XKDR Newsletter - Issue 32
FDI strategy for Indian firms • Reforms for the nuclear energy sector • Fertility decline in India • Victimless crimes • Julia workshop • IBC workshop • 15th Emerging Markets Conference and more.
OP-ED & COMMENTARY
In his column for the Business Standard, Ajay Shah writes on FDI strategy for Indian firms. There are several benefits to Indian firms investing overseas, including enhanced exports, access to global markets, and risk mitigation during slow periods in the Indian economy. Traditionally, decision-makers at firms classify goods and services as tradeable or non-tradeable when strategising outward foreign direct investments. In this article, Ajay introduces a 2x2 classification scheme for this strategy. He argues that a more effective distinction lies between firms in India with low versus high engagement with the Indian state, and their investment in high rule-of-law environments versus other countries.
Akshay Jaitly and Ajay Shah highlight five areas of reform for the field of nuclear energy in India, in their article for the Business Standard. They propose enabling private investment in nuclear energy by removing import restrictions, aligning nuclear security frameworks with international standards, and amending the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act to resolve supplier liability issues. Further, a market-driven energy system, with limited state intervention, would empower private players to independently navigate supply, demand, and price risks, ensuring nuclear energy integrates efficiently into India’s energy landscape.
VIDEOS AND PODCASTS
New episodes of XKDR’s YouTube series Big Ideas - conversations with some of the leading thinkers of today - are out:
Fertility decline in India, with Dr. Anup Malani: Ep 31
Building Without Breaking: The Case for Sustainable Infrastructure, with Dr. Anish Andheria: Ep 32
New episodes of Ajay Shah’s YouTube show Everything is Everything with Amit Varma are out:
The journey of Indian finance, Ep 71
The Changing Forms of Creativity, Ep 72
Don’t Punish Victimless Crimes, Ep 73
The Horrors of KYC, Ep 74
What Economics Can Learn, Ep 75
EVENTS
At the 8th India Land and Development Conference held in November 2024:
We organised a panel discussion on "Mapping New Frontiers of Land Reform in India". The panel comprised of Dr. Maotshi AO, Annindya Banerjee, Kshitij Batra, Pradeep Nayak, Manoranjan Swain, Arjun Rajapogal and Diya Uday. The discussion focused on the complex landscape of multiple laws and institutions that regulate land rights, land use, and land transfers in India.
Diya Uday participated in the panel discussion on “Bridging Identities: Women and Land in a Diverse Landscape”, organised by Landesa. In this session, Sandhya Gautam, Faraz Ahmad, Anisa Draboo, Nivedita Haran and Diya Uday discussed the challenges and solutions to create a fairer landscape for women’s land rights across diverse social and legal environments.
Upcoming
We are hosting a full-day workshop, JuliaSphere NCR, in collaboration with Afrost and Chennai Mathematical Institute. The workshop will offer hands-on sessions and expert-led talks covering Julia from the basics to advanced applications. The workshop will be held at the Indian School of Public Policy, New Delhi on the 6th of December, 2024.
We are hosting a workshop on Insolvency and Bankruptcy Reforms in India: 10 years after the IBC on the 10th of December, 2024 at MCA, BKC, Mumbai. The IBC will have been operational for a decade in 2027. The workshop will play a role to pull a wider pool of researchers, from various disciplines who have been watching the law and its working on the ground. This will include economics, law, public policy, and practitioner perspectives. Write to us to attend.
The 15th edition of the Emerging Markets Conference will take place between 11th to 13th December 2024 in BKC, Mumbai. EMC is an annual conference which aims to improve our strategic sense about emerging markets with insights from diverse fields. Write to us to attend.
XKDR Forum is an interdisciplinary research and policy organisation harnessing knowledge and capabilities across diverse fields of economics, law, public administration, engineering, statistics and science. We welcome your comments and suggestions on our work.