Last year, India got an economist\’s budget. But with five states going to the polls soon after the Budget, radical reform is unlikely this time. An “election budget” is typically one before a general election, high on populism and low […]
Politics will dominate this year’s budget Read More »
Aakar Patel, former head of Amnesty International in India, has savaged the seven years of Narendra Modi\’s rule in his latest book, Price of the Modi Years. Backed by considerable research, it has more credibility than other rhetorical denunciations of
A new book on the Modi years mixes actuality with amnesia Read More »
Covid cases are rising exponentially in India with the third wave causing one lakh infections per day. The US has crossed one million cases per day, and India is likely to exceed that soon. Should upcoming elections in five states
Why poll panel should return to single-day voting Read More »
The International Monetary Fund has projected India’s GDP growth at 9.5% in 2021 and 8.5% in 2022, making it the fastest-growing economy in the world. Deepak Parekh of HDFC, doyen of the private sector, says he is more optimistic than
GoI has proposed raising the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 years to 21, the minimum age for men. This supposedly aims to empower women and erode patriarchy, giving girls more time to study and choose their future.
There’s no correlation between female empowerment and age of marriage Read More »
Bangladesh was created fifty years ago when Pakistani forces in Dhaka surrendered to Indian troops on December 16. The official Indian version is that the war began when Pakistan bombed India on December 3 and was concluded in a mere
Some die for their country, some lie for it Read More »
Stock markets have soared to absurd heights this year, and the current correction is no surprise. Fears remain that the downtrend will gather momentum and become a crash. Which factors will most likely produce a crash? Some point to rising
War may not be probable, but geopolitical clouds threaten the world economy Read More »
The World Inequality Report 2022, drafted by French economist Thomas Piketty and his colleague, once again highlights high and growing inequality across countries. It calls for draconian taxes on the super-rich to help the poor and middle class. The authors
Piketty’s super-rich tax is not going to end inequality Read More »
Always sacrifice economic sense if it wins a few more votes. That logic drives competitive politics in India, spurring myopic measures that inflict long-term damage. Too many elections are dominated by three issues — subsidies, job reservations and communalism. Economists
Power freebies show pitfalls of electoral politics Read More »
Many countries, especially in Europe, have started locking down their economies again to combat a resurgence of Covid-19. A new Covid strain out of South Africa, Omicron appears to be particularly virulent, and some countries are banning flights from Africa.
The biggest mistake India can make in fighting Omicron is imposing another lockdown Read More »
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