POLITICS
Bangladesh votes for continuity. It needs change
Awami League’s long tenure has created strong domestic interest groups and incumbent firms with no interest in altering the status quo. A more modern policy mix — one that broadens access to capital and encourages innovation — isn’t what these entrenched interests want to see
BUSINESS
An Expanded BRICS: The frenemies who could challenge the West’s sanctions regime
BRICS’s doubling in size won’t make it a more coherent threat to the West. It might, however, reduce the West’s leverage over countries like Russia or Iran. And, with wars blazing in both Gaza and Ukraine, that’s no small thing
BUSINESS
New bank rules are bad for the West, worse for the rest
The bigger problem with the way countries are implementing Basel III regulations is that nobody’s looking out for the interests of borrowers outside their own borders. That hurts everyone — borrowers, lenders, developing countries, and even the planet
BUSINESS
Why chase Musk to Make in India?
No good is likely to come of concessions tailored for a single company, no matter how successful or high-profile. A policy designed specifically to suit Tesla’s needs — say, by agreeing to the company’s preferred timeline and tariff structure, or subsidizing “superchargers” rather than battery swapping — may not help competitors much
BUSINESS
India and the UK are being too cautious in free-trade talks
A confident India should seize an opportunity for freer trade with one of the few rich countries still desperate for trade deals. The UK, genuinely convinced of its ability to chart a path independent of Europe, should make concessions on migration and rules of origin that fit with that self-image
WORLD
Seeing climate injustice is easy. Fixing it is hard
Countries seemed to agree on a new “loss and damage” fund, to be hosted initially at the World Bank, that would compensate those suffering from the worst consequences of climate change. But political battles over who pays and who receives may give rise to even deeper resentments
BUSINESS
Narayana Murthy's 70-hour workweek won’t help India grow
Murthy, and fellow captains of industry are wrong. Indians should be encouraged to work smarter, not longer. Instead of worrying that young Indians aren’t working enough hours, Murthy should criticise his own generation for not improving India’s education system and giving today’s workers the skills they need to compete
BUSINESS
India's rice export ban is hurting the Global South
FAO estimates that rice prices were 28% higher in September this year than in 2022. Of 15 countries that imported over 100,000 metric tons of non-Basmatic rice from India in 2022, nine were in sub-Saharan Africa. Rising food prices in these regions doesn't help India's pitch to become a leader of the Global South
BUSINESS
Biden’s democracy crusade goes astray in Bangladesh
Visa curbs and lectures are only making the US look partisan and arbitrary to many in the South Asian swing state
BUSINESS
Sustaining India's growth story needs household savings to improve
Today, the government is doing most of the work on investment; companies aren’t taking on their share of the burden. If India is to maintain its world-beating growth rates, private corporate investment must recover to 2000s levels
WORLD
Vivek Ramaswamy’s luck will run out in Trump’s GOP
While Ramaswamy is fashioning himself as a populist in Trump's mould, the white voters he’s wooing will have a hard time believing that Asian Americans can be that angry about a changing America. If the system is working so well for model minorities like the Indian diaspora, what’s your problem?
BUSINESS
Pakistan's Imran Khan can be knocked out only by voters, not courts
Khan’s party PTI still has a good chance of returning to power. Perhaps he will miss one election; but that need not end his career. Khan’s sentencing will only, paradoxically, increase his political power. It requires civilian politicians — who love neither Khan nor the military — to learn how to win back voters’ trust on their own
INDIA
India can’t lead the global south and not feed it
For control-mad bureaucrats, export bans have become the first, not last, response to rising domestic prices. Even if the rice export ban is soon lifted, it is a big mistake for India, both economically and geopolitically
BUSINESS
Foxconn’s change of heart on chips is a warning to India
Manufacturers and investors are looking not just for financial incentives but also policy stability and trust. Every country in the emerging world, including India, has focused on attracting investment through subsidies, facilitating trade, and improving operational conditions for investors and domestic producers. Only India has simultaneously put higher tariffs in place, raising costs for almost every input into the electronics supply chain
BUSINESS
India's generic drugs industry needs better oversight
The industry has 36 different regulators, allowing for unscrupulous fly-by-night operators to shop around for the most pliable jurisdiction. All these regulators have to be consolidated into one, inspection records and reviews of drug applications made public, and all generics manufacturers put through the same tests as companies making new drugs
BUSINESS
The difficulties India's startups are facing reveals fundamental flaws
Indian startups have soaked up so much talent — and attention — that it is hard to imagine the sector will stay depressed forever. Even so, there are at least three lessons to be learned from this downturn
BUSINESS
How many Indians are there really? India doesn’t want to know
India may today be the largest country in the world, and likely will be for all time. But we can’t know how India will shape its world — since we don’t know who Indians are
BUSINESS
India's trade policy weaknesses will undercut its economic rise
The country's lame attempt at a trade policy signals a lack of confidence which hurts India's ability to become part of the redirected, resilient supply chains that global investors want to build
BUSINESS
Ukraine War: The US is losing the messaging war to Russia
Messaging that worked when Ukraine stood up to a terrifying ex-superpower isn’t as persuasive when its military no longer looks like the underdog. Emerging nations wants to hear the West talk less about “defending Ukraine” and more on “seeking peace"
BUSINESS
Can India's UPI become the payments system for the developing world?
India sees its Unified Payments Interface as an alternative for the developing world but there are other competitors
BUSINESS
Trafigura scandal should be a $577 million wakeup call
If traders try to keep up business as usual even as the value of critical metals and minerals skyrockets, they are going to face many more attempts at fraud
BUSINESS
Narendra Modi should focus on people, not just big projects
India has the political capital and the economic space to pursue more than one way of transforming into a globally competitive economy. Better connectivity isn’t the only thing India needs
BUSINESS
Today's young India will grow old. We must prepare for huge fiscal challenges
As per Lancet’s projections for population in the year 2100, India will still have over a billion people, while China will have slipped to third position with 730 million inhabitants making way for Nigeria with 750 million population
BUSINESS
India’s judges could suffer the same fate as Israel’s
Both courts have enshrined progressive judicial activism as a guiding principle. They have also embraced the judicialisation of political conflicts by issuing judgments on issues such as the validity of religious conversions or of religious diets
