Arvind Subramanian’s ex-fellows ‘honoured’ by the appointment

Washington-based Centre for Global Development has said that it is “honoured” that its senior fellow Arvind Subramanian has been made India’s Chief Economic Advisor.

The Centre’s president Nancy Birdsall, in an e-mail interaction with BusinessLine , said, “Arvind is much more than your mainstream macro-economist”

She said that Subramanian is an immensely knowledgeable and creative thinker on trade, climate, tax, corruption and finance.

He has an understanding of India — its history, its economy, and its politics — both from the top down and the bottom up, Birdsall added.

As a senior fellow at the Centre, Subramanian directed the Understanding India Initiative.

The initiative addresses how India should shape international thinking about development as well as how the country should engage internationally.

Subramanian’s latest work centred on the economics of climate change, and on trade, tax and intellectual property issues in the development context.

Among his recent publications is Greenprint: A New Approach to Cooperation on Climate Change , co-authored with Aaditya Mattoo. The book proposes a viable grand bargain on climate between the rich world polluters and China and other emerging markets.

Meanwhile, the Centre quoted Subramanian as saying: “I am honoured and privileged to be able to contribute to the Government that has a strong mandate to set India on a dynamic growth trajectory that can provide opportunities for all Indians.”

The Centre for Global Development also referred to the formal announcement made by the Indian Government in New Delhi with regard to Subramanian’s appointment.

He was recommended for the position by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The appointment was made official after approval from the Union Cabinet.