This book examines the role of voluntary organizations (VOs) in rural development in the south Asian context. While addressing the existing knowledge gap for developmental task sharing with non-government social forces in developing nations; It provides evidence-based knowledge about the structure, functioning, effectiveness, community base, public image, GO-VO equation, strength, challenges, present dynamics, and future trend of the grassroots VOs. The volume also demonstrates the application of an innovative symphony of descriptive and exploratory study design with parametric tools in data collection and analysis. It also specifies the areas for policy intervention, future research and incubation in the sector. The book is indispensable for the students, teachers and researchers in Sociology, Social work, Public Administration, Rural Development, Management studies and related fields. The volume is a hand-guide for funding agencies, planners and executives.

This open access book provides an evidence-based roadmap for revitalising Indian agriculture while ensuring that the growth process is efficient, inclusive, and sustainable, and results in sustained growth of farmers’ incomes. The book, instead of looking for global best practices and evaluating them to assess the possibility of replicating these domestically, looks inward at the best practices and experiences within Indian states, to answer questions such as -- how the agricultural growth process can be speeded up and made more inclusive, and financially viable; are there any best practices that can be studied and replicated to bring about faster growth in agriculture; does the prior hypothesis that rapid agricultural growth can alleviate poverty faster, reduce malnutrition, and augment farmers’ incomes stand? To answer these questions, the book follows four broad threads -- i) Linkage between agricultural performance, poverty and malnutrition; ii) Analysing the historical growth performance of agricultural sector in selected Indian states; iii) Will higher agricultural GDP necessarily result in higher incomes for farmers; iv) Analysing the current agricultural policy environment to evaluate its efficiency and efficacy, and consolidate all analysis to create a roadmap. These are discussed in 12 chapters, which provide a building block for the concluding chapter that presents a roadmap for revitalising Indian agriculture while ensuring growth in farmers’ incomes.

Ending poverty and stabilizing climate change will be two unprecedented global achievements and two major steps toward sustainable development. But the two objectives cannot be considered in isolation: they need to be jointly tackled through an integrated strategy. This report brings together those two objectives and explores how they can more easily be achieved if considered together. It examines the potential impact of climate change and climate policies on poverty reduction. It also provides guidance on how to create a “win-win†? situation so that climate change policies contribute to poverty reduction and poverty-reduction policies contribute to climate change mitigation and resilience building. The key finding of the report is that climate change represents a significant obstacle to the sustained eradication of poverty, but future impacts on poverty are determined by policy choices: rapid, inclusive, and climate-informed development can prevent most short-term impacts whereas immediate pro-poor, emissions-reduction policies can drastically limit long-term ones.

Annotation Fakir Mohan Senapati's Six Acres and a Third, originally published in 1901 as Chha Mana Atha, is a wry, powerful novel set in colonial India.

In a diverse country like India, the level of economic development in different states differs widely, owing to varied economic structures and historical experiences. This book presents a comprehensive account of the economy of Odisha, one of the lesser developed states of the country. The chapters in the book have been contributed by 26 academic researchers, each dealing with a different aspect of Odishas economy. Covering various sectors like agriculture, industries, mining, transportation, education, and health, the book provides detailed factual information about the states economy and specific problems such as poverty and malnutrition that continue to affect the states development. Providing a critique of the strategy of development that has been pursued in the state in the recent years, the book discusses the recent growth experience of Odisha and the impact of fiscal adjustments within the state.

Public enterprises reforms occupy the central place in the schemes of economic reforms in India. In many developing countries opting for economic reforms, public enterprise reforms have come at the beginning of the cycle of economic reforms. In India, it has not happened so and the results are there for us to see. The present book makes an attempt to present a case for reforming public enterprises in India and also the agenda for action for this purposes. It outlines the challenges ahead for public enterprises and the need for reforms viewed from the global perspective. It outlines the performance of the public enterprises and the areas requiring the attention of the reformers. It presents the case of a state in which reforms have to be carried out and the context for such reforms. It identifies regulations as one of the key component of the reforms. The book also elucidates the reform experience of some of the states. It presents a balanced view of the theory and practice of public enterprise management in the reform context. It incorporates case studies of nine public enterprises to demonstrate the need and effect of economic reforms.

Work is constantly reshaped by technological progress. New ways of production are adopted, markets expand, and societies evolve. But some changes provoke more attention than others, in part due to the vast uncertainty involved in making predictions about the future. The 2019 World Development Report will study how the nature of work is changing as a result of advances in technology today. Technological progress disrupts existing systems. A new social contract is needed to smooth the transition and guard against rising inequality. Significant investments in human capital throughout a person’s lifecycle are vital to this effort. If workers are to stay competitive against machines they need to train or retool existing skills. A social protection system that includes a minimum basic level of protection for workers and citizens can complement new forms of employment. Improved private sector policies to encourage startup activity and competition can help countries compete in the digital age. Governments also need to ensure that firms pay their fair share of taxes, in part to fund this new social contract. The 2019 World Development Report presents an analysis of these issues based upon the available evidence.

The Equal Pillars of Sustainability investigates whether equality between environmental protection, social sustainability, and economic sustainability can be achieved in all circumstances or what alternatives need to be considered via the latest research on topical issues by international experts.