Author Archives: Madhusudan Raj

Moody’s and Modi

Moodys

US based bond credit rating agency Moody’s upgraded Indian government’s bond rating from Baa3 to Baa2. This is one level up from their lowest rating grade. They have changed their outlook of the Indian economy from positive to stable with this upgrade. Modi government ministers and its supporters are terming this upgrade as an endorsement […]

Pollution and Property Rights

The capital of India New Delhi is once again engulfed in toxic smog. The usual blame games by politicians have begun about the cause of this pollution. The Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is blaming the burning of crops in the adjacent states of Haryana and Punjab for this pollution. Other major causes cited by […]

Societies without the State

No State

Can we humans organize our societies without the help of the State aka government? is the question people ask me whenever I talk about free markets or a free society without a presence of the State. Few go as far as saying that without the State life itself will become impossible! Some of the questions […]

(BOOK REVIEW) GDP: A Brief but Affectionate History

GDP: A Brief but Affectionate History by Diane Coyle (Revised and Updated Edition 2014, Princeton University Press, pp. 167 ) Diane Coyle’s little book GDP: A Brief but Affectionate History tells a very mainstream history of the statistics of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in brief 145 pages. The book is divided into six chapters not […]

2.11 lakh crore for PSU Banks to Boost Lending

The finance minister of India Mr. Arun Jaitley announced a bailout package of 2.11 lakh crore (US$ 2.11 Trillion) for the public sector banks of India yesterday saying that this will boost their lending activities, which is right now under pressure because of their huge non-performing assets (default loans). The logic behind boosting lending of […]