About Us

The Institute of Applied Statistics and Development Studies(IASDS)

  • Strives to generate statistical thinking and synthesize statistical sciences among other sciences in organizations engaged in development research so as to emerge with sound knowledge of implementable recommendations.
  • Endeavors in capacity building of such organizations by advising them to use modern and appropriate statistical tools for evidence based, scalable and replicable outcomes.

PROGRAMMES

IASDS

  • Conducts research studies, in-service training programs, provides consultancy, organises workshops on themes of global importance for other research organizations.
  • Proves its merit by successfully intertwining statistical sciences in diversified areas like Primary Education, Agriculture & Rural Development, Health, Nutrition, HIV/AIDS, Urban Infrastructure Development including Water supply, Sanitation and Drainage, Waste Management, Hygiene and Socio-economic aspects.

INNOVATIONS WITH POLICY IMPLICATIONS

  • Some success stories emanating from rich experience in conducting research studies are outlined in the sequel. Majority of these studies were conducted under the dynamic and vibrant leadership of Prof. A.K. Nigam, Director, IASDS during 1990-2008 and Consultant.
  • Advisor later, who judiciously used his strong theoretical research base in Statistics to take IASDS to new heights of recognition.

PRIMARY EDUCATION

  • Contributed significantly to the U.P. State Plan of Action on Education for All.
  • Findings of the project: Block and Town Area-Wise Estimated Population of 5-14 years Children by Single Age, Gender and Cast for UP Education for All Project Boards, were used by State Government for Universalisation of primary education.

AGRICULTURE & RURAL DEVELOPMENT

  • Several analytical issues that cropped up doing statistical analysis of data of World Bank Aided Project - Sodic Lands Reclamation Project for Annual Soil Monitoring, resulted into organizing 5 day training for the project staff.
  • Jointly Prepared with NAAS District Agricultural Action Plans based on participatory bottom up approach with Panchayat as unit of planning and reflecting local needs and priorities for Revival of Agricultural Crescent in Bihar.
  • Handled the project in partnership with NCAP - Ex-ante Assessment of Benefits of Bt Brinjal. Several analytical issues on validity of long term data analysis of Bt Brinjal experimental data were highlighted.

HEALTH, NUTRITION, HIV / AIDS

  • For the first time in the country, associated risk factors of underweight, stunting and wasting using logistic regression were evaluated.
  • A study of the patterns of under nutrition by single month showed that maximum under nutrition is at 11-12 months and not around 24 months as shown earlier. This had important policy implications: focus on children under 2 years of age; under 1 year for prevention and between 1-2 years for controlling under nutrition.
  • For the first time in the country, randomized response technique was used to give estimate of percentage – a) truckers indulging in high risk sexual behavior and b) extent of child sexual abuse.
  • In impact assessments for WFP projects on ICDS food fortification and Fortified Food for Education Program spread over several states, the findings revealed several bottlenecks and weaknesses of the implementation of the program, particularly with regard to erratic supply, frequency, coverage, quality, regularity, and quantity.
  • An analysis of the nutritive values of food items taken during the last 24 hours at home and in mid-day meal indicated that children were still far below the recommended dietary levels in iron and vitamin A.
  • Prepared a District Wise Food Insecurity Atlas of U.P. using. Small area estimates.
  • Micro-level (panchayat level) hunger mapping was done using Food Access Survey Tools (FAST) after adaptation to local conditions. A research paper prepared from this study suggests that 'access' part of food insecurity and the related anxiety component are measurable. The paper also suggests an improved hunger index, which can also be derived at local levels. It also suggests a 3-question module which can easily be canvassed at micro level (even by NSSO in consumption surveys).
  • IASDS succeeded in convincing the funding agencies and NGOs of the necessity of carrying out a proper baseline, avoid reporting sub-group estimates with inadequate sub-group size, and derive estimates with adequate sample sizes. As a result NNMB stopped giving estimates of clinical deficiencies like Bitot Spots at district level. UNICEF carried out a study of estimating prevalence of Bitot Spots with a sample size of over 14000 in contrast to a sample of around 400 being used by NNMB.
  • The use of arbitrary cut-offs by IAP classification for measuring under nutrition was (as shown by Prof. A. K. Nigam) resulting in to serious underestimation of severe under nutrition. This led to leaving out more than 50 percent severely under nourished children.
  • Conducted state of the art studies in many other important areas like KAPB on Infant and Maternal Care, Neonatal Mortality, Maternal and Infant Survival, and Adolescent Reproductive Sexual Health. Also conducted studies on anaemia - administering IFA tablets to adolescent girls. The analysis on sustainability of the effect of IFA even after its withdrawal was innovative.

OTHER STUDIES

  • Methodology for gender disparities in intra household - consumption expenditure.
  • On Urban Infrastructure Development including Water Supply, Sanitation and Drainage; Waste Management, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).

RESEARCH DISSEMINATION

  • 30 Research papers in reputed Journals.
  • Special Volume in the Memory of Founder Director Late Prof A. R. Roy.
  • Book “Statistical Aspects of Community Health and Nutrition” published in 2015 by A.K. Nigam.
  • Book on "Female Empowerment : A Life-Cycle Analysis" Author(s):A. K. Nigam, Ravindra Srivastava, A. C. Kulshreshtha, Kuldeep Kumar,  published by Cambridge Scholar publishing in 2020.