.
Assessing the Impact of Couple’s Caste, Age, Educational Level on Fertility in India: Evidence from National Family Health Survey
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
This study explores the association between a couple’s characteristics and women’s reproductive behaviour in India. Generally, the study on the population deals with only women considering women samples for evaluating fertility in India. The current research includes men and women to examine the effect of the differences in their caste, age and educational level on fertility behaviour in India. For this purpose, data from the National Family Health Survey-4 has been used carried out during 2015–2016. Differences in couple’s characteristics were tabulated with the children ever born to see the distribution by the caste, age and educational level differences in India. In order to obtain more accurate results, linear regression was applied to see the variation in children ever born to the couple’s characteristics and different background characteristics. We find that caste, age and education differences among couples significantly impact fertility; as these differences increase, children ever born among couples also increase. The study proposes that satisfactory educational levels have lessened the role of caste and age on fertility in India.
This study explores the association between a couple’s characteristics and women’s reproductive behaviour in India. Generally, the study on the population deals with only women considering women samples for evaluating fertility in India. The current research includes men and women to examine the effect of the differences in their caste, age and educational level on fertility behaviour in India. For this purpose, data from the National Family Health Survey-4 has been used carried out during 2015–2016. Differences in couple’s characteristics were tabulated with the children ever born to see the distribution by the caste, age and educational level differences in India. In order to obtain more accurate results, linear regression was applied to see the variation in children ever born to the couple’s characteristics and different background characteristics. We find that caste, age and education differences among couples significantly impact fertility; as these differences increase, children ever born among couples also increase. The study proposes that satisfactory educational levels have lessened the role of caste and age on fertility in India.
Wallach, Philip A. Why Congress
.
COMMENTARY – THE POST-GLOBALIZATION OF SOUTH ASIA
World Affairs, Ahead of Print.
Ironic as it may seem, one of the major victims of America's diplomatic retreat from Pakistan has been India. China has filled the void of U.S. disengagement, solidifying its grip on Pakistan and locking India in a two-front vise that it cannot cope with on its own. India has no choice but to reach out for alliances with liberal nations it shunned in its Non-Aligned days. This radical policy shift is capped, however, by the ideological constraints of Modi's BJPism. That is the main reason why India has refused to abort its military and economic ties with Russia. A similar anti-liberalism led Imran Khan, the ex-prime minister of Pakistan, to seek an anti-Western accord with Russia. Conversely, Pakistan's current leadership is trying hard to repair its U.S. relations. Following the lead of Secretary of State Antony Blinken, this extended commentary favors robust U.S. engagement with all of South Asia but qualifies that case by stressing that the wrong kind of engagement would end up serving the cause of Sino-authoritarianism. What is needed is moral realism, which avoids the ethical blight of both Kissingeresque realism and globalist irrealism. Pakistan is ripe for this post-globalist realism because it affords no clean and neat “right” choices yet is far too important to abandon. Such cases compel us to search for lesser evils: the best available bad choices we can locate.
Ironic as it may seem, one of the major victims of America's diplomatic retreat from Pakistan has been India. China has filled the void of U.S. disengagement, solidifying its grip on Pakistan and locking India in a two-front vise that it cannot cope with on its own. India has no choice but to reach out for alliances with liberal nations it shunned in its Non-Aligned days. This radical policy shift is capped, however, by the ideological constraints of Modi's BJPism. That is the main reason why India has refused to abort its military and economic ties with Russia. A similar anti-liberalism led Imran Khan, the ex-prime minister of Pakistan, to seek an anti-Western accord with Russia. Conversely, Pakistan's current leadership is trying hard to repair its U.S. relations. Following the lead of Secretary of State Antony Blinken, this extended commentary favors robust U.S. engagement with all of South Asia but qualifies that case by stressing that the wrong kind of engagement would end up serving the cause of Sino-authoritarianism. What is needed is moral realism, which avoids the ethical blight of both Kissingeresque realism and globalist irrealism. Pakistan is ripe for this post-globalist realism because it affords no clean and neat “right” choices yet is far too important to abandon. Such cases compel us to search for lesser evils: the best available bad choices we can locate.
MODERNIZATION, SUPERSTITION, AND CULTURAL CHANGE
World Affairs, Ahead of Print.
By exploring the relationship between socioeconomic development, secularism, and the pervasiveness of traditional beliefs, this article shows that while some traditional practices and beliefs, such as making use of traditional healers, are negatively and significantly related to several development indicators, there is little to no detectable (statistical) relationship between other traditional beliefs and practices, such as believing in and seeing a jinn, and development. The evidence presented in the article sustains the claim, advanced at the turn of the millennium by Inglehart and Baker, that the impact of socioeconomic development on values, attitudes, and cultural change is complex and non-linear.
By exploring the relationship between socioeconomic development, secularism, and the pervasiveness of traditional beliefs, this article shows that while some traditional practices and beliefs, such as making use of traditional healers, are negatively and significantly related to several development indicators, there is little to no detectable (statistical) relationship between other traditional beliefs and practices, such as believing in and seeing a jinn, and development. The evidence presented in the article sustains the claim, advanced at the turn of the millennium by Inglehart and Baker, that the impact of socioeconomic development on values, attitudes, and cultural change is complex and non-linear.
Of histories (un)shared: India – Pakistan, postage stamps, and 1857
.
Unsettled borders: the militarized science of surveillance on sacred Indigenous land
.
Colonialism and politics from the abyss
.
Competition, scandal, or ideology? A congruence analysis of Australian political finance reforms (1980–2020)
Party Politics, Ahead of Print.
Although studies into political finance reform have become commonplace, many questions remain unanswered in this area. Studies into links between scandals and political finance reform have provided conflicting findings, while little is known about why incumbents force through self-serving reforms in some instances, but cooperate with rivals in others. The ‘General Theory of Campaign Finance Reform’ reconciles inconsistencies by situating reform processes within the context of party competition. Observing that this framework has not yet been empirically tested, this study undertakes a Congruence Analysis to apply the model to a 40-year period of Australian political finance reform. Hansard is used to document inter-party interactions, in conjunction with quantitative indicators of party competition, organization, and ideology, which outline the changing contexts of reform. Findings indicate that party competition, scandals, and changes in incumbency are influential drivers of reform, while ideological factors play an inconsistent role. Providing insights into causal processes of reform, this article bridges the gap between theoretical and empirical literature on political finance.
Although studies into political finance reform have become commonplace, many questions remain unanswered in this area. Studies into links between scandals and political finance reform have provided conflicting findings, while little is known about why incumbents force through self-serving reforms in some instances, but cooperate with rivals in others. The ‘General Theory of Campaign Finance Reform’ reconciles inconsistencies by situating reform processes within the context of party competition. Observing that this framework has not yet been empirically tested, this study undertakes a Congruence Analysis to apply the model to a 40-year period of Australian political finance reform. Hansard is used to document inter-party interactions, in conjunction with quantitative indicators of party competition, organization, and ideology, which outline the changing contexts of reform. Findings indicate that party competition, scandals, and changes in incumbency are influential drivers of reform, while ideological factors play an inconsistent role. Providing insights into causal processes of reform, this article bridges the gap between theoretical and empirical literature on political finance.
Marginalized Life of Manual Scavengers: Questions of Witness Towards Society
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
In recent days, Tamil cinema has reached a wide range in marketing and popularity across the globe, gaining attention around the world through its style and techniques. Critics and researchers highlight and celebrate the recent changes in Tamil cinema as the ‘New Wave’. It readies to change gears in the aspects of theme, narration and choice of portraying the characters. Tamil cinema became a medium to express the voice of suppressed people. Directors pinpoint issues such as identity crisis, domestic violence and political ideologies. The issues and problems of subaltern people were totally neglected in Tamil cinema, but now they reflect reality. Witness is one of the movies on that list that discusses the pain of manual scavengers. The movie is not an emotional drama; rather, it questions society from different perspectives. It depicts the lives, sufferings and struggles of manual scavengers. The film not only raises questions but also serves as an answer to tangible questions. This paper discusses and highlights the literary works that mainly torched out the problems of manual scavengers in the present and past.
In recent days, Tamil cinema has reached a wide range in marketing and popularity across the globe, gaining attention around the world through its style and techniques. Critics and researchers highlight and celebrate the recent changes in Tamil cinema as the ‘New Wave’. It readies to change gears in the aspects of theme, narration and choice of portraying the characters. Tamil cinema became a medium to express the voice of suppressed people. Directors pinpoint issues such as identity crisis, domestic violence and political ideologies. The issues and problems of subaltern people were totally neglected in Tamil cinema, but now they reflect reality. Witness is one of the movies on that list that discusses the pain of manual scavengers. The movie is not an emotional drama; rather, it questions society from different perspectives. It depicts the lives, sufferings and struggles of manual scavengers. The film not only raises questions but also serves as an answer to tangible questions. This paper discusses and highlights the literary works that mainly torched out the problems of manual scavengers in the present and past.