Liberty & Society Series 3 : Environmental Challenges: The Tragedy of the Collective

We face many environmental problems that have serious consequences. This monograph analyses some of these problems and explains why the command-and-control approach to solving these does not work. Instead, it applies the property rights approach which aligns the self-interest of local individuals and communities with the preservation of the resource.

Author / Edited by:
Parth J Shah

Liberty & Society Series 3 : Environmental Challenges: The Tragedy of the Collective (Hindi)

A Hindi translation of Parth's lecture on Environmental Challenges, which analyses some of the most common environmental problems we face today and explains why the command-and-control approach to solving these does not work. Instead, it applies the property rights approach which aligns the self-interest of local individuals and communities with the preservation of the resource.

Author / Edited by:
Parth J Shah

Jeevika: Law, Liberty & Livelihood Campaign

Jeevika: Law, Liberty & Livelihood Campaign is an award winning effort aimed to eradicate market entry and exit barriers to promote individual livelihood freedom for street entrepreneurs

(i.e. street hawkers, cycle rickshaw pullers, small shop owners etc.)

 

Our focus was on street vending and artisanship in Bihar and street vending and cycle rickshaw pulling in Rajasthan.

Jeevika Film Festival

To complement our advocacy efforts, CCS hosts an annual Asia-wide documentary festival to capture the livelihood challenges faced by the rural and urban poor. The festival brings to light policies and regulations that limit livelihood freedom of the poor.

Terracotta Environmentalism

A resilient and robust action towards environment protection and conservation should include local communities, sustainable livelihoods, sound economic incentives and a greater role for market-based instruments. At Centre for Civil Society, we approach the environment through the Terracotta vision which focuses on realigning incentives rather than reforming human nature. We believe that human action can be calibrated to positive environmental outcomes through communities, markets and incentives.

Agriculture

Despite decades of policy interventions, most Indian farmers have not seen their incomes rise, nor have they been able to increase farm productivity. Farmers are prey to indebtedness, a lack of choice in inputs, and underdeveloped warehousing and processing facilities. Our research finds that the distress in the sector primarily results from farmers having little or no control over their enterprise, and Indian agricultural policies provide a cautionary tale of distorting the market process.

Street Vendors

Our livelihood initiative is geared towards achieving greater livelihood freedom for the rural and urban poor, and promoting choice and accountability in the area of skill development for underprivileged youth. We aim to further policy measures that increase ease of doing business and remove regulatory or market entry and exit barriers for India’s small entrepreneurs (street hawkers, cycle rickshaw pullers, small shop owners, farmers, among others).

Surjit Bhalla

Managing Director of Oxus Research and Investments, a New Delhi-based economic research, asset management, and emerging-markets advisory firm. Taught at the Delhi School of Economics and worked at the Rand Corporation and the Brookings Institution.

 

Jagdish Bhagwati

Renowned Professor of economics and regarded as one of the foremost international trade economists of recent times. He is presently University Professor at Columbia University and Senior Fellow in International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Shreekant Gupta

Professor at Delhi School of Economics. He is also a researcher, policymaker and consultant on environment, natural resources, energy and urban issues. Taught at the universities of Delhi, Maryland, Jawaharlal Nehru University and National University of Singapore.

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