This paper explores three important but interrelated issues: The power of example; the fragment as evidence; and finally, the field experience and the possibility of generalisation. These issues are central in the current discourse of social science practice in which serious doubts are being raised...

This statement following a workshop on ‘Hunger and Health: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue attended by a cross-section of India’s nutritional scientists, health professionals, public health specialists, economists, agriculturists and grass root activists draws attention to the...

The impressive growth of the Indian media is largely taking place outside of the voting classes, ensuring that the media are not playing a significant public service role. Ultimately, the author suggests that a new media model is needed, one which balances its profit motive with coverage of...

What are the critical areas in social science research and intervention which might require systematic attention to ethical issues? A national level consultation on ‘ Ethics in Social Science Research’ drew the active participation of social scientists and explored the means and...

Modern epidemiology has, by and large, been based on a narrow model of biomedicine and behaviour modification. It fails to answer, for instance the following questions: Why certain populations are inflicted with certain kinds of disease, and why the access to its cure and prevention is so...

Obituary: Leela Dube (1923-2012)

What are the constraints to efficient birth registration? How do people view the compulsory registering of births? This paper reports on a Readiness Assessment study on Universal Birth Registration in Nalgonda district in Andhra Pradesh. The study was aimed at assessing and documenting the...

At the time of reorganization of states on the basis of the linguistic formula, the territory that belonged to erstwhile state of Hyderabad was broken down to three parts and annexed to Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka. About one-third of the territory went to Maharashtra, one-sixth to...