

The Indian Economy: Pitfalls and Challenges [Narendra Jadhav - HIC]
The remarkable story of India‘s economic growth and ascendancy in the global order could not possibly have gone unchallenged. Many aspects of the India’s growth story have been doubted, data questioned and even dubbed as an election hype. Perhaps, the most stringent critique appeared in World Affairs, (April 24,2024). Among other things, it stated: “....the perception of India‘s supposed economic miracle is a product of a tightly controlled information system in which dat
2024.07.19 11:12When does generative AI create competitive advantage? [Andrei Hagiu-HIC]
Generative AI, which includes chatbots such as ChatGPT, have exploded over the past year.[AFP]Generative AI is a powerful tool that businesses can use to make their workers more productive and enhance their product offerings. While many companies are adopting generative AI initiatives, few are designing these initiatives to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. Whether generative AI is leveraged internally to improve productivity, or externally to improve the customer experience, or both, t
2024.07.17 11:10Is the global economy only as strong as the most vulnerable link in the semiconductor supply chain? [Christophe André -HIC]
Strong productivity gains in the information and communication sector and professional and business services are boosting the US economy. Nonfarm business sector output per hour was up nearly 3% in the first quarter of this year compared to a year ago. While cyclical factors, including a sizeable fiscal stimulus, have contributed to the rebound, structural factors also seem to be at play. Business applications have jumped in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and remain high, including for busine
2024.07.15 11:27The Pact for the Future [Jeffrey D. Sachs - HIC]
On September 22-23, the 193 UN member states will meet at UN Headquarters for the Summit of the Future. This is a unique opportunity for the world to shift from war and conflict to peace and global problem solving. The governments will adopt a Pact for the Future to strengthen global cooperation and reform the UN system. They are currently negotiating that important roadmap for the future. The negotiators have issued an early draft, but there is still much negotiating ahead. The most important p
2024.07.11 11:13“It’s the politics, stupid.” [Diane Coyle - HIC]
Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump participates in the CNN Presidential Debate at the CNN Studios on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. [AFP]In the 1992 US presidential campaign, Bill Clinton‘s election strategist, James Carville, famously explained: “It’s the economy, stupid.” He meant that the recession the country was then experiencing was helping tip voters towards Clinton and against then-President George H. W. Bush. The picture has
2024.07.09 11:15The Indian Economy: Strengths and Opportunities [Narendra Jadhav - HIC]
The Indian economy is believed to be ready for a fresh take off. Is it really so? To answer that question, one would have to undertake the so-called SWOT analysis i.e. analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. In this article, I propose to cover the ‘strengths’ and ‘opportunities’ and take up the ‘weaknesses’ and ‘threats or challenges’ in my next article. A. Strengths of the Economy 1. Strong Fundamentals India‘s economic
2024.07.04 11:28The post-election geopolitical Europe [Angel Alonso Arroba - HIC]
Last 6-9 June, EU citizens went to the polls to elect their new European Parliament. Running only behind India‘s election in terms of size, this was the second largest democratic process taking place in the planet during a year 2024 that many have labelled a 〈super election year〉, since roughly half of the world population will be voting. While the forthcoming US Presidential election in November is certainly the most important vote to watch this year, we should not overlook the relevance
2024.07.03 11:31The EU and US New China Tariffs and Their Impact on the World [Shang-Jin Wei-HIC]
The European Union on June 12, 2024, announced provisional tariffs from 17.4 to 38.1% on imports of Chinese made electric vehicles (EVs). They come after months of investigations by a team of EU experts on the site of Chinese EV producers, pouring over all documents at the selected companies, and interviewing numerous industrial and diplomatic experts. They are meant to be imposed on top of the 10 percent tariffs already in place. The announced provisional tariffs represent EU experts‘ bes
2024.06.25 11:42WHY AMERICA IS LOSING THE HIGH-TECH WAR WITH CHINA [Arthur Herman-HIC]
I will never forget my first visit to SK Telecom‘s T.um exhibition in Soeul when I was invited to speak at the National Assembly on launching the Quantum Information Communication Forum. What I saw was a dazzling vision of how technologies like 5G, AR/VR, and AI can change our world and make it better and more secure. For the past decade the United States and China have been waging a high-tech “cold war” to determine the future not only of the world‘s economy, but humanit
2024.06.24 11:09Historic Re-emergence of the Indian Economy [Narendra Jadhav - HIC]
A large number of countries achieved political independence after the World War II. Most of them started out as democracies. Democracy however, has survived both in the form and in content, only in very few countries. In this regard, India and South Korea stand out as honourable exceptions. Indian Democracy At the time of India’s independence (in 1947), Winston Churchill had famously said that India is only a mass of people, not a nation. It was argued that with the division of castes, cre
2024.06.20 11:42