Indian Economic Review最新文献

This paper mitigates the gap in the Indian context about the non-consideration of vertical and horizontal intra-industry trade (IIT) distinctly in testing empirical hypotheses about industry-level determinants of IIT. Our study indicates that failure to segregate vertical and horizontal IIT from the total IIT possibly leads to potential bias in econometric results. Drawing on annual multilateral trade data encompassing two and half decades of the liberalization period, we find India's IIT outpaced the growth of inter-industry trade over the years and its contribution mainly came from six manufacturing industry groups whose export baskets had been loaded with low vertically differentiated goods. However, horizontal and high vertical IIT have gained some momentum since the end of the last decade. Given the fractional nature of our dependent variable, we initially estimate a (random effects) Tobit model followed by the Exponential Regression of Fractional Response model. The robust econometric findings show that product differentiation has a positive impact only on total IIT. Whereas vertical and horizontal IIT are promoted in industries with concentrated and competitive market structures, respectively. The prevalence of concentrated market structure indicates that (large) Indian firms sustain import competition by specializing in low vertically differentiated goods, as they efficiently adjust to resource reallocation.

Using the state-level panel data for India, we establish that Covid infections are clustered in more urbanized, and prosperous states. Poverty lowers cases showing evidence of herd immunity of poor which stands in sharp contrast with the developed part of the world. Our dynamic panel regression results indicate that Covid infections are persistent across states and unlocking has aggravated the infections. We also find that richer and more urbanised states with better health infrastructure and governance perform more tests. The policy lesson from this exercise is that the authorities should monitor immunization and Covid protocols in densely populated urban areas.

Mortality due to COVID-19 has varied across the states of India. We exploit this history to investigate the possible role of health policy in the outcome. Using three different measures of the death rate, we find to a varying degree, evidence that the level of public expenditure on health has made a difference to the state-wise mortality rate. Based on this, we proceeded to analyse the expenditure pattern in the states. The average level of expenditure on health is found to be low both of itself and in relation to spending by governments in South and Southeast Asia. In much of the territory of India spending on the police exceeds that of spending on health. Furthermore, richer states spend relatively less on it, implying that spending on health is a matter of choice for states rather than dictated by financial constraints. Two conclusions follow. First, some of the mortality from COVID-19 is policy induced, and therefore was avoidable. Second, though the evidence is drawn from the experience with COVID-19, we may assume that assuring health security to the Indian population would require a radical restructuring of the spending priorities of the states.

The implementation of the COVID-19 national lockdown announced suddenly in March 2020 in India provided a unique opportunity to capture real-time changes in business sentiments during episodes of unexpected and sudden disruptions. Using a logit-probability model to analyse data of this natural experiment showed that firms' 6-months ahead sentiments for its financial condition worsened drastically during lockdown compared to firms surveyed immediately prior to the announcement. Further, smaller firms showed a relatively higher impact. We also find that firms perceive this as a relatively higher demand shock in terms of falling domestic sales post-lockdown whereas supply shocks are perceived to be on the downside. Lastly the mitigation strategy of firms involved reducing employment for unskilled workers and wages for skilled workers. This unique study gives insights not only about firms and their strategies but regarding appropriate policy choices during lockdown. The lessons are applicable for governments which imposed local lockdowns during the second wave and potential disruption for the expected third wave.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41775-021-00121-w.

This paper attempts to empirically measure the public debt sustainability of Karnataka State in India for the period starting from 1991 to 2018. Three well-established methods are adopted to measure public debt sustainability, namely, indicator approach, time series approach and sensitivity analysis. The indicator approach shows that Karnataka's public debt satisfies Domer (1944) debt sustainability condition. Both the unit root test and fiscal policy response function under the time series approach revealed that public debt is sustainable and the response function is positive and significant in the post-fiscal reform period. Forward-looking sensitivity analysis has indicated public debt sustainability even after including growth rate and interest rate risks. Fiscal distress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and corrective measures taken by Karnataka state is also discussed in the paper.

This study attempts an integrated analysis of the health and economic aspects of COVID-19 that is based on publicly available data from a wide range of data sources. The analysis is done keeping in mind the close interaction between the health and economic shocks of COVID-19. The study combines descriptive and qualitative approaches using figures and graphs with quantitative methods that estimate the plotted relationships and econometric estimation that attempts to explain cross-country variation in COVID-19 incidence, deaths and 'case fatality rates'. The study seeks to answer a set of questions on COVID-19 such as: what are the economic effects of COVID-19, focussing on international inequality and global poverty? How effective was lockdown in curbing COVID-19? What was the effect of lockdown on economic growth? Did the stimulus packages work in delinking the health shocks from the economic ones? Did 'better governed countries' with greater public trust and those with superior health care fare better than others? Did countries that have experienced previous outbreaks such as SARS fare better than those who have not? The study provides mixed messages on the effectiveness of lockdowns in controlling COVID-19. While several countries, especially in the East Asia and Pacific region, have used it quite effectively recording low infection rates going into lockdown and staying low after the lockdown, the two spectacular failures are Brazil and India. In contrast to lockdown, the evidence on the effectiveness of stimulus programs in avoiding recession and promoting growth is unequivocal. The effectiveness is much greater in the case of emerging/developing economies than in the advanced economies. Multilateral institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF need to work out a coordinated strategy to declare immediate debt relief and provide additional liquidity to the poorer economies to help them announce effective stimulus measures. COVID-19 will lead to a large increase in the global pool of those living in 'extreme poverty'. A poignant feature of our results is that while a significant share of health shocks from COVID-19 is borne by the advanced economies, the burden of 'COVID-19 poverty' will almost exclusively fall on two of the poorest regions, namely, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.