Bilateral Courtesy: Gateway House
24 May 2019

A case for balanced BITs

BY

The Bilateral Investment Treaty has been losing favour as a dispute resolution mechanism since the recession of 2008. India has terminated several BITs after receiving an unfavourable award in a 2012 case. These terminations have created uncertainty regarding existing foreign investments and are not the answer to disputes. A balance is needed, especially for emerging markets, which must protect against claims whilst ensuring confidence in business. The analysis below provides some options

2019_5_img23_May_2019_PTI5_23_ Courtesy: India Today
21 May 2019

Elections 2019: Making India Middle Class

BY

The Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been returned to power for another five years, till 2024. In the run-up to the national elections, the author travelled to Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, two of India’s most important states, to gauge the mood of the electorate, and to assess the economic and political conditions on the ground since the last election in 2014. She found a new generation with big dreams, and a population whose basic needs were being met. Economic citizenry has trumped identity politics. Modi is the leitmotif for this India, and they look to him to lead them into a middle class future.

Green-fin-web Courtesy: Hume Brophy
23 January 2019

The imperative for a sustainable financial system

BY

The global financial system has been driven by the search for profit, but serious flaws surfaced in such a myopic approach. Now, sustainable finance’s time has come—and investment decisions will benefit from integrating environmental, social and governance factors

Fort Cochin, India Courtesy: Wikipedia
9 August 2018

How India can keep the oceans prosperous

BY

The notion of the oceans and seas as a global common is under severe test. National and regional interests are winning over the urgency to maintain their well being while competition to exploit the many commercial opportunities they present is ever increasing. The task at hand is to stop ocean decline – and India can play a transformative role in this

chinese congress Courtesy: South China Morning Post
17 October 2017

19th Congress is CCP dominance on display

BY

At the Chinese Communist Party’s 19th Congress, President Xi Jinping will surely consolidate and project his power within the Chinese Communist Party. But, there are other crucial elements to be observed and studied beneath the obvious grandeur of the Congress, such as, how it has retained its longevity and tenacity, how it commands loyalty and ideological compliance, and how change gets institutionalised. This week-long event will yield important clues

image Courtesy: Stripes
12 October 2017

Xi’s PLA agenda: real reform or power gambit?

BY

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s reforms, some of which have been effected in the run-up to the 19th Party Congress, have served to both modernise the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and also strengthen his hold on it. They may also have resulted in adversely affecting the PLA’s combat efficacy

913860-ChinastockmarketAFP-1435858588-636-640x480 Courtesy: Tribune
5 October 2017

Learnings from Chinese outbound investment

BY

Beijing has its finger on the economic pulse of the country, demonstrating a responsiveness to criticism at home and abroad. It reveals a great deal about Chinese political priorities and societal changes, and offers a collective learning for investors and markets worldwide – and especially for India.

_96278695_6dce5a47-502a-4f67-95ff-17f4295e53c8 Courtesy: BBC
21 September 2017

India, Germany and Africa: the new priority

BY

Germany and India have revealed a dual priority for Africa: creating opportunities for prosperity and promoting stability. For both, these are uncharted waters and represents a shift in the locus of global dynamism, away from an Anglo-Saxon world order to a more diverse yet potentially fissiparous one

Pintrest Courtesy: Pinterest
14 August 2017

The demographics of modern India

BY

Modern India stands tall on August 15, 2017: over the past year, it has been seen as the fastest growing major country, macroeconomic stability has been re-established, and the GST implemented. Why, then, are so many stressing that India desperately needs reforms to its labour laws to keep the momentum going?