande; Amitava Mukherjee; NiraRamachandran; K. Sarap andM. Mahamallik.
PART V : Emerging Perspectives : Shikha Jha and P. K Srinivasan; Madhura Swaminathan; M.H. Strryanarayana; Jean Dreze.

Liberalisation and Labour : Labour Flexibility in Indian Manufacturing by L.K. Deshpande, Alakh N. Sharma, Sandip Sarkar and Anup K. Karan IHD

ISBN: 81-88315-03-6 2004 p160 Hardback Rs. 290 / US$ 20

Significant changes have taken place in the Indian labour market after the initiation of liberalisation, globalisation and privatisation policies in 1991. In this context, it becomes important to examine the controversial issue of labour flexibility vis-a-vis economic liberalisation.
While in India there have been some attempts to study labour flexibility at the macro level, very few have been made at the micro or enterprise level. And even if there have been, the scope of the studies has not been extended to the wider national labour market in order to understand how liberalisation policies have impacted on the labour market and labour relations. This book overcomes this limitation as it is based on a comprehensive labour flexibility survey of more than 1300 firms scattered across ten states and nine important manufacturing industries, undertaken in 1999. The book examines the trends in the Inclian labour market in recent years; changes in employment and the factors governing them; the extent of employment and wage flexibilities; as also the impact of trade unions on wages and industrial relations.
The book will be useful for all those interested not only in evaluating the impact of economic liberalisation and globalisation on the quantity and quality of employment and industrial relations system but also in evolving optimal labour policies in the Indian context.

Lockouts in India by Ruddar Datt Manohar 2003

ISBN: 81-7304-519-4 Hardback p184 Rs. 500

This book is perhaps the first attempt to study the menacing problem of lockouts in India which has plagued industries in the last three decades Besides giving an overview of lockouts from 1961 to 1997. the author has made a special study of lockouts m West Bengal—the stale with maximum number of man days lost due to lockouts m India. He suggests that the causes for lockouts put forward by the Indian government n the Labour Year Book as well as Labour in West Bengal (a publication of the West Bengal government) are not tenable since the data is based on the employer's perception only. The major causes of lockouts, he suggests are: downsizing of labour and casualisation, increasing workload of workers, absence of a long-term perspective by employers, failure to bring about technological upgradation, pre-occupation with short-term profits, inefficient management, inter-family disputes, indiscipline and violence to some extent and cost reduction during periods of low demand.
While employers have succeeded subduing labour by using lockouts, the state has failed to find a durable solution to the underlying problems so that lockouts can be avoided altogether. The study concludes that while the state has tacitly submitted to the employers to earn higher profits by a system of exploitative efficiency, it has failed to provide economic justice to labour.

Child Labour in Carpet Industry: Impact of Social Labelling in India by Alakh N. Sharma, Rajeev Sharma and Nikhil Raj IHD

ISBN: 81-88315-04-4 2004 p167 Hardback Rs. 280 / US$ 20

In recent years there has been widespread reports in the media, both inside and outside the country, about the exploitation of child labour, including bonded labour in India's carpet industry. In the wake of the criticisms, several measures have been initiated to tackle the problem of child labour in carpet production. Social labelling was one such initiative introduced in the nineties. It aims at improving the living and working conditions of the weaving community by exerting pressure on the exporters/suppliers to enforce fair conditions including prohibiting child labour in the production of carpets. This is considered to be an important intervention at the economic level, linking trade with the prohibition of child labour.
This book examines the impact of these labelling initiatives on child labour. It is based on a study commissioned by the International Labour Organisation aimed at providing an input to a global ILO-IPEC study on the impact of social labelling on child labour. Besides interviews with a cross-section of people/organisations connected with the carpet trade, it has also surveyed 35 villages spread over nine districts in four states of India. Looms in the sample villages were also covered through a structured loom survey. The different welfare and rehabilitation measures initiated under the labelling programme are also examined.
This extensive study reveals some interesting findings, including changes in the structure and pattern of child labour working in the carpet industry, which on various counts are contrary to the general perception and media reports. The book will be useful for all those involved with the issue of child labour, particularly government functionaries, social activists, development practitioners, international organisations and many others.

Working Children Around the World: Child Rights and China Reality by G.K. Lieten IHD

ISBN: 81-88315-08-7 Hardback p200 Rs. 350 / US$ 25 / Euro 20

Pro-active policies against child labour and child neglect in general have been pursued with more public attention than ever before. Governments, NGOs and international organisations such as the ILO and UNICEF and the World Bank have well-funded departments. Policies, however, stand to benefit from detailed and unbiased research. This book fills such a gap. It provides insights at various levels: macro-policies, analytical treatment of some issues such as the magnitude of the problem, the fashionable approach of child participation, and globalisation. But the book mainly draws meticulous pictures of how the deprived children live, what it means to work for a living or to live in the streets. Case studies deal with Vietnam, India, Guinea, Bolivia and Brazil.
The papers are a good mix of social anthropology, political science and law. The expertise of the contributors and their concern for the living world as also the concerns and expectations of the children impart to this book the significance as an invaluable source of reference on the issue of child labour and child neglect.

Rural Transformation in India: The Role of Non-farm Sector edited by Rohini Nayyar and Alakh n. Sharma

ISBN 81-88315-11-7 2005 Hardback Royal 4Vo p536 Rs. 950/ US$ 60

The role of rural non-farm sector (RNFS) is crucial both in generating productive employment and alleviating poverty in rural areas because of the limited absorptive capacity of the urban sector and near saturation of the agricultural sector in further absorption of workers. Policy makers are increasingly recognising the importance of RNFS in providing sustainable livelihoods to a large number of people in rural areas. However, in spite of a lot of research that has been carried out, our understanding of the RNFS, particularly its role in the broader development process, is relatively poor and does not provide adequate insights to policy makers grappling with the enormous diversity of the sector.
This volume, containing twenty nine papers, apart from the introductory and concluding ones, analyses the various aspects and issues relating to the RNFS so as to acquire a better understanding of the processes and dynamics of the sector. The various papers look at in depth aspects such as international experience with regard to RNFS and its lessons for India; patterns and dynamics of growth including linkage with urban areas; state and micro-level experiences; change and dynamics of some important sub-sectors; impact on women and other disadvantaged groups; and working of various policies, programmes and institutions for the growth of RNFS.
This comprehensive volume will be extremely useful for further consultations on policy and research activities.

Editors:
Rohlnl Nayyar, Advisor (Rural Development). Planning Commission, Government ot India
Alakh N. Sharma, Director, Institute tor Human Development. New Delhi and Editor. Indian Journal of Labour Economics.

Poverty Reduction in an Elite-driven Democracy by VM Rao Daanish Books

ISBN: 81-902946-8-7 p328 Hardback Rs. 595

This book brings out the constraints in the anti-poverty policies in India that result from the elite-driven feature of its democracy. Using a three-phase conceptual framework, the author argues that India has still not moved beyond modest achievements in alleviating hardcore poverty. In the first Part the book discusses how Human Development Indices remain very low and empowerment of the poor has not been institutionalised even at the lowest level of village Panchayats. In the second Part the author discusses the important, but relatively neglected, theme of poverty generating processes with special focus on the marginahsation process in agriculture and policy weaknesses in creating livelihoods for the poor. In the last Part the author pleads for policy-making that is based on a 'systemic view' of poverty rather than the prevailing 'statistical view' for dealing with the emerging phase in poverty reduction.

Children, School and Work : Glimpses from India by G.K. Lieten, Anup K. Karan and Anoop K. Satpathy

ISBN 81-88315-12-5 Hardback Demy 8vo 176 pages Rs. 295 / US $20

Of late, issues concerning various aspects of the lives of children have come to grab the focus of attention. And rightly so given that more than a third of the population constitute children who, after all, are the future of the country. Doubtless, there is no dearth of policies that have been formulated, seminars and discussions that have taken place, funds that have been made available and NGOs that are functioning actively in this sphere. But how much do we really know about the daily lives of children, particularly the poor who live in remote villages and in the slums of cities?
Based on extensive surveys in the rural and urban areas of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi and Rajasthan and informed by a body of anthropological accounts relating to the life world of approximately 45 children, the book provides a background of and insights into their daily lives and presents their perceptions and interpretations regarding the same. At the very least, these children can be characterised as being active and applying agency in various modes. Childhood, to them, implies simultaneity : studying, participating in household chores, learning new skills, labouring hard, playing and chatting all in a day.
The observations have sprung up unanticipated conclusion. These give rise to important implications for child-centric policies and for the adoption of a duties-based approach. The book would serve as useful literature for analysis, policy and action.
Authors
G.K. Lieten holds the Child Labour Chair at the University of Amsterdam and the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam. He is also the Director of the IREWOC Foundation and a Visiting Professor at the Institute for Human Development. Artup K. Karan is currently a Fellow at the Institute for Human Development.
Artoop K. Satpathy is an Associate Fellow at the V.V. Giri National Labour Institute, Noida, India.

Securing Health for All edited by Sujata Prasad and C. Satyamala

IHD ISBN: 81-88315-17-6 Hardback p524 Price: Rs. 950/ US$ 60 2006

Although health infrastructure has grown impressively in India after independence, there is widespread malnutrition and prevalence of ill health in the country. While households incur bulk of the health expenditure, government expenditure is limited to only about one-fourth of the total expenditure. India is among those few countries, which spend the least on health. No wonder, expenditure on health care has emerged in recent years as the second most important source of rural indebtedness in the country.
The process of liberalisation and concomitant policy reforms initiated during the nineties have added a new dimension to the efforts at bringing health care to the vast populace, particularly the vulnerable groups. The liberalisation of health sector and emphasis on insurance, increasing pace of privatisation of health services, increase in drug prices, etc. are new challenges that have emerged in recent years. In this context, health security, calling for adequate, prompt, timely and equitable access to health care facilities, becomes a major challenge in a poor country like India.
In addition to an introduction and overview, this volume contains 23 papers that discuss comprehensively the issues of health security in the country. Apart from providing a broad overview of the current health scenario in terms of outreach and coverage of health services at national and state levels, the papers in the volume address some of the critical policy issues, confronting the nation such as health security for the vulnerable groups, health financing, health insurance, health governance, and so on.
The papers in the volume contribute significantly to the ongoing discourse on health security putting the people centre-stage. Accordingly, it will be useful not only for analysis but also for policy building and advocacy.

EDITORS
Sujata Prasad is a civil servant who has worked extensively on issues of women's development and health sector.
C. Sathyamala, an epidemiologist trained at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Human Development, New Delhi.

Globalisation, Labour Markets and Inequality in India by Dipak Mazumdar and Dr. Sandip Sarkar Routledge, London / New Delhi [2008, pages 377,

ISBN10: 978-0-415-43611, Price: Rs. 695, Paperback also in Hardback]

India started on a program of reforms, both in its external and internal aspects, sometime in the mid-eighties and going on into the nineties. While the increased exposure to world markets ("globalization') and relaxation of domestic controls has undoubtedly given a spurt to the GDP growth rate, its impact on poverty, inequality and employment have been controversial. This book examines in detail these aspects of post-reform India and discerns the changes and trends which these new developments have created. Providing an original analysis of unit-level data available from the quinquennial National Sample Surveys, the Annual Surveys of Industries and other basic data sources, the authors analyze and compare the results with other pieces of work in the literature. As well as describing the overall situation for India, the book highlights regional differences, and looks at the major industrial sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and tertiary services. The important topic of labor market institutions - both for the. formal or organized and the unorganized sectors - is considered and the possible adverse etect on employment growth of the regulatory, labor 'framework iN examined carefully. Since any reform of ;this framework must go hand in hand with better state intervention in the informal sector to have any chance of acceptance politically,, some of the major initiatives in this area are critically explored. Overall, this book will be of great interest to development economists, labor economists and specialists in South Asian Studies.

Contents .
Introduction: an overview of globalization, reforms and macro-economic developments in India; PART I - Trends in poverty, inequality, employment and earnings; Poverty, growth and inequality in the pre- and post-reform periods and the patterns of urbanization in India; an analysis for all-India and the major states; Trends in employment and earnings 1983-2000; Accounting for the decline in labor supply in the 1990s. PART II - Regional dimensions: Some implications of regional differences in labor-market outcomes in India - AHMAD AHSAN AND CARMEN PAGES; Trends in the regional disparities in poverty incidence: an analysis based on NSS regions. PART III - Employment and earnings in the major sectors; Agricultural productivity, off-farm employment and rural poverty: the problem of labor absorption in agriculture; Employment elasticity in organized manufacturing in India; Dualism in Indian manufacturing: causes and consequences; Growth of employment and earnings in the tertiary sector. PART IV - Labor-market institutions: Legislation, enforcement and adjudication in Indian labor markets: origins, consequences and the way forward -AHMAD AHSAN, CARMEN PAGES AND TIRTHANKAR ROY; Strengthening employment and social security for unorganized-sector workers in India -PHILIPO'KEEFE AND ROBERT PAL AC I O S; Epilogue; Conclusions