Negative voting and the law

It is election summer, and the leaders of the major political parties are busy nominating candidates whose most important qualification will be the ability to take advantage of the local caste or community arithmetic in their respective constituencies. In these pre-election games, neither those who do the everyday work of parties nor those who vote them in and out of power have anything to do with selecting candidates. Naturally, then, one is led to ask - on Election Day, should the voter have the choice to reject all candidates - by selecting a 'None of the above' option on the electronic voting machines - if he finds them all unsuitable? Read On..

SEZ's - Failed Economic Policy

The lack of economic activity in most SEZs leads to the suspicion that many were incapable of attracting economic production units in the first place. The rush to 'denotify' them only reinforces this view. SEZs: engine derailed?

The Global Economic Crisis and Indian Agriculture

The current crisis has some striking similarities with the fallout in India of the Great Depression of 1929-1933. Indian farmers were pushed deep into debt, and the overall economy suffered. Patterns from the past

Book Review: Smoke and Mirrors - Pallavi Aiyar

China holds a deep fascination for India's urban elite. This is the China of double digit growth and unending capital inflows, of shining new cities, six lane expressways and spanking clean airports. This is also what India's elite aspire for.

The inevitable comparison with China is ever present in the Indian media - why is our Gurgoan not like Pudong or why is India able to attract only a fraction of the investment that is flowing into China? So is the desire to match China in different spheres - in the splendour of the just staged Olympic Games, in the recent flawless demonstration of prowess in space technology.

While China's development story is common knowledge, what is less well understood is what it is that really makes China tick. From where does the government derive its legitimacy? What is the relationship between the citizens and the government? Are there stresses and strains in this relationship? How do the subjects view the changes being brought about in their lives? Is the development in China sustainable?Read full review..

Land acquisition - colonial times to the present

This story traces the evolution of this phenomenon of eviction and land acquisition by the state under various pretexts starting with colonial India.

Land Acquisition from colonial times to the present

A report published by Oxford titled "INDIA INFRASTRUCTURE REPORT 2009 Land—A Critical Resource for Infrastructure" extensively reproduces parts of this article and can be seen here

The Commonwealth games village and the Yamuna riverbed

In the name of housing Commonwealth Games participants for a mere 10 days, an exclusive gated community is being established on the Yamuna banks, in areas previously protected as green spaces in the heart of Delhi.

A run on the Yamuna Banks

Treehugger has reproduced the article here

Edible oil policy

The edible oil policy that reportedly favoured Indian consumers at the cost of farmers has come back to bite the consumers with a vengeance. And with the US and Europe embracing biofuels, things could get much worse.

Edible oil on the boil