Faultlines in the Jobs Data
Oct 19th 2023. C.P. Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh

The apparent fall in the unemployment rate shown by recent data hides major areas of concern in India's employment pattern.

Who Controls Renewable Energy Technology?
May 17th 2022. C.P. Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh

The concentration of technology and tacit knowledge related to renewable energy can emerge as an additional constraint to its wider adoption in many low and middle income countries.

Reliance and Facebook: Seeking pathways to profit
May 8th 2020, C.P. Chandrasekhar

The deal between the two giants Reliance Industries and Facebook is aimed at ensuring their joint domination of India's e-commerce space. To that end, RIL hopes to use WhatsApp to bring the country's large base of local outlets under its retail empire.

The Mess called "Reform" in Telecommunications
Nov 13th 2019, C.P. Chandrasekhar

"The Supreme Court verdict on the definition of Annual Gross Revenue can prove devastating for telecom operators. Given the possibility of debt default, if the government turns soft, the result of neoliberal reforms would be the provision of subsidies to private firms to keep them in operation."

A Curious Divergence
Nov 20th 2018, C.P. Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh
An inadequately analysed but striking divergence in the services sector's contribution to GDP and employment growth is a pointer to the weaknesses inherent in India's services-led growth model.
Leapfrogging into Services
Apr 26th 2018, C.P. Chandrasekhar
The argument that services reflect a new dynamism in India and the IMF’s prescription that the sector can be a driver of growth and development are far-fetched.
The Airtel-Aadhaar Fix
Jan 10th 2018, C.P. Chandrasekhar
Airtel is let off lightly by the government despite being in clear violation of the law in a case that exposes the flaws and dangers in the ecosystem surrounding Aadhaar.
Indian IT hits a speedbump
Nov 21st 2017, C.P. Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh
A sharp deceleration in growth and restricted employment expansion in the IT sector, India’s post-liberalisation showpiece, has implications beyond the industry’s boundaries.
The Slide of an Aging Leader
Oct 26th 2017, C.P. Chandrasekhar
The recent acquisition of TTSL by Airtel indicates the deep-seated problems of mismanagement and debt-ridden books of the Tata group, which was once a frontrunner among business conglomerates but is now, only a shadow of its former glorious self.
Computer Outages
Jun 22nd 2017, Jayati Ghosh
While our dependency and vulnerability towards computers is becoming almost universal, the false resilience and reliability of the cyberspace is being exposed through recent system breakdowns caused due to extremely minor human errors and absence of adequate backup. In these days of cost cutting, CEOs and governments see cyber maintenance as a luxury, which itself has become a reason for its fragility.
ICT: Implications of imbalanced growth
Mar 14th 2017, C.P. Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh
An analysis of India's ICT performance suggests that software export success tends to hide both imbalances in production and their adverse balance of payments fall-out.
Developing "Infrastructure"
Oct 25th 2016, Prabhat Patnaik
One can intervene in income distribution in an egalitarian direction by restraining the investment in infrastructure that is met at the expense of other socially-pressing needs and rationing the infrastructure in question.
The Continuing Debt Problem in Asia
Dec 8 th 2015, C.P. Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh
Private household debt is going to be a major concern for many Asian economies as excessive household debt and falling realty prices combine to create a potentially potent mix.
Of Polls, Politics and Punditry
Nov 30th 2015, Jayati Ghosh
Bihar election results have proved to be an outstanding example of the limits of the English speaking national media, both in terms of predictions and analysis.
The Question of Learning
Oct 15th 2015, Jayati Ghosh
The abysmal state of school education in Rajasthan is symptomatic of a deep and cynical neglect of public education that is likely to have devastating consequences for the future of our society.
Giving Water Workers their Due
Sep 11th 2015, Jayati Ghosh
The workers who ensure the treatment, delivery and conservation of water across societies are the vast majority who are informal workers, often unpaid and largely unrecognised.
Educational Matters
Sep 4th 2015, Prabhat Patnaik
The general absence of any intensity of intellectual engagement in the Indian institutions of higher education today makes the overall situation extremely and indubitably bleak.
The Internet in "Digital India"
Jul 24th 2015, C.P. Chandrasekhar
According to the latest NSSO data, the proportion of Indian households in which at least one member had access to the internet is far short of the near universal connectivity envisaged by the Digital India mission.
Power Tariff Hike in West Bengal
Jun 16th 2013, Prasenjit Bose
One of the necessary steps towards tackling the problem of power tariff hike in West Bengal is to break the monopoly of the CESC in Kolkata and adjoining areas.
Recapitalising India's Public Sector Banks
Mar 24th 2015, C.P. Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh
The push to recapitalise public sector banks by raising capital through equity issues, on the grounds that Basel III needs make it unavoidable, may be a route to privatisation.
Questioning India's GDP figures
Mar 16th 2015, C.P. Chandrasekhar
The "too good to be realistic" growth estimate for India put forward by the CSO has been the result of the changes adopted in the data sources and methods.
Software Services: Some cause for comfort
Mar 11th 2015, C.P. Chandrasekhar
The success of India's software services export industry is built on the ability to maintain its leading position among the top players, which is indeed some cause for comfort.
Households and India's Stock Markets
Feb 17th 2015, C.P. Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh
Whilst India's stock markets touch dizzying heights, households are withdrawing from the market as they are influenced more by returns registered in short periods.
The Uncertain World of Software Services
Mar 18th 2014, C.P. Chandrasekhar
Although RBI's survey points to a revival of India's exports, so long as global conditions remain uncertain there can be little certainty about its export performance.
Open Access vs Academic Power
Sep 18th 2013, C.P. Chandrasekhar
While open access helps democratise the distribution of peer-reviewed research, it is not clear whether this would rid the system of journal branding and journal hierarchies.
The Scam that NSEL Spells
Sep 4th 2013, C.P. Chandrasekhar
In its drive to promote liberalisation and deregulation, the Government has created space for scams like the National Spot Exchange Limited fiasco to occur.
The Looming Banking Crisis
Sep 4th 2013, C.P. Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh
The crisis engulfing the Indian economy is expected to affect the corporates and the infrastructural projects burdened with large debt, impacting the Indian banking sector.
Jeff Bezos could be Wrong
Aug 27th 2013, C.P. Chandrasekhar
Jeff Bezos' acquisition of "The Washington Post" has led to speculation on the reasons and on the opportunity it presents for the ailing daily and the industry in the U.S.
Small Savings Schemes in India and the Saradha Scam
Apr 29th 2013, Subhanil Chowdhury
The erroneous policies of the central government in terms of changing the incentives for small savings have helped the expansion and consolidation of the Saradha group.
Private Banks and Financial Inclusion
Apr 16th 2013, C.P. Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh
The view that corporate sector's entry into banking will be an instrument to advance financial inclusion is based neither on historical evidence nor on market logic.
The Plight of Domestic Workers in India
Jan 24th 2013, Jayati Ghosh
Domestic work takes place under extremely difficult and oppressive conditions with low pay, no limits on working hours, lack of dignity and no protection or social security.
FDI in Banking
Nov 19th 2012, C.P. Chandrasekhar
Given that accessing foreign equity to enhance bank's capital is possible within the existing regulatory framework, there is no case for altering the current RBI rules.
How Safe are India's Banks?
Oct 30th 2012, C.P. Chandrasekhar
The NPA figures on the books of the scheduled commercial banks seem to be gross underestimates given the recent debt restructurings involving a number of large borrowers.
Importing Risk into Insurance
Oct 17th 2012, C.P. Chandrasekhar
The government's decision to increase foreign presence in insurance industry would import practices that would subject the savings of middle classes to increased probability of loss.
India's Supermarket Move Shows its Tired Government has Run Out of Ideas
Sep 21st 2012, Jayati Ghosh
Opening up India's retail sector to western supermarkets will lead to exploitation of small producers and adverse employment effects. Despite vehement opposition the government insists on pushing through this reform, a move that speaks of a tired regime which has run out of ideas.
The Growth Model has Come Undone
Jul 12th 2012, Mritiunjoy Mohanty
The government's argument that India's economic slowdown is the result of the global situation and related uncertainty is only partly true. The deeper reason is the unravelling of the underlying growth model - partly due to the greatly increased import dependence of the manufacturing sector and partly because the investment subsidy that Indian companies enjoyed due to the under-pricing of assets is no longer feasible.
Engineering Teaching and Research in IITs and its Impact on India
Jul 5th 2012, Milind Sohoni
The dominant paradigm of research and development (R&D), as it is practised in India's premier engineering institutes, has not only been abstract and lacking in diversity, but has also been too 'international' to incentivise work on our own development problems. Such an inverted incentive structure in the socio-economically important engineering job market has been macroeconomically observable in the faster growth in service sector as compared to manufacturing.
Don't Shoot the Interpreter  
Mar 7th 2012, C.P. Chandrasekhar
The Supreme Court judgment on Vodafone case is a godsend for the government, which can now pretend that it is the court that is responsible for an increasingly lax tax policy in the country where there are, as the government claims, inadequate resources to ensure food security, address deprivation and provide employment.
Multinational Retail Firms in India
Dec 12th 2011, Jayati Ghosh
The actual impact of large corporate retail, and especially multinational retail chains, in developing countries clearly shows that many of the claims made by proponents of such corporate retailing - in terms of employment generation or benefits to producers and consumers - are suspect or sometimes completely false.
Retrogression in Retail
Dec 1st 2011, C.P. Chandrasekhar
Permitting FDI in retail trade, wherein a few oligopolistic buyers will come to dominate retail trade, will lead to adverse employment effects and an erosion of the real incomes of small crop producers.
Why are Women's Health Outcomes in India so Poor?
Nov 29th 2011, C.P. Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh
Women's health outcomes in India are generally much worse than in comparator countries, despite two decades of very rapid growth in India. Public spending on health as a share of GDP has not increased, and per capita spending on immunisation and primary health centres has actually gone down.
Higher Education: Dealing with higher expectations
Sep 7th 2011, C.P. Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh
There has been a significant increase in enrolment in higher education in developing countries (especially Asia) in the past decade. However, this positive change also brings forth certain challenges, the most obvious of which is the challenge of generating enough employment to meet expectations of growing numbers of new graduates.
Public Spending on Education in India
Jun 29th 2011, Jayati Ghosh
The failure of the government to provide universal access to quality schooling and to ensure equal access to higher education among all socio-economic groups as well as across gender and region has significant implications for equitable socio-economic advancement. Ensuring a reasonable quality of education to all children will necessarily require a significant expansion of the public resources to be provided.
The Japan-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement
Feb 22nd 2011, C.P. Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh
There has been much media celebration about the recent signing of the Japan-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. This article examines some of the features of the agreement and considers their implications for domestic economic strategies and processes in India.
Managing the Mass Media
Aug 31st 2010, Jayati Ghosh
Some recent Indian experiences have led to the formation of a consensus that the mass media have become sensationalist and scandal-obsessed, often irresponsible and generally insensitive. The problem is getting so much worse that there is a need to think of new and creative ways to make sure that our media is actually accountable to the general public, including those without any political voice to speak of.
Indian IT: Privileged, protected and pampered
Aug 31st 2010, C.P. Chandrasekhar
One possible reason for the Indian IT industry's protest against the US move to increase visa costs for Indian companies could be that the industry has received privileged treatment at home for more than a decade. But given these special privileges one question that has constantly been posed is, are there adequate reasons to justify their provision?
The Sacred Cow
Aug 23rd 2010, Prabhat Patnaik
The bourgeoisie argument that development of infrastructure is in the interest of society and investment for it must be encouraged at all costs ignores the fact that infrastructure has a class character as well. Essentially, we must distinguish between ''infrastructure'' that is in the interests of the people at large and ''infrastructure'' that uses social resources for the benefit of the few.
Money Illusion
Jun17th 2010, C.P. Chandrasekhar
The perception created by the spectrum auction that there is much money in government coffers to pursue a social agenda is an illusion for two reasons. First, whatever money appears to be at hand is not available in the long term. Second, the new receipts from the private sector that create this illusion could be substantially matched by reduced government receipts in other areas or reverse flows to the private sector.
The Good News about Health in West Bengal
Jun 15th 2010, C.P. Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh
This article shows how the state of West Bengal has recently experienced some of the fastest improvements in basic health indicators among all the major states in the country. It is argued that these recent improvements are attributable to the general improvement in institutional conditions in the countryside, the extension of better sanitation facilities to rural areas, as well as the implementation of targeted schemes for maternal nutrition.
Archives >>
 
 

Site optimised for 800 x 600 and above for Internet Explorer 5 and above
© MACROSCAN 2024