The working paper series of the NRAS was started in 2015 and presents ongoing work by network members. They represent pre-publication versions of academic articles, book chapters, or reviews. The working paper series enables NRAS members to share their work with the rest of the network and with a larger audience for comments and discussion. Working papers are organized by date of publication, but you may search based on themes and keywords.
Runaways
Running away: an act that defies religious, caste, community, and family norms of sociality, sexuality
and marriage. Runaways: the new social category of persons that represents new youth rebels, their
search for self and individual identities, a social category of persons who are often not treated as
persons.
Now a regular feature of rural life, girls and boys run away to be together, to be married, to be
companions. And, in this act, they trigger consequences unanticipated by them and their families
and manifesting in full bloom the inbuilt caste hostilities, intolerance and lack of sensitivity of Indian
society.
Silent Violence and Neo Bondage in the urban informal sector
The India Migration Report 2017 examines forced migration caused by political conflicts, climate change, disasters (natural and man-made) and development projects. India accounts for large numbers of internally displaced people in the world. Apart from conflicts and disasters, over the years development projects (including urban redevelopment and beautification), often justified as serving the interests of the people and for public good, have caused massive displacements in different parts of the country, disrupting the lives and livelihoods of millions of people.
New migration question: Exploitative forms of transit labour in three regions of Andhra Pradesh
The article was published as a chapter in India Migration Report 2017
Regional Inequalities – A Moving Frontier
Among the various axes of inequality in India, regional disparities have acquired greater salience in recent times, with demands being made for special status for certain states on this basis. What has been completely overlooked in the process is that regional...
Too Little Too Late: Apathy to the Rural Sector
The last budget of the Modi government comes against the backdrop of severe agrarian and rural distress. It is also the last opportunity to undo the damage caused to the rural economy by this government in the last four years. While the government has fi nally acknowledged the gravity of the situation, its response has been limited to empty rhetoric without any fi nancial commitment. Going by the past record of the government, it is clear that it is serious neither in its commitment nor in its intent. The half-hearted measures are not only too little and too late, it is also clear that this budget is unlikely to revive the rural economy.
Food sovereignty, food security and democratic choice: critical contradictions, difficult conciliations
In recent years, the concept of ‘food sovereignty’ has gained increasing ground among grassroots groups, taking the form of a global movement. But there is no uniform conceptualization of what food sovereignty constitutes. Indeed, the definition has been expanding...
What Explains the Declining Female Labour Force Participation Ratio?
It is often argued that female labour force participation is declining in India due to rising incomes that allow more women to stay at home, which is the preferred household choice in a predominantly patriarchal society. However, this column contends that the trend is...
Enhancing resilience or furthering vulnerability? Responses to water stress in an urbanizing basin in Southern India
Urbanizing areas in developing countries face multiple stressors, including climate induced ones. We examine the case of water stress in agriculture in Arkavathy sub-basin in Southern India, a rapidly urbanizing landscape, including a part of the megacity of...
A Brief History of Handloom Reservation Act
Pre-History Indian handloom has an ancient lineage and India was the leading exporter of textiles till imperial policies systematically caused ruin to it. As R C Dutt, the first Indian entrant to ICS and one of the early drain theorists noted: ’Weaving was...the...