A new study of Patrick Geddes’ work in in India underlines the urban planner’s continued relevance to contemporary issues. But we have to ask ourselves why Geddes’s ideas have failed to gain traction…
In a democracy, should a central bank be autonomous or accountable? A middle ground and a balance has to be struck, The mix will depend on the legal system, traditions, and macro-economic context. In…
Though the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana has outperformed previous central housing schemes, the performance of individual components has varied. The slum redevelopment scheme has performed poorly and…
India’s unsatisfactory public services are embedded in the very structure and functioning of an outdated field administration. Centralisation, a fragmented administrative structure, inadequate…
The government lost an opportunity to dampen the second wave but it should at least protect us from the third wave. For that it needs to revise its ‘liberalised’ vaccine policy, which with its array…
Demonetisation was not just an egregious act of cruelty but also an economic policy disaster. Yet, the successful use of popular narratives to sell the demonetisation story meant that the public did…
India’s family planning programme advertised the small middle-class family as a means to develop the nation. But its top-down approach meant that sterilisations became the default contraceptive…
The combination of caste & farmer identity amongst the Jats in western UP uniquely strengthens the resistance to the farm laws, but also creates barriers to creating lasting solidarities with…
Stagnant government funding and mis-allocation of available resources in recent years are together resulting in limited improvements in levels of child nutrition, anaemia and mortality.
A primer on Covid-19 offers a comprehensive guide to the science of pathogens, disease, and therapies; but disappoints with a lack of analysis of the policy response to the pandemic.