Theory of economic growth has made remarkable progress over the past three decades that has helped give us a better understanding of factors that induce or inhibit growth. In practice, though, a majority of countries have failed to increase growth and improve living conditions. The elixir that has been absent from traditional growth theories is the role of an enabling environment that is needed to induce and support growth. This book--a case study of Nepals poverty--presents the view that ...

Prime minister of India Manmohan Singh has been accused of changing ministerial portfolios at the behest of the Reliance group. There have been claims that the group deliberately squatted on reserves of natural gas and curtailed production in anticipation of higher prices that are administered by the government, to the detriment of the interests of the countrys people. Spokespersons of the group deny these alligations and contend that gas output from the Krishna-Godavari basin came down on...

In its history since Independence, India has seen widely different economic experiments: from Jawharlal Nehru's pragmatism to the rigid state socialism of Indira Gandhi to the brisk liberalization of the 1990s. So which strategy best addresses India's, and by extension the world's, greatest moral challenge: lifting a great number of extremely poor people out of poverty?Bhagwati and Panagariya argue forcefully that only one strategy will help the poor to any significant effect: econ...

Is India ready for superpower status or too far behind China to ever catch up?In his career as one of India's leading journalists and entrepreneurs, Raghav Bahl has often faced this question, and many others, from bewildered visitors:* Why are Indian regulations so weak and confusing?* Why is your foreign investment policy so restrictive?* How come your hotels are world class, but the roads leading to them are so potholed?* Why don't you...

Why Americans aren't thrifty and the rest of the world isIf the financial crisis has taught us anything, it is that Americans save too little, spend too much, and borrow excessively. What can we learn from East Asian and European countries that have fostered enduring cultures of thrift over the past two centuries? Beyond Our Means tells for the first time how other nations aggressively encouraged their citizens to save by means of special savings instituti...

Post Independence, the state of Andhra Pradesh was created by merging the Telangana region, a part of the princely state of Hyderabad, with the coastal region of Andhra and Rayalaseema—both parts of the erstwhile Madras state. With Madras, the major source of income of the state, allocated to Tamil Nadu, it was necessary to include the revenue-surplus Telangana to create a financially viable entity.However, there had always been doubts about the long-term feasibility of such an arrangement. J...

With little domestic fanfare and even less attention internationally, Japan has been reinventing itself since the 1990s, dramatically changing its political economy, from one managed by regulations to one with a neoliberal orientation. Rebuilding from the economic misfortunes of its recent past, the country retains a formidable economy and its political system is healthier than at any time in its history. Japan Transformed explores the historical, political, and economic forces th...

In 1998, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam published a book that was ahead of its times and went on to become a bestseller. It was called India 2020 and proposed that India could soon be one of the top five economies of the world, even though, back then, the nation had set off a series of nuclear tests and was facing worldwide sanctions. A new government had taken charge, and the economy was going through a tough time. It was not the best of times to predict that India had it in her to get on the fast tr...

In recent decades, India has grown as a global power, and has been able to pursue its own goals in its own way. Negotiating for India's Global Role gives an insightful and integrated analysis of India’s ability to manage its evolving role. Former ambassadors Teresita and Howard Schaffer shine a light on the country’s strategic vision, foreign policy, and the negotiating behavior that links the two.The four concepts woven throughout the book offer an exploration of India to...

Taking India by storm, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been one of the most talked about figures all around the world. His enigmatic persona and his forceful leadership have created a polarized world where some idolize him, while others question his motives and methods. In an attempt to break the myths around who Narendra Modi really is, the author attempts to take us through a journey of the leader's life, his political aspirations, his growth within the party, his remarkable stint in Gu...

India is not only the world's largest and fiercely independent democracy, but also an emerging economic giant. But to date there has been no comprehensive account of India's remarkable growth or the role policy has played in fueling this expansion. India: The Emerging Giant fills this gap, shedding light on one of the most successful experiments in economic development in modern history. Why did the early promise of the Indian economy not materialize and what led to its eventual t...

India's party system has undergone a profound transformation over the last decade. The Congress Party, a catch-all party that brought independence in 1947 and governed India for much of the period since then, no longer dominates the electoral scene. Political parties which draw support from particular caste and religious groups are now more powerful than ever before. Democracy Without Associations explains why religious and caste-based political parties come to dominate the electo...