A. Webinars

1.Lecture's on Kerala's Development Experience held on July 25, 2022 by Prof T M Thomas Isaac.

On the occasion of Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Sri Achutha Menon Government College Trissur, GIFT jointly organised with Sri Achutha Menon College, Trissur, a lecture programme on Kerala's Development Experience on 25th July , 2022 at Sri Achutha Menon Government College, Trissur. Three lectures (1) Redistributive Development Strategy and Outcomes, (2)The Development Crisis and the New Challenges and (3) Towards a Development Strategy for New Kerala were included in the programme. The lectures were delivered by Prof T M Thomas Isaac, Distinguished fellow, GIFT and former Finance Minister, Government of Kerala for post graduate students in Economics.

The lectures were based on the recent book "Kerala- Another Possible World" by                                    Prof T M Thomas Isaac. Dr Ramya R , Sri Achutha Menon Government College ,Trissur delivered the welcome address. Dr Shyjan D, Associate Professor (on Deputation),Dr John Mathai Centre, University of Calicut, Dr C C Babu , Former Controller of Examinations, University of Calicut and Deputy Director and Dr Chacko Jose P, Principal,                           St Aloysious College, Trissur chaired the three sessions respectively. Prof K J Joseph, Director , GIFT spoke on the occasion. Dr Renjitha Rajeev, Assistant Professor,                             Sri C Achutha Menon Government College proposed vote of thanks.

2.Webinar Series -Urban River Restoration and Urban Water Management: Tale of Six cities, August 19, 2022by Prof Srikumar Chattopadhyay, ICSSR National Fellow, GIFT.

Prof KJ Joseph (Director GIFT) welcomed the participants. Prof TM Thomas Isaac, Former Finance Minister of Kerala and Distinguished Fellow, GIFT chaired the session and shared his reflections on the book.Dr Kiran kumar, Assistant Professor, GIFT proposed the vote of thanks.

Abstract: Urban river restoration is an emerging challenge across the world. Rivers which used to be part of the physical and cultural landscape of cities are now ecologically dysfunctional and under severe stress, hydrologically and hydrographically. Fluvial landscape is losing its territory under urban growth. Urban river restoration in 20th century was mostly to manage water quality for disease control and flood protection through appropriate technological interventions. The scope has further expanded in 21st Century to cover river health and other related issues with the thrust to integrate river restoration with urban water management, involvement of people and use structural and non-structural measures.

In India, urban river restoration is still in the project planning stage barring few examples, although sewage and waste water treatment were part of city water management since 1950s. Central Pollution Control Board has identified 317 river stretches spreading over 659 towns in the country as polluted under various categories of priority. The present study covers six cities in India, namely, Ahmedabad, Alappuzha, Madurai, Nagpur, Pune and Thiruvananthapuram. Only Ahmedabad has executed the river front development project, however it is engineering structure and appropriation of fluvial landscape. In case of Alappuzha, the programme is in the initial stage with thrust on people's participation and decentralisation. There are successful intervention in decentralised waste management, survey of canals and creation of sample wetland as part of river rejuvenation programme. In case of all other cities, restoration programme is in the planning stage.

What emerged from this study is that the river restoration has not drawn the required attention of urban planners and yet to form a part of urban water management. One of the underlying reasons may be dependence of cities on water sources at distant, rural hinterlands, which may result in rural urban water dispute. It is suggested that all urban water management issues-green water, blue water and grey water management should be considered together and an integrated urban water management plan may be evolved.

3.Orientation for the Fourth batch of PhD Programme in Social Science from  22 August 2022 to 28 August 2022.

Admission for the full-time PhD Programme in Social science was completed in July. A total of nine students joined the programme for its fourth batch. The Institute welcomed new PhD Scholars with an Orientation Programme where scholars of eminence from India and abroad interacted with the new scholars, shared their experiences and reflected on the process involved in the making of a scholar.

Shri K N Balagopal, Hon'ble Finance Minister and Chairman, GIFT inaugurated the orientation programme. Shri K M Chandrasekhar, former Cabinet Secretary, Government of India and former Vice Chairman, Kerala State Planning Board was the Chief guest. The book "Kerala: Another possible world" written by Prof Thomas Isaac was released in the function. Prof A V Jose, former Director and Honorary Fellow, GIFT chaired the session. Prof Thomas Isaac addressed the new batch of PhD students and also responded to the audience about the book. The eminent scholars interacted with our new batch of PhD scholars included Prof. Ravi Raman, Member, Kerala State Planning Board; Prof. R Nagaraj, former Prof. Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR) and Visiting Professor, Centre for Development Studies (CDS), Prof. Pinaki Chakraborty, former Director, NIPFP, Prof. Jeemol Unni, former Director, IRMA and Prof. Ahmedabad University, Prof. Pulin Nayak, former Director, Delhi School of Economics (DSE) and Prof. Thankom Arun, Professor, University of Essex. Prof K J Joseph, Director , GIFT made the welcome address. Dr Parma Chakravartti, Assisant Professor , GIFT proposed vote of thanks.

4. Release of the book  “Studies in Indian Public Finance” and honoring the author Prof M Govinda Rao.

The event was chaired by Prof TM Thomas Isaac, Former Finance Minister of Kerala and Distinguished Fellow, GIFT. The panelists included; Prof. D K Srivatsava, Honorary Professor Madras School of Economics, Prof Kavita Rao, Director NIPFP, Prof Pinaki Chakraborty, Former Director NIPFP, Prof. D Narayana, Former Director GIFT,                   Prof. N R Bhanumurthy, Vice-chancellor BASE university, Prof K R Shanmugham, Director MSE and Prof. Lekha Chakraborty NIPFP. Panelists reflected on the book and shared their personal experiences with Prof Rao. Prof Govinda Rao responded to the feedback from the panelists. Prof K J Joseph, Director, GIFT delivered the welcome address. Dr Kiran Kumar , Assistant Professor, GIFT proposed the vote of thanks.

5.Webinar on Institutional and technological pathways for sustainable development held on 22 September 2022. Mr Nikas Scheidt, Chair, Economic Policy Karlruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany delivered the lecture and Prof KJ Joseph (Director GIFT) chaired the event . Dr Kiran Kumar, Assistant Professor made the welcome address. Dr Anoop S Kumar , Assistant Professor, GIFT proposed the vote of thanks.

Abstract: Mitigating growth-induced environmental emissions may be one of the most important challenges for the global community today. Two of the most important forces most in this challenge are institutions that are geared towards environmental goals and the development of green technologies. This seminar addresses the role of both factors, taking a macro-level perspective in assessing their impact on the transformation of countries towards a green economy. The seminar is split into three parts: The first part examines the general relationship between economic growth and environmental emissions, re-assessing one of the most well-known theories on this relationship, the Environmental Kuznets Curve. The second part then discusses the effects of international environmental cooperation and renewable energy technology development in curbing climate change. The third part concludes with a discussion on the measurements of green technology development, focusing on the role and identification of renewable energy trademarks.

B. Teaching and Training programmes

1. Post Graduate Diploma in GST (PGDGST)

60 hours of Training programme for the Fifth batch of PGDGST students were completed till the month of September 2022.Online examination result was published during the month of August 2022 for the fourth batch of students . Soft Copies of Training Certifcates and Marklists were prepared. Dr N Ramalingam, Smt Jenny Thekkara and Smt Anitha Kumary L, Associate Professors, GIFT are handling the sessions..

Course Co-ordinators: Dr. N Ramalingam and Smt. L Anitha Kumary

For more details: https://www.gift.res.in/index.php/course/detail/14/PGD-GST

2. PhD programme

Update from the first batch, 2018

Some of the first batch scholars contributed research articles to Kerala Economy, which drawing from their ongoing PhD dissertation.

 

Update from the second batch, 2020

Second batch PhD scholars, in collaboration with GIFT faculty members, contributed research articles to the Kerala Economy, which are culled from their ongoing PhD dissertation.

Update from third batch, 2021

All PhD scholars of the third batch presented their research proposals at the Institute.

Indhu T.R., the second-year PhD. Scholar has presented a paper titled "National Education Policy 2020 - Impact On Higher Education Based On Theoretical Analysis" in an international seminar on "India on the pedestal of 75th year of Liberty: Planning a Better Future - Problems and Prospectus" organized by the Association of Third World Studies-South Asia Chapter(ATWS-SAC) in collaboration with the Department of History, School of Social Sciences & Centre for Gandhian Studies, University of Kerala. Karyavattom, Trivandrum on 23rd July 2022.

Update from fourth batch, 2022

The scholars started their coursework in August 2022. As a part of the coursework, the scholars belong to Commerce and Economics disciplines; they attended the foundation course which is aimed at providing necessary knowledge on mathematical economics and exposure to data and research methods. This will enable them to appreciate better the rigorous core coursework later.

Course Coordinators Dr Parma Chakravortti and Dr Santosh Kumar Dash

3. RCBP programme

After successfully completing the first two batches of Research Capacity Building Program (RCBP), GIFT has announced the third batch of RCBP for the academic year 2022-23. Unlike the previous year, the program is scheduled for 60 hours with hybrid (online and offline) mode of delivery and the program curriculum has been revised to facilitate an effective and integrated interactive learning platform for research capacity building of scholars. A nationwide advertisement for the third iteration of the program was placed in leading newspapers in July with a deadline of September 10. More than 70 applications were received for the program. RCBP committee scrutinized the eligibility criteria of the applicants and admitted 65 candidates to the programme. The committee observed that the batch is very diverse with postgraduates in 11 disciplines from 18 universities. The Director Prof. K.J. Joseph inaugurated the program on September 17, 2022 by welcoming the participants. Prof. Vijayamohanan Pillai, Honorary Fellow GIFT and Principal Course Instructor of the program, started the class on the same day. Five lectures were held in September 2022 under various themes including Historical Perspective of Social Science Research, Scientific Experiments in Social Science Research, Research Pyramid, Research Model and Methodology, Theoretical Framework and Conceptual Framework. Additionally, the RCBP team has created an exclusive Zoom link and Google Classroom platform to coordinate synchronous and asynchronous sessions.

Course Coordinator: Dr P S Renjith

4. Training on GST for the State SGST Officials

GIFT facilitated the GST Training programme for the Officials of State GST Department on 2,3 and 4th of August 2022. Shri K N Balagopal, Hon'ble Finance Minister and Chairman, GIFT inaugurated the programme Shri Abraham Ren , IRS, Special Commissioner, SGST coordinated the programme. Shri Rathan Kelkar, IAS, Commissioner, SGST Department , Additional commissioners were presented in the function. Prof K J Joseph, Director, GIFT addressed the officials . Dr Ramalingam, Smt Anitha Kumary L, GIFT faculty members were also the resource persons. Junior faculty members of GIFT interacted with the officials and shared their research experience on GST.

C.Publications

1. Kerala Tax Reporter (KTR)

June,July and August issues of KTR published Online and offline.

https://www.gift.res.in/ktr

2.Innovation and Development

A Routledge journal from GIFT, Volume 12, No. 2 (2022) published, Editor in Chief, K J Joseph.

www.tandfonline.com/toc/riad20/current

List of articles in the current issue.

1. Abdi Yuya Ahmad, Charity Osei-Amponsah & Kassahun Yimer Kebede, Introduction to a special issue on 'Building innovation capabilities for sustainable industrialization in Africa: status and prospects' ((2022), https://doi.org/10.1080/2157930X.2021.1928988

The special issue of Innovation and Development on 'Building innovation capabilities for sustainable industrialization in Africa?…?', presents a series of articles on building local technological capabilities and their implications for formulating and implementing policies in Africa's industrialization agenda. Despite the high potential of Africa in advancing its industrialization mainly in resource-intensive sectors, progress remains low. Empirical evidence on the reasons for this problem is inadequate and patchy. Articles in this special issue address the gaps by delving into empirical issues ranging from sector-specific innovation capabilities to national systems of innovation. Based on first-hand data collected from South Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, and Rwanda, the articles unravelled key structural and systemic problems behind Africa's dismal progress in developing technological and industrial capabilities. Together, these articles advance our understanding of how to improve the effectiveness of innovations, industrial policies, and coordination for inclusive and sustainable industrialization.

2. Thomas Hebo Larsen & Ulrich Elmer Hansen, Sustainable industrialization in Africa: the localization of wind-turbine component production in South Africa, (2022), https://doi.org/10.1080/2157930X.2020.1720937

The increasing investment in renewable energy (RE) in Africa has been accompanied by the establishment of a number of local RE component-manufacturing facilities across various African countries. The local manufacture of RE components presents an interesting opportunity for achieving sustainable industrialization in Africa. However, limited research has been devoted to analysing the factors enabling and impeding the localization of RE component production. In this paper, we analyse the determinant conditions for the localization of wind-turbine component production in South Africa in order to improve the understanding of the opportunities and challenges involved in achieving sustainable industrialization on the continent. Specifically, we explore the role of governance structures in the global value chain (GVC) pertaining to specific components in shaping national policy efforts to encourage the industry's localization. We find that the local production of wind-turbine towers has generally made most progress compared to the localization of blade and nacelle production. Further, we find that the GVC's governance structures may contribute both to impeding and to further accelerating the effect of adopted policies on the industry's localization. The paper concludes by highlighting the significance of the state in promoting local RE manufacturing industries to help achieve sustainable industrialization in Africa.

3. Cecilia Theresa Trischler Gregersen, Local learning and capability building through technology transfer: experiences from the Lake Turkana Wind Power project in Kenya (2022), https://doi.org/10.1080/2157930X.2020.1858612

This paper contributes to the ongoing debate in innovation and development studies on renewable energy projects and their contributions to sustainable industrialization through the accumulation of innovation capabilities. Based on a case study of a large wind power project in Kenya, this research explores technology transfer and interactive learning processes to accumulate local capabilities. The study emphasizes the multiplicity of actors involved in complex infrastructure projects and explores the nature of their relationships and interactions through the research question: What are the opportunities and limitations for local learning and capability building through technology transfer in large renewable energy infrastructure projects? Identifying interactions across multiple phases of the Lake Turkana Wind Power project, the results show that multiple loops of interactions foster better local-learning opportunities. Wider project learning and learning for sustainable industrialization require deliberate investments to build collective capabilities.

4. Maj Munch Andersen, Erick Ogallo & Lourenço Galvão Diniz Faria, Green economic change in Africa - green and circular innovation trends, conditions and dynamics in Kenyan companies, (2022), https://doi.org/10.1080/2157930X.2021.1876586

African countries seek to intensify their industrialization while also increasingly pursuing green growth and, more recently, circular economy strategies. The competitive implications of this are, however, little researched empirically. We seek to investigate how African countries, examplified in this paper by Kenya, are experiencing a green and circular structural change of their economies. On the basis of early findings from a survey among 27 mixed manufacturing companies in Ruaraka industrial area in Nairobi, we highlight green and circular innovation trends, conditions and dynamics for different types of industries and firms (size). We apply a strong business perspective in framing the questions. We conclude that the companies are reaching a moderate stage of greening,although with a high degree of variability. Circular innovations are relatively widespread and ensuring resource supply seems to be a more important incentive than cutting costs. There seems overall to be quite strong business incentives to go circular among Kenyan companies, although these incentives are not necessarily realized by the companies, a factor that could be utilized in policymaking. We suggest a strong business-oriented survey methodology as a way forward to expand insights into the greening of industries in Africa and similar economies.

5. Charity Osei-Amponsah, Innovation capabilities and learning mechanisms: insights from Ghanaian fresh fruit processing enterprises (2022), https://doi.org/10.1080/2157930X.2020.1845481

Strengthening the capabilities of agro-processing enterprises to be innovative and competitive has been a long-term industrial development challenge. This is mainly because, there is limited empirical insight on the ability of the enterprises to assimilate and use knowledge to create innovations. The effectiveness of policy in supporting capability building is also often contested. This paper employs a multi-case qualitative research approach to understand innovation capability building processes. It argues that learning mechanisms required differ with agro-enterprise size. Findings reveal the acquisition of knowledge in the micro- and small enterprises is embedded in learning-by-doing and informal mechanisms that require context-specific development interventions. Therefore, knowledge supply organizations must understand these peculiarities to support these enterprises with 'easy-to-understand-and-use' technologies and practical managerial information. Policy-makers need to formulate and implement strategies that can effectively facilitate partnerships, technology development and transfer within an enabling industrial policy environment, for enhanced capability building and a competitive industrial sector.

6. Abdi Yuya Ahmad, Unlocking the potentials of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) in building local technological capabilities in agro-processing industry, (2022), https://doi.org/10.1080/2157930X.2020.1836460

This research was aimed at feeding into the quest for ways that would help advance Africa's effort to industrialize its economy. Empirical evidence suggests transforming the agro-industry and inserting MSEs into value chains is the most feasible strategy. Inspired by arguments against global value chains (GVCs) orientation of Africa's industrialization strategies, this research investigated the link between local production and technological capability in Africa using indicators from various international databases and cross-country quantitative analyses. The research also undertook an in-depth qualitative investigation on Ethiopia's edible oil industry as an important case capable of shedding some light on problems linked to Africa's agro-processing with a special focus on local production system and technological capability. The finding revealed strong positive linkages between local value chains and technological/innovation capabilities in Africa. Structural constraints, under-developed supply chains, and poor implementation and coordination of policies have limited Africa's capability to harness potentials inherent in the agro-processing sector.

7. Ann N. Kingiri, Exploring innovation capabilities build up in the deployment of crop biotechnology innovation in Kenya, (2022), https://doi.org/10.1080/2157930X.2021.1884934

Agro-biotechnology deployment has been very slow in Africa, yet it has potential for enhancing sustainable development and industrialization. This paper attempts to understand the underlying factors that characterize the new technologies' deployment process. It takes buildup of innovation capabilities as the point of interrogation considering that very few products have received regulatory approval for large-scale commercialization in Africa. It uses Kenya's agro-biotech innovation system as a case study. The study finds that creating and accumulating innovation capabilities is much broader than research and development (R & D) capability and entails institutional capabilities that are needed to enhance biotech innovation that may lead to a sustainable industrialization.

8. Nazeem Mustapha, Il-haam Petersen, Oluseye Jegede, Isabel Bortagaray & Glenda Kruss, Measurement of innovation in the informal sector in Africa: the importance to industrial policy, (2022), https://doi.org/10.1080/2157930X.2021.1887614

Innovation is key to industrialization in Africa and must be aligned with industrial policy. A challenge for African countries is to design and implement innovation and industrial policies that take into account the unique structural nature of African economies, in which the informal sector is prevalent. This paper argues that a measurement programme focused on innovation in the context of local economic development is imperative for setting industrial and innovation policy in Africa. Policies tend to speak and respond to those phenomena that have been subjected to measurement programmes. Is there space for designing new measures of innovation in Africa that include the informal sector? We propose a novel methodology and framework for measuring informal sector innovation, based on a local innovation and production systems approach. We end the paper with a proposal for using the evidence gathered from this methodology and a continental strategy that lends itself to direct policy intervention that has local economic development and upgrading of value chains as a goal.

3. Weekly update on Finance, Taxation and the Indian Economy

This is an attempt by the Young Scholar' Forum in GIFT, led by Smt. Shency Mathew to update on important developments on Finance, Taxation and the Indian economy. Latest issue: 24-30 September 2022.

For details, please visit https://www.gift.res.in/index.php/publish/publish_list/14/Weekly-Updates-on-Finance

D. Faculty Publications

Media articles

Taking stock of five years of GST, The Hindu, July 7, 2022, (Santhosh Dash and Anoop S Kumar).

The five-day work week might be fading away, The Hindu, July 19, 2022, (Santosh Dash and Sidharth R).

Easing of windfall tax, a breather for oil firms, Hindu BusinessLine, July 29, 2022 (Santosh Dash and Sidharth R).