The era when liberal democracy triumphed over fascism and communism may have ended in 2016, with Brexit and Donald Trump’s election as US President. Voters across the globe hve rebelled against a liberal democratic system that no longer meets their …
Slanging matches between Amartya Sen and Jagdish Bhagwati are economic folklore. Welcome to the latest slugfest. Sen has denounced demonetisation as “despotic”. But Bhagwati, in a joint article with Pravin Krishna and Suresh Sundaresan, calls demonetisation “courageous”, with the “potential …
It’s Sen vs Bhagwati time of the year again. This time on demonetisation Read More »
The ongoing power struggle between Ratan Tata and Cyrus Mistry to control sundry Tata companies should not distract attention from a more fundamental question. Should charitable trusts, which are exempt from income tax, be allowed to hold large (and often …
Charitable trusts shouldn’t control big biz houses Read More »
Authoritarian leadership, big corruption, and endless freebies for the masses. These were the hallmarks of Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa (popularly called Amma) who died last week. In this week of mourning, she has been praised by even her bitter …
Demonetisation still dominates conversation in India. Do ordinary people think it was inhumane and despotic, as claimed by critics? Or do they believe Modi is the only politician willing to get tough on black money? How will this play out …
Will demonetisation be a vote winner or loser for Prime Minister Modi? He has captured the moral high ground: many voters view him as the only politician willing to crack down on black money. He fared well in last week’s …
The media generally believes that demonetisation has been a political success, that it has put opposition parties on the back foot, and won the hearts of millions who think Modi is the only politician willing to take tough decisions to …
Black deals in Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes have been stopped by demonetisation. Optimists hope this will end the scourge of black money. Pessimists say no, the new Rs 2,000 notes will soon replace Rs 1,000 notes in black …
“I grabbed America by the p***y, and she said yes.” I just invented that Trumpism, yet it sums up the crudity, misogyny and contempt for civic values and political correctness that has propelled Donald Trump into the White House. In …
Donald Trump no solution to civilisational crisis facing the West Read More »
Is India’s investment climate truly improving? The ‘Doing Business 2017’ report of the World Bank shows India improving only marginally from 131st to 130th position among surveyed countries. Meanwhile the industry ministry’s ‘Assessment of State Implementation of Business Reforms 2015-16’ …
Surveys mislead when firms control the investment climate Read More »
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