DISCLAIMER: This is a citation bomb warning. I am citing some research literature but, kindly read through till the end. The Prime Minister’s Cabinet in India recently agreed to raise the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 years to 21 years, bringing it to the same level as that of men. In a statement released on Twitter , the health ministry explained that the measure “would provide more time for completion of education for the girls and prepare them physiologically and psychologically to shoulder the responsibility of marriage and children”. Empirical economic literature does confirm that, for women, a delay in age at marriage raises educational attainment, reduces desired and actual fertility and improves child health and educational outcomes (Field & Ambrus, 2008; Jensen and Thornton, 2010; Chari et. al.,2017). [1] What’s interesting is that average age of marriage in India has already been rising naturally and currently stands at 22 years . So, it can’t hurt to s...
Evolutionary musicologist, Joseph Jordania, observes in his book, ` Who asked the first question ?’ , that our closest ancestors i.e. apes, don’t have the capacity to formulate questions. While they have abundant natural curiosity, they lack the ability to articulate it as a question. Jordania further explains that a question is “materialised curiosity” and it galvanises other members of the community to become involved in settling the problem. Thus, the ability to ask questions marks a step in human cognitive evolution. Mike Vaughn, speaking on the matter of asking better questions in a TEDx talk, underlines its importance. Today, we are at a stage of development, where computers are continuously getting better at answering questions and solving problems. Thus, our ability to ask questions will be the only way in which we stay relevant and shape our future. As a researcher in the field of economics, I ask myself if one could learn ways to formulate better questions. Some mi...