Past Events

Distinguished Lecture – Prof. Udaya Shankar Mishra, Professor, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, India

Title: Social Determinants of Health
Date: 29^th August 2025
Time: 12:00 PM to 1:15 PM
Venue: FLAME University, Pune, India

Abstract: Prof. Udaya Shankar Mishra, Professor at the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, delivered a thought-provoking lecture on the challenges of measurement and comparability in the current SDG indicator landscape. Drawing on his extensive work in population studies and statistics, Prof. Mishra examined how the proliferation of head count-based indicators, while useful for monitoring, often obscures key methodological and interpretive limitations. He highlighted the inherent difficulties in comparing sample-based estimates across time and geography, especially when survey frequency, event rarity, and standardization issues are not adequately addressed. Through examples, he questioned the assumption that all indicators are directly comparable, especially when denominators differ in composition or risk profiles, calling attention to what he described as “distribution-blind” comparisons. Prof. Mishra also addressed the paradoxes that arise in head count measures, such as when changes in the numerator or denominator reflect statistical artifacts rather than real progress. He urged the audience to critically assess the robustness, reliability, and valuation frameworks of commonly used development indicators, noting that the trade-offs between simplicity and adequacy must be navigated carefully. The lecture concluded with a call for more thoughtful and methodologically grounded approaches to indicator design, standardization, and interpretation, especially as they inform critical policy decisions in India and globally.