Until then I had thought each book spoke of the things, human or divine, that lie outside books. ... more Until then I had thought each book spoke of the things, human or divine, that lie outside books. Now I realized that not infrequently books speak of books: it is as if they spoke among themselves. Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose
Until then I had thought each book spoke of the things, human or divine, that lie outside books. ... more Until then I had thought each book spoke of the things, human or divine, that lie outside books. Now I realized that not infrequently books speak of books: it is as if they spoke among themselves. Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose
Hydro-Political Dynamics and Environmental Security in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Basin
This paper analyses the hydro-political dynamics and reviews the various challenges to environmen... more This paper analyses the hydro-political dynamics and reviews the various challenges to environmental security in the context of trans-boundary water relations between Bangladesh and India, in South Asia. Environmental security is understood as the state of “absence of conflicts, explicit or latent” in the socio-economic and ecological space of human existence. The spatial scope of transboundary waters is defined in the present study as the physical extent of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) basin, with the role of the river construed as a channel for the movement of water; generation, transport and deposition of sediments by the flows; and support to ecosystems and biodiversity. The paper then moves on to identify and discuss the ecosystem processes and services provided by the flows, highlights the critical linkages between human interventions and environmental security. It emphasizes that the present perceptions of reductionist engineering have generated a hydro-political situa...
China and India, Himalayan neighbours and two of the most populated countries of the world, are a... more China and India, Himalayan neighbours and two of the most populated countries of the world, are at the crossroads of defi ning their development trajectories at a time when challenges are many and emerge from various directions. On the one hand, growth needs are listed as supreme, with critical driving forces of urbanisation and increasing consumption ruling the roost. On the other hand, the concerns of environmental destruction as a result of mindless, unbridled growth loom large as they impinge on the future prospects of economic development. For China, urbanisation and incr easing the levels of domestic consumption are drawn by design, being part of the ongoing Thirteenth Five Year Plan, while for India, urbanisation and rising levels of consumption are more organic and driven by market forces. The “growth-fundamentalism” of both economies has brought about an inextricable externality, which has often been ignored in the policy discourse: the negative impacts on the ecosystem, it...
Economic Modeling, Analysis, and Policy for Sustainability
This chapter compares two quantitative frameworks, namely, Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) a... more This chapter compares two quantitative frameworks, namely, Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) and Econometric models to study the impacts of climate change on human economy. However, as is inferred from this chapter, CGE framework is fraught with unrealistic assumptions, and fails to capture impacts of climate change and extreme events on the ecosystem services. On the other hand, econometric framework can be customised and is not based on the unrealistic assumptions like CGE. The various advantages and disadvantages of the two methods have been discussed critically in the process in this chapter in light of the avowed objective of understanding sustainability science.
A Nobel for the Commons: A Tribute to Elinor Ostrom
Economic and political weekly
The Nobel Prize in Economics co-awarded to Elinor Ostrom marks a rare departure from the traditio... more The Nobel Prize in Economics co-awarded to Elinor Ostrom marks a rare departure from the traditional approach of the selectors which hitherto has been characterised by adherence to sub-disciplines more explicitly recognised as falling within the discipline of economics, rather than those that govern an economic system from its exterior, created at the interface of political economy, economics and social anthropology. This essay is a tribute to her work taking into consideration the implications of her thought in the context of governance of commons in general, and in south Asia, in particular.
Practice, Progress, and Proficiency in Sustainability, 2014
Larger bonding, friendship, and social networks can play an important role in constructing social... more Larger bonding, friendship, and social networks can play an important role in constructing social capital. The question is whether altruism or altruistic behavior can help in bringing about larger bonding. Different incentives, expectations, and motivations guide altruistic behavior, which further affect the construct of social capital. In the long run, such behaviour can create an impact on social capital and on the social domain of sustainability. The chapter sheds light on these interlinkages.
Valuation of Mountain and Highland Waters: An Instrument for the Promotion of Hydro-solidarity
… of High Watersheds organized by Sociétés …, 2002
The conflict between the highland and the plains with the sharing of the highland waters, of late... more The conflict between the highland and the plains with the sharing of the highland waters, of late, has assumed an enhanced importance in the context of ecological disputes. While, policy makers and academicians have suggested several methods to resolve the ...
This article tests the hypothesis on whether tourism is an important institutional factor in reco... more This article tests the hypothesis on whether tourism is an important institutional factor in reconciling the conflicting goals of conservation and development. The study entails data from field surveys across protected areas including the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in northern Tanzania, and the Corbett National Park in northern India. With human development defined in terms of 'stages of progress' (SOP) delineated by the respondents themselves, the study finds indicative evidences of the validity of the posed hypothesis in the two nations, in varying proportions. Factors not related to tourism, like incomes from livestock, have affected development in Tanzania, though not in India.
The worldwide paradigm shift in river basin management has not affected policymakers in south Asi... more The worldwide paradigm shift in river basin management has not affected policymakers in south Asia. Hydro-diplomacy in the Ganges-Brahmaputra- Meghna basin is still based on reductionist engineering, and looks at marginal economic benefits, without showing any concern for the long-run implications for livelihoods and ecosystem. The governments in the river basin are already facing the challenge of extreme poverty, despite the countries experiencing high levels of precipitation. This paper discusses the lacunae of the reductionist engineering paradigm, and stresses the need for a holistic framework in ecological engineering and for hydro-diplomacy in the basin. This framework is based on a new transdisciplinary knowledge base created by the emerging science of eco-hydrology, economics, and new institutional theories.
What Governance Lesson Does Mekong Bear for Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna (GBM) Basin?
Journal of Asian Economic Integration
This article talks of the various governance lessons that the Mekong basin bears for the Ganges–B... more This article talks of the various governance lessons that the Mekong basin bears for the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna (GBM) basin. It highlights the existing hydropolitical and ecological problems associated with the GBM basin, the reasons for which are attributed to the reductionist colonial engineering paradigm also delineated in this article as ‘arithmetic hydrology’. The transboundary interactions in the GBM to resolve the problems have largely relied on an issue-based, piecemeal, fragmented approach that has further complicated the problems. It is in this context, the article brings in how a cooperative mechanism in the institutional form of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) has been attempting to promote a participative and integrated approach to river basin governance. The article, therefore, talks of some of the replicable practices and learnings that may help in takeaways for the GBM riparians and stakeholders from the Mekong system. JEL Codes: F02, N50, Q01, Q22, Q24, Q25, Q28
A new look at Integrated Water Resources Management from the perspective of scarcity value of water resources
Journal of Resources, Energy and Development
This paper argues that scarcity value is an economic instrument embedded in the framework of IWRM... more This paper argues that scarcity value is an economic instrument embedded in the framework of IWRM (Integrated Water Resources Management). Scarcity value emerges as the value which can be obtained if the constraint on resource availability is reduced by a unit. It is ...
Managed retreat: adaptation to climate change in the Sundarbans ecoregion in the Bengal Delta
Journal of the Indian Ocean Region
The Sundarbans, abutting the Bay of Bengal is home to about 7.2 million people; about 2.7 million... more The Sundarbans, abutting the Bay of Bengal is home to about 7.2 million people; about 2.7 million in Bangladesh and the rest in India. Due to global warming the region is experiencing rise in sea surface temperature and sea level, increasing frequency of severe storms, and consequently, net land loss. What choices do communities and administrations have in the region? (i) Abandon and retreat, (ii) enhance resilience, or (iii) anticipate and facilitate transitions. This paper attempts to answer this question on the basis of a generic adaptation decision framework (GADF). The problem of climate vulnerability of the Indian Sundarbans is superimposed on the GADF to help administrations rationalize between choices. The threat of climate change-induced displacement in the ecoregion is real and the paper recommends a functional alliance between Bangladesh and India to bilaterally address environmental security issues, implying guarding against environmental degradation, and consequently, social disorder and
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Papers by Nilanjan Ghosh