Financial repression is a story of good riddance
It took a year-long RBI campaign of hiking policy rates for our bank deposits to broadly turn remunerative. Covid had driven rates below inflation and its effect may have left some scars.
The fight for India’s 1.4 billion consumers is a fixed match
New Delhi’s decision to open up the economy unshackled growth, but it also concentrated power in the hands of a small circle of tycoons.
ONDC needs to enliven e-commerce and widen gains
It has begun stirring up India’s food delivery market but must impact e-commerce overall to mitigate power concentration in this field and help spread the gains of an online boom wider.
A stitch in time for the ongoing green transition is what we need
Climate change as a burning issue has an obsessive presence in global roundtable talks, where developing countries are strongly advised to bid adieu to fossil fuel and embrace green energy, ASAP
Quick edit: Geo-plot thickens
After America’s 2021 withdrawal and the Taliban’s recapture of Kabul, it was clear Beijing would eye through Islamabad what Washington and Moscow had lost their ardour for
Unravelling the complexities of India’s 2011-12 GDP series is key
Gross domestic product estimation is complex and its details need to be understood in depth for effective policy and research.
King Charles III’s coronation should have been the very last
King Charles III's coronation, funded by the taxpayer with estimates exceeding $100 million, has been criticized as a reflection of the UK's obsession with ancient rituals and institutions that perpetuate social and economic...
The role of prices is fast evolving in today’s internet age
At a time when services on the internet are dominated by seemingly ‘free’ services and with populist governments in many parts of the world, the central role of prices in markets has undergone significant change.
Mint Explainer: What’s behind NSA Ajit Doval’s secretive four-nation Middle East talks?
The four countries are discussing an ambitious infrastructure project that could have several important benefits for India. But will it see the light of day?
Quick edit: Manipur message
A proposal to extend a tribal quota to Meiteis, who make up the state’s majority, is being resisted by Kukis and Nagas, who are currently eligible for reserved seats in education and employment, and fear being crowded out
Real worries are lost in rhetoric before elections
It is not without reason that when the elections are announced, neutral people become terrified. They brace against the days that are bound to be filled with mud-slinging
Crony capitalism needs to be kept under watch
As it isn’t easy to capture or quantify, even a smudgy outline of this economic problem could catch on. And an imperfect tracker shows ours as the world’s tenth most cronyist big economy
Karnataka’s electoral contest is closer than seat shares suggest
Which party achieves power is mostly down to the wire as voting patterns reveal of a state with its very own poll dynamics
Open banking is helping revolutionize access to credit
Digital economy innovations are easing credit while raising quality and levelling the field for lenders