Op-Ed – Page 59 – NICKELED AND DIMED

The Mirage of Inclusive Growth

In this article, Deepanshu Mohan speaks of the need to unlearn the theoretical neo-liberalist idea of inclusive growth, to delve into a more pragmatic approach where growth and redistribution are hinged on to each other, and how government interference is imperative to purge growth inequalities that stemmed out from the pro-market policies.
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Coming South in search of a Bride

Despite Haryana’s infamous skewed sex ratio and terrible treatment of women, Malayali women are marrying Haryanvi men. S.Irudaya Rajan and Sharada Srinivasan explore the strange case of how women from Kerala are wedding men from Haryana in what often turn out to be disastrous marriages. Some trends seem astonishing at first, but begin to make…
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How Gender Inclusive is MNREGA in practice?

MNREGA mandates that a third of all workers under the programme should be women. But how gender inclusive has the implementation of the Act been? This column uses nationally representative data to analyse participation of women in MNREGA. It finds that while the programme has performed well overall in terms of providing opportunities to women,…
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Two Years Since Make in India

In this article, Ashwath Komath revisits the arguments for the Make in India programme, nearly two years since its conception, to assess whether it is truly needed and beneficial in the Indian development context. As the Modi government turns two on May 26th, we should take a look at his past initiatives, one of the…
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Examining Migration Governance in India

In this article, the migration expert, Dr. Irudaya Rajan argues for a stronger and better coordinated migration policy which focuses on the well-being of Indian migrant workers at all three stages in a migrants life-cycle. The World Bank classifies India as one of the top emigrating countries in the world with a stock of 13.88…
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A Diamond with many Facets

Kalyani Unkule raises a valid concern about the maintenance of the Kohinoor diamond in India, given its intriguing history and proposes an alternate way to protect its legacy and improve global ties. A bid to reclaim the Kohinoor diamond from Britain has once again gained momentum over the past weeks. The debate has almost exclusively…
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A Lost Comparative Advantage? Case of India’s Electronics Manufacturing Sector

A piece on India’s ailing electronics manufacturing sector by Deepanshu Mohan and Mehak Malhotra argues that unintended oversight in a hurried liberalisation policy as well as a shift in focus towards the IT software industry during the 90s gave the electronics hardware industry an early blow from which it has been unable to recover…
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How much did the Israeli war really cost?

Swetha Meenal argues about the various visible and hidden costs of the Israeli war through an effort to link the economic impacts of the war to every violation of a constitutional right. Thereby, she also exposes certain aspects that have been completely ignored by the western media… “Families are being wiped out in such massive numbers.…
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What do Monetary Policies of advance economies have in store for Emerging Markets?

In a highly integrated global economy, the actions of central banks of developed countries generate significant spillovers for developing economies. Richa Sekhani explores the possible effects that developing countries need to watch out for to safeguard their stability… Following the global downturn post 2008, the advanced economies of the world particularly the US has sought…
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Make in India Vs. Made In India – A Layman’s Guide

In this essay, Kalyani Jain outlines two different economic programs ‘Make in India’ and ‘Made in India’; one the government has and another the government might promote in order to deal with the stagnating economic situation in India. The essay analyzes their pros and cons and ends by giving a possible solution to the dilemma…
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A Redistributive Economy: A Socialist Justification

The mere contemplation of the idea of redistribution seems very antagonistic of the economic system one lives in, a capitalist system if you may. If the structure is a perfect economic system, which is well regulated with the right amount of control, then why does the idea of redistribution creep into every aspect of economic…
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Devolution Of Funds To Local Govts – Budget 2016 Reflects A Shift In Policy Thinking

By Sahil Aggarwal “A sum of ₹ 2.87 lakh crore will be given as Grant-in-Aid to Gram Panchayats and Municipalities as per the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission. This is a quantum jump of 228% compared to the previous five-year period. The funds now allocated, translate to an average assistance of over ₹ 80…
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