Organization:Centre for Socio-economic and Environmental Studies

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Short description: Non-profit research institute in Kerala, India
Centre for Socio-economic and Environmental Studies
Logo-CSES.png
AbbreviationCSES
TypeIndependent, Non-profit, Non-governmental organisation
PurposePromoting policy and action oriented research, consultancy and training programmes.
Location
  • Kochi, Kerala, India
Websitecsesindia.org

The Centre for Socio-economic and Environmental Studies (CSES), founded in 1996, is an independent, non-profit, research institute based at Kochi, Kerala, India .[1]

Overview

The Centre works to fill the gap between the academic world on the one hand and the policy makers, opinion shapers and the general public on the other through its research, training programs, conferences, workshops, public lectures and publications. CSES has been associating with other research institutions, central, state and local governments and developmental agencies to conduct a wide range of research studies, projects and activities. The Centre is engaged in Situational Analysis, Evaluation Studies, Need Assessment Studies, Knowledge Attitude and Practice (KAP) Studies, Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), Project Monitoring and Geographic Information System (GIS) based planning. The Centre has also conducted several multi-locational studies including large scale sample surveys all over South India.

Key Research Areas

The Centre has made significant contributions in the following priority areas:

Governance and Public Service Delivery

A major area of interest of CSES is how services are delivered to the general public by government agencies. From time to time, CSES has looked into service delivery of various public agencies, including government schools, health care facilities, anganwadis, welfare institutions, local governments and government offices. Through this research, CSES has identified service delivery parameters important to the citizens and developed performance indicators across these parameters that facilitate evaluation over time. Most of these studies are commissioned by various Government agencies including the Modernising Government Program (MGP), Kerala Local Government Service Delivery Project (KLGSDP)[1] and the Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) of the Government of Kerala.[2] The studies on water governance conducted for the World Bank and Jalanidhi[3] focused on the sustainability of small water supply schemes.

Poverty and Social Exclusion

The Kerala Model of Development which won accolades for high social development with low economic growth, also had its “outliers” or sections of the society that the development bypassed; namely the Scheduled Tribes and the Fisher-folk. Bringing the issues faced by such marginalized sections into mainstream academic and policy-level discourse is an objective that CSES has persistently followed. Research at CSES also addresses issues of other groups of marginalized sections in the society such as the rural and urban poor,[4] migrant workers,[5][6] elderly[7] and disabled. For instance, studies on alternative education, tribal health, education of migrant children, management of household finances by poor,[8][9] indebtedness among rural poor,[10][11][12][13][14][15] welfare legislation for vulnerable groups,[16] etc. bring out issues faced by these marginalized sections in domains such as education, health and livelihood. Similarly, the marginalization lens is applied to other research pursued at CSES to understand the dimensions of inequality and exclusion faced by these vulnerable sections vis-à-vis others, be it in service delivery, local governance or social development.  

Public Finance

Right from its inception, public finance was one of the core areas of research activity at the Centre. Issues related to state finances and fiscal federalism[17]- fiscal powers of the central, state and local governments are some of the key research topics pursued in this area[18][19][20]. The Centre has examined the implications of the recommendations of successive Central Finance Commissions[21] [22]to Kerala through its studies. Public expenditure management in the social sector is an area in which the Centre has engaged extensively in the past. CSES has also undertaken the analysis of state and local governments for children, Scheduled Tribes and Persons with Disabilities. These topics within public finance are closely intertwined with other core areas of the Centre such as inclusive governance, public service delivery and decentralized governance.

Decentralization

Another major area of research where CSES has done various studies is that of Decentralization[23]; research done includes studies on service delivery, planning, budgeting and financial management and analysis of local government budgets conducted for UNICEF, Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Kerala State Planning Board and Action Aid. CSES has also been extending technical support to several rural and urban local governments in different sectors in the preparation of perspective plans and for GIS based planning and preparation of watershed development plans. CSES is an ‘Institutional National Level Monitor’ of the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India and is involved in monitoring rural development programs and the functioning of the local governments in different states in India.

Education

Education has been a major research theme of CSES ever since its inception. Being located in Kerala, a region which received national and international attention for its achievement in the field of education, CSES has tried to develop an insider’s perspective of the strengths and weaknesses of State’s education system right from pre-school education to professional and higher education.[24] Broadly, CSES studies examined the social, economic, financial and management aspects of the education sector. Some of the specific aspects examined include exclusionary trends in the education sector,[25] education of marginalized groups such as children from tribal families, children with disabilities and children of migrant labor, entry barriers to professional and higher education, private cost of education,[26] changing enrollment patterns, functioning of the alternative schooling system, grants-in-aid policies and practices of the state government and service delivery in government schools.

Labor and Migration

Labor studies is a prominent research theme pursued at the CSES particularly with a focus on labor market transformation in the state of Kerala. CSES conducted a pioneering study on interstate labor migration to Kerala.[27][28] Of late, with increasing long-distance labor inflows to Kerala, CSES has been focusing on research to assess vulnerabilities encountered by migrant workers,[29][30] education of migrant children and social protection programs available and accessible to them.[31] Apart from the studies on interstate labor migration, CSES focuses on international labor migration[32][33][34][35] as well as labor market outcomes of youth.

Urban Development

Impact and implications of urbanization is a cross-cutting theme addressed in several research projects of CSES. In an effort to better understand facets of urbanization, CSES has undertaken a research study on the commuting pattern for work in Kochi which captures how mobility[disambiguation needed] requirements of those commuting daily to the city are side-lined in city planning.[36][37] A study commissioned by the GIZ on urban housing for those without formal rights in Kochi documents the complex web of statutory and customary systems one needs to mediate to secure access to housing. CSES research in this area also included service delivery of urban local governments, consequences of inter-state migration on urban governance and child budget analysis of urban local governments.

Demography and Health

Dynamics of Kerala’s demographic transition— high life expectancy, low infant, child and maternal mortality, decreasing share of children and increasing share of elderly in the population —has been a focus of research at the CSES. These demographic issues are explored to identify changes observed, adaptations required in social sectors of education and health and in relation to the population pressure on land.[38]

Health is a domain where CSES has worked extensively across regions, by conducting various rounds of District Level Household Survey on Reproductive[39][40] and Child Health, Global Adult Tobacco Survey[41] and Global Youth Tobacco Survey[42] in different states. CSES has also conducted studies on the provision of health care services by the government and health care utilization, health care expenditure and health outcomes of the general population as well as vulnerable sections such as women,[43][44] tribal, disabled and elderly. Research studies of the Centre, highlight the health issues relevant in the context of Kerala, which are different from those faced at the national level, and thus require a different approach and prioritization.

Gender

Apart from undertaking researches exclusively on women’s issues viz. health, livelihood and employment, gender has figured as a major component in various studies of CSES.[45] Through different research projects, CSES has looked into the implications of government policies, legislation and interventions on the lives of women. In 2018, a dedicated unit to undertake interdisciplinary research on gender issues— Gender Research Unit (GRU) was set up within CSES to promote well-informed, evidence-based policy reforms and to build a network among scholars, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other development partners working on gender issues. Since then, GRU has undertaken studies on indebtedness among rural poor, labor market outcome and documentation of livelihood program introduced for tribal women—where the gender dimensions were looked into in detail.

Disability

CSES has been at the forefront in guiding government agencies about disability and the issues faced by Persons with Disabilities across their life course in various domains such as education, health, employment and livelihood, transport and communication, etc. through an exploration into various initiatives taken by the government for their welfare and rights. The experience that CSES gained through disability studies in different parts of the country for Leonard Cheshire has also helped in understanding regional issues and alternate solutions.

GIS Applications

CSES uses digital mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) services in its projects. Such projects include preparation of river bank atlas, digital mapping of sand deposits in rivers, GIS based watershed development plans and mapping of natural resources and other resources. CSES is an off-campus training centre of the outreach program of the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), Dehradun. Courses are offered in Remote Sensing and GIS.

Internship

CSES offers internship programs for students from Indian and foreign universities pursuing Post Graduate Degrees or PhD in social science (economics, sociology, anthropology political science, social work, gender studies, development studies), journalism, environmental studies and related disciplines.

Documentation/Library

CSES has a good collection of valuable documents and research materials. Researchers, students, policy makers, social and political activists access the Centre's library.

References

  1. ↑ CSES, Centre for Socio-economic & Environmental Studies (November 2017). "Endline Study of the Kerala Local Government Service Delivery Project". http://kusdp.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/KLGSDP-End-line-Study.pdf. 
  2. ↑ V.S, Achuthanandan (March 2020). "Towards People Centric Service Delivery: Land Revenue, Survey & Land Records, Registration, Food & Civil Supplies and Police.". http://www.arc.kerala.gov.in/sites/default/files/inline-files/Towards%20People%20Centric%20%20Service%20Delivery%20%28Land%20Revenue%2C%20Survey%20and%20Land%20Records%2C%20Registration%2C%20Food%20and%20Civil%20Supplies%20and%20Police%29%20-%20.pdf. 
  3. ↑ "Second Kerala Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project (Jalanidhi II)". December 20, 2019. http://documents.albankaldawli.org/curated/ar/133041577206413825/pdf/India-Second-Kerala-Rural-Water-Supply-and-Sanitation-Project-Jalanidhi-II.pdf. 
  4. ↑ "Money-lending 'guests' cash in on urban poverty". https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2013/aug/26/Money-lending-guests-cash-in-on-urban-poverty-510297.html. 
  5. ↑ April 28, M. G. Radhakrishnan; May 7, 2012 ISSUE DATE:; May 3, 2012UPDATED:; Ist, 2012 22:23. "Kerala turns into Gulf for migrants" (in en). https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-the-arts/story/20120507-kerala-malayalis-gulf-labourers-crisis-758191-2012-04-28. 
  6. ↑ Ittyipe, Minu (27 June 2016). "Who’s That Man In The Angadi? | Outlook India Magazine". https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/whos-that-man-in-the-angadi/297328. 
  7. ↑ Kumar, N. Ajith (October 2015). "A study on the Functioning of Maintenance Tribunals and Appellate Tribunals for the Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens". http://swd.kerala.gov.in/DOCUMENTS/Report/Annual%20Report/FUNCTIONINGO_1458715644.pdf. 
  8. ↑ George, K.K. (April 2013). "How the Poor Manage Their Finances: A Study of the Portfolio Choices of Poor Households in Ernakulam District, Kerala". https://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/Publications/PDFs/RPOTC070513FL.pdf. 
  9. ↑ Nair, N. J. (2013-06-17). "Kerala agriculture faces crisis" (in en-IN). The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/kerala-agriculture-faces-crisis/article4822471.ece. 
  10. ↑ "Rural Kerala struggles to service debt burden" (in en). 2019-11-14. https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/141119/rural-kerala-struggles-to-service-debt-burden.html. 
  11. ↑ Harigovind, Abhinaya (2019-11-17). "Over 88% BPL householdsin State in debt: survey" (in en-IN). The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/over-88-bpl-householdsin-state-in-debt-survey/article29997395.ece. 
  12. ↑ Desk, Dhanam News (2020-02-08). "ദരിദ്ര കുടുംബങ്ങളില്‍ ഞെട്ടിപ്പിക്കുന്ന കടബാധ്യത" (in en-GB). https://dhanamonline.com/economy/debt-in-poor-families-living-in-kerala-villages/. 
  13. ↑ "ഗ്രാമങ്ങളിലെ 88 ശതമാനം ദരിദ്രകുടുംബങ്ങളും കടക്കെണിയിൽ". https://www.madhyamam.com/kerala/village-family-issue-kerala-news/648845. 
  14. ↑ "ദരിദ്രര്‍ വാണിജ്യബാങ്കുകളേക്കാള്‍ ആശ്രയിക്കുന്നത് സഹകരണ സ്ഥാപനങ്ങളെ: റിസര്‍വ്വ് ബാങ്ക് പഠനം" (in ml). https://www.deshabhimani.com/special/poor-depends-more-on-cooperatives-than-commercial-banks-reserve-bank-study/603580. 
  15. ↑ DoolNews. "കേരളത്തിന്റെ ഗ്രാമീണ മേഖലയിലെ ദരിദ്ര കുടുംബങ്ങളില്‍ മൂന്നിലൊന്നും അമിത കടബാധ്യത അനുഭവിക്കുന്നവര്‍; വായ്പയെടുക്കുന്നതില്‍ സ്ത്രീകള്‍ ബഹുദൂരം പിന്നില്‍" (in ml). https://www.doolnews.com/one-third-of-people-in-kerala-s-rural-area-in-high-debt-deep-report622.html. 
  16. ↑ CSES (October 2018). "Welfare to Rights: Implementation of Select Legislations - A Review". http://www.arc.kerala.gov.in/sites/default/files/inline-files/ARC-3rd%20Report-%20Report%203%20-%20Welfare%20to%20Rights.pdf. 
  17. ↑ "Kerala News - ധനകാര്യ കമ്മീഷന്‍: കേരളത്തിന് ഗുണകരമല്ലെന്ന് വിദഗ്ദ്ധര്‍ - India, World News - Mathrubhumi Newspaper Edition". https://archives.mathrubhumi.com/online/malayalam/news/story/3608075/2015-05-26/kerala. 
  18. ↑ "'Finance Panel Fund Devolution Has Hit State'". https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2015/may/26/Finance-Panel-Fund-Devolution-Has-Hit-State-765731.html. 
  19. ↑ "Study moots fiscal reforms" (in en-IN). The Hindu. 2012-05-05. ISSN 0971-751X. https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/study-moots-fiscal-reforms/article3386678.ece. 
  20. ↑ "India Together: Kerala going greener - 04 March 2010". http://indiatogether.org/keralbudg-environment. 
  21. ↑ "‘Kerala stands to lose Rs 7,800 crore if 15th Finance Commission’s Terms of Reference is implemented'". https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2018/apr/10/kerala-stands-to-lose-rs-7800-crore-if-15th-finance-commissions-terms-of-reference-is-implemented-1799308.html. 
  22. ↑ Sethunath, K. P. (2018-04-08). "Kerala may lose Rs 16,000 crore funds" (in en). https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/080418/kerala-may-lose-rs-16000-crore-funds.html. 
  23. ↑ "Kerala showing way in decentralisation" (in en-US). 2005-03-08. https://www.financialexpress.com/archive/kerala-showing-way-in-decentralisation/128834/. 
  24. ↑ "Tracking the winds of change" (in en-IN). The Hindu. 2011-06-06. ISSN 0971-751X. https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-educationplus/tracking-the-winds-of-change/article2080034.ece. 
  25. ↑ "Mushrooming of SFCs a blessing in disguise for u". https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2011/may/09/mushrooming-of-sfcs-a-blessing-in-disguise-for-u-251404.html. 
  26. ↑ Kumar, N. Ajith (2004). "Private Cost of Medical and Para-Medical Education in Kerala". http://www.cds.ac.in/krpcds/publication/downloads/84.pdf. 
  27. ↑ K.S., Surabhi (2007). "Labour Migration to Kerala: A Study of Tamil Migrant Labourers in Kochi". http://www.shram.org/uploadFiles/20121218074417.pdf. 
  28. ↑ "Kerala is a mini-Gulf for migrant workers" (in en). https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-economy/Kerala-is-a-mini-Gulf-for-migrant-workers/article20179117.ece. 
  29. ↑ Jha, Giridhar (29 October 2018). "Imagine There Is No Migrant". https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/imagine-there-is-no-migrant/300775. 
  30. ↑ Martin, K. a (2015-07-01). "Out of record books, open to exploitation" (in en-IN). The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/out-of-record-books-open-to-exploitation/article7373107.ece. 
  31. ↑ Bureau, Our. "Experts urge Kerala to set up migrant worker welfare board" (in en). https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/Experts-urge-Kerala-to-set-up-migrant-worker-welfare-board/article20402273.ece. 
  32. ↑ "Robust rupee hits Kerala economy hard: Study". The Economic Times. 2008-05-05. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/robust-rupee-hits-kerala-economy-hard-study/articleshow/3012975.cms. 
  33. ↑ "NRIs seek compensation for rupee appreciation". The Economic Times. 2008-05-12. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/nris-seek-compensation-for-rupee-appreciation/articleshow/3032777.cms?from=mdr. 
  34. ↑ "Cashing out of the money order economy - Indian Express". http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/cashing-out-of-the-money-order-economy/242464/. 
  35. ↑ "PressReader.com - Your favorite newspapers and magazines.". https://www.pressreader.com/india/the-hindu-business-line/20130611/281797101551126. 
  36. ↑ Goswami, Baishali (September 2015). "Patterns of Commuting for Work: A Case Study of Kochi City". http://cds.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/RULSG-5.pdf. 
  37. ↑ Reporter, Staff (2015-03-27). "Commuter-friendly public transport system need of the hour, says study" (in en-IN). The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/commuterfriendly-public-transport-system-need-of-the-hour-says-study/article7038413.ece. 
  38. ↑ "People and land — the shifting sands in Kerala" (in en-IN). The Hindu. 2011-07-30. ISSN 0971-751X. https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-propertyplus/people-and-land-the-shifting-sands-in-kerala/article2306935.ece. 
  39. ↑ "Caesarean section on the rise in Kerala" (in en-IN). The Hindu. 2010-02-09. ISSN 0971-751X. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/Caesarean-section-on-the-rise-in-Kerala/article16813395.ece. 
  40. ↑ February 11, M. G. Radhakrishnan; February 22, 2010 ISSUE DATE:; February 11, 2010UPDATED:; Ist, 2010 22:14. "Instant delivery" (in en). https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/states/story/20100222-instant-delivery-742053-2010-02-11. 
  41. ↑ WHO (28 May 2018). "Global Adult Tobacco Survey (Second Round)". https://ntcp.nhp.gov.in/assets/document/surveys-reports-publications/Global-Adult-Tobacco-Survey-Second-Round-India-2016-2017.pdf. 
  42. ↑ "നാലാംഘട്ട ഗ്ലോബല്‍ യൂത്ത് ടുബാക്കോ സര്‍വ്വേയ്ക്ക് കേരളത്തില്‍ തുടക്കമായി" (in ml). https://www.deshabhimani.com/news/kerala/global-youth-tobacco-survey/822964. 
  43. ↑ Polanki, Pallavi (17 February 2010). "First World Suffering". https://openthemagazine.com/features/india/first-world-suffering/. 
  44. ↑ "The trance of birth energy". https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2010/sep/30/the-trance-of-birth-energy-191354.html. 
  45. ↑ "‘Gender difference beneficial to women'" (in en-IN). The Hindu. 2010-04-05. ISSN 0971-751X. https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/lsquoGender-difference-beneficial-to-women/article16014896.ece. 





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