What are the economic costs of ill-functioning Indian land markets? The news and public policy discussions on land often revolve around land acquisition by governments, like the Tata Nano Singur case or the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement (LARR) Act of 2013. But the use of, or lack thereof, eminent domain stems from fundamental problems that make Indian land markets malfunction. 

Rain, rivers, coasts, and seas have shaped our societies from the earliest days. Tales from classical antiquity to the Abrahamic religions to ancient Mesopotamia speak of how water changed the course of history. In India, the “crucible of the monsoon,” the annual drama of the moisture-carrying winds that bring 80 percent of the country’s rainfall between June and September, has long shaped everything from childhood to culture to commerce.

Despite rapid economic growth, declining fertility, and an increase in education of women in India over the past three decades, the female workforce participation (FWFP) rate (proportion of women who are working) in the country continues to remain low. In fact, it has shown a precipitous and persistent decline since 1987. Figure 1 plots the workforce participation rates for women and men aged 25-60 in India’s rural (Panel A) and urban (Panel B) regions from 1987-2017.

India’s sovereign debt reached unprecedented levels in 2020, partly driven by the policy response to COVID-19, but also by low growth and high interest rates. Some have argued that high levels of debt may be less concerning in an environment of low interest rates. But there is also a significant body of evidence that points to several mechanisms through which high levels of sovereign debt can have negative effects on the economy.

In May 2014, in his first speech to the Indian parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanded that politicians work together to protect women and girls from violence. Modi reiterated this message in his first Independence Day address, criticizing parents for failing to discipline their boys. Since 2014, state governments run by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have taken measures to curtail street harassment through special policing units. Why police street harassment?