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Full Description
'Philosophy has to be deductive, poetry romantic, plays and fiction humorous, and politics intriguing if they are to catch my attention,' writes Kaushik Basu. All these interests are on display in An Economist's Miscellany, which brings together an eclectic collection of writings on the world of academe, politics, policy, travel, and more.
This book offers unique glimpses of the author's engagement with the world: his opinions on contemporary policies and economic issues; his exploration of different parts of the world; and his reflections on people, ideas, and books that have influenced him. An Economist's Miscellany also puts on display his literary forays-translations of two hilarious Bengali short stories and a four-act play on academe, love, and cultural misunderstandings. This second and much-expanded edition of the book features a new set of essays that reflects the author's dual perspective of the world: one from the groves of academe and one from the policymaker's perch, in New Delhi and in Washington, DC. In the world of policymaking he was not just an observer but an active participant, and many of the new essays dwell on ideas gathered from this hands-on engagement.
Contents
Contents
Prologue
Introduction to the Second Edition
PART ONE: MAKING INTRODUCTIONS
1. Entering North Block
The Last Column, The First Week
Life in the Heart of Indian Government
2. Ambiguity, Equivocation, and Economics
PART TWO: ACADEMIC TRANSGRESSIONS
3. Policy: Foreign and Domestic
China's Power and Corbett's Gun
The ABC of 123
India Globalizing
A Higher Opportunity
The Ethics of Reducing Inequality
4. On the Road
A Traveller's Guide
India's Wild East
Among the Zapotecs
Economics and Zen in Munich
Namaste: Welcome to Israel
Praying in the Foothills of Mount Fuji
The Maharaja Disappoints 55
Taking Off: Airports and Economics
Fragments from an Africa Diary: Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Diepsloot
Samoa Diary
Bhutan: Development Economics in the Himalayas
Postcard from Malaysia: Through the Fog, Gently
A Hinduism more Tolerant
In Good Faith: A Journey, An Education
An Evening in Florence
The Turin Miracle
Does god exist? There Are Several Possible Hypotheses?
5. Persons and Ideas
Amartya Sen: Re-inventing Himself
Prasanta Pattanaik: A Fine Theorist
Engels and the Quest for a Better World
Paul Samuelson and the Foundations of Economics
In Praise of Doubt
Kenneth Arrow: Possibly the Most Important Economist of the Twentieth Century
John Nash: The Shakespeare of Economics
The Anti-Argumentative Indian: Amartya Sen
The Angry Intellectual: Ashok Mitra
The Problem of Choice
Stiglitz's Sticky Prices
Manmohan Singh: A Quiet Courage
6. Culture and Economics
Art and Commerce
Markets and Aesthetics
Norms and Prosperity
Trust and Development
Where India Is Ahead of China
7. Conundrums of Finance and Economics
Burning Cash: A Finance Conundrum
Why Some Financial Products Should be on Prescription
Financial Scams and Ponzis
Acquiring Land for Industry
Bureaucratic Reform in India
Labour Market Reform in India
Whither Social Progress?
Same-Sex Preference and Rights
Evidence-Based Policy Mistakes
The Ease of Doing Business Comes with Trade-Offs
8. Medley 106
Are We Becoming Over-Cautious?
My Worst Lectures
India at 60
Mother at 90
PART THREE: CONTEMPORARY POLICY EXCURSIONS
9. India and the World
In India, Black Money makes for Bad Policy
India and the Visible Hand of the Market
Resisting the Moral Retreat
Anger Isn't Enough
Trump's Gift to China
Facing the Slowdown
In the Name of Education
10. Inequality and Labour Pains
The Insecurity of Inequality
Experts and Inequality
Inequality in the Twenty First Century
The World Economy's Labour Pains
Profit Sharing Now
The Rich Can Fight Inequality, Too
11. The Global Challenge
America's Dangerous Neo-Protectionism
Reviving India's Economy
A Currency Crash Course for Politicians
Why is Democracy Faltering?
A Thimbleful of Optimism
The Case for a Global Constitution
The Language of Conflict
PART FOUR: LITERARY TRANSLATIONS
By Debt If Need Be
The Birth of a New God
PART FIVE: DRAMATURGIC INCURSIONS
Crossings at Benaras Junction
PART SIX: END OF ALLITERATIONS
Duidoku and Ultimate Duidoku
