Tag: Dyson School
Linking women’s empowerment, iron deficiency and farming systems in Chandrapur, Maharashtra
TCi Scholar Soumya Gupta , a Ph.D. candidate in applied economics and management at Cornell University, reports about her fieldwork in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra, India, where she is studying how women’s empowerment and participation in agriculture differs across…
Two new team members
This week we welcomed two new researchers to the TCi team with the appointment of Monroe Weber-Shirk as a faculty fellow and Tanvi Rao as a TCi Scholar. Meet more of our researchers here.
Monroe Weber-Shirk was awarded a TCi…
Field notes: Essentials of enumerator training
I have been lodged in Mahrajganj, Uttar Pradesh for the past month and a half with the purpose of conducting the survey for two chapters of my doctoral thesis. For this study, I have had the gracious support of the…
Combating open defecation through a community-led sanitation approach in rural India
Every year, 188,000 children under five in India die due to diarrhea-related illnesses. This catastrophic burden on children’s health is largely due to the fact that over a third of the Indian population defecates in the open. Open defecation (OD)…
Sfurti micronutrient sachets: The journey so far and challenges ahead
Iron, an important micronutrient for normal body functioning and stamina, is deficient across the world and severely affects women and children in developing countries as reported by WHO. Common symptoms of iron deficiency lead to lower level of stamina, fatigue…
Key lessons in exploratory research and fieldwork
A key feature of the Tata-Cornell experience is conducting fieldwork. As TCI Scholars, we gather primary data for our thesis research through a long-term engagement with villages in rural India. Before we finalize our research questions, write a proposal and…
Videos from the Field: Payal Seth
For her PhD research, Payal Seth has been conducting ongoing fieldwork in Uttar Pradesh, India. In this video, Payal explains the crux of her research question and reflects on another summer of field-based research.
Learn more about her research and…
Decoding open defecation: Relevance of early findings for field and policy
In my previous blog, I described the prevalence and predicaments of open defecation (OD) in India. For my PhD thesis, I am working with GDS to make villages open defecation free (ODF) by investing in construction of toilets as well…
In a social marketing scheme to promote flour fortification, relationships and demographics matter
In previous blogs, we described the accomplishments and challenges associated with the implementation of Phase-I of the Sustainable Flour Fortification Initiative (branded as “SFurtI”). This led to a very important research question: why do some people choose to buy (and…
Is my time the same as your time? A note on the concept of time in Indian villages
Many of us conducting research in development economics deal with different types of data sets for our analysis. We generally have two options for empirical research in development economics: either we can use available secondary data sources, or we can…