Articles

September 14, 2016

Why prohibition makes no sense; The Hindu Business Line, 12th September 2016

The reason why prohibition as a political tool evokes curiosity is that it has historically proven to be unsuccessful. Whether it is the case of the 18th amendment of the US constitution or the silently thriving industry in the so-called […]
September 9, 2016

Who Takes a Call on Price Stability, the Government or the RBI?

The conjecture surrounding who will succeed Raghuram Rajan ends. Inflation hawk, Urjit Patel took over as the 24th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 5 September 2016. Urjit Patel is a well-known face, being the Deputy Governor […]
September 1, 2016

Legacy of Obama’s Foreign Policy in the Middle East

As the second innings of Barack Obama draws to a close,the American foreign policy is facing a critical test of legitimacy. The belief in US exceptionalism– American indispensability for ensuring stability of its trusted allies and its preponderance to prevent […]
August 31, 2016

Fall of Remittance Economy ?

The South Indian state of Kerala is often slated for its low level of industrialisation and deteriorating agriculture sector, subduing employment generation in the state. The unemployment rate of Kerala stands at 7.4%, which is more than three times the […]
August 10, 2016

All Eyes on GST: How Will Kerala Benefit?

The implementation of the long-pending indirect tax reform – Goods and Services Tax (GST) – has become closer to reality with the passing of the GST Constitutional Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha on August 3, 2016 and further with approval of […]
August 3, 2016

India’s Failed NSG Bid : Unlearn, Learn, and Proceed

By Christi Thomas* India was denied entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group(NSG) at the Seoul Plenary session held on 23 and 24 June 2016 at South Korea. The NSG is a 48 – member body formed to ensure that the […]
August 1, 2016

The intellectual dishonesty of God’s Own Country

  By D Dhanuraj and Deepthi Mary Mathew*   Kerala is in the grip of yet another controversy. Now, the debate is around the appointment of Dr.Gita Gopinath as economic advisor to Chief Minister Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan. The post of […]
July 30, 2016

Antrix-Devas deal: The BIT bites India!

  By Harisankar K. Sathyapalan* India is again in the limelight of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS). After the huge stir created by the white industries award in 2011-12, an international tribunal has penalised the country earlier this week with a […]
July 26, 2016

Banning Smoke without Fire – An Innovation killer

Kerala Government’s recent decision to ban e-cigarettes is an innovation killer. The concerns raised about e-cigarettes are not grounded in sound evidence. There is microscopic evidence to show that e-cigarettes are passively harmful. At the same time, there is high […]
July 18, 2016

The 24/7 Rule and the safety question

The Centre has placed the reform ball in states court pushing for a liberalised regime through the model Shops and Establishment Act to allow shops to open 24/7. PM Modi has already given a strong reasoning with his “if the […]
July 16, 2016

Effects of higher tariffs and discriminatory tax/duty levied on the growth of Man Made Fibre (MMF) industry in India

By Lekshmi R Nair and D Dhanuraj* Textile and garment industry with a market size of around US$ 3000 trillion in 2015, as per the data provided by Euler hermes.com, has served as a growth engine for many nations.    In […]
July 15, 2016
Brexit

BREXIT – A Climate of Political Uncertainties

The referendum in Britain to exit from the European Union revealed how an extended caveat of global warming – Syrian refugee crisis has indebted to the death knell for European Union’s stability as a united bloc. The refugee crisis in […]
July 7, 2016

Awaiting the ruling on South China Sea

By Christi Thomas* The contending states in the South China Sea disputes are awaiting the verdict of the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration this month. The case was brought by the Philippines primarily concerning the legality of China’s “Nine-dash line”, […]
July 7, 2016

Bleeding PSUs: Why It’s Time To Retire Kerala’s White Elephants

   “It would be better if we paint the elephants white” commented veteran leader M V Raghavan on the state emblem during an assembly discussion in 1987. His remarks were on the basis of the report submitted by the Comptroller […]
July 4, 2016

2016 Elections and the startling trends in U.S. Politics

2016 US Presidential election has heralded a change in the nature and the content of American Politics. These symptoms have been visible in the Party primaries and are certain to witness in the ensuing Presidential and Congress elections also. There […]