SWEDISH SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES NETWORK

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Visit to Gokhale Institute of  Politics and Economics, Pune,
Thursday 22 November 2007

Web page: http://www.gipe.ernet.in

People we met:
• Dr. Rajas Parchure (photo to the left), Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Professor of Finance. Research interest: Financial Economics/Economic Theory. Also working for the National Insurance Institute, involved in applied projects on crops and rainfall insurances for farmers.
• Dr. K.G. Kshirsagar, Reader. Research interest: Agricultural and Rural Economics. Involved in projects on Credits to rural households in Maharashtra; Post-harvest infrastructure/wastage of products; and Organic sugarcane production.
• Dr. Smriti Mukherjee, Reader. Research interest: International Economics in South and East Asia. Involved in projects on how external shocks (such as oil price rises) affect India; and on the new economic policies of the Indian government.
• Dr. Sangeeta Shroff, Lecturer. Research interest: Agricultural Economics, Gender Studies. Involved in projects on the Agricultural crisis and the farmers suicides in Maharashtra; and the Effects of state monopoly in the procurement of cotton.
• Dr. Shrikant S. Kalamkar, Lecturer. Research interest: Agricultural Economics, Resource Economics
• Dr. Kailash Thaware, Lecturer. Research interest: Financial institutions and markets, Environmental Economics. Involved in projects on Forestry and Tribal cooperatives.
• Dr. Jayanti Kajale, Lecturer. Research interest: Agricultural Economics, Labour Economics, Economics of Development
• Dr. Rupayan Pal, Lecturer. Research interest: Microeconomics, Industrial Economics/Organisation, Labour Economics, Applied Econometrics. Have worked on 'frontier areas of Industrial Organization and Labour Economics', Labour Economics, and Industrial Disputes in Indian States. Currently working on some issues on Decentralization, Collusion and R&D, Wage Differential and Bias, etc.
• Vini Sivanandan. Research interest: Population and development. Involved in evaluating irrigation projects in Gujarat.
• Sugeeta Upadhyay. Research interest: Economics of Education, Gender Studies
• Naskulwad Ganesh. Research interest: Rural Sociology

There is a Swedish connection to Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE), probably the oldest research and education institution in Economics in India. We were told that Prof. Gunnar Myrdal actually spent considerable time at Gokhale Institute while he was working on the major work ”Asian Drama”. After our visit to the institute (that since 1993 is a Deemed University), it is absolutely clear for us why Myrdal chose to come here.

he library (photo to the right), founded in 1905, is one of the foremost among specialized libraries in India in the field of Economics and other social sciences, with large collections of books and journals. It is also the Indian depository library for all UN publications, as well as publications of other leading international development and financial organisations. What we found most interesting was however the complete collection of all Indian parliamentary and legislative assemblies records from 1924 and onwards.

The history of GIPE is closely linked with the history of the nationalist movement in India. The Institute is located within the premises of the Servants of India Society, established in 1906 by the nationalist leader Gopal Krishna Gokhale, whom Mahatma Gandhi regarded as his political guru. The institute was established in 1930, and under its first Director D.R. Gadgil it emerged as a major think-tank on policy issues soon after India’s independence in 1947. Several renowned scholars have worked at GIPE and many more participated in its Kale Memorial Lectures (held every year since 1937). In recent years, Pres. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam lectured in 2004 on ”The evolution of enlightened citizen centric Society (Politics without nobility is similar to a balloon without air)”, and
Utsa Patnaik held the 2005 lecture on the theme ”Poverty and Neo-Liberalism”.

Today, GIPE seems to play a little less prominent role, and there is currently no research collaboration with Sweden. But considering the excellent research carried out at GIPE and the many exciting projects going on, there might certainly be Swedish researchers interested to join in.