Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics

Conventional fuel-based vehicles are one of the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Transport sector, therefore, has a huge negative impact on the environment. Electric vehicles (EVs) are perceived as highly promising innovations in environmentally conscious transportation solutions to address pollution and energy demand in the transport sector. The present study focused on carrying out an in-depth economic assessment of EVs across sub-national regions in India. It aims to assess the efficacy of the already implemented policy measures, including subsidies and incentives, while looking at those factors that promote the successful integration of EVs into the various regional frameworks. An analysis of this nature is very important because it will give the practical and financial feasibility of EVs in a country characterised by enormous regional economic disparities. A prime approach of this research is the total cost of ownership method, which fully works out the cost per kilometre for EVs vis-à-vis conventional fuel-based two-wheelers over a 15-year life cycle. The analysis includes initial purchase cost, operating and maintenance (O&M) costs and the cost of battery replacement which are calculated at the present value. Additionally, the authors incorporate sensitivity analysis to understand the impact of government’s incentive to promote EVs demand. The sensitivity analysis presents that due to differences in fuel prices, tax structure and subsidy rates, there is a high disparity in cost-effectiveness of electric scooter ownership. Notably, cost per kilometre of EVs is less expensive than petrol variants in most of the tested scenarios which entails the lack of subsidies. This analysis can aid policymakers in developing more tailor-made policies that enhance the economic viability of the EV option, considering regional factors and existing fiscal tools.

Nearly one-third of ever-married Indian women experienced spousal violence at some point in their lives, with the highest proportion reporting physical violence. Couple-focused research, rather than individual-level analysis, can better capture the dynamics of attitudes toward violence within families, an area still underexplored in the Indian context. This study, using a dyadic approach, assesses the association between spousal concordance and discordance in attitude toward wife-beating and the experience of spousal physical violence among married women in India. Bivariate analysis and binary logistic regression were performed on data from 44,933 couples covered in the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21). An informed consent procedure was followed, and only those who voluntarily consented were interviewed. The odds of experiencing spousal physical violence was highest (Adjusted odds ratios [AOR] = 2.02, confidence interval [CI] [1.98, 2.07]) when both spouses had concordance in justifying wife-beating. Among the discordant couples where only the wife justified wife-beating exhibited a higher likelihood (AOR = 1.92, CI [1.88, 1.96]) of spousal violence than among the couples where only the husband justified it (AOR = 1.20, CI [1.18, 1.23]). Couples in which both spouses had witnessed their father beating their mother in their childhood were more likely (AOR = 3.44, CI [3.34, 3.54]) to experience spousal physical violence. The findings indicate that concordance in spouses' justification of wife-beating is a strong predictor of spousal physical violence, with the risk being highest when both partners approve of such behavior. Policy efforts should prioritize couple-focused interventions to address shared gender norms within marriages, as acceptance of wife-beating by both partners, particularly women, is linked to higher risk of spousal physical violence. Programs should target patriarchal beliefs and entrenched gender attitudes through joint counseling, community education, and behavior-change initiatives to reduce the social acceptance of wife-beating and strengthen gender equity.

This research presents a theoretical model that studies the decision-making process of countries regarding the harmonisation of standards within regional trade blocs (RTBs) and regional trade agreements (RTAs). It employs a game-theoretic approach to explore why countries within a RTB may or may not choose to cooperate in forming agreements that standardise measures like sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and technical barriers to trade (TBT). The study finds that countries are more likely to harmonise standards and cooperate if the discounted value of long-term gains (sometimes increased consumer surplus over the period) outweighs the short-term losses (sometimes immediate fall in producer surplus) due to harmonisation. The application of the trust game framework demonstrates that countries do cooperate and form agreements on standard harmonisation within RTBs, which may not align with traditional Nash equilibrium predictions but can be explained by the iterative and trust-based nature of international trade interactions within a RTB.

Abstract: This paper investigates the prevalence of common mental health (MH) disorders among women in rural Maharashtra while examining their coping styles along with the potential barriers to receiving mental health care and their preference for MH interventions. Using telephonic surveys, data were collected from 1,003 participants ( M age = 38.14, SD age = 8.93, range age = 20–67) on symptoms associated with depression, anxiety, stress, somatic concerns, perceived coping, and social desirability, among others. Aligned with earlier research, somatic symptoms were frequently prevalent among this population and were associated with depression and anxiety. Common barriers to seeking mental health support included a lack of knowledge regarding treatments (intrapersonal-barrier), concerns about the community’s response to the one seeking help (interpersonal-barrier), and lack of funds to seek MH services (logistical-barrier). Written and visual material explaining mental health concerns was the most commonly preferred MH intervention. Proactive coping was most often used, followed by instrumental and avoidance-based coping. Further, proactive coping was associated with lower MH symptoms such as depression, whereas avoidance-based coping was associated with higher levels of MH symptoms. Future research can leverage these results to adopt suitable MH interventions for rural populations in India and consider probable barriers to implementation and uptake.

Data on marriage flows are not available in most developing countries, making marriage market imbalance difficult to measure. Existing measures use crude fertility rates and do not account for early-life mortality, overstating the number of births surviving to marriageable ages. This paper develops the Surplus Groom Index to quantify marriage market imbalance under monogamy using census age structure, vital registration of births and deaths, and marriage timing data. The index incorporates effective fertility-total births adjusted for under-five mortality - to reflect actual cohort progression from birth to marriageable ages. This adjustment matters in settings where child mortality shapes the supply of marriage partners. Using India's 2011 Census data, we find that eleven percent of men aged 15-54 cannot marry due to bride shortage, approximately 39 million men. Marriage imbalance is widespread rather than regionally concentrated. Punjab records the highest deficit at 33 percent, but states considered demographically progressive show substantial imbalance: Kerala 18 percent, West Bengal 14 percent, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu 11 percent each. Declining fertility has produced smaller female cohorts unable to absorb male-heavy cohorts from earlier birth years. Balanced sex ratios at birth do not ensure marriage market equilibrium once fertility declines and marriage is delayed.