Commentary
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Sumitra Badrinathan, Devesh Kapur, Andy Robaina, …
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Source: Getty
In The Media
Scaling Down Expectations From Government
The opportune moment for Modi to create major political and economic change may have already passed.
Published on Mar 11, 2016
Source: Bloomberg TV India
Speaking on Bloomberg TV India, Carnegie’s Milan Vaishnav argued that expectations for the Modi government need to be toned down. He explained that the opportune moment for Modi to create major political and economic change has basically passed. Modi has failed to use the ‘bully pulpit’ to contain nationalist distractions and lobby for economic transformation. As a result, Vaishnav said, voters, investors, commentators are recalibrating expectations about the government’s ability and willingness to create change.
Going forward, Vaishnav argued that Modi must more aggressively make the case to the rural poor that pro-market and pro-poor reforms are “two sides of the same coin”. He added that right now, the global economy is uniquely favorable to India’s efforts. He pointed out that oil is $30 per barrel, adding that real reform will be much harder if it rises to $100 per barrel.
About the Author
Milan Vaishnav
Director and Senior Fellow, South Asia Program
Milan Vaishnav is a senior fellow and director of the South Asia Program and the host of the Grand Tamasha podcast at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. His primary research focus is the political economy of India, and he examines issues such as corruption and governance, state capacity, distributive politics, and electoral behavior. He also conducts research on the Indian diaspora.
- Indian Americans Still Lean Left. Just Not as Reliably.
- Indian Americans in a Time of Turbulence: 2026 Survey ResultsPaper
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Milan Vaishnav, Sumitra Badrinathan, Devesh Kapur, …
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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