The Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS) is an Indian autonomous

research institute A research institute, research centre, research center or research organization, is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often i ...

, established in 1980 to facilitate research activity in

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

and

Social Sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soci ...

. It was a brain child of B.P.R. Vithal, IAS (Retd)., a former Principal Secretary to

Government of Andhra Pradesh Government of Andhra Pradesh, abbreviated as, GOAP, or, Andhra Government, is the Subnational administrative division, subnational government for the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is an elected government with 175 Member of the Legislative ...

, Finance and Planning Department. The campus is situated at

Begumpet Begumpet ("Begum's Place") is a part of Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Begumpet is named after the daughter of the sixth Nizam ( Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI), Basheer Unnisa Begum, who received it as part of her wedding dowry when ...

, in

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

. The centre celebrated its silver jubilee in 2006 with special silver jubilee seminar inaugurated by Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh. One of its founder member, Prof. C. H. Hanumantha Rao was nominated to the

National Advisory Council The National Advisory Council (NAC) of India was a unconstitutional body set up by the first United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to advise the Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh. Sonia Gandhi served as its chairperson for much of th ...

(NAC) in 2005

Activities

Research

This institute takes up research in the fields of Rural Development and Poverty, Agriculture and Food Security, Irrigation and Water Management, Public Finance, Demography, Health and Environment. It also undertakes research projects sponsored by the State and Central governments, as well as international agencies like World Bank, Department For International Development (DFID), Ford Foundation, European Community, Rockefeller Foundation and Asian Development Bank. Conducting interdisciplinary research in analytical and applied areas of social sciences, encompassing socio-economic and other aspects of development, constitute the predominant activities of the Centre.

Academic

This institute is conducting

M.Phil. The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil ...

and

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

Programmes in Development Studies in the specific areas of Economics, Commerce, Development Statistics, Political Science & Public Administration, Sociology and Geography in collaboration with Telangana University, Nizamabad. The M.Phil Programme was started in 1986 and the Ph.D Programme was started in 1991. It is a part-time Programme that enables the faculty of colleges, research organisations, NGOs etc., to undertake research in areas of their interest without having to take a long leave from their regular jobs. The policy guidance to this Programme is framed by a Research Programme Committee (RPC) comprising subject experts from several academic institutes in Hyderabad. Till October 2010, 61 candidates have been awarded Ph.D Degrees and M.Phil Degrees have been awarded to 86 candidates. Currently, there are 83 Ph.D students and 72 M.Phil students on rolls.

Other facilities

The Centre is equipped with advanced computer system and networking facilities and Video Conferencing Equipment. The Cartography Cell attached to the Centre, completed several cartographic studies, viz. "Spatial Framework for Planning and Development Administration", "Godavari Valley Development Plan", "Shore Area Perspective Plan", "Medak District Planning Atlas", "Tribal Development Atlas of Andhra Pradesh", "Geo-thermal Atlas of Rajasthan", "Geo-tectonic Map of India", etc. The Centre has four conference halls with excellent acoustic and projection facilities which can be used for official meetings and seminars where parallel sessions can be conducted. The new Auditorium was Inaugurated by the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh in January, 2006. The premises also houses the Nizamia observatory operated by the

Osmania University Osmania University is a collegiate public state university located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Mir Osman Ali Khan, the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad in 1918 , He released a farman to establish OSMANIA UNIVERSITY on the day of 28 August 1918. It ...

Governance

It is governed by a Board of Governors consisting of eminent Professors in Economics, Scholars and personalities, besides Principal Secretaries to Government of Andhra Pradesh, Finance and Planning Departments and representative(s) of Indian Council of Social Science Research.

Funding

The Institute gets grant in aid from the Government of Andhra Pradesh and The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) (Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. Besides, it generates funds for the Projects that are assigned by various institutions and agencies.

Publications

* ''Political Economy of Watershed Management'', by V. Ratna Reddy M. Gopinath Reddy and John Soussan (2010). * ''Biotechnology in Indian Agriculture: Potential, Performance and Concerns'', by N. Chandrasekhara Rao, S. Mahendra Dev (2010) . * ''Water Security and Management: Ecological Imperative and Policy Options'', by V. Ratna ReddyBold text (2009). * ''India Perspectives on Equitable Development'', by S. Mahendra Dev and N. Chandrasekhara Rao (2009). * ''Human Development in Andhra Pradesh: Experiences – Issues and Challenges'', by S. Mahendra Dev, C. Ravi and M. Venkatnarayana(2009). * ''High-Tech Urban Spaces: Asian and European Perspective'', by Ramachandraiah C, Guus Westen and Sheela Prasad (2008). * ''India: Some Aspects of Economic and Social Development'', by S. Mahendra Dev and K.S. Babu (2008). * ''India’s Development: Social and Economic Disparities'', by S. Mahendra Dev and K.S. Babu(2008). * ''Inclusive Growth in India: Agriculture, Poverty and Human Development'', by S. Mahendra Dev (2007). * ''Managing Water Resources: Politics, Institutions and Technologies'', by V. Ratna Reddy and S. Mahendra Dev (2006). * ''Towards a Food Secure India: Issues and Policies'', by S. Mahendra Dev, K. P. Kannan and Mira Ramachandran (2003). * ''Andhra Pradesh Development: Economic Reforms and Challenges Ahead'', by Ch. Hanumantha Rao and S. Mahendra Dev (2003). * ''The Gadgil Formula: For Allocation of Central Assistance for State Plans'', by B.P.R. Vithal, and M.L.Sastry(2002).

Appreciation and Recognitions

Its activities are expanded beyond the state of Andhra Pradesh and cover other areas of the country. The Centre is recognized as an institute for advanced research in social sciences by the

University of Hyderabad The University of Hyderabad (IAST: ''Hydarāvād visvavidyālayamu'') is a top ranking public central research university located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Founded in 1974, this mostly residential campus has more than 5,000 students a ...

and

. The

Indian Council of Social Science Research The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) is the national body overseeing research in the social sciences in India. It was established in New Delhi in 1969. Council The Council is currently chaired by Bhushan Patwardhan. Current ...

(ICSSR) (Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India), in appreciation of its role in promotion of research and training, recognized this centre as a national institute in the year 1986 and included the Centre in its network of institutions.

References

Centre for Economic and Social Studies, Official website
{{authority control Research institutes in Hyderabad, India Organisations based in Hyderabad, India Organizations established in 1980 Social science institutes Economics schools Economic research institutes 1980 establishments in Andhra Pradesh