Research Papers
An overview of local credit systems and their implications
Gerber Julien-Franc¸ois
| 2015
Credit and debt are bound to play a central and challenging role in a post-growth economy, seen as an economy that seeks to stabilize or downscale production and consumption for more well-being and sustainability. This is so because on one hand the current credit system is widely seen as the major engine behind the unsustainable imperative of growth. On the other hand, access to credit is essential for the survival of countless low-income households worldwide. In this context, what kind of credit arrangement is compatible with a sustainable and equitable economy?
An inclusive strategy to trigger solar technology market: Case studies of rural distribution models from Ethiopia
Garimella Arvind, Palit Debajit , Effah Rita , Assefa Etsub
| 2015
The paper is based on study of the distribution chain in Ethiopia. The changes in sale, flow of inputs and the partnerships triggered through incentive- based funding is analyzed over a period of almost one year. The findings show that there has been a growth in sales, an increase in frequency of marketing and promotional activity at the final consumer level through the micro and small enterprise network, a development of customized financial products and also an initiation of new channels and strategies of distribution.
An exploratory analysis of occupational accidents and risks from nuclear reactors in India
Goswami Anandajit, Ram Mohan M P
| 2015
Modeling analysis of rare events like occupational accidents from nuclear power plants are crucial to understand potential risks. India is poised for a major expansion of civil nuclear energy in the coming decades; such an analysis with this background becomes more important. With this background, this paper explores the pattern of the historical data on severity and frequency of accidents in the select nuclear power plants of India.
An Assessment of Lighting a Billion Lives Program in Karnataka
Gopal Lasya, Rao Swaroop
| 2015
TERI's 'Lighting a Billion Lives' initiative envisions toprovide clean and affordable source oflight to un-electrified or poorly electrified villages of India through the establishment of energy enterprises (solar charging stations). An assessment study was conducted to understand the impact of solar charging stations (SCS) on the social dimension of the SCS entrepreneurs and user families.
Agriculture biomass in India: Part 2. Post-harvest losses, cost and environmental impacts
Cardoena Dennis, Joshi Piyush, Diels Ludo, Sarma Priyangshu M, Pant Deepak
| 2015
The growing bioeconomy sector aims to reduce the amount of waste generated and to promote the unavoidable waste generated as a resource and achieve higher levels of recycling and safe disposal. Post-harvest losses contribute to a substantial proportion of the loss that the agricultural biomass undergoes in India. It is therefore important to make an assessment of this loss and assign a certain cost to it.
Agriculture biomass in India: Part 1. Estimation and characterization
Cardoen Dennis, Joshi Piyush, Diels Ludo , Sarma Priyangshu M, Pant Deepak
| 2015
Biomass residues or wastes generated in the agricultural sector represent a source of potentially sustainable feedstock for bio-refineries. The strategy toward such a bio-based economy will only succeed if enough biomass and adequate qualities can be provided not only to produce bioenergy but also to fulfil the food security and health requirements of the growing population. In India, the majority of the biomass generated come from agriculture sector.
Aging and the human gut microbiota—from correlation to causality
Saraswati Sitaraman, Sitaraman Ramakrishnan
| 2015
The human gastrointestinal (GI) tract harbors the largest number and concentration of microbes found in the human body. Perturbations in the gut microbial ecosystem have also been associated with conditions as diverse as chronic GI diseases (e.g., Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis), metabolic disorders (e.g., diabetes types 1 and 2, obesity) and antibiotic use (for a review see Sekirov et al., 2010). Metagenomic culture-independent methods have enabled the unraveling of the complexity of the gut microbiota (Rajilic-Stojanovic et al., 2009).
Africa Rising: What does it Mean for African Citizens?
Masawi Rumbidzai Faith
| 2015
The past decade has seen African economies registering headline gross domestic product growth rate. Will GDP growth lift Africa’s bottom pyramid populace which is a majority of its citizens? Even more, will GDP growth effectively contain the risks imposed by climate change? The paper observes that too many of Africa’s citizens remain ensnared in poverty despite the du jour GDP growth. African countries are also the most vulnerable to climate risk in terms of adaptation and disaster preparedness.
A Study on Socio-Economic Assessment and Adoption of Scientific Technologies by the Muga Rearers of Assam
Goswami Naba Kumar, Nath Premananda, Saharia Dipankar
| 2015
The muga culture plays an important role in the socio-economic development of the weaker sections of the rural population in terms of employment generation, but it is not getting the momentum of development due to non-availability quality DFLs, high incidence of disease and pests, non-adoption of modern technologies, prevailing adverse climatic condition etc. The reasons for non-adoption of scientific technologies are lack of awareness and preference to traditional method of rearing of silkworm.
Vehicular exhaust emissions under current and alternative future policy measures for megacity Delhi, India
Jain Suresh,Aggarwal Preeti, Sharma Prateek, Kumar Prashant
| 2016
This study analyses the impact of integrated mass rapid transit system (IMRTS) and other policy measures on air emissions from vehicular sources in Delhi region. The impacts have been studied for the passenger and goods vehicles separately. For this purpose three alternative scenarios for the passenger vehicles and two alternative scenarios for the goods vehicles have been analysed for the year 2021.