Poverty related studies, inequality/levels of living, and demand-supply and consumption models were traditionally studied. Linkages of agricultural development with nutrition and poverty received focus.
The Institute has kept its interest in poverty measurement issues and integrated to past work which was instrumental in defining India's poverty line with more recent developments.
- Some policy work has been done on strategic policy models, the demographic dividend and on future models for the economy.
- The Institute has also conducted conferences and seminars on poverty issues, urban labour markets and informal economy.
- Development of non-farm sector and growth, causal dimensions and relations with poverty are focused. Employment and employability of rural labour, agricultural labour and women farm workers has drawn attention.
- This work will be continued with incorporation of certain new dimensions of poverty like climatic changes, environmental degradation, marginalization, social exclusion seasonal migration, etc. and also the strategies related to adaptation and mitigation due to climatic changes.
- The Institute is also planning to design strategies for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into development strategies and assessing state financial vulnerability towards climate induced disaster in collaboration with international institutes. The institute has recently conducted an international workshop in this context.