This is the official blog page of the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR India), an independent public policy organization dedicated to in-depth research and scientific analysis with the objective of delivering actionable ideas that could transform society.
By Rahul V Kumar* Everybody has a vision of freedom. This vision is created from the circumstances that prevail in the society of which they are a part. Oppressive regimes of North Korea to democracies like India exhibit the spectrum of social systems from which the concept of freedom gets its definition. Hence it becomes quiet subjective. However, the idea gets clearer when we club it with individual rights. Classical liberal thought considers the right to life, liberty and property as the natural rights of individuals. So freedom implies freedom to conduct oneself within the framework of these rights respecting the fact that the same rights exist for others. This entire idea gains recognition within the context of the rule of law and written constitution in the society. The big problem which faces democracies like ours is defining the extent to which we enjoy absolute freedom in the above sense. Irrespective of the political parties which constitute our f...
By Sibin Sabu* In the years to come, retirement age will play an increasingly important role in the framing of public policies of governments across the world. Retirement age has direct and indirect implications on the economic and social conditions in a society. Today, we can find that it varies from a minimum of 45 years in Turkey to 70 years in Australia. 1 Determining the age for retirement is a tricky job for any employer – whether it is the government or a private firm. Several factors play a role in it. Demography Increasing the retirement age allows a state to make use of the productivity of the elder citizens. In fact, there is no point in forcing a healthy and experienced employee to retire early. The term old age dependency ratio becomes relevant in this context. In simple terms, it represents the ratio of percentage of old age population to the working age population. This dependency ratio should be as low as possible and increasing the retireme...
By Dr D Dhanuraj & Sambhavi Ganesh Latin Catholics (LC) in Kerala number about 20 lakhs with 2 Archdioceses (Verapoly and Trivandrum), and 9 Dioceses. They have a significant presence in Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alleppey, and Thrissur districts. This community is politically influential, which, through its socio-political wing Kerala Latin Catholic Association (KLCA) and Christian Service Society (CSS), protects its interests. Traditionally, Christians in Kerala have supported the UDF alliance and same is the case with the LC also. The major reasons for support are- The professed atheism of the communist party-backed LDF. The involvement of the church in health and education sectors, which the LDF opposes due to its anti-commercialization view. The ‘abstinence’ stance taken by the LDF over alcohol prohibition unlike the clear pro-ban position of the Congress. Even though the LC continued to support UDF during the early yea...
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