Human Development

The major areas of research are population, social infrastructure, social security, poverty and labour issues. In all research and action projects gender issues receive a central place. GIDR's interest in population research goes beyond pure demographic projections and is concerned with issues regarding the quality of life. The Institute has contributed to the debate on demographic transition in India, fertility decline, contraceptive use and reproductive health. Further, the research highlights the importance of social infrastructure in health, education, water and sanitation in human development.

The interest in labour issues stems from a concern about the process of informalisation of the labour and production systems and the insecurities arising in the labour market as a consequence of this. An understanding of the micro-processes of diversification of economic activities has been an important contribution. In the wake of economic reforms, jobs in the formal sector are shrinking and people are increasingly being pushed into the informal economy. Consequently, the working and living conditions of the workers are deteriorating. The role of the state in the provision of certain basic securities is also undergoing change. Social security to informal workers and the institutional mechanisms required to deliver it is a newly developing area of enquiry at the Institute. The links between the formal and informal economy and the contribution of the latter to the national income are other major areas of concern. A Research Cell on Informal Sector Studies has been constituted to enquire into these issues.

In these areas the Institute has been active in influencing the systems of data collection. It has undertaken methodological studies on collection of data on child labour for the International Labour Organization and employment in the informal sector for the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India. Further, on the request of the International Labour Organization, Geneva, a research methodology has been developed to assess the implications of a disaster, such as the earthquake, on livelihoods of the people.

Besides academic research, active collaboration with NGOs, academic institutions and international organizations to undertake action research and advocacy is encouraged. In the field of population the foundations were laid for setting up a coalition of academics, activists and NGOs called Healthwatch Network concerned with monitoring the progress of Post-Cairo initiatives in Population Policy. In the field of labour, the Institute actively collaborates with the Self Employed Women's Association, SEWA, and Women in Informal Employment, Globalizing and Organizing, WIEGO, an international coalition of academics, trade unionists and NGOs, to bring the concerns on informal workers, particularly women, into the national and international policy agenda. The main aim of these collaborations is to bring our understanding of the micro realities to the notice of policy makers in an attempt to bridge the micro-macro gap.