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COCHIN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF SOCIAL EXCLUSION AND INCLUSIVE POLICY (CSSEIP)
&
E BALANANDAN RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Jointly  
Organise
ONE DAY NATIONAL SEMINAR
on
GLOBAL FINANCE CAPITAL, MARGINALIZED MAJORITIES AND LIMITED TRANSPARENCY- LESSONS FOR ENSURING AN INCLUSIVE INDIA

28TH September, 2011 Wednesday - 9:30 AM
Venue: COCHIN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Albeit the significant contributions of the neo liberal economic policies in helping India elevate its status in international economic and political arena, the fact that economic growth driven by such policies had had an urban bias must not be discounted.  With most of the fruits of the economic growth in the last two decades bypassing the rural and urban poor, the vast majority of Indians, the efficacy of such policies were questioned by many. Persistence of inequality overtime and the laxity on the part of the policy makers to address it would invariably foster social exclusion and thwart the efforts to create an inclusive society. The focus of the policy makers on the averages of India’s growth experience without looking at its dispersion and outliers could create a new and deeply disturbing socioeconomic class; a class characterized by high levels of awareness about the progress made by the country.
The G series scams, the recent revelations about the billions stashed away in international tax havens by Indians and the concerns about the probity of the watch dogs of Indian democracy have been making disturbing headlines in the media. What remains untold or under told in the discussions about these issues is the role of international finance capital in corruption and illicit funds and the marginalization of the vast majority in India because of a growth pattern driven by finance capital.
The nexus between the underground economy, illicit fund transfers to international tax havens and lack of transparency in the Governance of India are well documented in a 2010 Global Financial Integrity report  titled The Drivers and Dynamics of Illicit Financial Flows from India: 1948-2008.
Some of the major findings of the report are

  • The size of the underground economy in India has increased substantially in the last two decades.
  • As per the above report the post reform period in India is characterized by a much larger underground economy (averaging 42.8 percent of official GDP compared to just 27.4 percent in the pre-reform period).

It is in this context that CSSEIP, CUSAT and EBRF have joined together to organize a seminar cum panel discussion with the title ‘International Finance Capital, Marginalised Majorities and Limited Transparency- Lessons for Ensuring an Inclusive India’. The sessions in the seminar are expected to focus on creating actionable suggestions capable of addressing the issue of limited transparency in Governance mechanisms and making growth in India more inclusive in the background of a prominent presence of international finance capital in the country.

  • Economics of Corruption
  • Looting of Natural Resources
  • Development and corruption
  • Social Costs of corruption
  • Social Exclusion and Economic Growth in India
  • Urban centric  policies  and marginalized majority
  • How Inclusive is growth in India?
  • Transparency and inclusive efforts
  • International financial capital and growth in India
  • Corruption and international finance capital
  • Nation states and finance capital

The discussions are to address the following themes:

CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF SOCIAL EXCLUSION AND INCLUSIVE POLICY (CSSEIP), CUSAT
The Center has, since the starting of its formal work in February 2009, engaged in building the required intellectual infrastructure for furthering research in the broad agenda of social exclusion. Following the general approach to social exclusion research, the Center examines social exclusion as both ‘a Process and a Status’. Developing on this scheme of examining social exclusion, the Center advocates in its research for inclusive policy the ‘Process- Status- Process’ approach i.e. identify and examine the process that led to social exclusion, evaluate the present status/magnitude of social exclusion and chart out processes to achieve the desired level of social inclusion. The Center has identified as its core ‘research themes’ a) Digital Exclusion b) Housing and Basic Amenities Exclusion c) Socio cultural and Structural Determinants of Exclusion, d) Spatial Exclusion and e) Demographic dimensions of exclusion. The primary ‘contexts’ of the Center’s research will be a) Tribal Communities in Kerala b) Resource Based Industries in Kerala c) Rural Population in Kerala d) Workers in Unorganized Sectors in Kerala.
E BALANANDAN RESEARCH FOUNDATION
E Balanandan Research Foundation is a Research Institution established in memory of veteran communist leader Com E Balanandan.  Com. E Balanandan, former President of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) was a pioneer in the working class movement in the country. As an uncompromising Communist and a thorough trade unionist he contributed immensely in the political spheres and in building up the working class movement in the country.
The research of the Foundation focuses on Working Class Ideology and Organisations, World Socialist/Communist Movement, Trade Union organisation and Trade related issues, Socio-economic development, Urban Planning, Rural development, energy efficient systems and practices and Information Technology with special relevance to advancement of Free software movement and enriching the Free Software such other socially owned knowledge assets. The long term perspective is to develop EBRF into a resource centre and a University for educating the workers and empowering their organisations for the advancement of the society into socialism.

PROGRAMME

REGISTRATION                  : ­ 9 AM

INAUGURAL SESSION    : 9:30 AM

Welcome                             : Dr. D Rajasenan, Director, CSSEIP.
Patron’s Address             : Shri. M M Lawrence, Chairman, E Balanandan Research Foundation.  
Presidential Address      : Dr. Ramachandran Thekkedath, Vice Chancellor, CUSAT.
Inaugural Address           : Justice N Santosh Hegde, Former Justice, Supreme Court of India & Lok Ayukta, Karnataka.

TECHNICAL SESSION       : 10:45 AM
Chair                                     : Dr. K N Panikker

Key Note Address                    : Shri. K M Chandrasekhar, Vice Chairman, Kerala State Planning Board.
Theme Paper Presentation     : “Global finance capital, marginalized majorities and limited  transparency- lessons for ensuring an inclusive India”-
Prof. Prabhat Patnaik

Paper Presentations:
Dr. T M Thomas Issac, Former Finance Minister, Kerala.
Ms. Anupama Jha, Executive Director, Transparency International.
J Gopikrishnan, Special Correspondent, Pioneer, New Delhi.
G Vijayaraghavan, Member, Kerala State Planning Board.

Chair’s Address                 : Dr. K N Panikker

Open Discussion

Vote of Thanks                 : Shri. K Chandran Pillai, Secretary, EBRF.

 

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