Shifting to the state

A structural change is afoot. It holds great promise for India.Written by Neelkanth Mishra | Updated: November 24, 2014 12:05:27 am (This was published in the Indian Express: link) Is A 1,000-employee single-city company managed the same way as a 1,00,000-employee transnational company? I recently asked this rhetorical question when an experienced foreign investor asked … Read more

Not just by hitting sixes

So far, government has kept the scoreboard moving with singles. Written by Neelkanth Mishra | September 9, 2014 12:14:14 am (This was published in the Indian Express: link) Criticism is good. It keeps people on their toes. But too often, we end up measuring what can be measured easily instead of what should be measured. … Read more

Just a Union budget

It carries little that is surprising. State budgets matter much more.Written by Neelkanth Mishra | July 12, 2014 3:05:11 am (This was published in the Indian Express: link) Deep within us rests the desire for quick fixes, of happy endings. Simple narratives are, after all, less taxing on the mind and therefore more attractive. Nothing … Read more

Change management

It won’t be painless. Five priorities: railways, energy, GST, inflation, PSU banks. Written by Neelkanth Mishra | Updated: May 28, 2014 12:09:16 am (This was published in the Indian Express: link) The strength of the electoral verdict is breathtaking and rare. First, the BJP does not have to “compromise” any of the 12-15 economically relevant … Read more

Money Talk

Piketty starts with a denunciation of economic theory and its inclination to theorise without any data.Written by Neelkanth Mishra | May 10, 2014 4:37:07 am Book: Capital in the Twenty-First CenturyAuthor: Thomas PikettyPublisher: Harvard Business PublishingPages: 696 pagesPrice: Rs 1495 (This book review was published in the Indian Express: link) Rising income inequality has been … Read more

Cultivating Agriculture

Alagh emphasises the need for improvements in agricultural productivity through higher capital investment, in order to move the workforce out of agriculture.Written by Neelkanth Mishra | April 12, 2014 2:22:38 am (This book review appeared in the Indian Express: link) Book: The Future of Indian AgricultureAuthor: Yoginder K. AlaghPublisher: National Book TrustRs 90 Agriculture is … Read more

Counting our chickens

Agricultural GDP is underestimated due to inaccurate non-cereal data. Written by Neelkanth Mishra | Updated: January 9, 2014 9:41:30 pm This article appeared in the Indian Express (link). It started with a mundane question: what is the chicken population in India? There are glaring inconsistencies in the available data. The National Sample Survey Organisation’s (NSSO’s) … Read more

India’s changing palette

Written Neelkanth Mishra | Updated: Jan 2 2014, 02:56am hrs (This was published in the Financial Express: link) In an earlier column in this paper, we pointed out that expectations of a sharp revival in large-scale investments post elections in 2014 are misplaced (Elections won’t trigger revival, December 12, 2013, goo.gl/h3drK6). Middle-income consumption growth is … Read more

Elections wont trigger revival

Written Neelkanth Mishra | Updated: Dec 12 2013, 10:34am hrs (This was published in the Financial Express: link) As the dust settles around the state election results and the media hyperboles surrounding them, it is time to take stock of how they impact the economy and earnings. Given that the four states of Madhya Pradesh, … Read more