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 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:53:24 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=4671 The growth prospects of the Indian economy depend to a large extent on how it tackles certain issues of intellectual capital today. The concern largely centers on the much-debated demographic dividend, or the rising proportion of working-age people in the country. The recent One Globe 2012 knowledge conference in New Delhi emphasized the role that industry needs to play in teaching and training the next generation of India&rsquo;s workforce. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:47:45 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4664 India has its own legal system, regulations and heritage. It is difficult for an American lawyer to chart his way through that maze. The way to&nbsp;do that&nbsp;is to tie up with an Indian legal firm, says Morris DeFeo, a partner with the Crowell &amp; Moring corporate group. DeFeo is head of the law firm&rsquo;s India and MENA (Middle East-North Africa) practice. But both sides of any partnership must accept that they have much to learn from each other, notes DeFeo in this interview with India Knowledge@Wharton. Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:11:24 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4658 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, <em>Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty</em>, explains this approach. Last week, the <em>Financial Times</em> 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. Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:19:22 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4640 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? Thu, 04 Aug 2011 14:53:30 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4637 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. Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:09:35 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4629 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. Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:09:12 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4594 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 &quot;increasingly working together to address some of the world's biggest challenges.&quot; 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&nbsp;will arise from the growth that is currently taking place in India. Thu, 05 May 2011 14:48:27 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4582 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&nbsp;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. Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:02:34 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4581 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&nbsp;it's time for the government to bite the bullet. Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:56:56 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4566 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 &quot;Vibrant Gujarat&quot; 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. Thu, 10 Feb 2011 12:24:29 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4569 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. Thu, 10 Feb 2011 12:24:29 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4555 In early December, India's <em>Outlook</em> 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. Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:39:12 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4551 The recent 2G spectrum scam has raised an important question: How can the allocation of scarce public resources to private enterprises be institutionalized? In this opinion piece, Ravi Bapna and Alok Gupta, both professors at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, and Arun Sundararajan of New York University's Stern School of Business maintain that the overarching objective of any institutionalization effort should be to maximize social welfare and that a nuanced analysis of the business environment along with a thoughtful, scientific methodology are critical for the success of such resource allocation. Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:38:55 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4550 The telecom scam that recently forced the resignation of telecom minister A. Raja defrauded the country to the tune of nearly US$40 billion. Since telecom is an industry that links backward and forward to several others, the total economic cost could well be hundreds of billions of dollars. This scandal shows that corruption has deep roots in Indian society, but informed voters and the democratic process can help eradicate it, argues Rajesh Jain, managing director of Mumbai-based Netcore Solutions, in this opinion piece. Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:38:55 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4549 Globally, controversy is not uncommon in the distribution of publicly owned resources to private businesses. But few match India's telecom spectrum licensing scandal that has now come to a head in size (nearly US$40 billion) and brazenness. The controversy is set against the backdrop of other corruption scandals involving state chief ministers and government agencies; it has already cost the telecom minister his job and threatened the prime minister's seat and reputation. Greater transparency in bid selections and more realistic pricing regimes are in order, but they don't always bring the best results, experts tell India Knowledge@Wharton. Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:38:55 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4546 U.S. President Barack Obama's trip to India in early November -- the first leg of his four-nation Asia tour -- was riddled with potential political landmines. However, most observers agree his visit was largely a success, even though some critics question how substantive it will prove to be. What's next on the business agenda between the U.S. and India? Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:59:22 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4539 India faces a grim energy outlook as it is set to become the world's third-largest energy spender by 2020. Last year, oil imports accounted for 85% of the country's trade deficit. A big savior could be fuel generated from biomass -- such as forest waste and animal dung -- which already supplies a third of India's primary energy needs but can be harmful to human health and the environment. New technologies that are safer, more environmentally friendly and use different biological material as sources for creating fuel are in development. But India's new biomass promise also calls for prudent energy pricing and grassroots buy-in, experts say. Thu, 04 Nov 2010 13:43:34 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4538 English is widely regarded as the language of international business. India, which went through nearly 200 years of colonial British rule, is estimated to have more than 200 million people who speak the language. Still, is knowing English enough for companies that want to do business in India, or should global executives also start learning Hindi, the most widely spoken among India's 22 official languages? India Knowledge@Wharton discussed this question and more with Mauro Guillen, a professor of management at Wharton and director of the Lauder Institute, and Shiv Khemka, a member of the Lauder board and vice chairman of the SUN Group, which invests and manages private equity funds in emerging markets. Thu, 04 Nov 2010 13:43:34 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4541 Infosys Technologies co-founder Nandan Nilekani is the force behind &quot;Aadhaar,&quot; India's recently launched program to provide unique identification numbers for 600 million residents in four years in its initial phase. Nilekani hopes that the program will&nbsp;result in&nbsp;vastly expanded access to public services for India's socially and economically disadvantaged citizens. In an interview with India Knowledge@Wharton, Nilekani offers his assessment of Aadhaar's promise and discusses the challenges the program faces, including issues of privacy and security. (For additional perspectives, see India Knowledge@Wharton's analysis of Aadhaar in this issue.) Thu, 04 Nov 2010 13:43:34 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4535 Speeding trains killing elephants, airport projects threatening mangroves and port expansions&nbsp;destroying nesting grounds for endangered Olive Ridley turtles are part of a normal day for Indian environment and forests minister Jairam Ramesh. Critics have branded him an overzealous &quot;Dr. No&quot; for stalling or stopping numerous mining, power and manufacturing projects. Others applaud him for creating a model of sustainable economic development. To gain widespread buy-in, however, experts say Ramesh and other Indian policy makers must employ transparency and flexibility in building a framework for future regulation. Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:30:05 EST