| Title: | 314 : Mattala: Attracting Business into a Lonely Airport |
| Author/s: | Chulanee Attanayake |
| Abstract: | Despite commencing operation in 2013, Sri Lanka’s second international airport, the Mattala International Airport (MIA), has come under criticism both locally and internationally for accruing ‘unbearable debt’ and for being a white elephant project of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The MIA has not been able to live up to expectations, as few airlines placed their bets on Mattala, and later ceased service, turning it into a ‘ghost airport’. In July 2018, the government called for proposals from both local and international investors for a joint venture to make MIA operational. Against this backdrop, this paper examines the reasons as to why the airport became an example of a failed infrastructure project and identifies some areas which may help in making it profitable. |
| Date: | 20 December 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 313 : India’s Social Policies under the BJP Government |
| Author/s: | Diego Maiorano |
| Abstract: | In 2014, the BJP won a substantial number of votes among India’s poor and the lower classes, which are the main beneficiaries of the government of India’s social policies. This paper analyses the BJP-led government’s performance in the social sector, with the objective of assessing their electoral impact on the forthcoming general elections in 2019. It focuses on two main areas. First, the government’s performance at implementing policies inherited from the previous administration; second, what kind of new policies has the government introduced and what kind of benefits they brought to India’s poor and lower classes. |
| Date: | 11 December 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 312 : Modi Turns West: India and the Persian Gulf |
| Author/s: | P R Kumaraswamy |
| Abstract: | As happened in the early 1990s, when India adopted the ‘Look East’ policy towards the Southeast Asia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is signalling the greater importance of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf for India. He has been delineating the parameters and components of the relations through intense political engagements with the aim of transforming the transactional nature of the bilateral ties, and he is adding economic and strategic substance. There are number of challenges before meaningful progress is achieved but there are sufficient indications that, under Modi, India is turning west and befriending Gulf Arab more aggressively than in the past. |
| Date: | 23 November 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 311: How Do You Make a Smart City Clean? |
| Author/s: | Robin Jeffrey |
| Abstract: | This paper draws attention to two signature campaigns of the Bharatiya Janata Party government in India – Smart Cities and Swachh Bharat (Clean India) and identifies difficulties facing the task of making smart cities clean. The paper begins by focusing on the under-powering of local governments, which are expected to provide many of the services that public-sanitation regulations prescribe. The paper then examines four formal categories of waste – the solid waste of households and businesses, construction and demolition (C&D), hazardous and bio-medical. All four categories are governed by admirable – but hitherto unattainable – rules spelt out by the central government and intended to ensure safe and productive disposal. In the final section, the paper examines the most difficult category of all – liquid waste and sewage. Sewage presents immense public-health threats, yet its disposal raises formidable cultural problems. The paper offers no panaceas but provides a digest of the complexities of urban waste management and government’s worthy pronouncements. |
| Date: | 12 November 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 310 : India-Bhutan: Affirming 50 Years of Relationship |
| Author/s: | Amit Ranjan and Losheini Ravindran |
| Abstract: | During his three-day visit to India in July 2018, then-Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay held meetings with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Indian ministers in which the two sides expressed happiness over the state of their bilateral relations. |
| Date: | 7 November 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 309: India-Bhutan Hydropower Projects: Cooperation and Concerns |
| Author/s: | Amit Ranjan |
| Abstract: | In spite of being among the water rich countries in the world, parts of Bhutan are expected to face water scarcity by 2030. India has assisted Bhutan in development of its hydropower projects. The first such cooperation between the two countries took place in 1961. Since then, a number of Indian hydropower companies have been active in Bhutan. In recent times, there have been growing concerns among a section of Bhutanese against India’s involvement in the hydropower projects, alleging the country of growing hydro-debts in Bhutan. Indian hydropower companies are also being accused of engaging in allied sectors in Bhutan and not providing sufficient employment opportunities to the Bhutanese. This year marks 50 years of diplomatic ties between India and Bhutan. Politically, Bhutan is India’s closest South Asian neighbour of India. The two South Asian neighbours generally enjoy warm and cordial relations. Bhutan has supported India’s position at the regional and global levels. This paper examines India-Bhutan bilateral engagements in the context of the hydropower sector and the need for both sides to address the concerns arising from India’s involvement in this sector. |
| Date: | 17 October 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 308 : Looking Back and Ahead to India’s Next General Election |
| Author/s: | Ronojoy Sen |
| Abstract: | India is likely to hold its next general election in early 2019. Predictions are perilous for Indian elections, but what can be said at this point is that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to find it difficult to match its performance in 2014 where it won a majority in parliament on its own. However, the BJP would still be the frontrunner to form the next government by virtue of being the party with the greatest chance of winning the largest number of seats, even if it falls short of a majority. |
| Date: | 27 September 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 307 : The ‘New World Disorder’: Learning to live with it |
| Author/s: | Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury |
| Abstract: | The global world order that was established by a series of diplomatic initiatives after the calamitous Second World War basically set the basic ‘club rules’ for international relations on the basis of near-consensus. It seemed to work well for a few decades, the Cold War notwithstanding. However, the end of the Cold War was accompanied by the combination of excessive power leading to hubris on the part of what has been call the ‘hyper-power’, the United States. Its behaviour appeared to challenge the norms of what had been seen as globally acceptable to date. The phenomenon actually pre-dated the election of President Donald Trump whose seemingly erratic actions accentuated the tendencies. Unfortunately, the pattern is unlikely to change in any radical sense in the post-Trump period. The era of the ‘new world disorder’ is likely to become the new normal, shaping present and future international politics. This will have ramifications for the countries and regions of the world, including South Asia. This paper seeks to analyse these and related developments, and it concludes with the extrapolation that the world has little option but to learn to live with these changes. |
| Date: | 26 September 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 306 : Assam’s National Register of Citizenship: Background, Process and Impact of the Final Draft |
| Author/s: | Amit Ranjan |
| Abstract: | The release of the final draft of the National Register of Citizenship for the Indian state of Assam has created anxiety among four million people whose names are not in the final draft. It is not clear what will happen to those whose names may not appear in the final list, which will follow this draft. Where will they go? The Bangladeshi government has repeatedly maintained that there are no “illegal” Bangladeshi citizens living in India. After the release of the final draft, to allay the fears of those whose names are not in the draft list that they may be stripped of Indian citizenship status, the Indian government and its institutions have maintained that, for now, they are not going to take any such steps. |
| Date: | 5 September 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 305 : The RIMPAC Exercise and Evolving United States-Sri Lanka Military Relations |
| Author/s: | Chulanee Attanayake |
| Abstract: | The Sri Lankan navy was invited to be part of the world’s largest maritime exercise, the Rim of the Pacific Exercise, this year. The invitation followed a period of continuous military engagement between the United States (US) and Sri Lanka in the last few years. The growing US engagement in Sri Lanka is viewed as a shift of Washington’s policy towards the island nation, almost a decade after the latter ended its conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam through a military victory. Against this backdrop, this paper examines the evolution of the bilateral military relations between the two countries since the Maithripala SirisenaRanil Wickramasinghe government came into power |
| Date: | 13 August 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 304 : Militancy in Bangladesh |
| Author/s: | Amit Ranjan and Roshni Kapur |
| Abstract: | Militancy is one of the major security challenges for Bangladesh. In recent years, it has faced a series of violent attacks by the militants. The militants have targetted individuals and have conducted an organised terror campaign across the country. The existing political and social environment in Bangladesh, presumably, provides some encouragement to the militants to operate in the country. This paper discusses the political and social dimensions of militancy in Bangladesh. |
| Date: | 31 July 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 303 : ‘Paths Uncharted’ – Balkrishna Doshi, Pritzker Laureate1 |
| Author/s: | Dipinder S Randhawa |
| Abstract: | On 7 March 2018, the Hyatt Foundation announced the selection of Professor Balkrishna Doshi of India as the 2018 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate. The Pritzker Architecture Prize is recognised internationally as architecture’s highest honour, the equivalent of the Nobel Prize, were there one for architecture. Doshi is the 45th Pritzker Prize Laureate and the first to hail from India. Deeply influenced by two icons of 20th century architecture, Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn, Doshi placed his own imprint on his work; shaped by the ecology, environment, and cultural norms of his homeland, leading to an architecture sensitive to the socio-economic milieu in which people lived. Some of the most celebrated of his projects are in low income housing3. Without going into the economics and policy challenges, this paper contends that Doshi’s approach to architecture remains as relevant as ever, and if embedded in the design, it can lead to housing that is sustainable and imparts a sense of belonging, continuity and hope. |
| Date: | 30 July 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 302 : The Challenge and Prospects for E-commerce in India |
| Author/s: | Dipinder S Randhawa |
| Abstract: | Despite its tiny presence, accounting for barely a fiftieth of sales, e-commerce looms large on India’s retail horizon. Bypassing the myriad of regulatory, logistical and infrastructure constraints, it is growing rapidly. More consequentially, e-commerce offers hope in addressing some of India’s basic economic challenges. What promise does it offer and what challenges does it face in the way of realising its potential? |
| Date: | 30 July 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 301 : The Impact and Potential of E-commerce |
| Author/s: | Dipinder S Randhawa |
| Abstract: | From a negligible base in 1990, e-commerce today accounts for over US$25 trillion (S$34 trillion) of transactions. Some of the fastest growth is taking place in large economies such as the United States, China and India. How do we account for this remarkable growth? How is it affecting the lives of consumers, and those of small businesses and the retail sector, which are likely to be the most affected? This paper explores the reasons behind the rapid growth of e-commerce and enquires into the likely effects on efficiency and prospects for inclusive growth. |
| Date: | 30 July 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 300 : South Asia’s Space Programmes: Development and Diplomacy |
| Author/s: | Chilamkuri Raja Mohan, Chan Jia Hao |
| Abstract: | The recent launch of the Bangabandhu-1, Bangladesh’s first geostationary satellite to orbit, marks yet another example of the growing use of space technology for development among the South Asian countries. The expanding use of space technology in the region has given China and India more opportunities to continue using technological cooperation as a tool of diplomacy. This paper argues that India still needs to raise its game in South Asia to cope with the rapid advances in Chinese space diplomacy in the region. |
| Date: | 26 July 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 299 : The Eid Ceasefire in Afghanistan: A Harbinger of Longer-term Peace? |
| Author/s: | Rani D Mullen and Roshni Kapur |
| Abstract: | The Afghan government, the Taliban, the United States and the international forces in Afghanistan announced an unprecedented ceasefire over the three days of Eid in June 2018. The ceasefire built on an offer of unconditional peace talks by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in February 2018, a condemnation of terrorism by international and Afghan religious scholars and clerics, and a ceasefire announcement by the Afghan government to celebrate Eid and the end of Ramadan. Scenes of Taliban and Afghan soldiers posing together abounded on the internet during the ceasefire. While the Taliban and the government have since ended the ceasefire and fighting has resumed and ramped up, this paper argues that it will be difficult to put the genie back into the bottle. There are already signs that the fundamentals of interaction between the Taliban and the government have changed. |
| Date: | 11 July 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 298 : The Pashtun Protection Movement in Pakistan: The Taliban, the Military and the Fragmentation of Authority |
| Author/s: | Iqbal Singh Sevea |
| Abstract: | Since January 2018, the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (Pashtun Protection Movement) [PTM] has organised mass rallies across Pakistan in which they have denounced the Taliban, Pakistani military and the state apparatus for “humiliating” and persecuting the Pashtuns. Such an open critique of the military is rare in Pakistan. By way of presenting a historical backdrop to the emergence of this movement, this paper reviews key facets of the sociopolitical dynamics of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. It also reviews the major demands made by the movement. More broadly, the paper highlights how the adoption of new media is enabling movements like the PTM evade state censorship and challenge established religious and social political authority. |
| Date: | 12 June 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 297 : The New Great Game in the Indo-Pacific |
| Author/s: | Rani D Mullen |
| Abstract: | In a strategy which harkens back to the building of their empire by the British East India Company, the Chinese are building dual-use ports in the Indo-Pacific. These ports, which link up with Chinese controlled special economic zones or directly with China through pipelines and economic corridors, have been financed through loans and are often financially unviable, leading the debt-entrapped countries to make significant concessions on sovereignty. Yet, while China continues to build its overseas empire, regional and global powers have failed to come up with any strategy to counter this expansion of China. |
| Date: | 6 June 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 296 : India’s New Geopolitical Paradigm and Reintegration of the Bay of Bengal |
| Author/s: | Jayati Bhattacharya and Silvia Tieri |
| Abstract: | The ‘Look East’ Policy (LEP) is usually identified as the beginning of an effort by India to build relations with its eastern neighbours lying on the other side of the Bay of Bengal rim. Following the LEP, the Bay of Bengal has been witnessing a process of economic, political and cultural reintegration. Historical analysis, however, reveals that, in the pre-colonial era, the Bay used to be a circular space, interconnected by movements of goods, people and ideas. As a consequence of colonialism, this interconnectedness was altered, a sense of otherness developed among the rim nations, while India consolidated a foreign policy focused on the territorial rather than the maritime dimension of the space. This paper adopts an interdisciplinary approach (bridging history, international relations and foreign policy analysis) in a reconstruction and reassessment of the transformation of the Bay of Bengal from a unitary to a fragmented space, as well as of India’s interaction with the same. |
| Date: | 4 June 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 295 : Nepal in 2018: The Post-Conflict Situation and the State of Reconstruction |
| Author/s: | Nishchal N Pandey |
| Abstract: | After decades of political instability, marked by low economic growth and massive unemployment, Nepal finally has a constitution and an elected majority government. Not only was the decade-long conflict devastating for the country’s economy, the earthquake of 2015 ravaged whatever was left in terms of old temples, stupas and palace squares that used to attract tourists from all over the world. Much needs to be done in the country and there is sudden hope because all three tiers of the state now have elected representatives. However, the deeper malaise of nepotism, corruption and mal-functioning constitutional bodies need to be corrected before anything concrete can actually be done. Political and ethnic polarisation can also tear apart the fragile political stability, which is why the leadership needs to be accommodative and tolerant to divergent viewpoints. The road ahead offers a new chance for Nepal. |
| Date: | 28 May 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 294 : International Tax Competition, Anti-Money Laundering Efforts and Capital Flow: Implications for South Asia as part of the Global South |
| Author/s: | Chan Jia Hao |
| Abstract: | In the last few decades, numerous tax experts from international organisations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the European Commission and G20 have declared a ‘war on anti-tax competition’. However, this paper asserts that the efforts of these organisations have not been successful in lowering international tax competition. Conversely, there has been an increase in functioning tax havens in the Global North that enforce an umbrella of strong anti-money laundering efforts (AMLEs) within their jurisdictions. Conceptualising this paradox as “anti-money laundering efforts in tax havens”, this paper argues that AMLEs can secure the interest of these jurisdictions of easing inflow and preventing outflow of capital. Capital is often retained with a ‘carrot and stick’ approach, given AMLEs provisions and robust financial institutions. Yet, in contrast with these tax havens, the Global South countries, including those in South Asia, lack such a strategy. This may explain why long-term capital has not been flowing to the South, despite increasing economic liberalisation. For South Asia, this phenomenon can hinder long-term capital retention and have spill-over effects in the economy unless AMLEs are strengthened. |
| Date: | 16 April 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 293 : The Cauvery River Water Disputes in India |
| Author/s: | Amit Ranjan |
| Abstract: | The Cauvery River water disputes are among the longest-running inter-state river water disputes in India. In the past, agreements were signed between the disputing States, the tribunal delivered its verdict, and the Supreme Court of India made a number of interventions on the Cauvery issue. Yet, the disputes continue. On 16 February 2018, once again, the Supreme Court of India delivered its verdict on the issue. However, this verdict has also not completely satisfied two of the four parties to the Cauvery disputes – Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. |
| Date: | 16 April 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 292 : Donald Trump and the Established Trade Order: Implications for South Asia |
| Author/s: | Shahid Javed Burki |
| Abstract: | What is the likely impact of the assault on the international trading system by the United States (US) President Donald Trump that has developed into a major confrontation between Washington and Beijing? In particular, how would this spat affect Asia and the Continent’s less developed nations? Should these countries give up the hope that they too could follow the model of export-led growth adopted by what the World Bank, in its 1993 study, called “East Asia’s miracle economies”? 2 This paper will attempt to answer these questions by using Pakistan as a case study. The main conclusion offered in this paper is that Trump’s focus on bilateralism rather than multilateralism in the trade arena could be turned into an opportunity for the South Asian nations. They could restore trade relations among themselves that were disrupted by British India’s 1947 partition and the creation of the independent states of India and Pakistan. It would also have an impact on the potentially multi-trillion dollar Belt and Road Initiative. Launched by China, it is aimed at connecting it and the Asian countries to its west by roads and railways to Europe and Africa. This would create a new geo-economic entity in which China would be the principal player. Such an entity could affectively challenge what has been the US-dominated international economic and trade system created in stages after the end of the Second World War. There is some irony in the fact that that the system is under assault by the US, its founder. |
| Date: | 12 April 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 291 : Determinant of Foreign Direct Investment in India’s E-commerce Sector |
| Author/s: | Rahul Choudhury |
| Abstract: | The e-commerce sector in India has experienced remarkable growth in recent years with many new players entering the market. Its heady growth has attracted a huge amount of private equity investments from both domestic and foreign investors. Most of the investment has been made by foreign private equity investors. The present study attempts to explore the economic factors that facilitated the unprecedented growth of foreign investment in the sector. We model the empirical analysis by treating the equity inflows of foreign players in ecommerce as amounts dependent on the variation in the number of mobile and internet subscribers at the aggregate level. The study uses the OLS regression model with the time series data for the period from 2000 to 2016. The econometric analysis reveals that both mobile and internet subscriptions have a positive impact on the inflow of foreign investment into the Indian e-commerce sector. However, relatively, the impact is higher in the case of mobile subscribers than internet subscribers. |
| Date: | 11 April 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 290 : Bangladesh: Challenges and Opportunities |
| Author/s: | Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury |
| Abstract: | On 26 March 2018, Bangladesh turns 47. The country and its people have undergone many vicissitudes of fortune as they have evolved over time. The past and the present point to the possibility of the achievement of this aspiration. In the past, it has used its foreign aid effectively to reduce external dependence. In social indices, it has achieved remarkable success. Internationally, it plays a role perceived as positive as it has been consistently one of the largest contributors to the United Nations peace-keeping operations. The current Awami League government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has proclaimed a vision to turn the nation into a knowledge-based middle-income country by 2021. This paper is a narrative of its experience as a nation-state since its inception in December 1971. It analyses Bangladesh’s potentials and challenges, and seeks to extrapolate from its past, its future ethos as a nation-state. |
| Date: | 26 March 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 289 : Powerful yet Vulnerable: China’s Constitutional Amendments and Contemporary Political Thinking in China |
| Author/s: | Srikanth Thaliyakkattil |
| Abstract: | The Chinese constitutional amendments on 11 March 2018 mark a significant chapter in Chinese state’s political evolution. They show the country’s increased confidence in becoming a global power. However, at the same time, China appears to be vulnerable to western discourse of its system and policies. The constitutional amendments will ultimately harden China’s diplomatic position in the Asian region with far-reaching implications for the security architecture in the region. |
| Date: | 21 March 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | China’s ‘Digital’ Belt and Road Initiatives: Potentials for India in ASEAN’s Technological Sector |
| Author/s: | Chan Jia Hao |
| Abstract: | There has been a surge in Chinese investments in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) states after the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was announced in 2013. The digital focus by the Chinese government and among Chinese firms has seen a growth in trade and investment opportunities in the ASEAN technology sector. As ASEAN-India relations mark their 25th anniversary, digital connectivity remains an important agenda. This paper discusses the potential for digital economic cooperation between the ASEAN countries and India against the backdrop of significant BRI developments in the region. |
| Date: | 16 March 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 287 : The Repatriation of the Rohingyas: A Flawed Bangladesh-Myanmar Agreement? |
| Author/s: | Roshni Kapur |
| Abstract: | Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a new repatriation agreement on 15 January 2018. The agreement will see a total of 646,072 refugees sent back to Rakhine over a two-year period. The process of repatriating the first batch of Rohingya refugees was slated to start on 23 January but it has been delayed due to administrative issues. The Rohingya crisis has morphed into a vicious cycle of violence, displacement and repatriation. This paper argues that returning the refugees to the restive state at this given time undermines the principle of non-refoulement. Myanmar is nowhere near ready to take in the refugees. Furthermore, there are major flaws in the repatriation agreement. The parties to the contract may consider revising the agreement by incorporating recommendations by the Final Report of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State to better cater to the needs of those displaced. |
| Date: | 16 March 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 286 : Indian Export Performance As Part Of Global Value Chains |
| Author/s: | Deeparghya Mukherjee |
| Abstract: | As the world trade architecture modifies itself to accommodate trade through value chains, any country participating in trade invariably becomes a part of the value chains of various industries. For emerging economies, participation in world trade has become easier as the need to build an efficient industry from scratch is no longer necessary. While countries can now participate in a particular stage of a value chain and expect to grow, the problems of immiserising (heavily export-biased) growth may hamper longer-term development. This paper analyses India’s participation in global value chains after identifying its key traded sectors. The analysis shows that, while India’s participation in value chains of key traded sectors has increased, it has varied across industries. India’s participation has increased in more downstream stages in service sectors and textiles and footwear – and shifted to less valueadded segments in some of the primary and manufacturing sectors. The findings are discussed in the context of the recent coming into force of the World Trade Organization multilateral trade facilitation agreement, the policies of the Indian government and India’s trade agreement negotiations. The paper concluded by noting a few policy directions to improve India’s participation in higher value-added segments of value chains so that India’s participation in world trade can act as a means to its developmental efforts. |
| Date: | 19 February 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 285 : Seventy Years Of Independence Challenges And Prospects For Sri Lanka |
| Author/s: | Chulanee Attanayake |
| Abstract: | As Sri Lanka celebrates 70 years of independence, it recalls how the island nation was once touted as a potential success case among the newly-independent states. However, due to various challenges over the years, Sri Lanka was then seen as a failure on many counts. Now coming out of a three-decade long conflict, another opportunity has been presented to the country to become a success. Against this backdrop, this paper examines some of the challenges facing the country and the measures being taken to address them in the post-conflict context |
| Date: | 7 February 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 284 : Interpreting India’s ‘Act East’ Policy |
| Author/s: | Rajeev Ranjan Chaturvedy |
| Abstract: | In 2014, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the upgrading of India’s ‘Look East’ policy (LEP) to the ‘Act East’ policy (AEP). Since then, there have been different interpretations of this change. While some argue that there is a clear shift in policy and focus, others state that the AEP is just a continuation of the LEP. This paper1 argues that there has been a change in policy and examines the reasons for and objectives of this shift. It also analyses the changes that have taken place under the AEP. It concludes that the LEP has been upgraded to a more dynamic and action-oriented engagement policy. |
| Date: | 29 January 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 283 : Infrastructure-Led Growth: Maharashtra – India’s Engine Of Development |
| Author/s: | Devendra Fadnavis |
| Abstract: | According to the latest report by credit rating agency Brickwork Ratings, Maharashtra is the largest economy in India. Its gross state domestic product is expected to grow by 9.4 per cent in 2016-17 compared to 8.5 per cent in 2015-16. A state with the highest tax revenue in India, Maharashtra is also a leading player in the information technology, business process outsourcing and knowledge process outsourcing sectors. The state’s impressive performance has been attributed to the efforts by the government to take strong measures to address the challenges facing the state and putting in place important economic reforms. This paper examines the reforms undertaken in three key areas, namely, agriculture, ease of doing business and infrastructure development. It also highlights the impact of the reforms on these sectors and on Maharashtra as a whole. |
| Date: | 8 January 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 282 : China’s ‘New Era’ Vision: Potential For Big-Power Conflicts In Asia |
| Author/s: | Srikanth Thaliyakkattil |
| Abstract: | During the 19th National Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China in October 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a ‘new era’ for China and for the world. The announcement seems to reflect China’s emerging confidence in its capability to reshape the regional and global geopolitics on its own terms. This paper argues that, in view of the evolving power structure in the Indo-Pacific region, it is probably premature to make that assumption. China’s bid to increase its influence in the Asian region is likely to exacerbate existing threat perceptions and may lead to the formation of informal coalitions to balance China’s influence in Asia. This could lead to heightened security dilemmas and possibly big-power conflicts in Asia. |
| Date: | 2 January 2018 |
| Read More |
| Title: | 281 : Development Of Migrant Businesses In Saudi Arabia: Towards An Economic Sociology Of Gulf Migration |
| Author/s: | Md Mizanur Rahman |
| Abstract: | Migrant labour has been an integral part of the social and economic fabric of the Gulf societies. While labour migration has affected many aspects of the lives of migrants and their receiving states in the Gulf, one of the most visible but often neglected migration outcomes is the development of migrant-operated businesses across the Gulf states. Evidently, many of these businesses are owned and run by migrants in collaboration with kafeels (sponsors). Drawing on the experiences of Bangladeshi migrant entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia, this article explores the dynamics of Gulf migration, by identifying the transition from migrant worker to migrant entrepreneur, and explaining the making of migrant entrepreneurship within the temporary migration process. The study suggests that migrant entrepreneurship is embedded within the dynamics of migration trajectory and the broader factors on which this depends. Notwithstanding their marginal character, the Bangladeshi enterprises in this study have flourished because of migrants’ willingness to embrace innovation. The reconfiguration of such research, I argue, will give rise to an economic sociology of Gulf migration. |
| Date: | 2 January 2018 |
| Read More |
Load more