This three-day webinar is focused on a few germane questions regarding the theoretical challenges faced by academic Humanities, especially during the strenuous present. Undoubtedly, global academia has rarely seen a crisis like the current times, rendering its essential scaffoldings--economy, culture, language, politics--severely maimed or ineffective. How do the variegated disciplines under the aegis of ‘Humanities’ respond to crises? Is a meta-response to the present crisis possible? What are the possible interfaces between schools like the scientific, literary, linguistic and philosophical? What is the impact of the impending ‘postdigital’-ism on such variant disciplines, and what is our response to that? What can we learn from history? To address such issues, the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences of IIT Ropar brings together a diverse line of eminent speakers from various Humanities schools of India, initiating a dialogue that traverses through several academic fields.

List of Speakers

PROF. SUPRIYA CHAUDHURI Jadavpur University

DR. ANIK NANDI Royal Galician Academy Spain

PROF. H. KALPANA Pondicherry University

DR. PARICHAY PATRA IIT Jodhpur

DR. NISHAANT CHOKSI IIT Gandhinagar

DR. ANUSTUP BASU University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

PROF. ROHINI MOKASHI-PUNEKAR IIT Guwahati

DR. DIBYAKUSUM RAY IIT Ropar

DR. APARNA N. IIT Ropar

DR. SWATHI KRISHNA S. IIT Ropar

PROF. BIJOY H. BORUAH IIT Ropar

List of Speakers:

1. Dr. Ansu Louis, Dept. of HSS, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar
2. Dr. Dibyakusum Ray, Dept. of HSS, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar
3. Dr. Sreekumar Jayadevan, Dept. of HSS, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar
4. Dr. Parwinder Singh, Dept. of HSS, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar

This course challenges the neoclassical assumption that all firms operate rationally and efficiently and presents concepts, models and tools needed to analyze and quantify the levels of inefficiency and productivity at a point in time and their movement over time for each firm. Conventional neoclassical paradigm assumes that all firms operate efficiently. This is, however, not the case in reality. Firms, no matter, what type of business they are involved often fail to operate with their full potential. Presence of inefficiency results in lower output, higher cost, lower profit. This course helps us to assess the extent of this inefficiency and its effects on output, cost, revenue, profit, etc.

This course uses an econometric approach (known as stochastic frontier approach) to identify and estimate the magnitude and possible sources of inefficiency using both cross-sectional and panel data. The focus is on both technical and allocative inefficiency components. The course also examines the impact of inefficiency on productivity growth and profitability. Models are formulated to estimate the potential loss of productivity and profit when firms fail to operate with their full potential. We also address issues related to differential technology and distinguish between technology gap and efficiency.

Course Participants will learn the theories concerning efficiency and productivity measurement and will develop proficiency with software to facilitate the initiation of their own research in efficiency and productivity measurement using Stochastic Frontier Approach (SFA). The course deals with both conceptual and methodological issues.

About Foreign Faculty: Prof. Subal C. Kumbhakar is a Distinguished Research Professor in Economics in Binghamton in University. Hereceived his PhD from the University of Southern California in 1986. His research interests lie in applied micro-econometrics with a focus on estimation of productivity and efficiency. Professor Kumbhakar is a world-renowned leading expert in productivity and performance measurement, with particular emphasis on the theory and application of stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). Professor Kumbhakar has published more than 200 papers in these and related areas in refereed international journals, and is the co-author of two books, Stochastic Frontier Analysis (2000), and A Practitioner's Guide to Stochastic Frontier Analysis Using Stata (2015). He is a Fellow of Journal of Econometrics (1998). He holds an Honorary Doctorate degree from Gothenburg University, Sweden (1997). Currently, he is a co-editor of Empirical Economics and an associate editor of eight international journals. Additionally, he has guest edited many special issues of Journal of Econometrics, Empirical Economics, Journal of Productivity Analysis and other international journals. Prior to coming to Binghamton in 2001, he taught at the University of Texas from 1986-2000. 

About Host Faculty: Dr. Samaresh Bardhan is a faculty member in Economics in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar. His primary research interests are related to macroeconomic issues of growth and finance, issues related to banking regulation, efficiency with special reference to India.