This paper brings together sociological
theories of culture and gender to answer the question – how
do large-scale development interventions induce cultural
change? Through three years of ethnographic work in rural
Bihar, the authors examine this question in the context of
Jeevika, a World Bank-assisted poverty alleviation project
targeted at women, and find support for an integrative view
of culture. The paper argues that Jeevika created new

The recent decline in India’s rural
female labor force participation is generally attributed to
higher rural incomes in a patriarchal society. Together with
the growing share of the urban population, where female
participation rates are lower, this alleged income effect
does not bode well for the empowerment of women as India
develops. This paper argues that a traditional supply-side
interpretation is insufficient to account for the decline in

Self-help groups (SHGs) are the most
common form of microfinance in India. The authors provide
evidence that SHGs, composed of women only, undertake
collective actions for the provision of public goods within
village communities. Using a theoretical model, this paper
shows that an elected official, whose aim is to maximize
re-election chances, exerts higher effort in providing
public goods when private citizens undertake collective

The purpose of this Act, consisting of 182 sections, divided into three Parts and completed by five Schedules, is: to record the acknowledgements and apology given by the Crown to NgāiTakoto in the deed of settlement; and to give effect to certain provisions of the deed of settlement that settles the historical claims of NgāiTakoto.

The purpose of this Act, consisting of 235 sections, divided into three Parts and completed by six Schedules, is: to record the acknowledgements and apology given by the Crown to Te Rarawa in the deed of settlement; and to give effect to certain provisions of the deed of settlement that settles the historical claims of Te Rarawa.

The purpose of this Act, consisting of 207 sections, divided into four Parts and completed by six Schedules, is: to record the acknowledgements and apology offered by the Crown to Te Aupouri in the deed of settlement; and to give effect to certain provisions of the deed of settlement, which is a deed that settles the historical claims of Te Aupouri.

The purpose of this Act, consisting of 181 sections, divided into three Parts and completed by five Schedules, is: to record the acknowledgements and apology given by the Crown to Ngāti Kuri in the deed of settlement; and to give effect to certain provisions of the deed of settlement that settles the historical claims of Ngāti Kuri.

The purpose of this Act, consisting of 207 sections, divided into four Parts and completed by six Schedules, is: to record in English and te reo Māori the acknowledgements and apology given by the Crown to Te Kawerau ā Maki in the deed of settlement; and to give effect to certain provisions of the deed of settlement that settles the historical claims of Te Kawerau ā Maki.

The Commission on Restitution of Land Rights (the Commission) presented its expenditure trends and financial and performance report for the 1st quarter of the 2015/16 financial year. The performance was fully described by noting the achievements and the targets. In the first quarter, there was a target to settle 92 land claims but the Commission settled 38. 57 land claims were finalised against a quarterly target of 74. Eight projects were approved, against a quarterly target of 12. From the 1998 land claims, 195 land claims were researched compared to the quarterly target of 532.

In the first of the Land Governance Booklet Series created by the NGO Uttaran, the history of land and waterbody governance in Bangladesh is explained. 

The contents of this booklet is as follows:

1. Introduction
2. History of Land Management in Bangladesh
3. History of Uttaran
4. Uttaran Land Projects
5. Timeline
6. Testimonials.

Download the full booklet here

Constitution of Nepal

Until recently, the legal framework on land was marred by the existence of multiple land laws, some of which were incompatible. These laws, coupled with the rampant land injustices hampered efficacy in land ownership, management and administration of land. As a result, the Constitution of Kenya (CoK) has changed the laws on land and the dispute resolution institutions.