Linkages and imports: A comparative study of India and Pakistan

This paper takes a critical look at the notion of linkages as guides to sectoral expansion in less developed countries. In particular a distinction is drawn between gross linkages (typically defined on the inverse of the Leontief technology matrix) and net linkages defined on the ‘domestic inverse’. It is argued that for economies which exhibit a persistent dependence on intermediate and capital goods imports, the latter may be the appropriate concept for identifying sources of induced economic development. Using data for India and Pakistan it is shown that the two concepts imply very different ranking of sectors, thus providing an important qualification for using gross linkages as a form of investment criterion.     

EXTRACTING LABOR FROM ITS OWNER

The Asian economic crisis in 1997 helped bring down Suharto's authoritarian regime in 1998. At the same time it paved the way for more measures of economic liberalization. Some of these measures have taken the form of labor market liberalization, which aims to increase the labor market's ability to adjust to changing economic conditions by clearing what are seen as burdensome regulations, or “rigidities” as they are known in economic parlance. An important instrument in this effort is the private employment agency, which the Manpower Act no. 13/2003 introduced in 2003. This article argues that the introduction of these agencies has created opportunities for various actors in society to take advantage of the less-protected workers in the uncertain waters of the post-Suharto labor regime. In the process, the nature of industrial relations has also been changed in a way that is more predatory than liberal. Ultimately the agencies help erode the hopes for a better life for workers and undermine the revival of labor political rights in Indonesia.     

The contextualist turn and schematics of institutional fit: Theory and a case study from Southern India

The policy literature has long recognized the inherent need for a program to fit the unique conditions found in a certain context. We present a theory of institutional contextualism that focuses on the mechanisms by which actors adapt a policy design to fit a situation. We conceptualize institutions as phenomena that are constituted by a constant dialectic between text (the general blueprint) and context (the particular setting). The first half of this dialectic, which is the diffusion of the constitutive text or norm onto the institutional setting, has been discussed in the literature. Our research focuses on the second half, and we delineate, in concept, mechanisms for fitting the program to the local context. We then use a case study of improvised microfinance programs in Tamil Nadu, India, to illustrate how this occurs in reality. The research underscores the unexamined link between effective governance and contextual fit and offers a typology of mechanisms for fit that should inform future research.     

Rural development management in Nepal,Part II: Implementation in the Karnali—Bheri Integrated Rural Development Programme

This paper looks at the implementation of rural development management in Nepal, especially how the implementation of the Karnali—Bheri Integrated Rural Development Programme is managed. The empirical data are provided by the officials themselves, and touch on organizational competence and responsibilities, the role of district line agencies. management mechanisms, inter-organizational cooperation, local leadership and local support of organizations and people. It is concluded that several reorganizations of power relationships, resource allocation and administrative mandates are needed to improve the feasibility of effectively managed implementation in the Karnali—Bheri programme. In a wider context, rural development management in Nepal will only be possible if the development administration reforms itself for greater management and implementation potential.     

Nonlinear Granger causality between oil price and stock returns in India

The nonlinear causal dimension in oil price and stock returns aspect is less explored in literature. This study provides such evidence by applying Hiemstra and Jones (1994) nonlinear Granger causality test to the VAR residuals in case of India. Our result indicates that there exists bi‐directional nonlinear causality between oil price and stock returns. It implies that the lagged information of oil price and stock returns can be able to predict each other efficiently.     

Experience of training for decentralized planning in Nepal

People's participation is both a method and an objective of rural development programmes in Nepal. The government has adopted decentralization measures to facilitate this. As the subject of decentralization involves new roles and responsibilities for both people and government officials, designing viable training programmes has been emphasized. Commensurate with this, a pilot training programme has been conducted in the Tanahun District for two years. The objective of this programme was to produce a decentralized planning training module which could be replicated elsewhere. This paper deals with the content of this programme and highlights the lessons learnt.     

Creating Surplus Labour: Neo-Liberal Transformations and the Development of Relative Surplus Population in Indonesia

ABSTRACT

Many among the world’s population are surplus to the requirements of capital accumulation. These are people who become engaged in precarious employment both in rural and urban contexts and those who are involuntarily unemployed. Their presence has been particularly acute in “peripheral countries.” Mainstream economic literature explains this in terms of the dual labour market, where it is argued that surplus labour will eventually disappear with market-led economic development. Contrary to this explanation, this article argues, using Marx’s concept of relative surplus population (RSP), that under the existing neo-liberal framework such labour vulnerability is continually being created. This article charts the developmental history of Indonesia and demonstrates that the growth of RSP is an outcome of a neo-liberal transformation which favours capital accumulation at the service of global markets. Neo-liberal adjustments shape the development of RSP in three related ways. First, the adjustments change class relations and transform state orientation. Second, the reconfiguration of class dynamics and the state shapes the model of accumulation. Third, the model of accumulation eventually affects the size of RSP. It is argued that the disconnection between the domestic agricultural development and industrialisation has contributed to the maintenance of a large RSP in Indonesia.     

Redefining community–state partnership in natural resource management: a case from India

This article examines the role of the state in the Joint Forest Management (JFM) programme in the northern province of Haryana in India. In the past two decades, significant developments pertaining to institutional reforms in promoting community–state partnerships in protecting and managing forests have been undertaken in the province. By reviewing the experiences in management of water-harvesting structures and lease of forest area to local communities, the article demonstrates that the adoption of ‘joint management’ rhetoric does not guarantee successful partnerships at the field level. The implementation of the programme calls for a radical redefinition of the role of the state in order to establish credible commitments to the local communities in terms of both policy and practice.