An unsettling past is catching up on Europe. In 2014 the European Central Bank will have to decide on its refinance programme. That year will also mark the 100th anniversary of the dissolution of the last durable European formation. »

Commemorative occasions such as Mother's Day are no longer meaningful, except as marketing opportunities. »

The recent policy efforts to address the waning enthusiasm for SEZs will burden the exchequer, without stoking growth impulses. SEZs lost their appeal in the wake of the slowdown, difficulties in land acquisition and removal of tax breaks. »

Some of the abiding beliefs of market “fundamentalism” were shattered by the Wall Street crash. A Bollywood film deftly and with subtle wit shows us how. »

Minority governments, sluggish civil servants — it was always like this, yet reforms worked till 2005. What has changed? »

The Madhav Gadgil report on managing the fragile ecology of Western Ghats poses a radical challenge to the dominant paradigms of growth and governance. The report was submitted last August, but is yet to be made public. »

In his Budget speech in February 2006 the then Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, introduced the idea of financial inclusion. Referring to the NSS 59th Round (2003) findings that of th... »

Wastage and rotting foodgrains push up prices, but this is not reflected in official inflation estimates. So, when policymakers attribute inflation to a poor monsoon, they tell us half the story. »

If the BRICS are united in one sense, it is by the threat that their individual growth rates pose to the environment and to their futures. By delving into their own histories, BRICS can, however, evolve a new world order. »

Recent Census data reveal the importance of a multi-layered approach to evaluate the quality of growth. If the GDP data point to the positives, social data are evidence of India's backwardness. »