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The government’s new low-cost credit scheme for research, development and innovation (RDI) in the private sector is unlikely to suffice in the face of a national urgency. We need R&D infrastructure and better-suited risk capital.
That’s what Indian exports could be slapped with as a punitive US duty if a big ugly bill gets passed and India doesn’t quit buying Russian oil. Second order sanctions must stop.
India’s next wave of ‘startup’ led growth could well emerge from within established companies that are fostering an entrepreneurial spirit. It’s easier said than done, though. Here’s what it takes.
Speculation has arisen over Jonathan Ive (of Apple fame) designing a smart pen for OpenAI. If so, the designer’s love of minimalism may set it apart. The most disruptive new tech gizmo may well he one that feels least like technology.
Initiatives being launched at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla represent only the beginning. Many pragmatic ideas exist that must be pursued if we are to put global development back on track.
International trade is in flux and India’s cost advantage is unclear, but we mustn’t lose time in laying the ground to become the world’s next factory as global manufacturers diversify away from China. Here are five areas that need urgent policy attention.
An investment strategy demands utmost clarity on basic concepts. Asset classes are distinct from investment vehicles, for example, and allocation decisions on the former must be made first. Here’s how to go about it.
A financial conditions index (FCI), as proposed by a paper in RBI’s monthly bulletin for June, could aid monetary policy. But such a tool can only be an input for human judgement—and correlation must never be confused with causation.
The Union cabinet has approved an outlay of ₹1 trillion for employment-linked incentives aimed at job generation. Now let’s see if it can alter the recruitment appetite of businesses.
Open source tools are free but need upkeep that involves volunteers chipping in. Digital public goods that use such software are at risk of falling apart if we don’t find sufficient funds for maintenance. It’s a common problem that calls for wide cooperation.
Americans have reason to be alarmed. Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s proposal, pitched as a call for market intervention against retail inflation, seems to go against the basics of capitalism.
The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla could help restore faith in global cooperation to achieve our common sustainability goals. The meeting isn’t about charity. It’s about justice and a future in which countries can thrive, build, trade and prosper together.
The US president’s trade negotiations have revealed a preference for tactics he detailed in his 1980s book on deal-making. As some countries have already shown, this makes space—and offers cues—for effective counter strategies.
A US-China trade pact should prompt New Delhi to reshape its game plan to attract global value chains (GVCs) with both these big trade partners in mind. While China anchors our backward GVC linkages, the US can be our big export market. Let’s not risk slipping into a strategic grey zone.
Hinduja Hospital’s idea of formally offering this service needs to be replicated across the healthcare sector, especially by India’s many private hospitals. The legal option of rejecting life-support through an ‘advance medical directive’ must not languish in obscurity.
The Reserve Bank of India’s latest ‘Financial Stability Report’ is heartening. Systemic risk is not a concern and India’s financial sector seems stable amid global flux. Stability, however, is just an enabler.
London’s crown-jewel railway has had its glitches, but on any broad assessment it has to be considered a resounding success.
Nato’s future is cloudy, even if its latest summit tried to convey success. Non-Nato powers have their own axes to grind, as recent times have shown. Amid all this flux, India must aim for self-reliance—especially in arming itself for national defence.
The Indian economy is not living up to its full potential, but the holdback isn't tight credit but lacklustre demand. Private sector investment is still far from what it should be and this isn’t a problem that monetary policy can resolve.
The International Solar Alliance (ISA) has rallied the world for a just and sustainable future. Its four pillars—a catalytic finance hub, capacity building, regional and country-level engagement and technology policy and roadmaps—can drive the Global South to embrace solar energy.
There’s a crucial difference between the two, though real-world politics and policy often fail to keep them apart. Mamdani’s mayoral run has drawn gasps and shocked the US right, but his plan for the city might be just what it needs.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has set out a well drafted and welcome strategic plan for using existing assets to fund new roads. Some elements of it, however, are open to debate. Here’s what could be done.
A technology company that blinks at an inflection point in tech evolution risks its future. Apple Inc’s market value is under the shadow of AI, even as its Big Tech rivals grab the fancy of investors, but its core strength could see it ride out this wave
Despite global turbulence, India’s external balances are well within safety limits in the context of the economy’s macro stability. Capital flows, though, have been disappointing.
Israel has said Iran’s Khamenei regime was unpopular and, in effect, an organization of terrorists filled with religious hatred
Whether Zohran Mamdani’s goal is to address food scarcity or reduce prices, public ownership of supermarkets makes no sense.
The ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor should remind public schools that they’re working with parents, not competing against them.
Climate mandates for central banks have been opposed by Raghuram Rajan and others, but the risks posed by this crisis demand a response. Given India’s lengthy legislative process, the Reserve Bank of India is moving slowly but cautiously.
Economist Robert Solow once quipped that computers were everywhere except in productivity statistics. As with information technology, a boost driven by artificial intelligence (AI) may not show up in economic data for decades on end.
The statistical methods in use suggest that value addition in this sector may be lower than what India has officially recorded. Here is a deep delve into how we estimate the gross value added (GVA) by unorganized segments of major sectors like trade.
One can be in awe of this tiny country’s capabilities and also be appalled by some of its actions. But that’s rare. Most of us are pushed to take sides for reasons we might only dimly be aware of.
Data across a decade’s span suggests that health consciousness and rising incomes have combined to alter consumption patterns in India. But the finer details of trends show surprises, so don’t jump to conclusions on what future decades hold.
A ‘collaboration’ with AI led to the creation of amazing playlists and dazzling cover images.
The recent ruling that okayed Anthropic’s use of ‘stolen books’ to train its AI model shows how copyright law loopholes can be exploited. If laws aren’t modified, the creative industry could face extinction.
Pakistan’s cynical nomination of the US president for a Nobel Peace Prize tells us something grim about today’s world. Yet, as we just saw, performative diplomacy can quickly collapse. Both Pakistan and the US need to ponder the principles that underpin that prize