governance, political economy, institutional development and economic regulation
(www.thebetterindia.com) So what will the post-Plan India look like? Will we veer away from the soaring flyovers; highways straight as Arjun’s arrow; high rise apartments and carefully “zoned” areas, typical of planned development and turn instead towards the squiggly, irregular lines so dear to the foreign tourist, of “charming”, little, oriental streets; buildings leaning precariously […]
Read More Why Planning Died in India(photo credit: http://www.ndtv.com) The Republican sweep of the mid-term Senate elections in the US closely resembles the Modi wave in India. In both cases, electoral disgust with wooly idealism and unfulfilled promises fueled the wave. In the US, Janet Yellen, Chair of the Federal Reserve caused a stir on October 17 by labelling as “stagnant” […]
Read More India-US in sync: wooly Liberals out, pragmatic Conservatives in(photo credit: wikipedia) Paul McCartney -he of the long, brown hair who hung out in the company of the Beatles in the 1960s-wrote this song when he was just 16. Clearly he was not an economist and didn’t need to be hesitant about asking his “love” to project forward by 48 years, her likely feelings […]
Read More When I’m 64(photocredit: dnaindia.com) It is unlikely that the national coalition in Afghanistan, which the US has stitched together, will last. More likely, the Unity Government provides a convenient cover of artificially generated “peace” allowing the US to withdraw, with “honour”, from the “graveyard of invaders”. Once it leaves, the US shall make all efforts to secure […]
Read More Will Ashraf Ghani be Afghanistan’s Manmohan Singh?(photo credit: http://www.en.wikipdia.com) By polishing shoes at Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, in New Delhi, as “Kar Seva,” the refreshingly ordinary Lt. Governor, Najeeb Jung and his wife, have raised the bar for people in high public office. A “Kar Sevak” is one who volunteers to provide pro-bono service for a religious cause. That a deeply religious […]
Read More The glue of cross-religious Kar Seva(photo credit: http://www.dreamstime.com) “Diplomacy is not instant coffee” said the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs yesterday. He is right of course. If you are the “instant coffee” type, you are unlikely to be invited to join the international high table. This doesn’t mean though that, if our MEA mandarins switch from Coffee […]
Read More “Class” in diplomacy(photo credit: narendramodi.in) Later today when the Chinese supremo savours Khakra (a snack) and toasts PM Modi over a glass of aam-ras (the juice of raw mangoes), on the carefully grassed banks of the Sabarmati river, the symbolism of the location will not be lost on him. What was till recently a sludge filled, trickle, […]
Read More The MO-XI connect: going beyond the rice bowl.
Opinion India 