The Process and Shortcomings in Paddy Procurement: A Case Study of Bhandara District of Maharashtra

This paper is a humble attempt in analyzing the presumptions about loopholes in the paddy procurement chain, that were disclosed in several meetings and discussions with the District Marketing Officer and the Additional Collector of district Bhandara in Maharashtra. Paddy passes through several stages from a farm to the mill, under the MSP scheme of the Government. The major aim of the MSP was to extend a welfare hand to the farmers and to protect him from market fluctuations. However, in Bhandara, it was seen that the system of procurement under MSP, was twisted to benefit some major players. It is in resonance with Fred Rigg’s theory of prismatic societies where there are huge gaps between the policy that is envisaged and the policy that is implemented on ground. It was seen that the procurement centers do not comply with rules of grading and fair procurement, the documents submitted by the farmers are not duly attested by the Talathis, there was diversion of poor-quality paddy from nearby states and there also exists a grey market of PDS that undermines the MSP scheme. Attempt was to prove each claim through a set research methodology: aninterview, a survey, a case study or interpretation of primary and secondary data. All data was sourced from the local government officials and the images of some documents were sourced from visits to procurement centers and Talathi offices. Key findings have been shared and some systemic solutions suggested in the end because big bang reforms are not always an answer.

Voices From The Other Side: Perceptions Of Caregivers On Operating Unregulated Home-Based ChildCare

The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain a snapshot of the unregulated home-based care sector (UHBC). All seven participants in this study were Caucasian females providing unregulated childcare on a full-time basis within their homes. Data collection took place in the form of semi-structured interviews. The UHBC providers’ perceptions about their work were examined through the theoretical lens of the political economy of care that encompasses features such as social reproduction, grey market economy, transnationalization of care, and solutions that address political economy of care. The analysis revealed that the unregulated services UHBC providers offer embody a political economy of care. However, in addressing a political economy of care, the UHBC providers believe that they are meeting families’ needs, and wish for a better regulation of UHBC. A possible system of UHBC regulation is proposed.

Voices From The Other Side: Perceptions Of Caregivers On Operating Unregulated Home-Based ChildCare

The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain a snapshot of the unregulated home-based care sector (UHBC). All seven participants in this study were Caucasian females providing unregulated childcare on a full-time basis within their homes. Data collection took place in the form of semi-structured interviews. The UHBC providers’ perceptions about their work were examined through the theoretical lens of the political economy of care that encompasses features such as social reproduction, grey market economy, transnationalization of care, and solutions that address political economy of care. The analysis revealed that the unregulated services UHBC providers offer embody a political economy of care. However, in addressing a political economy of care, the UHBC providers believe that they are meeting families’ needs, and wish for a better regulation of UHBC. A possible system of UHBC regulation is proposed.

INDIAN RETAIL INVESTORS AND INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERS: PRE AND POST COVID ANALYSIS

Going public is one of the most popular forms of raising funds for expansion and growth of business. Since the liberalisation of economy in 1991, more than 1500 companies have listed themselves on the exchange. And the Indian stock markets keep expanding with increasing number of public offers in both mainstream and SME category. This paper compares the IPOs of Indian markets in broadly two phases-pre covid and post covid. A sample of 242 listings across eleven years from 2010-2020 are considered for the study. A comparison based on details of listing, listing gains etc reveal a more active retail investor segment. Overoptimism and urge to synthesise short term gains contribute to such gains. This is further backed by analysis of search results in the Indian region using google trends. Tail events such as covid-19 alter the way Indian investors behave and invest in IPOs and make their investments more on basis of speculative measures such as grey market premium, than actual fundamentals of the issue under consideration.

Grey market of gambling in Poland – Counteraction and Forecasts

The article relates to the dynamics of change of the grey market of gambling in Poland. The meaning of legal regulations concerning organisation of gambling and gaming tax within the mechanism to prevent shadow economy of gambling constitute the basic research issue. Its purpose is to identify legal solutions that effectively protect public finance. A broad definition of the phenomenon of the grey market of gambling comprising distortion of the market competitiveness mechanism for the business makes allowance for its consequence in the form of tax gap, which is a real loss for the public finance. Multidimensional, complex nature of gambling justifies diversification of test methodology and application of a dogmatic-legal method. The selected model of scientific cognition is based on an intuitive-synthetic assumption that the gambling matter is not completely recognisable due to the dynamics of the occurring processes. The available statistical works that give rise to the conclusions related to the effectives of the adopted legal solutions have empirical value. The efficiency of legal solutions enhancing the attractiveness of legal gambling activities, which guarantee cash flow transparency and ensure safety of gamers has been confirmed. Creating optimal conditions for conducting legal gambling activity is of basic importance when it comes to combating shadow economy of gambling. Decreasing tax rates along with tax bases has a stimulating impact on the increase of the number of entities operating in a legal manner on the gambling market. Prohibitive solutions related to determination of the access to legal gambling services inadequate in relation to the demand fail to comprise efficient counteraction measures for the grey market of gambling. The absence of unambiguous criteria for estimation of the size of the grey market of gambling limits the cognitive possibilities. The available data allow for an optimistic conclusion that the grey market of gambling in Poland is gradually decreased. However, the forecasts exclude the anticipated elimination of the entire phenomenon, making allowance for cross-border nature of games on the Internet, technological progress used by the unfair businesses and difficulties of legislative process in the scope of gambling. The author of the paper hopes that the presented considerations may comprise material helpful in the course of further scientific research.

Undocumented Migrants’ Everyday Lives in Finland

The everyday lives of undocumented migrants are littered with challenges, such as constantly having to find new places in which to live and sleep; seeking employment and a livelihood, even in the grey market; contacting families and friends, to overcome feelings of loneliness and despair; maintaining hope for the future, despite living in a country that is rejecting them; and escaping the police. Living without legal permission in a country makes them wear a variety of identities and masks, and continually devise new survival strategies and practices in order to survive and make ends meet.The chapter illustrates how undocumented migrants in Finland manage to find more or less secure accommodation, and how some of them even find jobs despite the law forbidding them to work in Finland. The chapter also explores in detail their everyday social lives, who they turn to when they need something, and their aspirations and hopes for the future. We also pay attention to their migrations to Finland, within Finland, and their potential on-migration from Finland, including return migration.

In the Dark, All Art Dealers Are Grey: Discretion and Rationalisation in the Munch Art Market

In high demand among collectors worldwide, the art of expressionist painter Edvard Munch has been the object of numerous criminal incidents. This article examines to what extent these crimes have had any regulatory effect on contemporary trade in Munch’s work and what precautionary measures Norwegian dealers take to prevent illicit art from entering the market. Consistent with a grey market paradigm, interviews with art dealers indicate that the trade in Munch has become tainted with risk due to the presence of many unprovenanced works in the market, yet most art dealers have narrow, preconceived ideas of the ‘typical’ art crime offender. Interested parties would not expect questions of provenance to be answered, so they do not ask, and social relationships are used to excuse a lack of due diligence, conveniently allowing the industry to thrive.