governance, political economy, institutional development and economic regulation
(photo credit: http://www.thehindu.com) Liberals and human rights advocates are a queasy bunch with no stomach to face up to the honest truth that effective governance implies a better informed and more intrusive government. “Light handed regulation” is the mantra of neo-liberal economics. But such regulation fails unless the regulator can monitor compliance with the rule […]
Read More Liberals; smell the coffee please(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?Blame it on Nehru. If it had not been for him, India (U-ndivided) would comprise Pakistan, Azad Kashmir and Bangladesh, though regrettably still not Sri Lanka (Galle and Kandulama are so beautiful!). Now why couldn’t the man have just made Jinnah the PM, who would have been gone soon enough, anyway. Nehru would have been […]
Read More Netaji-Mulayam’s 30/30 India (U) VisionIndian diplomacy was at its worst last week. It conducted the PMs visit to the US as if he was attending a seminar on economics, in Neemrana. If India is a superpower (perennially waiting to happen), it came across, on the one hand, as a country sapped of all energy and squabbling about petty […]
Read More Indian Blood is ExpensiveShortages make people do crazy things. In the 1970’s a Bajaj scooter was a prized posession because it was most easily available against payment in US$, as were denim jeans, which were smuggled in or sold by the firangi “flower children” flooding India for hash and nirvana. In the 1990’s, the humble Maruti 800 beame […]
Read More Importing energy insecurity
Opinion India 