The Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) hosted a Flagship Dialogue on the book – India’s Trade Policy in the 21st Century by Amita Batra on Wednesday, April 5 from 6:00-7:30 pm IST. The author discussed the book with Penny Goldberg, Elihu Professor of Economics and Global Affairs at Yale University. The session was moderated by CSEP President and Distinguished Fellow Rakesh Mohan.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6116788700363/WN_dLavmkHNTNuElzBqL4M6BA

About the book: 

The most significant development in global trade in the 21st century has been the predominance of global value chain (GVC) led trade. Notably, both the spectacular increase in trade observed in the first decade as also the subsequent slowdown, post 2012, is considered to have been largely, a result of complex GVC activity, consolidation and restructuring. India’s share in global goods trade has remained low and stagnant over almost the entire two-decade period in this century. Against a detailed analysis of the pattern of global trade in goods and India’s global trade participation, this book brings forth India’s weakness in recognising the importance of trade policy instruments that have been particularly facilitative of GVC participation and hence global trade participation.  In particular, the book highlights India’s inability to utilise new age preferential trade agreements to enhance its global trade participation as also its proximity to a regional GVC hub. 

About the author: 

• Amita Batra 

Amita Batra is Professor of Economics and former Chairperson of the Centre for South Asian Studies, School of International Studies, JNU. Professor Batra was Senior Visiting Fellow at the Department of Political Economy, University of Sydney in October, 2018 and Visiting Professor (ICCR Professorial Chair in Contemporary Indian Studies) at the University of Edinburgh in 2013. She has been Visiting Professor at the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad. Professor Batra is a member of the Advisory Group for G20 Finance Track Agenda, Ministry of Finance, Government of India: January 2022-December 2023. She is also a member of the Economic Affairs Council (since 2020) of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Discussant: 

• Pinelopi (Penny) Koujianou Goldberg 

Pinelopi (Penny) Koujianou Goldberg is the Elihu Professor of Economics and Global Affairs and Affiliate of the Economic Growth Center at Yale University. She was Chief Economist of the World Bank Group between 2018 and 2020 and has served as President of the Econometric Society, Vice-President of the American Economic Association, and Editor-in-Chief of the American Economic Review. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, recipient of Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and Sloan Research Fellowships, and recipient of the Bodossaki Prize in Social Sciences. Goldberg holds a Diploma in Economics from the University of Freiburg, Germany and a Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University. 

Moderator: 

• Rakesh Mohan 

Rakesh Mohan is President and Distinguished Fellow at CSEP. Previously, he was Senior Fellow at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, Yale University, Professor at Yale’s School of Management, and Distinguished Consulting Professor at Stanford University. Closely associated with the Indian economic reforms process since the late 1980s, he has served in senior roles including as the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Secretary, Economic Affairs and Chief Economic Adviser of the Indian Ministry of Finance, and Economic Adviser in the Indian Ministry of Industry. He has authored books on urban economics, urban development, monetary policy, and economic reform. He is also member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC-PM). 

Please contact Trishna Wahengbam for any queries. 

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.