governance, political economy, institutional development and economic regulation
India is sparingly built. Satellite mapping of urban areas globally shows an average urban built-up area of 170 cubic meters per capita, with significant variation–600 cubic meters in the US versus 20 cubic meters in Bangladesh. The average for the Global South is 108 cubic meters, one-third of the average of 300 cubic meters in […]
Read More Plucking Carbon out of Built StructuresWhen is a bill only a “half bill”? The answer (borrowing from Chetan Bhagat’s bestseller Half Girlfriend) — when it just tables good intentions but defers real benefits till later- like the draft Digital Personal Data Protection Bill circulated recently for comment by the ministry of electronics and information technology. In these lean times, as […]
Read More Personal Data only Half Protected by new Digital Data BillElections are to democracy what financial markets are to the economy. Elections channel the flow of political power, from the people to the government via political parties, which act like asset management companies in financial markets, enhancing market contestability and assuring stability. The absence of an omnibus law to regulate elections and political parties in […]
Read More Regulating Political Parties and Opaque Election FinanceIn the world of venture capital, market share matters more than profits because scaling-up builds investor expectations. By this metric, renewable energy is already the future. India’s renewables share in total generation doubled from 5.6 to 11 percent over the past six years since 2015. A share of 25 percent is targeted by 2030 primarily […]
Read More Renewing our future at GlasgowLivability in a city, over the past 18 months is strongly influenced by the extent of the ravages unleashed by the COVID-19 virus. The Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) annual survey done in February 2021, “The Livability Index”, focuses on the pandemic’s impact on city rankings. It is a relief that no Indian city is in […]
Read More Indian cities: Victims of outdated political-economy constructsElectricity is at the core of a digitized India. The digital world was brought home to the average citizen via liberalization of telecom in 1995. A near universal shift from low access in fixed telephony to near universal mobile connectivity for 1 trillion adults, including net connectivity for two thirds, illustrates the impressive results achieved […]
Read More Sculpting new age power utilitiesSome babies never grow up. Vodafone Idea is one such fat, old, baby which is now crying for help. That the agreements for Telecom Licensees are badly worded is obvious from the unintended Kafkaesque consequences emanating from the strict legal interpretation by the Supreme Court. Indian utility regulation deeply flawed Sadly, this is not the first […]
Read More Indian utilities are babies which should go with their bath waterAmid the doom and gloom of the world economy, there are encouraging signs that the Indian government is now taking tangible steps to reverse the worst aspects of the slowdown in India. Ministers take the lead This is a huge step away from the collective “Nelson’s eye” which was being turned to the crisis earlier. […]
Read More Early shoots of reforms revivalThe spontaneous or manoeuvred fracturing of polity along traditional identities is misaligned with development—our core concern today—which, by definition, is inclusive. But just as surely, papering over political sores festering over the last seven decades, like in Kashmir, has not helped. Unlocking the constitutional logjam The constitutional coup by the Union Government on August 5th to […]
Read More Kashmir gets a reality checkA core staff of just around 400 persons borrowed from the Union government, leveraged temporarily with an additional five million staff from the Centre and state governments to manage polling for 900 million electors — more than 66 per cent of whom are expected to cast their vote this year — would be a recipe […]
Read More Weak institutions undermine India’s Election Commission
Opinion India 