Articles 11 to 20 of 110
The Authors of 'Poor Economics' on Ending Poverty
MIT economists Abhijeet Banerjee and Esther Duflo approach global poverty much as a medical researcher might set about finding the treatment for a disease: They believe in conducting small, randomized trials to see what works, what doesn't and why. Their book, Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty, explains this approach. Last week, the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs named it the best business book of 2011. Knowledge@Wharton spoke with Banerjee and Duflo at a conference in Goa, India, about their concepts and how they can help rescue millions from destitution.
Divide and Conquer: Are Smaller States the Answer in India?
The new Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, has signed an agreement with the separationist Gorkha Janmukti Morcha political party of the hill regions to set up a Gorkhaland Administrative Tribunal. This paves the way for greater autonomy in an area that has seen much violence over the past few decades amid calls for the region to secede from West Bengal. Meanwhile, demands for statehood or more autonomy are growing in other parts of the country. Are smaller states or administrative regions more efficient and the answer to a growing problem?
Janaagraha: Curbing Corruption Through Citizen Empowerment
When citizens don't demand accountability from the government, it breeds corruption and inefficiency -- that's one of the core beliefs of the Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, a Bangalore-based NGO. The organization is working on a systemic approach to strengthening urban governance through education and empowering citizens. Its biggest challenge, however, could be the slow pace of change.
Vaish Associates’ Ajay Vohra: ‘Vodafone Is a Test Case’
A conventional practice in many parts of the world is to own foreign assets, particularly those that are not core, through a chain of subsidiaries, many of them registered in tax havens. One of the advantages is that the deal does not attract capital gains tax. The Indian Revenue department has, however, challenged this. The tax authorities have claimed US$2 billion in the US$11.1 billion Vodafone acquisition of Hutchison Essar. The world is watching, says Ajay Vohra of New Delhi-based law firm Vaish Associates in an interview with India Knowledge@Wharton.
Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake on the 'Tremendous Synergies' between the U.S. and India
Robert Blake, U.S. assistant secretary of state for South Asia and Central Asia, has a deep understanding of the Indian subcontinent. According to Blake, who served as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in New Delhi from 2003 to 2006, the U.S. and India are "increasingly working together to address some of the world's biggest challenges." In a conversation with India Knowledge@Wharton during the recent Wharton India Economic Forum, Blake spoke about the U.S.-India strategic partnership and the significant business opportunities that will arise from the growth that is currently taking place in India.
India's Cricket Victory: Can It Lead to Success in Other Sports?
India has just won the Cricket World Cup. Everyone -- from industrialists to state governments and the country's cricket board -- is going to great lengths to reward the cricketers for their success. The adulation will likely encourage a generation of schoolchildren to participate in the sport and view captain M.S. Dhoni as a role model for coolness under pressure and good citizenship. But cricket dominance is not enough, according to Ignatius Chithelen, managing partner of New York-based Banyan Tree Capital Management. There must be adequate investment in other sports, too.
FDI in Multi-brand Retail: The Next Big Thing in Reforms, but Roadblocks Persist
This year's Union Budget in India was expected to lift the restrictions on foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail. That didn't happen, and even as other reform measures are being cleared by the Union Cabinet, there has been no movement on retail. One reason is the opposition from the country's millions of mom-and-pop retail outlets. Another is that some big Indian chains would like the protection to continue. But FDI in retail could help curb food inflation, some experts say, and it's time for the government to bite the bullet.
Putting Business before Sentiment: India's Latest Investment Rush
Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to the United States in January produced business deals worth US$45 billion. Earlier in the month, investment commitments were 10 times as large -- totaling US$450 billion -- at a four-day "Vibrant Gujarat" road show in Gujarat. Meanwhile, the investment theme was almost absent at similar events in Maharashtra and Punjab, and another for overseas Indians. What's driving the deals in Gujarat? The state's example may offer a lesson in strategic positioning, business planning and execution, experts say.
India's Delicate Dance: Containing Inflation While Ensuring Growth
India's problem with rising prices is reverberating across the nation's kitchens and boardrooms. The good thing about the country's challenges with inflation is that nobody is in denial. The government realizes that short-term policy responses, such as raising interest rates, are not enough. As stock markets and investment flows recoil, the big worry is that tighter credit could stall India's growth story. Well-calibrated policy moves would help, with the central bank and the government acting in concert, experts tell India Knowledge@Wharton.
The Tata Tapes and Beyond: Juggling Privacy, Reputation and Public Interest
In early December, India's Outlook magazine said it had unearthed 800 new secretly recorded conversations of lobbyist Niira Radia that are part of some 5,800 such conversations involving politicians, businessmen and journalists. Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata recently persuaded the Supreme Court to place privacy restrictions on state investigators in the Radia tapes case. In the fallout, Tata also finds his group's integrity questioned in a public wrangle over telecom spectrum allocations. India Knowledge@Wharton explores the legal backdrop for privacy and speaks with experts from Wharton and elsewhere about how companies can best protect and manage their reputations.
