India Archives

How deep in debt? Measuring sovereign default risk

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Researchers propose a more comprehensive means to estimate sovereign credit risk.

Sovereign credit risk is when a government is under threat of being unable to meet its loan obligations and going bankrupt. Traditional ways of measuring such risk are fundamentally flawed. Researchers Manish K Singh from IIT Roorkee in India, Marta Gómez-Puig from the University of Barcelona, and Simón Sosvilla-Rivero from the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain propose a new measure […]

#MeToo: A political issue in India’s digital presence

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Dr. Pallavi Guha examines the role of media platforms in anti-rape and sexual harassment activism in India following #MeToo and #MeTooIndia

#MeToo and #MeTooIndia, which exploded on social media in 2017 and 2018 respectively, drove an increase in online activism related to sexual violence, harassment, assault, and rape. Despite this and the significant numbers of women voters and political candidates, violence against women still fails to feature as a political campaign issue in India. Dr. Pallavi Guha, a researcher and author […]

Indus civilisation decline: Core evidence for Late Holocene climate change

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David Porinchu has taken core sediment deposits from a region in the Indus Valley to build a picture of the hydroclimate change around the time that the Indus Valley Civilisation declined

The socially complex and highly urbanised Indus Valley Civilisation began a sustained decline around 3900 cal yr BP (calendar years before present). This decline has been linked with abrupt climate change starting at ~4200 cal yr BP. Past studies examining its causes point to hydroclimate variability, but these studies offer inconsistent evidence for the timing and mechanism(s) driving mid- to […]

Most popular articles published in 2021

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Close up of the Earth at night as viewed from space.

It’s been a busy year here at Research Outreach. We’ve been lucky enough to collaborate with researchers working on projects that span some of 2021’s most talked-about topics, including the impact of social media on public discourse, the effectiveness of face masks, and innovations in financial technology. Read on to explore our top ten most popular articles of 2021 – […]

Randomised control trials: Are they really the gold standard?

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Professor Naila Kabeer highlights the issues with using randomized control trials as they fail to take into account history and context which can skew findings

Randomised control trials (RCTs) have become a dominant methodology in research. However, issues with RCTs, including their failure to take account of history, context, or relevant findings, bring into question the superiority of the method. Professor Naila Kabeer, at the London School of Economics, highlights these issues in her research and discusses how the overfocus on RCT methods has led […]

Piggy in the middle: Backing the right horse in China vs USA

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The focus of global geo-political power sits squarely within the Asia-Pacific region, but China’s rise has resulted in face-off with the United States. Canadian foreign policy has three main options in light of China’s rise to dominance: pivot to China, place itself equidistance between Beijing and Washington, or align with the US strategy. Professor Kenneth Holland of O.P. Jindal Global […]

How to behave in sloth bear territory

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Sloth bears are considered to be one of the most dangerous mammals in India. The number of sloth bear attacks annually rivals and may even exceed the total number of all bear attacks from the seven other extant bear species combined. Communities sharing their environment with these bears need clear-cut advice on how to behave to avoid bears and what […]

Genetically modified cotton: How has it changed India?

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The aim of introducing Bt cotton to India was to reduce the amount of insecticide needed in farming cotton.

Nearly two decades ago, a genetically modified type of cotton, known as Bt cotton, was introduced to India to reduce farmers’ insecticide use. Today, researchers want to understand the effects that the introduction of this new cotton crop has had on Indian farmers. Using advanced statistical methods, Professor Ian Plewis from the University of Manchester investigates the effect of Bt cotton on […]

Engineers’ pre-eminent role: An account of six decades in the industry

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Prof Sudhangsu Chakraborty’s book takes us on a very personal journey, detailing his life and work. His life story serves to highlight the pre-eminent role that engineers play in society. Engineers bridge the gap between art and science, often creating artifacts that are technically innovative but also become landmarks. Chakraborty points out the importance of engineers playing a role in […]

Science and Oslerian friendship support therapeutic caring of the neglected in India and China

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Professor Terence Ryan, dermatologist and Emeritus Fellow of Green Templeton College in Oxford, UK, is currently mentoring two studies that explore how friendship can impact on health and wellbeing. Both programmes centre on the principles of William Osler, who maintained that science (a care technology) and humanity (a care attitude) must work together holistically, and they demonstrate that friendliness can […]