Webinar Series

Reflections on Development Economics

The Economics Department, Presidency University regularly organizes online lectures by distinguished faculty members from renowned institutes in India and abroad.

Interested persons are welcome to register. Participants should register for each event separately using the link given with each event. Registration event will close two days before the event. A Google meet link will be sent on the day of the event to all those who register before the deadline.

Please note that we are not providing any certificate, e-certificate or feedback form.

Contact email: presiecon2019@gmail.com for further details

Can Conditional Cash Transfer Defer Child Marriage?

Impact of Kanyashree Prakalpa in West Bengal, India

Subhasish Dey, University of Warwick, UK

Date: Cancelled, fresh date for online talk will be announced later

Venue: Research Scholar's Room, Economics department

This paper studies the impact of a conditional cash transfer program called Kanyashree-Prakalpa (KP) in the Indian state of West Bengal that aimed to improve the status and well-being of girls by reducing the incidence of child marriage and increasing school attainment of girls till at least 18 years of age. Using the data from multiple rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), difference-in-differences and triple-difference are employed considering the younger cohort (exposed to the program) as the treated group, the older cohort (not exposed to the program) as the control group, and the neighbouring state of Jharkhand as a comparison state. The analysis suggests that the KP-program has reduced the probability of child marriage by 6.7 percent and increased the probability of secondary or higher educational attainment by 6 percent. The study contributes to the scarce literature on the significant long-term impact of the KP-program on women’s well-being and empowerment.

All are welcome

Lectures to be held in April-July 2022

Dr Subasish Dey, University of Warwick: "Can conditional cash transfer defer child marriage? Impact of Kanyashree Prakalpa in West Bengal, India". (To be announced later)

Prof. Gautam Bose, University of New South Wales:

Co-ordination and economic development (online) 23 April 2022, 10.30 AM IST.

The long shadow of history (offline) 14 May 2022 (tentative, time to be announced)

Dr. Manan Roy, Appalachian State University, USA: "Partial identification and causal effect in the presence of endogeneity and measurement error". 18 May 2022 at 7 PM IST (online)

Prof. Krishnendu Ghosh Dastidar, Jawaharlal Nehru University: title to be announced, tentatively in July 2022.

Please email presiecon2019@gmail.com if you are interested in attending the online lectures

Partial identification and causal effect in the presence of endogeneity and measurement error

Dr. Manan Roy, Appalachian State University

Time: 18th May 2022 (Wednesday) at 7.00 PM IST

Via Google meet

Identifying a causal relationship between a treatment (policy or program intervention) and outcome is complicated in the absence of a randomized experiment. The complications arise due to endogenous selection and misclassification errors that plague most survey data. To overcome these difficulties, a nonparametric bounds approach is a credible alternative. Utilizing weaker assumptions on the nature of selection bias and degree of misclassification (misreporting) of the treatment variable, this nonparametric approach (following Manski and others) provides tight bounds on the average treatment effect or causal effect. This method is widely applicable in the case of any binary treatment variable and binary outcome variable when selection bias and misreporting are suspected. Due to the weaker (and credible) assumptions, the method provides an upper and lower bound on the average treatment effect, instead of point estimates that require stronger assumptions.

Dipak Banerjee Memorial Lecture, 2021:

The Challenge of Morality in Economics

Kaushik Basu

Professor of Economics and Carl Marks Professor, Cornell University

Much of traditional economics makes no reference to morals. Yet we know from our experience, even if not from our textbooks, that morals matter, affecting not just social and political outcomes, but economic growth and welfare. The lecture will delve into this subject, showing that the connection between moral behavior and economic outcomes is more complex than may appear at first sight. It will be shown that, in strategic environments with many individuals, having the moral intention may not be sufficient. In fact, it can backfire, causing a deterioration in overall welfare. The lecture will delve into questions of how we can solve this challenge of morality, answering some questions but also leaving some open ones for the future.

Date: 22 December 2021 (Wednesday) at 8.00 PM IST

The lecture is available on the Department Youtbe channel: Video

Press coverage: Anandabazar Patrika

Nirmal Kanti Majumdar Endowment Lecture 2021

Prof. Amitava Krishna Dutt, Notre Dame University: Varieties of Macroeconomics in the 21st century, 25 October 2021 (7.00 PM IST)

Video of lecture

Prof. Sudipto Dasgupta, Chinese University of Hong Kong: Stakeholder governance, 29 October 2021 (3.30 PM IST)

Video of lecture

Prof. Kaushik Mitra, Birmingham University: Adaptive learning in Macroeconomics, 29 October 2021 (6.00 PM IST)

Video and Slides of lecture

Prof. Gary Dymski, Leeds University: Caught between the wheels of empires and the enchanted financial world? India at the global macroeconomic crossroads, 12 November 2021 (3.30 PM IST)

You are requested to register for the events by 10 November 2021 before 5.00 PM by filling in this form

For more details about the vent, including abstracts and introduction to speakers: Brochure

Mausumi Das

Professor, Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi

Culture and Market : A Macroeconomic Tale of Two Institutions

(with Priyanka Aurora)

Date: 30 September 2021 (Thursday) at 5.30 PM

Video of the talk

In this paper we model endogenous evolution of cultural traits which is mediated through the market, and examine its impact on long run economic growth. Historically culture has played an important role in the process of economic development. Yet, economic development itself impacts upon the pre-existing cultural values and beliefs. We interact culture with market and show that such interaction may generate multiple growth trajectories depending on the initial distribution of cultural traits in the economy. In particular, an economy may end up in a culture-induced low growth trap in the long run. We also show that over time, with economic development, culture takes a back seat but its initial influence continues to impact long run outcomes.

Kaustav Das

Department of Economics, Finance and Accounting at the University of Leicester, School of Business

Exogenous Shock and Electoral Outcomes: Re-examining the Rational Voter Hypothesis

Co-authored with Atisha Ghosh (Warwick University) and Pushkar Maitra (Monash University)

Date: 24 August, 2021 (Tuesday) at 5.00 PM IST

Video of lecture

Sanchari Roy

Senior Lecturer in Development Economics, Department of International Development, King’s College, London

The gendered crisis: Livelihoods and mental well-being in India during COVID-19 Co-authored with Farzana Afridi (ISI Delhi) and Amrita Dhillon (King's College London)

Date: 20 August, 2021 (Friday) at 5.00 PM IST

Video of lecture

Professor Abhirup Sarkar of Economic Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, will deliver a lecture on “Understanding the Economic Consequences of Farm Bills” on February 15, 2021 at 6.00 PM. Professor Soumyen Sikdar of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta will chair the session.

The lecture is in honor of Prof. Amita Dutta, former faculty of the department (1969-1983).

Mon 15 Feb 2021 17:45 – 20:15 India Standard Time - Kolkata

To listen to the lecture: Video of lecture

Prof. Jonathan Morduch: The past and future of microcredit

Date: 8 January (Friday) 2021

Time: 7.30 PM IST (9.30 AM New York Time)

Prof. Jonathan Morduch is currently Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, University of New York. He is a development economist most well known for his significant academic contributions to assessing the impact of microfinance since the early years of the movement.

Prof. Morduch has taught on the Economics faculty at Harvard University, and has held visiting positions at Stanford, Princeton, Hitotsubashi University, and the University of Tokyo. Prof. Morduch has worked with the United Nations and World Bank, and advises global NGOs.

Video of his talk is posted on Youtube.

Prof. Kaivan Munshi: Cooperation in Networks

Date: 16 & 17 December 2020

Time: 7.30 PM IST (9.00 AM Connecticut Time)

Prof Kaivan Munshi is currently Professor of Economics at Yale University and previously Frank Ramsey Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge. His research career has been devoted to the analysis of social institutions and their interaction with economic activity.

His current research focuses on the relationship between economic development and health and on the community origins of entrepreneurship in India and China.

He was the recipient of the Infosys Prize in the Social Sciences in 2016.

Lecture 1: 16 December (Wednesday)

Social capital and social quilts: Network patterns of favor exchange

Lecture 2: 17 December (Thursday)

The community origins of private enterprise in China

Please register using this link.

Past lectures in series

Anindya Sundar Chakrabarti,

Assistant Professor of Economics, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

Pandemics and economic development: Evolution of institutions, inequality and technology

6^th August (Thursday), 5.00 PM

Anup Kumar Sinha

Professor, Economics Group,

Indian Institute of Management Calcutta

COVID-19: Managing health and wealth

14^th August (11.30 AM)

Video: Click here

Sumon K Bhaumik

Chair Professor of Finance, Management School, University of Sheffield & Research Development Director (Finance), Accounting & Financial Management division.