Regional Products and Rural Livelihoods

The book explores through case studies the registration and use of Geographical Indications in the realm of trade in crafts and textiles sector. The book highlights the necessity of involving stakeholders along the value chain to institutionalize reputation of the products as specific to the geographic region and thereby quality adherence. The book underscores the importance of collective organizations in this institutionalizing process to better livelihoods of artisans as well as to address consumers' demand for quality.

N. Lalitha, Gujarat Institute of Development Research, ,Soumya Vinayan, Council for Social Development,

Lalitha Narayanan is Professor at Gujarat Institute of Development Research. She began her career at GIDR in 1994. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics, her research focuses on issues around globalization, trade and development. In tracing the impact of globalization, she concentrates on issues related to intellectual property rights in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.
Soumya Vinayan is Ph.D. in economics from University of Hyderabad. Her core research areas are political economy of financing higher education and the emergence of the private player; theory and praxis of intellectual property regimes and its interplay in realizing distributive 'rent' to artisanal mode of production.