December 2009

On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the collapse of the Berlin Wall (that took place last month) we reproduce here N.C.’s impressions following his visit to Eastern Europe shortly after that momentous development. These appeared in two parts in the issues of Mainstream dated February 17, 1990 and February 24, 1990. Even after twenty years these impressions remain invaluable for anyone trying to analyse the events of 1989 that changed the face of Europe as well as the world at (…)

Introduction
For a sustainable fiscal policy it is essential that the fiscal consolidation process is not only facilitated but also strengthened by concerted efforts to boost revenue flows to meet the growing expenditure requirements. In empirical literature, two kinds of fiscal consolidation are identified. The first type of fiscal consolidation incorporates adjustments which rely mainly on expenditure reduction through cuts in revenue expenditure and, if possible, also in rates and (…)

The Berlin Wall, erected in 1961, was a concrete barrier which completely enclosed the city of West Berlin that thus became an enclave deep inside the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Although there had been severe restrictions on emigration to the West even before the Wall was erected—since there was a separate and much longer Inner German Border (IGB) separating East Germany from the West—a large number of East Germans, estimated around three-and-a-half million, had been able to cross (…)

The decisive defeat of the Communist Parties in the recent parliamentary and Assembly by-elections and local elections was a definite indication that the citadel of the Leftist power firmly entrenched in the soil of West Bengal over the last thirtytwo years is facing an imminent collapse. Already the representatives of the Revolutionary Socialist Party in the West Bengal Cabinet have openly demanded the resignation of the Buddhadeb Government paving the way for fresh elections in order to (…)

It may be appropriate to adopt a dialogical method of inquiry into this otherwise complex and mind-boggling arena of governance. The advantages of such an approach are well known. Questioning leads to analysis; analysis leads to rational and scientific thinking and decisions and such decisions constitute the bedrock of sound planning and effective implementation. The questions relevant in the present context are:
I. What is governance?
II. What is good governance? (…)

The following piece was written for the UNIDO’s General Conference that took place in Vienna this month but could not be carried by any of the international papers because of a slight delay, although some feel its contents may not be ideologically palatable to them. Hence it is being carried here for the benefit of our readers. —Editor
A highly positive sum game awaits the community of nations if an internationally agreed programme for rural industrialisation in the LDCs (and in the (…)

To err is human. But does the computer ever err? Or rather, does it recognise the probability of human error? If you are giving it a command, does it give you a second or even a third chance to make sure that you are giving the right command? It better do so, else you may nose-dive an aircraft into the ground and go up in flames. But I have a suspicion that it does, only our computer-happy call centre personnel may not always like to allow it that leeway while dealing with computer-clumsy (…)

India’s growing flirtations with the United States and its continuing romance with Russia no longer surprises anyone. Such is the cold logic of the 21st century global politics that wearing several hats comes easily to many countries including India. Both the US and Russia consider India to be their natural ally. In an address at the James Baker Institute for Public Policy on the eve of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the US, Ambassador Meera Shankar described Indo-US ties as a (…)

As far as natural resources like minerals, land and water are concerned, Jharkhand is among the richest States of India. Yet, its people are among the poorest. Mind you, almost 30 per cent of them are tribal. Out of the total population of 288.46 lakhs, 223.1 lakhs live in rural areas and only 65.36 lakhs are urban dwellers. Even a cursory glance is sufficient to convince that most of the tribal, Dalit and OBC population live in villages and depend on land and allied activities for their (…)

The following is the press release issued by the members of an all-women’s fact-finding team that recently visited Kashmir to probe into the Shopian tragedy that has rocked the Valley. It was circulated at a press conference the team held on December 10, 2009. It needs to be noted that this is a press release and not the fact-finding team’s report on the incident that runs into 34 pages.
On the evening of May 29, 2009, two young women, Neelofer Jan and her young school-going sister-in-law (…)