The Political Economy of Agricultural Policy Reform in India

POLITICAL STRATEGIES FOR POLICY REFORM 203

knowledge to promote policy-oriented learning are favorable in India; and in the progress that has already been made, research-based knowledge has played an important role. Compared to that of other countries with similar income levels, research capacity in India is well developed. There is a strong tradition of analytical debates and of using research-based knowledge in developing policy. In fact, a number of academic organizations and think tanks at the state and national levels have conducted research on issues related to the energy supply to agriculture. Likewise, there are well-established professional forums for analytical debates. The journal Economic and Politi- cal Weekly is a prime example: it has published a wide range of articles and commentaries on agricultural policy reform by authors associated with different paradigms. Moreover, temporary and institutionalized commissions, which bring together leading researchers, are important sources of policy advice in India.

Nevertheless, fertilizer and electricity supply to agriculture are chal- lenging fields for policy-oriented learning because the level of conflict is high, and core and central policy beliefs are at stake. Moreover, some of the major questions are analytically intractable. For example, the link between electricity price and groundwater level is complex: multiple factors influence farmers’ decisions on crop choice and groundwater use. And groundwater extraction is only one factor determining groundwater levels. The knowledge and research that informed policymaking during the Green Revolution are no longer entirely relevant to the problems now facing Indian agriculture in the context of changed economic and political circumstances. Although new research and new knowledge have certainly been developed, they have evolved in piecemeal fashion and have not been communicated in ways con- ducive to an alternative discourse.

Options for Improving the Use of Research-Based Knowledge In view of the challenges discussed in the previous section, the following measures may improve the use of research-based knowledge for policy-oriented learning.

Establish a Clearinghouse for Research-Based Knowledge Although there are extensive studies on fertilizer subsidies, nutrient imbal- ances, electricity subsidies, groundwater use, and power-sector reforms, this information is fragmented and difficult to access quickly because the stud- ies have been carried out in different states and by various national-level research institutions over a more than a decade. Likewise, the experiments and projects to which such studies may refer have been carried out in dif- ferent states and at different times. An interviewed member of the Central Groundwater Board argued that not even this institution has easily accessible, empirical studies of the link between electricity pricing and groundwater use.

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