BLOG

3. Much theoretical confusion, such as the Coase theorem The externalities theory is littered not only with indefinable and unmeasurable terms but by trivial (and often defective) “insights”. Take the Coase theorem. Ronald Coase himself did not name it, it was George Stigler who (erroneously) did so. But in Coase’s social cost writings, no remarkable…

As the heat index rises, India must do both active & passive cooling much better, for Indians to flourish The planet is getting hotter. Its average surface temperature in 2024 was the highest on record. But temperature is one thing, felt heat another. No thanks to humidity, in cities like Delhi and Hyderabad, “real feel”…

In 2025, the global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) landscape has evolved beyond traditional synergy-driven motives. The aftermath of the 2024 geopolitical upheavals, including shifts in U.S. leadership and escalating global tensions, has compelled companies to reassess their strategies. For Indian enterprises, this re-evaluation is particularly pertinent as they navigate a volatile global economy. Global M&A…

Elizabeth Kübler-Ross and her colleagues proposed that when a person faces an inevitable tragedy, the psychological phases he goes through are typically denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance (in that order). When I look at the way we are treating the arrival of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), I sense that we have entered the first…

The contrasting twin failures of Global Climate Action The history of over thirty years of climate negotiations is a story of contradictions. Binding commitments have failed, and so have non-binding commitments. Differentiation has collapsed, and non-differentiation has collapsed alongside it. Compliance mechanisms were abandoned, yet non-compliance mechanisms delivered nothing. Carbon credits, once predicted to command…

There’s an old newsroom rule: if satire starts feeling like reportage, double-check the dateline. Today’s dateline reads Nagpur, May 20 ’25 — and yes, the news is real. Three people, including filmmaker Veera Sathidar’s widow Pushpa, now stare at “anti-national” charges because someone recited Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s Hum Dekhenge at a memorial service. The FIR leans on…

On May 10, India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire, following an agreement between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMO) from both sides. But before both sides informed their press, US President Donald Trump dropped the bombshell by sharing a tweet. “I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND…

Nutraceuticals, a term blending “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical,” refer to food-derived products that offer health benefits beyond basic nutrition. These include dietary supplements, functional foods, and bioactive compounds like vitamins, minerals, probiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, and herbal extracts.  Advanced research done by preventive medicine physicians and R & D Units have enabled nutraceuticals to prevent diseases,…

While the India-Pak military conflict is on pause, the likelihood of sporadic high-impact attacks remains. After all, the windows of terror infiltration and recruitment still remain open, albeit under much stronger surveillance and deterrence. But a return to the 1990s is unlikely. First, Kashmiri society, particularly the younger generation, is showing signs of disengagement from…

Congress’s two-day slugfest with GOI was two days too long. After all, veteran Shashi Tharoor’s selection to participate in India’s all-party international outreach post the India-Pak military faceoff was, as insiders pointed out quickly enough, a wrong battle to pick, even if not entirely a ‘non-battle’. The standoff surprised many within Congress. When GOI contacted…