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Pramit Bhattacharya

Articles by Pramit Bhattacharya

Does India need another tryst with the plan panel?

10 years of disappointment with its successor organisation, the Niti Aayog, seems to have created a whiff of nostalgia for the old Commission

30 March 1950 - Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru presiding over the inaugural meeting of the Planning Commission held in New Delhi on Tuesday - HT Photo.

Opinion

Updated on Jan 27, 2025 08:20 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

The shaky foundations of Bangladesh’s growth

The lack of diversification in its economy, the small size of its middle class, and subdued wages have contributed to the current crisis. Aggregate GDP numbers put a gloss on it

A man arranges clothes at his shop in a wholesale market in Dhaka on September 30, 2024. (Photo by Munir Uz Zaman / AFP) (AFP)

Opinion

Published on Dec 16, 2024 08:16 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

The great Indian debate on national champions

A growth path that is overly dependent on a few oligarchs may not answer the needs of a large and complex democracy

The actions against the Adani Group have ignited a debate on the role of national champions in India’s growth story REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo (REUTERS)

Opinion

Published on Dec 02, 2024 08:15 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

Three books that help us understand the Trump age

Why did Trump, and not others, succeed in harnessing the latent fears of ordinary Americans? The answer lies in his media game

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump attends the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) gala at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., November 14, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo (REUTERS)

Opinion

Published on Nov 18, 2024 07:58 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

Needed: A road map to regulate the regulators

Indian policymakers have devoted a lot of time and effort to setting up new regulatory agencies. Now they need to fix their accountability deficits

Opinion

Published on Nov 04, 2024 08:26 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

Need a clear-eyed trade policy to sustain growth

The current geopolitical moment is to India’s advantage. But India’s economic statecraft needs a serious upgrade if we are to make the most of this opportunity

A man walks past container trucks sitting parked near the Jawaharlal Nehru Port, operated by Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, on Saturday, May 25, 2019. Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg (Bloomberg)

Opinion

Published on Oct 21, 2024 08:28 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

Three governance tasks that confront new government

How it addresses them will determine whether the BJP wins back its mojo or cedes ground to a resurgent Opposition

New Delhi, Jun 09 (ANI): Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi addresses a meeting with National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders before the swearing-in ceremony of the new Cabinet and council of ministers, at his residence in New Delhi on Sunday. (ANI Photo) (ANI)

Opinion

Updated on Jun 18, 2024 12:15 AM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

Reforming civil services is key to improving delivery

If the Indian State is to meet 21st-century needs, it will need an ample supply of fresh thinking and knowledgeable personnel.

Opinion

Published on Jun 03, 2024 10:04 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

Inequality debate must centre around evidence

The world’s largest democracy also needs to have a reasoned debate on inequality. Gathering detailed evidence on inequality patterns should be the first step

Countries that are poorer than the United States (US) also tend to be poorer in statistics (AP)

Opinion

Published on May 20, 2024 10:00 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

Extraordinary legacy of a grounded economist

A doyen of Left-Keynesian economists, KN Raj found admirers even among economists who leaned Right.

Kakkadan Nandanath Rajan,(Fotokannan at Malayalam Wikipedia/ Wikimedia Commons)

Opinion

Published on May 07, 2024 10:00 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

Why the Swatantra Party could not be resurrected

While a modern-day Swatantra Party may be unviable, some of its ideas do resonate with India’s increasingly vocal middle class

Opinion

Published on Apr 22, 2024 10:00 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

Poll finance is waiting for a clean-up by ECI

Creating a level-playing field for elections should not just mean reining in central investigative agencies that are selectively targeting Opposition leaders.

Election staff scans serial numbers of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) before dispatching them from a warehouse in Ahmedabad.(Amit Dave / Reuters)

Opinion

Published on Apr 08, 2024 10:00 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

How a popular strand of economics lost its shine

If 2008 marked the rise of behavioural economics, 2023 marks a year of reckoning. The Gino-Colada affair has blown the lid off a simmering crisis in the field

If 2008 marked the rise of behavioural economics, 2023 marks a year of reckoning. (Getty Images/iStockphoto/Representational image)

Opinion

Published on Dec 11, 2023 10:00 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

Getting Indian banks back on the track

India’s poorly governed banking sector remains ill-equipped to support and sustain a recovery in investments.

State Bank of India (SBI), would report a steep increase in bad loans every time its chairperson changed. (Bloomberg)

Opinion

Published on Nov 27, 2023 10:11 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

The welfare programme economists loved to hate

Unlike several populist schemes that disproportionately benefit rural elites, MGNREGS reaches precisely those who need the State’s help the most.

opinion

Published on Nov 14, 2023 05:52 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

Needed, a new contract between RBI and GOI

Recent revelations by a former central banker and a former bureaucrat have put the spotlight on the relationship between the RBI and the Union finance ministry.

RBI has enjoyed operational independence to set short-term interest rates under the new monetary policy framework. (HT FILE PHOTO)

opinion

Published on Oct 03, 2023 03:13 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

Making India’s DPI model work for all

Challenges in India's DPI, such as the lack of a robust legal framework for data protection and exclusion in the Aadhaar system need to be addressed.

opinion

Published on Sep 20, 2023 09:29 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

Laptop curbs are linked to our Swadeshi legacy

76 years after Independence, we need to have a more mature debate on the colonial legacy

The economic liberalisation of 1991 swept aside restrictions on international flows of goods, services and capital(HT Archive/HT Photo by N Thyagarajan.)

opinion

Published on Aug 22, 2023 10:37 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

Economic ties bind states. Nurture them

Differences between states often get attention. But integration of the Indian market and demographic transition can be central forces for driving cooperation

The introduction of GST has diminished the fiscal powers of states,(iStockphoto)

opinion

Published on Jul 24, 2023 09:33 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

The economic impact of the Indian diaspora

The diaspora's role in the development of poor countries, particularly in China and India, has reshaped views on diaspora economics.

Today, politicians of different hues — from Narendra Modi to Rahul Gandhi — strive hard to reach out to the Indian diaspora during their trips abroad.(PTI)

opinion

Published on Jul 10, 2023 09:20 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

AI governance must involve labour unions

As companies adopt AI, labour and civil society groups need to have a say to boost overall economic productivity and wages

Many firms may be tempted to deploy AI-based tools to track and control employees rather than to empower them. (Thinkstock)

opinion

Published on Jun 13, 2023 10:40 AM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

Environment may be a new federal faultline

The burden of protecting India’s environmental resources is bound to be unequal across states and regions

If farmers are to be protected against erratic rains, and slum dwellers in India’s poorly designed cities against torrid heat waves, efforts to conserve forests and other natural resources must be redoubled(HT File)

opinion

Published on May 29, 2023 08:39 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

For better policymaking, pay more attention to the role of economists

The health of the economics discipline matters a great deal as the ideas of economists have a significant impact, both when they are right and wrong

Why did economists have so little influence on such momentous decisions? (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

opinion

Updated on May 15, 2023 07:38 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

Trade unions in the age of automation

The age of automation will give rise to new insecurities, and trade unions can regain their salience. But they must devise a new plan to recover lost ground

Labour organisations should play a key role in shaping the future of automation so that firms deploy worker-empowering rather than worker-displacing innovations (Shutterstock)

opinion

Updated on May 01, 2023 06:42 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

A plan to counter China economically

The most effective response to China lies in raising India’s economic growth over the long run

As several economists have argued, India cannot expect to become a key node in global supply chains unless it opens its doors for trade (Shutterstock)

opinion

Updated on Apr 17, 2023 07:32 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

Weathering the next global economic crisis

India’s macroeconomic defences remain a work in progress. The gaps in its defences could be exposed in the event of a big crisis

Over the past three years, government finances have improved. In a crisis, the government may be better placed to offer fiscal support now (Shutterstock)

opinion

Updated on Apr 03, 2023 07:07 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

Fixing gender imbalance in the Indian economy

To deal with one of India’s biggest civilisational challenges, both economic and cultural instruments of change must work in tandem.

The gender imbalance in India’s formal workforce is as much a cultural challenge as an economic one (HT ARCHIVE)

opinion

Updated on Mar 06, 2023 07:19 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

Adani saga exposes key regulatory chinks

The row raises questions about Sebi’s enforcement of regulations, and the restrictions on short selling in India. Both must be tackled urgently

The impact on the broader market has been limited so far, partly because of limited retail participation in Adani stocks (REUTERS)

opinion

Updated on Feb 20, 2023 06:56 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

The wealth tax India should learn to use

A tax on wealth is often discussed, but has proven hard to implement the world over. Instead, India must focus on building a progressive and effective property tax system

Building an effective and progressive property tax system can reduce wealth inequality, improve urban services, and push up productivity and growth at the same time (PTI)

opinion

Updated on Jan 24, 2023 03:05 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

Reimagining how the Reserve Bank functions

The central bank’s ability to support India’s growth journey will depend on how it meets four key challenges, namely risk management, consumer protection, autonomy, and accountability

Ahead of the 2008 global financial crash, RBI’s conservatism saved India from the worst of the financial crunch that paralysed the rest of the world.

opinion

Published on Jan 09, 2023 07:54 PM IST

ByPramit Bhattacharya

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Pramit Bhattacharya

10 years of disappointment with its successor organisation, the Niti Aayog, seems to have created a whiff of nostalgia for the old Commission

The lack of diversification in its economy, the small size of its middle class, and subdued wages have contributed to the current crisis. Aggregate GDP numbers put a gloss on it

A growth path that is overly dependent on a few oligarchs may not answer the needs of a large and complex democracy

Why did Trump, and not others, succeed in harnessing the latent fears of ordinary Americans? The answer lies in his media game

Indian policymakers have devoted a lot of time and effort to setting up new regulatory agencies. Now they need to fix their accountability deficits

The current geopolitical moment is to India’s advantage. But India’s economic statecraft needs a serious upgrade if we are to make the most of this opportunity

How it addresses them will determine whether the BJP wins back its mojo or cedes ground to a resurgent Opposition

If the Indian State is to meet 21st-century needs, it will need an ample supply of fresh thinking and knowledgeable personnel.

The world’s largest democracy also needs to have a reasoned debate on inequality. Gathering detailed evidence on inequality patterns should be the first step

A doyen of Left-Keynesian economists, KN Raj found admirers even among economists who leaned Right.

While a modern-day Swatantra Party may be unviable, some of its ideas do resonate with India’s increasingly vocal middle class

Creating a level-playing field for elections should not just mean reining in central investigative agencies that are selectively targeting Opposition leaders.

If 2008 marked the rise of behavioural economics, 2023 marks a year of reckoning. The Gino-Colada affair has blown the lid off a simmering crisis in the field

India’s poorly governed banking sector remains ill-equipped to support and sustain a recovery in investments.

Unlike several populist schemes that disproportionately benefit rural elites, MGNREGS reaches precisely those who need the State’s help the most.

Recent revelations by a former central banker and a former bureaucrat have put the spotlight on the relationship between the RBI and the Union finance ministry.

Challenges in India's DPI, such as the lack of a robust legal framework for data protection and exclusion in the Aadhaar system need to be addressed.

76 years after Independence, we need to have a more mature debate on the colonial legacy

Differences between states often get attention. But integration of the Indian market and demographic transition can be central forces for driving cooperation

The diaspora's role in the development of poor countries, particularly in China and India, has reshaped views on diaspora economics.

As companies adopt AI, labour and civil society groups need to have a say to boost overall economic productivity and wages

The burden of protecting India’s environmental resources is bound to be unequal across states and regions

The health of the economics discipline matters a great deal as the ideas of economists have a significant impact, both when they are right and wrong

The age of automation will give rise to new insecurities, and trade unions can regain their salience. But they must devise a new plan to recover lost ground

The most effective response to China lies in raising India’s economic growth over the long run

India’s macroeconomic defences remain a work in progress. The gaps in its defences could be exposed in the event of a big crisis

To deal with one of India’s biggest civilisational challenges, both economic and cultural instruments of change must work in tandem.

The row raises questions about Sebi’s enforcement of regulations, and the restrictions on short selling in India. Both must be tackled urgently

A tax on wealth is often discussed, but has proven hard to implement the world over. Instead, India must focus on building a progressive and effective property tax system

The central bank’s ability to support India’s growth journey will depend on how it meets four key challenges, namely risk management, consumer protection, autonomy, and accountability

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