Professor Ravi Srivastava, Professor of Economics in the Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, visited the Institute on Friday 9^th July to discuss common interests related to labour market change with Professor Kate Purcell, who is currently leading a collaborative ESRC-funded Pathfinder Brazil-India research on the impact of higher education expansion and economic restructuring. 

Professor Srivastava was in the UK to attend the ESRC Festival of Social Sciences in Oxford and participate in a series of meetings with the ESRC this week.  In addition, he was keen to find out more about the work done at the Institute on labour market monitoring, forecasting and skills change and met with several senior members of staff, including the Director and Deputy Director.

Professor Srivastava is currently a member of the Governing Body of the Indian Council for Social Science Research, a member of the Academic Committee/Councils of the Agro-economic Research Centre, University of Delhi, and the Institute of Human Development, New Delhi.  Like staff at this Institute, he is committed to social sciences research to inform policy and practice, nationally and internationally. He has researched and published widely on a range of related topics, including a study of the impact of globalization on rural livelihoods in India, an exploration of the nature of urban poverty in India, a networked study of seasonal migration in diverse locations, and an analysis of access issues in higher education.  He is a member of the National Commission on Enterprises in the Unorganised Sectors set up by the Indian government to monitor and research change in the informal sector and advise on the sustainability of employment opportunities in the informal sector, particularly in rural areas (see http://nceus.gov.in/ncemain.htm).