opinion

Maharashtra Elections | It’s make or break for Raj Thackeray

The MNS is contesting from 104 seats and will have to win in double digits to dent the BJP substantially for it to remain in the reckoning even after the elections.

Policy | Tinkering with the bankruptcy law will send a wrong signal to the markets

The fact that so few cases are resulting in resolution is not necessarily a function of the IBC process itself. It is the function of a slowing economy.

Macro Matters | IMF says lower oil prices will lead to windfall gains for India

On the flip side, oil and commodity exporters such as Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Russia and Indonesia will see windfall losses

Kerala bypolls | Winners will lose and the losers will win

The tangled webs that are getting woven by the opposing political camps makes one wonder at how dexterously political yarns get spun in Kerala.

Chart of the Day | Why are non-oil exports in September 2019 lower than what they were in September 2014?

The shrinking of India’s non-petroleum product exports is an indication of loss of competitiveness

Policy | Spare a thought for the seniors while bringing down interest rates

There is room to do away with the tax levied on interest earned on deposits for senior citizens, including the Senior Citizens Savings Scheme.

Are the poor risk averse? Just ask Banerjee and Duflo

Their papers combine theory and data in an unmatchable way, turning the traditional worldview on its head

Policy | Is it time to open the gold market in India?

India must not emulate the opaque model of gold trade practiced by China, and must instead open up free trade of gold, both imports and exports.

Economics Nobel – Hail the trio, but the real party can wait!

One hopes that in future, the Nobel committee expands the scope of the prize to scholars and researchers outside the standard choices

Policy | A case for a unified metropolitan transport authority

The current urban governance structure for transport is highly-inadequate and ill-equipped to deal with the problems facing it. These structures were put in place long before modern problems of urban transport began to surface in our cities.

Legal Matters | The complex layers in the sedition case against intellectuals and its closure

The quality of the judicial decision that accepted the petition against the 49 intellectuals for their letter to the PM is in the spotlight. At the same time the Bihar police’s actions against the petitioner should be scrutinised.

GST blues and how to avoid the wrong medicines

The system of decision making which the indirect tax embodies is unique and needs to be preserved at all costs

The HUL puzzle: if rural growth is in the dumps, why are earnings shining?

HUL’s rural growth slipped to half of urban levels but its financials don’t seem any worse for that

Macro Matters | How do Indian government finances compare with others in the region?

Apart from the Communist countries, India’s government spending is higher than East Asian countries, as a percentage of GDP

The thoughts of Nobel Laureate Abhijit Banerjee, largely in his own words

This year’s winners of the Economics Nobel prize shun clichés about poverty to focus instead on practical solutions arrived at after field experiments among the poor

Politics | Wuhan Spirit or Chennai Connect, New Delhi must prepare to secure its interests

As India becomes a more proactive player in the international order and China’s troubles with the rest of the world continue to grow, Beijing will target New Delhi even more pointedly.

Disinvestment is not a bad word, all it needs is a rethink

The government should seriously think of selling its stake in loss-making entities operating in the non-strategic sector

Legal Matters: Two Acts and the fight for primacy

To pit the IBC against the PMLA in order to determine which legislation overrides the other is an overly simplistic one.

Machine learning in economics: Should economists worry?

It is a good time for those with a computer science background to think of a career in economics!

Macro Matters | Six points and a story about the slowdown

The slowdown may force the government to raise resources by fulfilling its promise of ‘minimum government’

US-China trade truce: what is the market counting on?

There is great disorder under heaven; the situation is excellent

5 lessons to shield yourselves from future debt fund mishaps

 Investors, financial advisors and fund houses have much to learn from the debt fund fiasco of the past year 

Opinion | Neither capitalism nor socialism, RSS shows the ‘Third Way’ for economy

The organisation, which is now watched keenly, is going to pursue the cause of ‘Bharatiya’ thought even more vigorously than before

Policy | On deposit insurance, the system went to sleep for a quarter century

Deposit insurance in India protects up to Rs 1 lakh of a depositor’s money — an incredibly low figure by whichever way you seek to measure it. This level was fixed over a quarter century ago in 1993.