11 April, 2025The growing burden of state subsidies
Delivery of welfare benefits to citizens by state governments in India often takes the form of subsidies. Analysing budgetary data from seven Indian states for the period between 2018-19 and 2022-23, ...
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Kishan Narayan 
17 March, 2025
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High public debt in India: 9 stylised facts
The Covid-induced surge in public debt in India was unique compared to its own history, but also bigger and driven by different factors relative to the average emerging market economy. In this post, M...
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Prachi Mishra Nikhil Patel
- 20 December, 2024
- Perspectives
Uneven resilience: Why some emerging markets better navigate US monetary policy cycles
As the US dollar and monetary policy continue to have a significant impact on global financial dynamics, some emerging markets are observed to be more resilient than others to the policy cycles. Analy...
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Joshua Aizenman Donghyun Park Irfan Qureshi Jamel Saadaoui Gazi Salah Uddin
- 30 September, 2024
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Losing one half of India's demographic dividend
The working-age population in India is set to increase by more than 200 million over the next two decades. This column contends that India may fail to reap the benefits of this demographic dividend b...
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Jayan Jose Thomas
- 21 April, 2014
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Why food inflation has been high in India
The persistently high food inflation witnessed in India over the past few years has been a cause for concern. This column seeks to identify the major drivers of food inflation in India, and to evalua...
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Rudrani Bhattacharya Abhijit Sen Gupta Narhari Rao
- 16 April, 2014
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Can MNREGA improve credit worthiness of participating households?
Based on household survey data from West Bengal, this column analyses the impact of MNREGA on economic outcomes of participating households. It finds that the ‘local’, ‘guaranteed’ and ‘gov...
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Subhasish Dey
- 11 April, 2014
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How exchange rate changes impact Indian manufacturing firms
After falling to its lifetime low of 68.85 against the dollar in August last year, the Rupee has now appreciated to breach the 60-per-dollar mark. This column explores the impact of currency movement...
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Anubha Dhasmana
- 02 April, 2014
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How innovations in telecom can promote inclusive growth
Applications of Information and Communications Technology, such as mobile banking, have potential to promote inclusive growth and equity. This column analyses conditions under which innovations in IC...
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Ashima Goyal
- 28 March, 2014
- Articles
Why taxing property is essential for local government accountability
With rapid decentralisation and urbanisation, wealth is increasingly vested and locked up in land and property in India. In their previous article, Kapur and Subramanian emphasised the importance of ...
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Devesh Kapur Arvind Subramanian
- 03 March, 2014
- Perspectives
Service sector growth and convergence across Indian states
India’s success story in the services sector is well documented at the national level. However, similar literature does not exist for India’s states. This column seeks to bridge this gap by looki...
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Anirudh Shingal
- 17 February, 2014
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Taxation's fatal neglect?
Today, the public discourse on government finances in India is largely focused on spending. This article emphasises the importance of taxes, particularly income tax, in ensuring citizen participation...
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Devesh Kapur Arvind Subramanian
- 14 February, 2014
- Perspectives
Can SMEs drive India's growth?
Investment, particularly by the corporate sector in India, drove high growth rates during 2003-2009. Given the expected slow and weak recovery of the global economy, Indian corporates are unlikely to...
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Pronab Sen
- 12 February, 2014
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Understanding India's unbalanced growth
Growing regional disparities in India are a cause for concern. But little is known about the relative importance of possible reasons for the varied growth experiences across the country. This column ...
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Chetan Ghate Peter Robertson
- 03 February, 2014
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Inflation targeting in India: Right and wrong
An RBI-appointed Expert Committee has recommended targeting a 4% inflation rate, but allowing it to vary between 2% and 6%. This column takes a different position on the target and leeway. It argues ...
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Gurbachan Singh
- 31 January, 2014
- Articles
Expanding productive employment in India
While India’s relatively high growth has not entirely been ‘jobless’, employment generation has been low, and mostly in the form of informal jobs. This column examines the employment experience...
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Mahendra Dev
- 20 January, 2014
- Articles
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Tweets by Ideas4IndiaMost Popular Macroeconomics Posts
Land in India: Market price vs. fundamental value
The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015, is focused on protecting the few home buyers who can afford to buy homes but does not address the issue of high land prices, which is a very se...
- Gurbachan Singh
- 29 February, 2016
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Land records and titles in India
Land ownership is broadly determined by access to a land title, which protects the rights of the title-holder, and impacts livelihoods, and industrial, economic, and social growth. However, land title...
- Prachee Mishra Roopal Suhag
- 20 November, 2017
- Perspectives
West Bengal’s economic performance relative to India over the last three decades
Against the backdrop of the ongoing elections in West Bengal, Maitreesh Ghatak examines how the state’s economic performance compares with that of the country as a whole, over the past three decades...
- Maitreesh Ghatak
- 01 May, 2021
- Articles