economic policy & Labour

Labour Codes: Betrayal of Labour Rights

THE Government of India proposed four Labour Codes claiming to reform the employer-worker relationship which was otherwise archaic and complex with too many rules and regulations. The much-needed labour reform as had been argued was meant to simplify the rules, address the changing needs of production flexibility and to take care of the ‘unprotected’ who are employed in the informal sector. These reforms are proposed in the context of the larger argument that competitiveness of Indian producers suffers due to labour market rigidity.

Apple’s Relocation and Tim Cook’s Dilemma!

ACCORDING to Donald Trump it is time for a reverse relocation of manufacturing from the Global South to the US. He expressed his anguish to Apple CEO Tim Cook for the plan to extend operations in India. US now needs manufacturing because by relocating low value-added assembling, they would be able to provide jobs to average Americans who badly need them. Apple employs 3 lakh workers in China and 60,000 in India. If these facilities are relocated, US could straight away create about 3.5 lakhs new jobs!

Financialisation and Sluggish Private Corporate Investment

SINCE the global financial crisis, India experienced a declining trend of investment to GDP ratio particularly due to declining investment growth in the private corporate sector. In the recent past, there has been little uptick in this ratio driven by capital expenditure undertaken by government spending. Although such high capital expenditure for successive years didn’t even ‘crowd in’ private investment. Recently the ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has conducted a survey of private sector’s current CAPEX and future investment intentions.

US Imperialism and the Project of New Cold War

WHETHER it is neoliberalism or neoconservatism, as seen with the rise of Trump, it fundamentally serves to protect the hegemony of the rentier class while increasing the burden on working people. Since the 1970s, governments, academia, and the media have promoted ideals like free markets, trade, a level playing field, and multilateral trade norms where countries are seen as equal trading partners – at least in principle. The concept of a "flat world" and the "global village" symbolised interdependence between countries based on mutual gains.

Reshoring of Manufacturing and Job Creation in the US

THE US president is keen to selling hope to his citizens that the disruptions in trade and investments caused by tariff shocks would ultimately bring new manufacturing jobs to the US. The key argument is, tariff shocks are meant to forcing US trading partners recalibrate their exchange rate such that they would be paying to sell their products in the US market. Manufacturers would be arm twisted to open facilities in the US instead of producing elsewhere and exporting to the US market.

Financialisation and Rising Household Debt

INCREASED dependence on debt and depletion of savings by average Indian households has been recognised as the emerging trend in the past three years. According to a recent RBI report India’s household debt has been 42.9 per cent of GDP at current market prices. The Financial Stability Report also recognises that the number of borrowers increased in the recent past. Increased dependence on personal loans, credit cards, consumer durable loans and other personal loans are on the rise.

Tariff War and Decline of the US Hegemony

GLOBAL hegemony appears to be shifting its narrative. Instead of the neoliberal claim that unfettered trade benefits all trading partners, a new discourse is emerging – one marked by protectionism and even echoes of colonial domination as the defining rhetoric of imperial capital. The US imposes reciprocal tariffs on all countries with which it has a trade deficit. The political messaging seems more theatrical than rooted in real economics.

Mathematics of Viksit Bharat

A HUGE campaign is going on across the country about India aspiring to become a developed country in 2047. There is nothing wrong in targeting something big with a hope that even if it fails, we could reach somewhere near to what had been the goal. However, the goal shouldn’t be so unrealistic that people think it infeasible in the first place. India is currently the fastest growing economy in the world and there is possibility of relatively high growth being maintained in India over the coming years compared to global average.

Neoliberalism, Impoverishment and Welfare Schemes

THE capitals of the world seem to be sounding different. Apparently, there has been a shift from ‘methodological individualism’ to ‘methodological nationalism’. It is now less about free market and competition and more about protecting political and economic boundaries. Those both on the right and neo-left who were not able to see the State in the mystified neoclassical imagery of market are taken aback by the entry of Trump coming loud and clear talking about tariffs, illegal immigrants, jobs of their own workers and industrial policy.

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