Opinion

When governments impose economic sanctions, like the "economic D-Day" US President Donald Trump is now imposing on Iran, they portray them as a precision instrument—a scalpel rather than a sword—capable of pressuring ruling elites while sparing ordinary citizens. This narrative has been used to justify...

On 24 August 2024, the Trump administration started “Operation Economic Outcast” in order to totally isolate the Islamic Republic of Iran, along with any country that enables Iran’s economic survival in the global economy. This is not merely an economic onslaught against the Iranian regime...

By publishing a recent article smearing the Nobel laureate economist Daron Acemoglu, The Economist has demonstrated bad judgment, overweening arrogance, and bad faith. The magazine engages with Acemoglu’s academic work disingenuously, quoting the snarky comments of unnamed economists interviewed over drinks to support its argument...

At the governing council meeting of NITI Aayog earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for district-level GDP estimates to shift economic measurement from top-down national aggregates to decentralised, grassroots assessments. Aggregates are neat headline numbers, but they often hide the messy details underneath....

Recent Reserve Bank of India surveys reveal stagnation in income growth with the net response on current income falling to 0.9 from 3.0 while overall spending sentiment moderated to 74.5 from 78.4. At a time when unemployment and even underemployment has emerged as a crucial...

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak The history of volunteering is as ancient as human society itself. At its core, it rests upon the free goodwill of individuals who offer their time, unpaid labour, ingenuity, and creativity in varied service to people and the planet. Born of...

By Sourajeet Pradhani India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has been one of the most remarkable public digital infrastructure success stories in the world. From a roadside tea stall to a multinational corporation, UPI has transformed the way Indians transact. It has made digital payments instant,...

By Andrew J. Scott The global demographic transition, characterised by declining birth rates and rising life expectancy, has been one of the most consequential transformations of the past century, with population aging fueling a steady stream of gloomy economic forecasts. If academic economists, international organisations,...

To drape a genuine Sambalpuri saree is to carry a piece of living geography. Originating from the weaving clusters of western Odisha such as Bargarh, Sonepur, and Barpali these textiles are celebrated for their striking geometry and complex Bandha (tie-and-dye Ikat) technique. Artisans pre-dye warp...

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is a large and well spread-out organisation by its own admission. It has today glamorous buildings and well-appointed offices across the country. It has marked its 100th anniversary with a host of celebrations, and a commemorative stamp and a coin...