By Chandan K Jha & Sudipta Sarangi A possible and necessary change Marie Curie  and her husband received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903.  She was the first woman to win this award. She was considered a collaborator of Pierre Curie, her husband, and was not paid. She obtained her first paid position after the Nobel Prize. She won the Chemistry Prize eight years later, becoming the only person to win both in these sciences. Marie Curie was discriminated against for many yea

By Chandan K Jha & Sudipta Sarangi The extensive use of social media was a key factor in the success of the anti-corruption movement in India in 2011. This column uses cross-country data to explore the role of social media and internet in reducing corruption and promoting transparency in government. It finds that the use of social media and internet is associated with lower levels of corruption across countries. In August 2010, a non-profit organisation called Janaagraha  lau

By Chandan K Jha & Sudipta Sarangi About six million women are ‘missing’ each year from the world, of which 2 million are from India alone. This article finds that there are proportionately more missing women in regions with poorer ancestral ecological endowments, both across countries and in Indian districts. It suggests that there was greater gender inequality in terms of command of resources in prehistory in less endowed regions, and the underlying behaviours have been cul

With Chandan K Jha The proliferating number of rape incidents in India is chilling. This column discusses the various perspectives on the causes of rape, and the economic, social and legal factors that play a role in the high incidence of this crime in the country. It suggests taking steps to increase the cost of rapes for the perpetrators. On 26 October 2013, a 16-year old girl was gang raped in West Bengal. Two months later, the culprits set her on fire to get rid of the ‘e

By Chandan K Jha & Sudipta Sarangi Although women are disadvantaged in different walks of life everywhere, they enjoy much better status in some societies than others. Perception regarding women’s rights and abilities vary starkly across countries. For instance, while only 1.8% and 5.2% of respondents of the  World Values Survey [1]  agree with the statements that “men make better political leaders than women do” and “men should have more right to a job than women in times of