http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/ Knowledge@Wharton is an online resource that offers the latest business insights, information, and research from a variety of sources. Content includes analysis of current business trends, interviews with industry leaders and faculty, articles based on the most recent business research, book reviews, conference and seminar reports, and links to other websites. en-us Copyright (c) 2007 The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/globals/images/katw_white.gif http://Knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/category.cfm?cid=9 125 45 Knowledge@Wharton Law and Public Policy Research Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4428 As the lack of rainfall in India during the sowing season earlier this year showed, many of the country's 235 million farmers teeter on the brink of losing their livelihoods due to severe droughts and the vagaries of climate change. According to agriculture and water experts, grassroots initiatives based on public-private partnerships hold the key to averting future devastation. But is it too little, too late for the next generation of farmers? Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:25:50 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4421 In recent years, India has sewn its way toward a more reliable income for nearly 35 million garment industry workers. Agricultural laborers left the fields to work in factories that sprouted up as the economy gained steam. But as demand for exports has dropped amid the global financial crisis, hundreds of thousands of Indian garment workers have found their new line of work is on shaky ground. Sudden job losses highlight an industry where workers have few rights and where the support systems that help laborers in developed markets are lacking, according to experts interviewed by India Knowledge@Wharton. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:11:49 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4418 With the rise of environmentalism and the high cost of gasoline, it would seem that the electric car would take off. Not so fast, says Bangalore-based writer Shoba Narayan in this opinion piece. Although companies like the Reva Electric Car Company are advancing the cause and major auto makers are likely to follow suit, Indian consumers need to be convinced they will achieve substantial savings and that there is enough infrastructure in place to support electric vehicles before they will be willing to open their wallets. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:49:41 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4402 Affordable housing is the Indian government's new mantra. President Pratibha Patil mentioned it in her speech on Bharat Nirman, a project that plans to double the construction of low-cost houses to 12 million units. This move, it is hoped, will cascade into more demand for steel, cement and construction material. For this to happen, the government is banking on public-private partnerships. In the past, even if developers were willing to build housing structures for the poor, they found it difficult to come up with suitable ways to finance them. Now, given the fresh optimism in the market, it seems like affordable housing is an idea whose time has come, writes Bangalore-based writer Shoba Narayan in this opinion piece. Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:09:36 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4397 The Aakash Ganga experiment to harvest rainwater has been successful in Rajasthan, known as India's &quot;desert state&quot; because it has suffered through 40 droughts in the past 52 years. It is now being tried elsewhere, including China's Guiyang municipality. The World Bank has provided a $200,000 grant and other experiments to extend Aakash Ganga's impact are being explored. Experts interviewed by India Knowledge@Wharton note that if the Aakash Ganga model proves to be scalable, it could solve the problem of scarce drinking water all over rural India and, perhaps, elsewhere. Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:43:16 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4392 Labor protests, strikes and lockouts have begun to hit the headlines again, as the recent agitation of Air India employees demonstrated. Is this just a coincidence, or is Corporate India about to witness the return of militant labor? According to experts interviewed by India Knowledge@Wharton, the data are ambiguous about whether labor militancy is increasing or declining. While activism of the type that existed in the 1970s and 1980s is unlikely to return, they note, the growing unrest points to an urgent need to reform labor laws. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:45:51 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4389 India's emergence as an economic leader in such areas as computer software is giving it confidence to take on new challenges, including in sports. &quot;We ... want the status of being recognized as a power in sports, too,&quot; notes Geet Sethi, who has won dozens of professional world-class championships and set world records in billiards and snooker. In an interview with India Knowledge@Wharton, Sethi discusses the foundation being laid by India -- physically and psychologically -- to reach new levels of success in sporting competitions. Sethi is also the author of <em>Success vs. Joy</em> and a founder of Olympic Gold Quest, a non-government organization that funds India's Olympic medal hopefuls. Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:25:08 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4384 More than two million citizens of the southern Indian state of Kerala work abroad, with nearly 90% finding employment in the Gulf region. According to official estimates, between 200,000 and 500,000 of them -- particularly those working in Dubai -- are likely to be laid off and return home by midyear. Non-resident Keralites make up a significant percentage of the state's population, and they send back nearly US$8 billion in remittances annually, more than double the state's tax revenues. According to experts, the impact of the reverse exodus -- both economically and socially -- could be devastating. Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:50:54 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4382 U.S. President Barack Obama says that American companies should create jobs in Buffalo, not Bangalore. In a recent speech about international tax policy reforms, he pointed out that the American government should not subsidize firms that send U.S. jobs overseas. Experts interviewed by India Knowledge@Wharton note, however, that the tax proposals are likely to have little impact on offshoring or outsourcing. Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:50:54 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4380 While India exults after yet another peacefully concluded election, one question remains: What is the role of women in Indian politics? The answer is both big and small. Typical of India, it contains contradictions. On the one hand, India ranks lower than the UAE in terms of the number of women in Parliament. On the other, India has elected 59 women as Members of Parliament, the highest since Independence. The country should work towards empowering women economically -- through microfinance programs -- and also encourage greater participation of women leaders in <em>panchayats</em>, or village councils, writes author Shoba Narayan in this opinion piece. Thu, 21 May 2009 17:26:19 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4381 The results of India's general elections confounded psephologists, pundits and political parties alike. A fractured mandate was expected. In the end, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) won hands-down. But now the real work begins, and the UPA will need to establish clear priorities for India's future at a time of economic uncertainty. What should be the top business and economic priorities for the new government? Faculty from Wharton and ISB, India Knowledge@Wharton readers and others weigh in. Thu, 21 May 2009 17:26:19 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4374 Many basic, life-saving medications remain unaffordable in low- and middle-income countries. Spurred on by that fact, Yusuf Hamied, chairman and managing director of Cipla Pharmaceuticals, has steered his enterprise to the forefront of global pharmaceutical development by manufacturing low-cost drugs for diseases like AIDS, diabetes and arthritis, among others. In an interview with India Knowledge@Wharton, Hamied describes his company's skirmishes with multinationals looking to protect their patents on particular medications and explains why rules governing intellectual property rights in industrialized nations should not apply to poorer countries. Thu, 07 May 2009 16:26:54 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4353 When Arbind Singh was named Social Entrepreneur of the Year for 2008 in India, one of the award's sponsors described Singh's organization, Nidan, as &quot;[building] profitable businesses ... led by assetless, informal workers.&quot; Informal laborers make up 92% of India's workforce, and they constitute the poorest and most vulnerable segments of India's population. In 12 years, Nidan has launched and promoted 20 independent businesses and organizations that are governed and owned through shares by 60,000 urban and rural poor members. According to Singh, &quot;reaching the unreached&quot; in large numbers and forming collective solutions will ultimately help the poor &quot;to realize [their] potential.&quot; Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:59:53 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4352 Now that the Indo-U.S. nuclear agreement has been signed, deal-making has begun at a hectic pace in India. Companies from several countries -- including the U.S., Canada and even Kazakhstan -- are eager to partner with Indian firms on civilian nuclear projects. Some industry associations predict that the opportunity could generate billions of dollars in new business. Experts from Wharton and elsewhere point out, though, that risks -- including the political uncertainty surrounding this summer's elections -- remain. Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:34:49 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4346 Price Waterhouse India has been auditing Satyam Computer Services' accounts since April 2000. That coincides with the period that B. Ramalinga Raju, the company's former CEO, claims to have been cooking its books. The truth is yet to come out, but according to experts interviewed by <em>India Knowledge@Wharton</em>, several questions hover over why the audit firm was unable to detect the fraud -- and the liability it faces as the Satyam drama continues to unfold. Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:52:37 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4339 At the end of November, a band of terrorists, allegedly recruited and trained in Pakistan, attacked two iconic hotels in South Mumbai, both hubs of business meetings and visiting CEOs. Just like New York City after the 9/11 attacks, these attacks will cause more damage to the Indian economy than just the physical. Industries such as travel, hospitality and IT will be affected. The GDP growth rate could come down from 9% last year to 6%, but that is not too bad during a global recession, according to experts who spoke to India Knowledge@Wharton. Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:37:26 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4336 At looms in Rajasthan and in the trenches in Magarpatta on the outskirts of Pune, workers are counted as stakeholders in a profit-driven business model called &quot;inclusive capitalism,&quot; the premise of which is that India can't succeed if it leaves its people behind. But while some high-profile success stories indicate that businesses founded on this model can be a great benefit to those who participate in them and to society at large, some experts wonder how wide an impact inclusive capitalism can have, and how willing corporate India will be to change its traditional views on wealth ownership in the absence of any regulatory reform. Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:08:52 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4327 During a narrow temporal window beginning October 22, the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh plans to launch the Chandrayaan-I, the country's first moon mission. While some believe the launch will advance India in terms of scientific development and international cooperation, others are concerned about the project's budget -- Rs. 386 crore (US$80 million) -- which, they say, could be better spent on India's more earthly concerns. Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:48:14 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4320 China and India, the world's two largest countries by population, share a border and the distinction of being the key forces in Asia's economic resurgence. While companies in both countries are making their presence known in the U.S. and other markets, the two Asian giants remain &quot;woefully ignorant&quot; of each other and share few business ties, according to Tarun Khanna, a Harvard Business School professor and author of <em>Billions of Entrepreneurs: How China and India Are Reshaping Their Futures -- and Yours</em>. That is beginning to change, if slowly. In an interview with Ravi Aron, senior fellow at Wharton's Mack Center for Technological Innovation, Khanna discusses where India and China have been, and where they are headed in their economic relations with the West and with each other. Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:50:01 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4318 Tata Motors has faced trouble ever since it received approval for a plant to manufacture its new, $2,500 small car -- the Nano -- in West Bengal. On September 3, following political protests and threats of violence, Tata suspended work and said it was evaluating alternative sites outside West Bengal. According to faculty at Wharton and the Indian School of Business, the impasse over the plant threatens to increase the Nano's production costs and could delay its entry into the domestic market. Moreover, they say, it will likely impact investment in the region, as outside companies shy away from antiquated land laws and political disruption. Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:50:01 EST