Srinivasan Ramachandran | University of Madras (original) (raw)
Papers by Srinivasan Ramachandran
Times of India South Pole, 2021
A new initiative by Tamil Nadu government to provide health care at door step for deduction and t... more A new initiative by Tamil Nadu government to provide health care at door step for deduction and treatment of NCDs.
Education India: A Quarterly Refereed Journal of Dialogues on Education, 2021
Using the 71st round of National Sample Survey Office's (NSSO) data on Key Indicators of Social c... more Using the 71st round of National Sample Survey Office's (NSSO) data on Key Indicators of Social consumption in India Education (January-June 2014), this paper examinesthe determinants of household expenditure on education using the socioeconomic characteristics of the students currently attending educational institution in India. Quantile regression is used to capture the differential impacts across the distribution of the private expenditure on education. The results of the study reveal that the lower-income group spends a considerable amount on education despite receiving subsidizing education through government schools. This is probably because; there is a lower limit of expenditure that everyone should spend though the education sector is highly subsidized, and they choose to spend more on education as they probably consider that education is the only mobility through life.
Frontline, 2019
Tamil Nadu government abolished common entrance exam for admission to professional courses statin... more Tamil Nadu government abolished common entrance exam for admission to professional courses stating it was anti poor and those of educationally and socially depressed. This study shows the abolition benefited only backward classes and not of others.
Frontline, 2019
Reassign tax powers and effect equalization transfer in Federal India.
GST provides an opportunity to collect data on inter-state trade which in turn would help quantif... more GST provides an opportunity to collect data on inter-state trade which in turn would help quantify interdependence of states in India. This should also help to quantify geographical distribution of tax base and resultant distribution of tax burden.
Though SCs are considered as a monolithic unit for reservation in education and employment, but t... more Though SCs are considered as a monolithic unit for reservation in education and employment, but the inter-caste differences in SCs are evident and the political attempts to allocate sub-quota within the overall SC reservation were outcomes of acknowledging the inter-caste differences. But the political and academic debates for and against the sub-quota within overall SC reservation have not initiated unbiased and evidence based understanding of the inter-caste differences among SCs. This article attempts to quantify the inter-caste differences among SCs in Tamil Nadu using the census data from 1991 to 2011. First an analysis of the quantifiable development differentials between SCs and non-SC&ST has been attempted and a similar analysis of the same set of variables is done to quantify the inter-caste differences among SCs in Tamil Nadu. The various castes within SCs show remarkable differences in terms of the demographic, educational and workers characteristics. This shows that the inter-caste differences in SCs cannot be brushed aside and there is a need to acknowledge this fact in the first instance for designing intervention programmes for their development.
The GST Council, a panel of Union and state finance ministers, has met three times till now. Thou... more The GST Council, a panel of Union and state finance ministers, has met three times till now. Though con sensus has been the mode of decisionmaking, the process will not be smooth in the days to come. Very important decisions like tax rates, mobilising revenue to give compensation to states and division of tax administrative powers between the Union and the state governments will see tough negotiations and prolonged discussion.
The issues before the GST Council, configuration of GST council and the voting system are likely ... more The issues before the GST Council, configuration of GST council and the voting system are likely to churn the political relationship between states and the centre in India
With Bihar becoming the first nonNDA ruled state to pass the constitutional amendment for GST, i... more With Bihar becoming the first nonNDA ruled state to pass the constitutional amendment for GST, it appears GST will become the law of the land soon despite Tamil Nadu government formally opposing it. R Srinivasan, associate professor of econometrics at University of Madras, explains the nitty gritty of this system
Budget making at the State level in India has undergone changes since the implementation of the f... more Budget making at the State level in India has undergone changes since the implementation of the fiscal responsibility legislation and the successive Finance Commission recommendations. For a high-performing State such as Tamil Nadu, this means balancing its equity-based programmes with shrinking allocations and space for revenue mobilisation. Associate Professor of Econometrics, University of Madras, R. Srinivasan, analyses the 2016-17 budget for Tamil Nadu and holds out the caution that the State could fall into a debt trap if it does not augment its own revenues, plan for reducing public expenditure, and simultaneously improve efficacy of public service delivery. iscal debate in Tamil Nadu has always been around two important issues-one is about financing ever-increasing subsidies and social sector expenditures, and the other is the inadequate financial transfers from the Union Gbovernment.
t a time when the need for and the effectiveness of a Common Entrance Test (CET) to professional ... more t a time when the need for and the effectiveness of a Common Entrance Test (CET) to professional colleges is debated across the country, The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy’s third Policy Watch looks at the working of the professional college admissions system. It studies the efficiency of the implementation of affirmative action policies in Tamil Nadu’s professional education institutions to meet the underlying social justice
objectives by looking at the mechanism used to determine admissions to these courses. This analysis points out that the abolition of the CET in Tamil Nadu has benefitted
students from the Other Communities and the Backward Classes more than those from other socially deprived classes, such as the Most Backward Classes, and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The solution to work out an efficient affirmative action policy, according to the author, lies in reorienting both the school education system and the CET mechanism.
Major Parties Have Made Concerted Efforts To Include Development Schemes In Farm Sector. Here We ... more Major Parties Have Made Concerted Efforts To Include Development Schemes In Farm Sector. Here We Take A Look At How Feasible The Promised Schemes Are Talking about election manifestos in Tamil Nadu is like debating new subsidy schemes.
Election promises of subsidies and free goods adversely impact state finances. In Tamil Nadu, the... more Election promises of subsidies and free goods adversely impact state finances. In Tamil Nadu, the twin electoral promises by political parties of providing free or subsidised goods and services, and implementation of prohibition, will result in increased expenditure and reduced revenue. This, inevitably, would lead to higher borrowings by the State.
MGR was determined that inadequate fi nances shouldn' t come in the way of realising his grand vi... more MGR was determined that inadequate fi nances shouldn' t come in the way of realising his grand vision of feeding all poor children in schools.
Stepping Into 100th Birth Anniv Of MGR, We Recall How His Pathbreaking Nutritious Meal Project Wa... more Stepping Into 100th Birth Anniv Of MGR, We Recall How His Pathbreaking Nutritious Meal Project Was Conceived And Implemented
Using demographic information from the Primary Census Abstracts and , Village Directories for 199... more Using demographic information from the Primary Census Abstracts and , Village Directories for 1991 and 2011, we could trace the changing characteristics of villages and the spatial pattern in such changes.
Economic census is a comprehensive survey of all business establishments in the country. This art... more Economic census is a comprehensive survey of all business establishments in the country. This article analyses the temporal and spatial changes in the distribution of business establishments in Tamil Nadu using three rounds of economic censuses carried out in 1990, 1998 and 2005.
This is an introduction to the 12 Malcolm Lectures delivered by experts on development studies dr... more This is an introduction to the 12 Malcolm Lectures delivered by experts on development studies drawn from different disciplines - economics, socialogy, political science, history and inter-disciplinary areas such as gender studies and environmental studies. The Malcolm Lecture is delivered by Malcolm Awardee of the year. This award is instituted by Malcolm and Elizabeth Adiseshiah Trust, Chennai.
School education should provide an environment for inclusiveness. Understanding the backwardness ... more School education should provide an environment for inclusiveness. Understanding the backwardness of certain communities is as important as appreciating and nurturing intelligence and excellence. This is the surest route to render social justice and to establish an egalitarian society. When education is conceived as a form of human capital, then distribution of this human capital should be equal across society. Rather distribution of human capital should help to overcome the other social and economic backwardness of children in the depressed communities. When society is stratified by communities, so are the schools to cater to different needs of the each stratum of the society. Hence, community, type of schools, location, gender, choice of subjects are inter-related and together determine the creation of human capital as measured by marks. Hence, we attempt at analysing the determinants of marks using data of nearly 3.9 lakh students who successfully completed 10th standard in 2008 and proceeded to complete 12th standard in 2010. With this large data set, we could find a clear trend of students from relatively forward communities, study in self-financing schools and choose subjects that take them to professional courses in higher education, ultimately scoring higher grades than others. On the contrary, the students from the backward and depressed communities, study in government schools, choosing subjects that do not take them to professional education and they also score very low marks. Thus, the existing school system creates further inequality through unequal distribution of human capital.
This article explores the recent growth profile of Tamil Nadu, one of the fastest growth regions ... more This article explores the recent growth profile of Tamil Nadu, one of the fastest growth regions in India.
Times of India South Pole, 2021
A new initiative by Tamil Nadu government to provide health care at door step for deduction and t... more A new initiative by Tamil Nadu government to provide health care at door step for deduction and treatment of NCDs.
Education India: A Quarterly Refereed Journal of Dialogues on Education, 2021
Using the 71st round of National Sample Survey Office's (NSSO) data on Key Indicators of Social c... more Using the 71st round of National Sample Survey Office's (NSSO) data on Key Indicators of Social consumption in India Education (January-June 2014), this paper examinesthe determinants of household expenditure on education using the socioeconomic characteristics of the students currently attending educational institution in India. Quantile regression is used to capture the differential impacts across the distribution of the private expenditure on education. The results of the study reveal that the lower-income group spends a considerable amount on education despite receiving subsidizing education through government schools. This is probably because; there is a lower limit of expenditure that everyone should spend though the education sector is highly subsidized, and they choose to spend more on education as they probably consider that education is the only mobility through life.
Frontline, 2019
Tamil Nadu government abolished common entrance exam for admission to professional courses statin... more Tamil Nadu government abolished common entrance exam for admission to professional courses stating it was anti poor and those of educationally and socially depressed. This study shows the abolition benefited only backward classes and not of others.
Frontline, 2019
Reassign tax powers and effect equalization transfer in Federal India.
GST provides an opportunity to collect data on inter-state trade which in turn would help quantif... more GST provides an opportunity to collect data on inter-state trade which in turn would help quantify interdependence of states in India. This should also help to quantify geographical distribution of tax base and resultant distribution of tax burden.
Though SCs are considered as a monolithic unit for reservation in education and employment, but t... more Though SCs are considered as a monolithic unit for reservation in education and employment, but the inter-caste differences in SCs are evident and the political attempts to allocate sub-quota within the overall SC reservation were outcomes of acknowledging the inter-caste differences. But the political and academic debates for and against the sub-quota within overall SC reservation have not initiated unbiased and evidence based understanding of the inter-caste differences among SCs. This article attempts to quantify the inter-caste differences among SCs in Tamil Nadu using the census data from 1991 to 2011. First an analysis of the quantifiable development differentials between SCs and non-SC&ST has been attempted and a similar analysis of the same set of variables is done to quantify the inter-caste differences among SCs in Tamil Nadu. The various castes within SCs show remarkable differences in terms of the demographic, educational and workers characteristics. This shows that the inter-caste differences in SCs cannot be brushed aside and there is a need to acknowledge this fact in the first instance for designing intervention programmes for their development.
The GST Council, a panel of Union and state finance ministers, has met three times till now. Thou... more The GST Council, a panel of Union and state finance ministers, has met three times till now. Though con sensus has been the mode of decisionmaking, the process will not be smooth in the days to come. Very important decisions like tax rates, mobilising revenue to give compensation to states and division of tax administrative powers between the Union and the state governments will see tough negotiations and prolonged discussion.
The issues before the GST Council, configuration of GST council and the voting system are likely ... more The issues before the GST Council, configuration of GST council and the voting system are likely to churn the political relationship between states and the centre in India
With Bihar becoming the first nonNDA ruled state to pass the constitutional amendment for GST, i... more With Bihar becoming the first nonNDA ruled state to pass the constitutional amendment for GST, it appears GST will become the law of the land soon despite Tamil Nadu government formally opposing it. R Srinivasan, associate professor of econometrics at University of Madras, explains the nitty gritty of this system
Budget making at the State level in India has undergone changes since the implementation of the f... more Budget making at the State level in India has undergone changes since the implementation of the fiscal responsibility legislation and the successive Finance Commission recommendations. For a high-performing State such as Tamil Nadu, this means balancing its equity-based programmes with shrinking allocations and space for revenue mobilisation. Associate Professor of Econometrics, University of Madras, R. Srinivasan, analyses the 2016-17 budget for Tamil Nadu and holds out the caution that the State could fall into a debt trap if it does not augment its own revenues, plan for reducing public expenditure, and simultaneously improve efficacy of public service delivery. iscal debate in Tamil Nadu has always been around two important issues-one is about financing ever-increasing subsidies and social sector expenditures, and the other is the inadequate financial transfers from the Union Gbovernment.
t a time when the need for and the effectiveness of a Common Entrance Test (CET) to professional ... more t a time when the need for and the effectiveness of a Common Entrance Test (CET) to professional colleges is debated across the country, The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy’s third Policy Watch looks at the working of the professional college admissions system. It studies the efficiency of the implementation of affirmative action policies in Tamil Nadu’s professional education institutions to meet the underlying social justice
objectives by looking at the mechanism used to determine admissions to these courses. This analysis points out that the abolition of the CET in Tamil Nadu has benefitted
students from the Other Communities and the Backward Classes more than those from other socially deprived classes, such as the Most Backward Classes, and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The solution to work out an efficient affirmative action policy, according to the author, lies in reorienting both the school education system and the CET mechanism.
Major Parties Have Made Concerted Efforts To Include Development Schemes In Farm Sector. Here We ... more Major Parties Have Made Concerted Efforts To Include Development Schemes In Farm Sector. Here We Take A Look At How Feasible The Promised Schemes Are Talking about election manifestos in Tamil Nadu is like debating new subsidy schemes.
Election promises of subsidies and free goods adversely impact state finances. In Tamil Nadu, the... more Election promises of subsidies and free goods adversely impact state finances. In Tamil Nadu, the twin electoral promises by political parties of providing free or subsidised goods and services, and implementation of prohibition, will result in increased expenditure and reduced revenue. This, inevitably, would lead to higher borrowings by the State.
MGR was determined that inadequate fi nances shouldn' t come in the way of realising his grand vi... more MGR was determined that inadequate fi nances shouldn' t come in the way of realising his grand vision of feeding all poor children in schools.
Stepping Into 100th Birth Anniv Of MGR, We Recall How His Pathbreaking Nutritious Meal Project Wa... more Stepping Into 100th Birth Anniv Of MGR, We Recall How His Pathbreaking Nutritious Meal Project Was Conceived And Implemented
Using demographic information from the Primary Census Abstracts and , Village Directories for 199... more Using demographic information from the Primary Census Abstracts and , Village Directories for 1991 and 2011, we could trace the changing characteristics of villages and the spatial pattern in such changes.
Economic census is a comprehensive survey of all business establishments in the country. This art... more Economic census is a comprehensive survey of all business establishments in the country. This article analyses the temporal and spatial changes in the distribution of business establishments in Tamil Nadu using three rounds of economic censuses carried out in 1990, 1998 and 2005.
This is an introduction to the 12 Malcolm Lectures delivered by experts on development studies dr... more This is an introduction to the 12 Malcolm Lectures delivered by experts on development studies drawn from different disciplines - economics, socialogy, political science, history and inter-disciplinary areas such as gender studies and environmental studies. The Malcolm Lecture is delivered by Malcolm Awardee of the year. This award is instituted by Malcolm and Elizabeth Adiseshiah Trust, Chennai.
School education should provide an environment for inclusiveness. Understanding the backwardness ... more School education should provide an environment for inclusiveness. Understanding the backwardness of certain communities is as important as appreciating and nurturing intelligence and excellence. This is the surest route to render social justice and to establish an egalitarian society. When education is conceived as a form of human capital, then distribution of this human capital should be equal across society. Rather distribution of human capital should help to overcome the other social and economic backwardness of children in the depressed communities. When society is stratified by communities, so are the schools to cater to different needs of the each stratum of the society. Hence, community, type of schools, location, gender, choice of subjects are inter-related and together determine the creation of human capital as measured by marks. Hence, we attempt at analysing the determinants of marks using data of nearly 3.9 lakh students who successfully completed 10th standard in 2008 and proceeded to complete 12th standard in 2010. With this large data set, we could find a clear trend of students from relatively forward communities, study in self-financing schools and choose subjects that take them to professional courses in higher education, ultimately scoring higher grades than others. On the contrary, the students from the backward and depressed communities, study in government schools, choosing subjects that do not take them to professional education and they also score very low marks. Thus, the existing school system creates further inequality through unequal distribution of human capital.
This article explores the recent growth profile of Tamil Nadu, one of the fastest growth regions ... more This article explores the recent growth profile of Tamil Nadu, one of the fastest growth regions in India.