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The aim of this thesis is to explain the existence and coexistence of diverse hired labour arrangements in two contrasting localities in rural West Bengal (India). Hired labour arrangements for seasonal migrants are included in the analysis, the methods for which are drawn from a review of the contractual arrangements literature. One study locality, in Bardhaman District, was characterised by double-cropping of paddy facilitated by groundwater irrigation, the other, in Purulia District, by rainfed paddy cultivation. The structure of landownership was skewed - more so in the Bardhaman locality. Daily employment records were kept by ninety-two sampled households over two seasons. In each locality six different indigenous types of hired labour arrangement were identified. Analysis of the rationales for the existence and coexistence of these labour arrangements and of the variation within each type confirmed the embeddedness of the terms and conditions of labour hire (including those for migrant labour) in the land-holding structure, in ideologies of gender and caste, and in party political allegiances. Possibilities for and constraints on hiring out labour in particular arrangements are explained in part by the logic of deployment of household labour to unwaged reproductive and productive work, which is also socially embedded in the same way. The thesis thus sets a new agenda for research. It questions the received wisdom on rural labour exchange in India: i) that villages tend to have just one wage rate for 'casual' labour determined by supply and demand alone, ii) that stylised labour arrangements (eg 'casual' and 'attached') are appropriate occupational classifications for individuals and households, and iii) that rural labour is immobile. If the coexistence of diverse labour arrangements is to be explained, more, careful microstudies are required, so that a typology of socio-economic, political and agro-ecological contexts can be developed.

This thesis investigates the engineering economics of interventions to reduce consumer inconvenience due to unreliable electricity supply in rural India. The work introduces and applies a novel approach to estimate interruption costs as loss in consumer surplus due to restricted consumption of electricity services. Chapter 2 reports an assessment that compares grid extension with distributed generation (DG) alternatives, based on the subsidies they will necessitate, and costs of service interruptions that are appropriate in the rural Indian context. Despite the inclusion of interruption costs, standalone DG does not appear to be competitive with grid extension at distances of less than 17 km. However, backing up unreliable grid service with local DG plants is attractive when reliability is very poor, even in previously electrified villages. Introduction of energy efficient lighting changes these economics, and the threshold for acceptable grid unreliability significantly reduces. Chapter 3 analyzes supply rostering (alternatively, “load shedding”) in metropolitan, small town and rural feeders in and around Bangalore city. The inequity in load shedding is analyzed through transfers due to differential tariffs between the urban and rural residential consumers, and the relief provided to BESCOM, through avoided procurement of additional supply from generators, because rural and small town feeders are load shed higher than Bangalore city. The values of the load shedding transfers are estimated to be in the range of Rs. 120-380/consumer-year from the rural consumers, and Rs. 220- 370/consumer-year from the small town consumers. The metropolitan consumers are found to be net beneficiaries. The viability of using smart meters to provide current limited but uninterrupted supply is investigated as one alternative to outright blackouts. Chapter 4 develops a broader theoretical framework that can be used to model consumer demand for electricity services with unreliable supply and adaptation. Demand for energy ‘services’ is modeled by incorporating time of use, duration and deferability. Supply reliability is disaggregated into its constituent dimensions– mean and variance of supply availability in times of high demand, and supply predictability, and their respective impacts on consumer welfare are discussed. Primary data collected from Karnataka inform the discussion, especially with backup adoption. New consumer-oriented reliability indices are proposed.

Development work focused on gender equality usually concentrates on easily measurable practical needs, but rarely on structural change and social justice. The purpose of the present research is to analyze a women’s grassroots organization’s (MBUP) role in promoting social change through Self-help groups, a medium commonly used to give women access to credit. The analysis explores how collective action can bring about structural change to oppressive gender norms. Drawing on a power-conscious feminist approach, the study involves 32 in depth qualitative interviews. The findings show that MBUP is promoting social change and women’s rights in certain ways, namely in creating social awareness in women, access to information for women, and active citizenship in women. However, the organization is limited in encouraging systemic change through the promotion of collective struggle. Moreover, while the organization is inclusive and displays diversity in the entirety of its structure, its critical introspection remains limited.

Development work focused on gender equality usually concentrates on easily measurable practical needs, but rarely on structural change and social justice. The purpose of the present research is to analyze a women’s grassroots organization’s (MBUP) role in promoting social change through Self-help groups, a medium commonly used to give women access to credit. The analysis explores how collective action can bring about structural change to oppressive gender norms. Drawing on a power-conscious feminist approach, the study involves 32 in depth qualitative interviews. The findings show that MBUP is promoting social change and women’s rights in certain ways, namely in creating social awareness in women, access to information for women, and active citizenship in women. However, the organization is limited in encouraging systemic change through the promotion of collective struggle. Moreover, while the organization is inclusive and displays diversity in the entirety of its structure, its critical introspection remains limited.

Development work focused on gender equality usually concentrates on easily measurable practical needs, but rarely on structural change and social justice. The purpose of the present research is to analyze a women’s grassroots organization’s (MBUP) role in promoting social change through Self-help groups, a medium commonly used to give women access to credit. The analysis explores how collective action can bring about structural change to oppressive gender norms. Drawing on a power-conscious feminist approach, the study involves 32 in depth qualitative interviews. The findings show that MBUP is promoting social change and women’s rights in certain ways, namely in creating social awareness in women, access to information for women, and active citizenship in women. However, the organization is limited in encouraging systemic change through the promotion of collective struggle. Moreover, while the organization is inclusive and displays diversity in the entirety of its structure, its critical introspection remains limited.

Development work focused on gender equality usually concentrates on easily measurable practical needs, but rarely on structural change and social justice. The purpose of the present research is to analyze a women’s grassroots organization’s (MBUP) role in promoting social change through Self-help groups, a medium commonly used to give women access to credit. The analysis explores how collective action can bring about structural change to oppressive gender norms. Drawing on a power-conscious feminist approach, the study involves 32 in depth qualitative interviews. The findings show that MBUP is promoting social change and women’s rights in certain ways, namely in creating social awareness in women, access to information for women, and active citizenship in women. However, the organization is limited in encouraging systemic change through the promotion of collective struggle. Moreover, while the organization is inclusive and displays diversity in the entirety of its structure, its critical introspection remains limited.

This thesis explores the potential of community video for rural development work in India. It addresses the topic via a process-oriented approach, looking into the individual steps from the creation of a video until its dissemination. Considering it as a form of storytelling, it goes beyond research projects which are finite and only focus on the final product. Storytelling in urban settings has been studied with an emphasis on the individual. Development work however goes beyond the individual, aiming for a broader influence. Thus, community video was studied in the context of developmental organizations which create films along with groups. As far as empowerment as a necessary basis for development is concerned, the study analyzes whether community video fosters or even creates the feeling of empowerment. In order to do justice to both- the medium community video and the storytelling process of it, the aspects of empowerment were examined through narrative analysis of videos and ethnographic field research combined with interviews and discussions. The connections which were discovered between narrative elements and empowerment were discussed with production teams and audiences. These discussions revealed that the communities were well aware of the power of community video and saw it as a tool for increasing knowledge within their own groups. This knowledge encompasses informational content as well as experience-sharing. It came to the fore that especially sharing has an empowering nature. The communities also see it as a mouthpiece to make the world aware of their issues and at the same time show society that they are capable of much more than what stereotypes suggest. The empowering effects of community video go beyond a simple feeling of empowerment and furthermore enable the communities to take action for their own progress. The field observations showed that with the help of organizations, the triggers for empowerment within the individual storytelling stages, from creation to dissemination, can be enhanced. Interviews with the heading organizations indicated that a balance has to be found between teaching techniques and contextual influence. This means that models for effective community video use can be useful but at the same time, the immense creative potential of the communities has be preserved. The very experience of creating something is the core of empowerment in community videos for rural Indian communities.

Yes / Many developing countries across the world are allocating a significant share of their budgets for e-government initiatives. Common service centers (CSCs) are e-government initiatives that aim to increase access to public services and promote easy and direct interaction with the government. These e-government initiatives are largely underutilised, especially in rural areas in developing countries. This study attempts to identify the key challenges facing CSCs and determine their hierarchical relationships in the context of rural India. A set of 15 challenges was identified through a rigorous literature review and by surveying experts and CSC owners. Data were collected on the identified challenges and were analysed using interpretive structural modeling (ISM)-MICMAC-fuzzy MICMAC analysis. Subsequently, we developed a hierarchical model of challenges. The findings revealed that “longer travel time and transaction cost”, “low digital literacy”, and “low awareness” of e-government services are among the key challenges CSCs face in rural India. This study suggests several recommendations to all the stakeholders involved in the management of CSCs to improve the delivery of e-government services in rural India.

The global population can, based on income per capita be divided into three socioeconomic segments of a pyramid where the bottom segment is labeled: base/bottom of the pyramid (BOP). The BOP market has a collective buying power estimated to five trillion dollar per year. The BOP-segment may seem lucrative but it is however risky and challenging to enter a market characterized by poverty. One of the risks that are pointed out in research is minimal local marketing expertise. A key to succeed in a BOP-market is finding innovative ways of building awareness for a product. Earlier research have pointed at local partners as important for creating that awareness. This study aimed to find how companies have enabled and used non-traditional partners as a communication channel. The findings of the study indicate that companies have used enabling efforts and that CSR approaches and NGO partnerships had been important for enabling the communication channel as well as important for delivering a trustworthy message for all investigated cases