Nationalization is making a comeback in economic policymaking—here's why
Sun, 05 Jul 2026 16:01:08 ISTRecent policy considerations across France, the UK and even the US indicate a new pattern emerging that smells a lot like nationalization. With economic uncertainty having upturned old norms, countries seem to be favouring nation-first industrial strategies.
Why America's AI policy mustn’t be opaque—we should know what the administration’s Anthropic story is
Sun, 05 Jul 2026 15:30:47 ISTThe US government's secrecy over what got restrictions lifted on AI company's Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models is not a good sign at all for users of American AI tools. It only heightens uncertainty. Here's what the US should consider doing instead.
America's Declaration of Independence: how it has inspired other countries across the world since 1776
Sun, 05 Jul 2026 15:00:27 ISTAlthough the US may have morphed into the very kind of empire it broke off from, its 1776 declaration was a defining moment in history. Its current administration would do well to remember how its words still animate struggles for freedom and justice.
Manu Joseph: What the Siya Goyal case tells us about society’s need to identify motives
Sun, 05 Jul 2026 14:00:26 ISTLooking for motives in cases of alleged murder is often fruitless since such acts are not rational. Rather, they spring from mental illness—which does not excuse a heinous crime.
India must reshape its export game for a world of climate-focused trade measures
Sun, 05 Jul 2026 12:22:45 ISTAs climate policy gets entangled with trade, geopolitics and industrial policy, aligning the country's with it is crucial. The government should aim to ensure that India's decarbonization efforts are adequately recognized by trade partners.
With AI, never forget, never remember
Sat, 04 Jul 2026 07:00:58 ISTLife logging is set to re-configure our memory
David Yule: the Scottish businessman whose legacy survives in India
Sat, 04 Jul 2026 07:00:39 ISTDavid Yule built British India's largest managing agency empire, controlling dozens of companies with tiny shareholdings. His business model vanished, but its legacy still survives in India.
e-Jagriti: Reimagining consumer justice for a Digital India
Sat, 04 Jul 2026 06:00:18 ISTEnsuring consumer rights in the digital age required more than legislative reforms; it demanded a complete transformation in the way justice itself was delivered.
Understanding consciousness: think of it like a neuro-hologram, one that AI can’t mimic
Fri, 03 Jul 2026 15:00:39 ISTInsights by researchers from the US and Sweden reveal that consciousness can be thought of as a kind of hologram projected by our brains—literally. This is not something every living being can do. Nor is it something AI is capable of.
Are AI deployment targets just another management fad? Ask Ford, Meta and Amazon
Fri, 03 Jul 2026 14:00:38 ISTThe AI din is deafening as companies rush to gain from this wonder technology. Like other management fads before it, however, this one needs to be recognized for what it is. Amid all the cheering, listen closely to what early adopters are saying.
The US Declaration of Independence startled the world in 1776, but when will it live up to its ideals?
Fri, 03 Jul 2026 08:00:33 ISTA quarter of a millennium ago, the US made a tryst with what its founders saw as destiny. Now it must redeem the promises it made on 4 July 1776. They remain globally resonant, which only hardens the irony of America’s dimming appeal.
Mint Quick Edit | Delhi's air-quality plan may need a cost-benefit analysis once it’s tested out this winter
Fri, 03 Jul 2026 07:00:52 ISTNew anti-pollution rules aim to relieve India’s capital of its annual toxic air crisis. Well-meaning moves, however, could be let down by their own complexity. How the plan works out would need a hard-nosed assessment.
Too few babies—so what? India should address its low productivity, not declining fertility rate
Thu, 02 Jul 2026 16:00:52 ISTAlarm over India’s fertility-rate drop seems overblown. Its challenge is not to boost its birth rate but the productivity of its workforce. Also, fiscal incentives for larger families are unlikely to work—they don't address the structural forces driving the trend.
America’s 250 years of freedom: pluralism is still fundamental to the country’s pursuit of happiness
Thu, 02 Jul 2026 15:00:31 ISTReligious affiliation is dropping in a country founded on freedom. However, its people do not need a shared faith or religion-based code of morality to get along. Harmony and cohesion can spring from pluralism—but the US must do a better job of it.
Race against time: India’s demographic dividend has a window of just 15 years or so before ageing sets in
Thu, 02 Jul 2026 14:00:10 ISTWe have little time left to resolve a poly-crisis of unsatisfactory outcomes on economic growth, education and employment. By 2040, India will be ageing fast as roughly half of today’s workforce nears retirement. Most retirees will have no pension support.
Are elected MPs making good use of funds at their disposal to develop assets in their constituencies?
Thu, 02 Jul 2026 12:31:09 ISTAn analysis of recommendations for public-works spending by Lok Sabha members shows not just underuse of this scheme’s funds, but also a stark concentration in a few high-visibility areas. Hard questions arise over how MPLADS decisions are made.
Energy security: how logistics helped India sail through the Gulf war's Hormuz chokehold
Thu, 02 Jul 2026 12:01:09 ISTA feat of diplomatic, logistical and policy agility was pulled off to ensure that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz didn’t impact India as badly as other big importers of oil and gas. What we now need is to cut freight vulnerabilities. Here's what may help.
Read between the lines: India's external debt isn’t as comfort-assuring as it may seem at first glance
Thu, 02 Jul 2026 07:31:05 ISTIndia’s overall exposure remains relatively modest. Yet, policymakers cannot afford to overlook the warning signal of a worsening ratio of external debt by residual maturity to forex reserves. Here's how to interpret the latest numbers.
Mint Quick Edit | June’s GST collections and PMI reading—lead indicators of a resilient economy
Thu, 02 Jul 2026 07:00:45 ISTLast month’s robust GST revenues and strong purchasing managers' index score for manufacturing both show how well India’s economy fared against overseas headwinds. Price pressures, though, must be held in check.
Employed women in Uttar Pradesh—what explains such a large increase within less than a decade?
Wed, 01 Jul 2026 16:00:46 ISTMillions of women in India’s most populous state gained employment over the past eight years, but it’s self-employed dairy farming that accounts for that leap. For socio-economic upliftment, UP still needs many more factory and service-sector jobs for women.
Bosses who oppose employees working from home tend to be narcissistic—so says a study in the US
Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:45 ISTResearch has validated what many employees suspected about bosses who irrationally bar remote work—it may have something to do with their ego, which is fed by having underlings around to boss over. It affirms their power and status.
Beyond labels: Indian regulation should close loopholes in rules on food marketing claims
Wed, 01 Jul 2026 14:00:44 ISTIn an increasingly health-conscious India, the commercial incentive to position food as 'healthy' has shot up. But rules should prevent unproven assertions from being sneaked in—while raising penalties to ensure effective deterrence.
Brexit has turned into Bregret in the UK—and India could learn a thing or two from its trade delusion
Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:30:43 ISTThe UK may have deluded itself over trade with faraway partners after it left the EU, but India should be more clear-eyed. New Delhi must deepen trade with neighbours in South Asia. Given China's looming presence, it’s a matter of security too.
Devina Mehra: What makes investors do the very opposite of what they should?
Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:00:23 ISTIt’s closely linked with the reason that many equity market experts like to offer data-free opinions. When narratives overshadow market data, it’s easy for investors to go wrong.
VB-G RAM G: India should aim to universalize its job guarantee scheme instead of limiting it
Wed, 01 Jul 2026 07:30:58 ISTWhat began as MGNREGA has morphed into the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission. The new scheme seems to dilute the core promise of this fallback option for job seekers. But its value as a safety net endures and it’s time to consider urban coverage.
Mint Quick Edit | What’s in a username? Ask WhatsApp, which plans to roll out a new security assurer
Wed, 01 Jul 2026 07:00:17 ISTThe messaging platform’s move to mask phone numbers is welcome from a safety perspective. Could WhatsApp, marketed by Meta in India as a privacy assurer, do away with numbers altogether?
Genetic engineering can go wrong: programmable biology without rules could end up as a nightmare
Tue, 30 Jun 2026 16:00:01 ISTUnlike computer code that sits on a device and does what it's told, lab-engineered genes can multiply on their own. While novelties like flowers that glow are impressive, the technology behind them must urgently be regulated to keep hidden perils in check.
Are India's AI goals tongue tied? How linguistic diversity complicates this technology’s diffusion
Tue, 30 Jun 2026 15:01:01 ISTIndia’s AI diffusion bet relies on voice interaction. But with numerous languages, dialects and multilingual speakers across the country, adapting AI tools for variation in colloquial speech is a big challenge.
An emerging economy’s exchange rate policy is not always about economics. Here's why
Tue, 30 Jun 2026 14:00:20 ISTWith a currency’s external value often seen as a measure of national strength rather than a price that modulates commercial relations with others, politics often informs exchange-rate management. In some cases, it’s a negotiation between numbers and narratives.
What's holding back small enterprises? And what can be done about India’s low-growth MSME sector
Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:30:18 ISTDespite the large share of Indians engaged in small enterprises, their contribution to the economy is below par. Millions are merely fallback livelihood options that lack the means to scale operations and productivity up. Here's what policy could do.
Renewables: a strategic mission with climate benefits more than a climate effort with strategic gains
Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:00:58 ISTIndia’s transition to clean energy isn’t simply about a low-carbon economy. Renewable energy serves two strategic aims—economic competitiveness and national security. Here's how.
An AI bubble burst could reset the dynamics of rivalry and give India a chance to catch up
Tue, 30 Jun 2026 07:30:54 ISTGlobal over-investment may have turned the build-up of AI infrastructure fragile. However, an asset market shake-up that shifts investor attention might just favour the Indian ecosystem for artificial intelligence. Here's why.
Mint Quick Edit | India’s index of industrial production has been refurbished—thankfully
Tue, 30 Jun 2026 07:00:14 ISTThe latest IIP launched on Monday has been designed to measure industrial output more accurately. Its method of inflation adjustment has been brought in line with the latest global practices—and its reading for May is reassuring.
West Bengal's turnaround opportunity: the state has a chance to regain its former economic prosperity
Mon, 29 Jun 2026 16:00:21 ISTThe state's economic slide has been an outcome of policy choices over decades, but an agenda shift could lead a reversal. Here's what the new government in Kolkata should consider.
America is shutting its doors to people who may need refuge—and its Supreme Court is okay with that
Mon, 29 Jun 2026 15:00:40 ISTThe US apex court’s recent decision on the country's responsibility towards those who seek refuge in America shows that the ‘land of the free’ is no longer committed to an ideal that it has long upheld.
