Piecing together disparate data for economic and market insights
The Union govt can only enforce fiscal deficit targets for states as long as states owe it moneyNeelkanth Mishra | Last Updated at April 3, 2017 23:31 IST (This was published in the Business Standard: link) Are regulators behind the curve on state governments’ bond issuances? In the past seven years, even as the absolute … Read more
Recent surveys suggest a sharp drop in agricultural employment. What must the government do?Written by Neelkanth Mishra | Updated: March 30, 2017 12:00:16 am (This was published in the Indian Express: link) We stand at a critical point in India’s economic history, when jobs finally appear to have started shifting away from agriculture. During the … Read more
The ratio of bank loans to GDP, a measure of banking penetration, is among the lowest in the worldNeelkanth Mishra | Last Updated at March 6, 2017 22:50 IST (This was published in the Business Standard: link) Growth in bank loans is at a 50-year low when financial savings are rising: As a percentage of … Read more
The much discussed JAM (Jan-Dhan+Aadhaar+Mobile) trinity holds great promise for India, in our viewNeelkanth Mishra | Last Updated at February 6, 2017 23:05 IST (This was published in the Business Standard: link) The much discussed JAM (Jan-Dhan + Aadhaar + Mobile) trinity holds great promise for India, in our view. When everyone has bank accounts, … Read more
Centre-state data sharing is currently a distant dream but can be ground-breaking if implementedNeelkanth Mishra | Last Updated at January 2, 2017 23:24 IST (This was published in the Business Standard: link) Recent developments have reopened some long-running debates about our country, like of “state capacity” (how closely does the execution of a policy mirror … Read more
Cards provide better security and don’t face the problem of providing change.Written by Neelkanth Mishra | Updated: December 30, 2016 6:33:48 am (This was published in the Indian Express: link) There is something medieval about cash: In providing the medium of exchange economies needed for transactions, rulers made a hefty profit converting pieces of paper … Read more
There had been a clamour for radical reforms. Demonetisation shows what real reforms feel like.Written by Neelkanth Mishra | Updated: November 16, 2016 5:07:57 am (This was published in the Indian Express: link) The announcement that currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination would no longer be legal tender brings down the currency … Read more
GST is a reform long delayed. But there may be good reason not to hurry it through now.Written by Neelkanth Mishra | Updated: September 23, 2016 6:06:22 am (This was published in the Indian Express: link) Deadlines help. Hard ones help even more. After all, years of false starts have turned the goods and services … Read more
Farm incomes may not revive despite good monsoon. There are new challenges for policymakers.Written by Neelkanth Mishra | Updated: August 22, 2016 2:48:19 am (This was published in the Indian Express: link) India’s per capita calorie demand has been falling for at least the last 30 years. Most people do a double-take when they hear … Read more
They ignore the extremely high risk of an attempt at privatisation being effectively stillborn, unacceptable to state governments.Written by Neelkanth Mishra | Updated: June 6, 2016 1:12:11 am (This was published in the Indian Express: link) Even after weeding out extreme opinions, of the diehard supporters and the trenchant critics, whose hard stances reduce the … Read more