Op-Ed – Page 61 – NICKELED AND DIMED

John Locke’s ‘Tacit consent’ and Compulsory Citizenship

John Locke (1632-1704) John Locke is a famous English Philosopher. His works lie at the foundation of Western modern philosophical empiricism and political liberalism. His theories concerning the separation of Church and State, religious freedom, and liberty, not only influenced European thinkers such as the French Enlightenment writer, Voltaire, but shaped the thinking of America’s…
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The Al-Bashir Saga and India’s International Obligations

Kalyani Unkule highlights the pertinent role that India needs to play on the international platform in the sensitive question of the Sudanese President’s alleged genocide… The recently concluded summit of African Heads of State in New Delhi has prompted much introspection on the legacy, successes and challenges of bilateral and regional ties. It is equally…
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Bharat Stage Norms Too Low For Volkswagen?

In light of the US Volkswagen scandal, Bharat Stage, as India’s emission norms are called, are touted to be too low to generate worry for Volkswagen cars in India. Mehak Malhotra argues that on the contrary, this is enough cause for worry about the air quality that we breathe… September 2015 was a black month…
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Nepal: Divided by A New Constitution

Nepal has adopted its seventh constitution in 67 years. It is the first fully democratic constitution in Nepal. Amit Kumar Jha looks at the issues the new constitution raises and outlines a role for India as Nepal’s crucial neighbour. “A good constitution is infinitely better than the best despot”-Thomas B Macaulay Nepal, a tiny Himalayan…
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India-Nepal Oil Pipeline to Enhance Regional Connectivity

Richa Sekhani examines the Oil Pipeline Project involving India and Nepal and explores its potential to enhance Nepal’s economy, connectivity and regional cooperation. The South Asian region has remained the least integrated in the world and has not been able to optimally utilise its existing potential because of fragmented transportation and communication systems in the…
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Book Review: India Uninc.

Vivek Rai summarizes R. Vaidyanathan’s India Uninc., a cogent overview of the oft ignored unincorporated sector which contributes upto 45% of India’s GDP, hailing it as a much needed insight into a less written about area. Title: India Uninc. Author: Prof R. Vaidyanathan Price: 395 Publisher: Westland Pages: 344 Year Published: 2014 In India, as…
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Political Dynamics in Bihar: Electoral Competition and Representation

Reproduced from Economic and Political Weekly Issue Vol – L No. 39, September 26, 2015 with the authors’ permission. The authors Yugank Goyal and Arun Kumar Kaushik teach at OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat. They can be reached at ygoyal@jgu.edu.in and akkaushik@jgu.edu.in respectively. Abstract: Upcoming Assembly Elections in Bihar are expected to be unprecedented on…
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China’s Economic Slowdown: An Opportunity to Boost Indo-Africa Ties

In the light of the India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) this month, Richa Sekhani views the Chinese slowdown as a chance for India to deepen its relationship with African Countries. As China is confronting property market challenges, overcapacity in industries, debt burden and financial risks, the recent slowdown in the economy and the devaluation of the…
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A Comparative Look at the Development Experience of Brazil and China

Ashwin Nair presents a comparative look and contrasts the role of the state in the economic development of two BRICS countries, Brazil and China. The Brazilian State and the Chinese state are two vastly different entities. While one has a history of military rule the other owes a lot to Maoist ideology. Today Brazil has…
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Perspectives on US Mass Incarceration

In the face of the upcoming 2016 US Presidential Elections, Kalyani Unkule provides a timely persepective on the worrying trend of Mass Incarceration in the USA Against a recent history of political polarisation, the problem of mass incarceration is being discussed as providing an opportunity for bipartisan cooperation and is steadily receiving attention from US…
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India’s Invisible Innovation: Affecting India’s Business and Economic Milieu in the Future

Can India become a global hub for innovation? Ekta Gupta endeavors to answer this question as a reflection to Nirmalya Kumar’s TED talk on India’s Invisible Innovation. ‘Innovation is novelty in how value is created and distributed’ as defined by the famous economist Schumpeter. Thomas Friedman in his book, “The World Is Flat,” said, that it…
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Jekyll and Hyde: South Korea’s Family Businesses

Sayantan Chanda talks about the yet existing stronghold of the ‘Chaebols’ in South Korea and what consequences it holds for the South Korean economy and society. The Republic of Samsung-land is the name that many South Koreans these days have given to their country.[i] Founded in a by-gone era of instability and uncertainty, Samsung has…
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