Op-Eds

US President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration will likely seek to weaken the greenback's exchange rate. But whether doing so would enhance the competitiveness of US exports and strengthen America’s trade balance is another matter. BERKELEY – One of the more jaw-dropping policy ideas gaining political steam in the United States recently has President-elect Donald Trump...   Read More

National body needed for inter-State disputes. One of the lasting symbols of late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Golden Quadrilateral, which was launched to link India’s four major cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata. This project transformed India’s connectivity and boosted trade, commerce, and travel, knitting the country closer together. Taking a cue...   Read More

From policy recipient to proactive global player  For decades, external voices have often narrated Africa’s economic story through a narrow lens of challenges: uneven growth, energy deficits, food insecurity, extreme poverty, mounting debt and stalled reforms. While these obstacles are undeniable, they overshadow a more compelling narrative of resilience, innovation and cautious hope. In 2024,...   Read More

The Employment Linked Incentive scheme could be made more holistic by incorporating skilling and training aspects of work. Emphasis should be laid on increasing awareness, as well as digitising and simplifying processes and payments linked with it. India has experienced job growth, albeit slowly and of poor quality. According to the employment-unemployment survey and periodic...   Read More

Capturing regional disparities is crucial. In COP29, the focus was on finance since countries require significant funding for energy transition. According to International Energy Agency, clean energy investment needs to reach $4.5 trillion a year by 2030 to limit global warming to 1.5°C. The share of renewables in gross electricity generation at the global level...   Read More

Thozhi Hostels deliver high-quality housing solutions for working women, overcoming migration challenges in urban areas. In recent years, India has seen a remarkable increase in female labour force participation, from 25 per cent in 2017-18 to 40 per cent in 2022-23, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey. This surge reflects growing economic aspirations among...   Read More

As COP29 concludes in Baku, the world stands at a critical juncture in addressing the escalating climate crisis. Activist Greta Thunberg’s sharp critique-branding the summit’s draft text as “a complete disaster”-highlights the frustration over unmet promises and insufficient ambition. The Global South’s urgent demand for $1.3 trillion annually by 2035 has been countered by a...   Read More

Had Joe Biden withdrawn from the US presidential race earlier, there might have been a good chance that his successor would maintain many of his economic-policy initiatives. Now we will see how many of those policies – if any at all – survive another four years of Donald Trump. The New York Times famously prepares obituaries...   Read More

Donald Trump’s recent tariff threats – ranging from a 25% levy on imports from Canada and Mexico to a staggering 100% tariff on BRICS countries if they pursue creating new currency – have sparked global economic unease. For India, these developments pose a vital question: could these protectionist moves by the US inadvertently open doors...   Read More

Trams, with their speed averaging 20 to 30 kilometers per hour, match the pace of most public transport in the city, including buses. When the West Bengal government decided to drastically scale back Kolkata’s 150-year-old tram service, leaving just a short heritage stretch from Maidan to Esplanade, i t igni ted a wave of protests...   Read More