The Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) is delighted to invite you to a Flagship Seminar for the Book Launch of Unshackling India: Hard Truths and Clear Choices for Economic Revival by Ajay Chhibber and Salman Anees Soz.

As India enters its seventy-fifth year of independence, conventional policy is unlikely to combat the breadth of its economic challenges. Across a range of areas—human capital, technology, agriculture, finance, trade, public service delivery and more—new ideas must now be on the table. Not only has the COVID-19 epidemic cost India many lives and livelihoods, but it has also highlighted significant fundamental flaws in the economy.

A huge farm and jobs crisis, rising and massive inequalities, tepid investment growth, and chronic banking sector challenges have plagued the economy, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has also exposed the limitations of the Indian state, which tries to control too much-and ends up stifling the economy and the inherent energies of its young population. Climate change is no longer a distant threat, while disruptive technology has huge implications for India’s demographic dividend. In addition, the dangerous lurch towards majoritarianism will cast its shadow on India’s pursuit of prosperity for all.

The book underlines how India’s progress must be an amalgamation of economic growth and social prosperity, since neither can occur in isolation. It addresses the question of how India can use the next twenty-five years, up to the centennial year of independence, to restructure not only its economy but rejuvenate its democratic energy and unshackle its potential to become a genuinely developed economy by 2047. Unshackling India focusses on key ideas such as restricting state’s role to universal provision of fundamental necessities, affirmative action to enjoy the advantages of a strong female workforce, as well as measures that ensure the demographic dividend is harvested.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aLRROgTWSw2z3Ga12Rc5IA

About the Authors:

Ajay Chhibber is Distinguished Visiting Scholar, Institute for International Economic Policy, George Washington University and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. He was the first Director General (Minister of State), Independent Evaluation Office, India and Distinguished Visiting Professor at the NIPFP. He served as Chief Economic Advisor, FICCI, Assistant Secretary General, UN and Assistant Administrator, UNDP. At the World Bank, he was the Country Director for Turkey and Vietnam, Lead Economist for West Africa Department and Director of the 1997 World Development Report. He holds a Ph. D from Stanford University, an M.A. from the Delhi School of Economics and B.A. in Economics St Stephen’s College, Delhi University. He has published widely in international journals and has authored five books on economic development.

Salman Anees Soz is an economic development consultant, author, and commentator. He has extensive experience across a range of economic development issues. Formerly with the World Bank, he now serves as a consultant to international institutions. He is a recipient of the World Bank President’s Award for Excellence. He has an MBA from Yale University, an M.A. in Economics from Northeastern University, and a B.A. in Economics from St. Stephen’s College. He has authored several books and his commentary appears in a variety of media outlets.

Discussants:

Vijay Kelkar was the Chairman of the 13th Finance Commission of India and is a former Finance Secretary of India (1998-1999). One of India’s most prominent economists, he was Advisor to the Minister of Finance (2002-2004). In 1999, he was nominated as Executive Director of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka on the Board of the IMF. In 2011, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award in the country for his services to the country. He is currently Chairman of the Academic Advisory Council, Indian School on Public Policy (ISPP), and has held board positions at the Forum of Federations, Ottawa, and India Development Foundation, amongst others. Dr. Kelkar received a PhD in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.S. from the University of Minnesota and B.E. from the College of Engineering Pune, India.

Lord Nicholas Stern is IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government, Chair of the Grantham Research Institute of Climate Change and Environment, and Head of the India Observatory at the LSE. He was President of the British Academy 2013-17 and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 2014. He was Chief Economist of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and Chief Economist and Senior Vice President at the World Bank. He was knighted for services to economics in 2004, made a life peer in 2017, and appointed Companion of Honour in 2017. He has published more than 15 books and 100 articles.

Yamini Aiyar is the President and Chief Executive of the Centre for Policy Research. Her research interests span the fields of public finance, social policy, state capacity, federalism, governance, and the study of contemporary politics in India. She has published widely on these topics in academic publications and the popular press. Her current policy engagements include Member of the State Advisory Council, Government of Punjab and a Member, Lancet Commission on Reimagining Health Systems in India. She did her M.S. in Development Science from London School of Economics, M.A. in Social and Political Science at the University of Cambridge and B.A. in Philosophy at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi.

Moderator: Rakesh Mohan is President & Distinguished Fellow at CSEP and Member, PMEAC. He was Professor in the Practice of International Economics at the School of Management and Senior Fellow at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University. He has been closely associated with the Indian economic reforms process from the late 1980s. He was Executive Director on the Board of the IMF, Deputy Governor of the RBI, Secretary, Economic Affairs, and Chief Economic Adviser of the Indian Ministry of Finance, and Economic Adviser in the Ministry of Industry. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University, B.A. in Economics from Yale University and a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Imperial College London. He has authored several books and is widely published in major media outlets.

Please contact dsrinivasan@csep.org for general queries and zkazmi@csep.org for media inquiries.

All content reflects the individual views of the speakers. The Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) does not hold an institutional view on any subject.