governance, political economy, institutional development and economic regulation
Davenport and Kirby’s book “Only Humans Need Apply” Harper.2016 comes with a whiff of optimism and plenty of specific practical advice- based on real life cases- for professionals – scientists, radiologists, teachers, actuaries, financial analysts, lawyers and all “knowledge workers” who fear loss of jobs. This is where it is different from the previous, […]
Read More Is a machine kicking u out?Amitav Ghosh’s latest book—The Great Derangement—is an exploration of why contemporary culture, imagination and political systems have failed to prevent global warming, despite its cataclysmic long-term effects and disruptive short-term outcomes. His choice of the book’s title reflects the conundrum facing poor nations. They are not the ones who benefited from the carbon economy. But […]
Read More Book Review: Just erratic not derangedSolar powered sun and rain shades in India! India formally ratified the Paris climate agreement on Sunday, notwithstanding that Donald Trump trashed global warming, last week, as a hoax and efforts to control it as expensive and ineffective. The United States contributes around 16 per cent of world carbon emissions. Truculence in its approach to […]
Read More India’s “green” movesDeep ploughing is necessary for reform results. Photo credit: hardrainproject.com The government is stacking up its “reform credentials”. The long elusive Goods and Services Tax is now part of the constitutional scheme for taxes. This has been followed up with a double-punch by putting to rest the colonial tradition of a separate railway budget. Bye bye […]
Read More Plough deep for reform resultsConnectography: Mapping the Global Network Revolution, Parag Khanna, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2016 In the 1980s, Disney World, Florida offered a gripping, virtual journey as viewed by a blood corpuscle as it rushes through the arteries, veins, into and out of organs in the human body. Parag Khanna’s fourth and latest book –Connectography: Mapping the Global […]
Read More Book Review“Tribes” exist in India other than the ones provided for in Part X of the constitution. The largest is the “Tribe” of government servants – to be distinguished from the even larger body of public servants. Sheltering under the benign glow of the Ashoka Pillar lions, this tribe is the worst afflicted by the “Us […]
Read More Us versus ThemPopulism, buttressed by dodgy economics, has become the fashion statement in politics. Last year, the Union government approved handsome “real” increases in government salary. There was little justification for doing so since the government salaries were already fully indexed to inflation and the largesse couldn’t have been justified as a reward for higher productivity. The […]
Read More A new “living wage” f0r DelhiBorder controls across India’s 30 states fragment it economically. The Arvind Subramanian Committee Report, 2015 on Goods and Services Tax-GST, cites economic fragmentation as responsible for 15% in welfare loss. Hopefully, with the GST legislation on its way, the sight of trucks waiting patiently to pay tax will disappear. Photo credit: http://www.thehindu.com Expectations are unrealistically high […]
Read More Federated Tax is National GlueIndian Railways: Lifeline of the Nation” — runs the bold title of a 2015 government white paper. But the reality is that post-1991 the Indian Railways (IR), whilst retaining its high ritual status, ceded ground to competition from road transport. Too many consultant chefs It has only itself to blame. The railways steadfastly stonewalled all […]
Read More Rebranding Indian Rail
Opinion India 