Cafe economics

Firing up growth without underlying changes in the efficiency, productivity and competitiveness of the economy will almost inevitably lead to episodes of economic instability. (HT PHOTO)

Has India’s economy attained a structurally higher growth trajectory?

4 min read . 18 Nov 2025

Countries such as India escaped the clutches of mass hunger through new technology rather than lower food consumption. (istockphoto)

CoP-30: Why we can count on innovation to lead our battle against climate change

4 min read . 04 Nov 2025

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the Indian economy needs to grow at 8% a year to reach the goal of becoming a developed country by 2047. (ANI)

Our Viksit Bharat goal calls for 8% annual growth: Here’s what it’ll take

4 min read . 21 Oct 2025

Although the use of China's renminbi remains at modest levels, its adoption is gradually rising, initially in Asia but now also in other parts of the world. (AFP)

China’s currency play: The yuan is slowly chipping away at the US dollar’s power

4 min read . 30 Sept 2025

Industrial policy is likely to grow in importance as the world economy fragments, thanks to the rise of protectionism.

The comeback of industrial policy—and what it means for capital flows

4 min read . 16 Sept 2025

RBI posted a discussion paper on its website on 21 August calling for responses to four questions that need examination before the monetary policy framework is reviewed once again in March 2026.

Inflation targeting: What works can still be tweaked to do better

4 min read . 02 Sept 2025

We may be in the early stages of a profound move from efficiency to insurance. (HT)

Resilience may be costly but even the private sector cannot do without it

4 min read . 19 Aug 2025

The growing use of stablecoins will create extra demand for their underlying assets.

America’s promotion of stablecoins could have global consequences

4 min read . 05 Aug 2025

India estimates consumption inequality given its large informal economy and low taxpayer base while other countries estimate income inequality. The two are very different.

Understanding poverty in India demands a nuanced assessment

4 min read . 22 Jul 2025

The massive skilling of Chinese workers by Apple was one of the building blocks of a sophisticated supply chain that now spreads across the globe. (Bloomberg)

Apple’s tree of knowledge: Skills are picked up on the factory floor

4 min read . 08 Jul 2025

Divergent views on monetary policy action in times of heightened uncertainty matter in the current situation. (Photo: REUTERS)

To lower rates in a bold or measured way is a classic dilemma of monetary policy

4 min read . 24 Jun 2025

This is not the first time that Beijing has restricted the flow of rare earth minerals across its borders. (REUTERS)

China risks overplaying its hand by curbing rare earth exports

4 min read . 10 Jun 2025

How matters move in terms of diversification, defence, debt and the dollar can be a useful way to track the impact of the Trump shock on the Indian economy over the medium term. (AP)

Trump shock: Here’s a 4-D formula for policymakers to track it

4 min read . 27 May 2025

India is currently a lower middle-income country. (HT)

India must redraw its poverty line to reflect economic progress

4 min read . 29 Apr 2025

A shift from the existing multilateral trade system to what Jagdish Bhagwati once described as a “spaghetti bowl” would not only be more complex, but could also negatively impact smaller countries. (Bloomberg)

Spaghetti-bowl trade deals could alter the global balance of power

4 min read . 15 Apr 2025

Even as the inflation risk recedes in the domestic economy, Indian policymakers will have to calibrate their response to any trade turbulence in the coming months. (Photo: Reuters)

Keep track of trade turbulence amid a scenario of benign inflation

4 min read . 01 Apr 2025

The new Economic Survey made a compelling case on how a surfeit of outdated regulations hold back the growth of firms, especially smaller enterprises that drive job creation. (PTI)

Deregulation: Relieve businesses of relics from India’s command economy

4 min read . 18 Mar 2025

Economic relations between countries are increasingly dependent on their strategic alignment. (Bloomberg)

Geopolitics has cast a long shadow on the gravity model of world trade

4 min read . 04 Mar 2025

It should remain a trading nation rather than withdraw behind protectionist walls. (via REUTERS)

India must not let Trump’s tariffs and trade disruption weaken its export thrust

4 min read . 18 Feb 2025

Access to the GenAI tool narrowed the gap between the best and the rest.

AI tools raise productivity. They can also act as great equalizers

4 min read . 04 Feb 2025