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21st Century India Center Seminar Series on the Indian Economy

The goal of the 21st Century India Center Seminar Series is to showcase new research on the Indian economy by junior scholars from around the world.

The virtual seminar series is organized around three thematic areas that align with our center’s research pillars: global competitiveness, inclusive growth and climate change and sustainability.

Each academic year, we will invite around 10 scholars to present their recent working papers on India. A discussant is assigned to each speaker to provide feedback on the main points of the paper.

The virtual seminars, scheduled throughout the academic year, are held on Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time and will last for an hour. Each seminar consists of a 45-minute presentation, followed by 15 minutes of discussion and Q&A.

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Organizers

Upcoming Events

Date Speaker / Discussant / Paper Details
Sept. 25, 2024

Speaker: Tejaswi Velayudhan, UC Irvine

Discussant: Pablo Garriga, the World Bank

Paper Title: Value-added Taxes: Do People Pay If the Government Isn’t Watching?

Authors: Bhanu Gupta, Tejaswi Velayudhan, Prince Dhawan, Ankur Garg

Abstract: The Value-Added Tax (VAT) has become a powerful tool for raising tax revenue in contexts with low state capacity. Many countries rely on technology and automation to further strengthen self-enforcement and reduce the burden on tax officers. In this paper, we show that such increased reliance on self-enforcement can perversely reduce compliance. Strategic complementarity increases non-compliance among firms that remain connected to non-compliant suppliers. We experimentally increase perceived enforcement of tax filing among Goods and Services Tax (GST) taxpayers in New Delhi, India, which increases compliance by 10 percent on average. However, only taxpayers with above median levels of compliance in their supplier network respond to enforcement at all. Buyers in networks with more non-compliant suppliers are also less likely to shift away from these suppliers.

Oct. 30, 2024

Speaker: Suanna Oh, Paris School of Economics

Paper Title: Worker Absences and Demand for Flexible Contracts

Authors: Sampreet Goraya, Suanna Oh, Yogita Shamdasani

Abstract: Worker absenteeism and high turnover remain common problems in developing labor markets, even while the unemployment rate is high (Allen 1981, Leigh 1983, Benavides et al. 2000). In India, the absence rate stands at 8% of worker-days among permanent manufacturing employees, and a majority of unskilled workers continue to be employed in informal casual labor. We hypothesize that worker demand for flexibility affects labor supply decisions, both in terms of absence and selection into informal work arrangements. We test for the existence of a demand for flexible work among unskilled casual laborers in Odisha, India, and investigate the underlying motivations. We use an incentive-compatible choice experiment, which elicits preferences over pairs of contracts which vary in levels of flexibility, attendance bonus, and distance to local network. This allows us to empirically document workers’ willingness to pay for flexibility in terms of forgone wage earnings, when they are proximate (or not) to the network. We combine this with attendance data from random implementation of contracts and collect detailed survey data on the causes of absences, social network and practices, as well as risk and time preferences. We plan to: 1) estimate the share of workers who have demand for flexibility that exceeds what is permitted in a typical formal contract; 2) distinguish the main reasons why workers demand flexibility, including the role of social duties; and 3) examine consequences for contract selection and earnings.

Register for Oct. 30, 2024 Seminar

Nov. 20, 2024

Speaker: Nick Hagerty, Montana State University

Dec. 11, 2024

Speaker: Kartik Srivastava, Harvard University

2023-24 Series

Date Speaker / Discussant / Paper
Sept. 27, 2023 Speaker: Radhika Jain, University College London
Discussant: Yashna Nandan, UC San Diego
Paper: "Private Hospital Behavior Under Government Insurance: Evidence from Reimbursement Changes in India"
Oct. 18, 2023 Speaker: Bharti Nandwani, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research
Discussant: Gaurav Chiplunkar, UVA
Paper: "Female representation in school management and school quality"
Nov. 1, 2023 Speaker: M.R. Sharan, University of Maryland, College Park
Discussant: Saad Gulzar, Princeton University
Paper: "Who Becomes A Local Politician? Evidence from India"
Dec. 6, 2023 Speaker: Raahil Madhok, University of Minnesota
Discussant: Francisco Costa, University of Delaware
Paper: "Internal Migration and the Re-organization of Agriculture"
Jan. 24, 2024 Speaker: Yusuf Neggers, University of Michigan
Paper: "Updating the State: Does Easier Access to Program Information Improve Bureaucrat Performance?"
Feb. 14, 2024 Speaker: Rajat Kochhar, University of Chicago
Discussant: Anubhab Gupta, Virginia Tech
Paper: "Does Market Power in Agricultural Markets Hinder Farmer Climate Change Adaptation?"
March 13, 2024 Speaker: Shilpa Aggarwal, ISB
Discussant: Kyle Emerick, Tufts University
Paper: "Minimum Support Prices in Indian Agriculture: Supporting Whom and at What Price?"
April 3, 2024 Speaker: Sanghamitra Warrier Mukherjee, IMF
Paper: "Digital Technology Adoption: Subsidizing Learning Costs for Firms in India"
May 1, 2024 Speaker: Madeline McKelway, Dartmouth College
Discussant: Eeshani Kandpal, Center for Global Development
Paper: "Women’s Self-Efficacy and Economic Outcomes: Experimental Evidence from India"
June 5, 2024 Speaker: Anand ChopraUniversity of Liverpool Management School
Discussant: Minki Kim, University of Mannheim
Paper: "The Equilibrium Impact of Agricultural Support Prices and Input Subsidies"