Category: Industry Sectors
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The Developing-Country Convergence Crisis
For much of the modern development story, there was one powerful assumption: poorer countries would eventually become richer. They would industrialise, export, attract investment, acquire technology, improve productivity and gradually close the income gap with advanced economies. Globalisation was expected to make this process faster. That assumption is becoming much…
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The AI Investment Boom May Create the Next Great Global Divide
Artificial intelligence is usually discussed as a technology revolution. It may be more useful to see it as the beginning of a new economic geography. The factories of the industrial age were built around coal, steel, ports and railways. The digital economy grew around software, telecommunications and the internet. The…
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The AI Dependency Hidden Inside Free Access
A small manufacturer may soon receive an AI tool at almost no licence cost and still find that using it creates an expensive dependence. The software may be open, while the computing power, maintenance, upgrades and practical knowledge remain elsewhere. For India, this is the uncomfortable question behind the next…
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The Conditional Market: When Being Competitive Is No Longer Enough
A factory can make a good product, offer a fair price and find an interested buyer—and still struggle to secure the order. Its shipment may fall outside a favourable tariff quota. Its inputs may fail an origin requirement. Its production may depend on restricted technology. Its delivery system may be…
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When Computing Power Becomes Economic Power
For two centuries, the global economy has repeatedly been divided by access to the technologies that raise productivity. The Industrial Revolution separated countries that could mechanise production from those that remained dependent on manual labour. Electricity created another divide. Mass manufacturing created another. Computers and the internet widened some gaps…
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When Geography Returns to Globalisation
When Geography Returns to Globalisation For almost three decades, globalisation created the impression that geography was becoming less important. Goods could be designed in America, manufactured in Asia, assembled somewhere else and sold across the world. Containerisation, large ports, cheap shipping and digital supply-chain systems made distance appear manageable. The…
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When Every Rooftop Becomes a Power Station
For more than a century, electricity has moved in one direction. A large power station produces it, a transmission network carries it, a distribution company supplies it, and the consumer pays the bill. The household stands at the final end of the system. It consumes electricity but has little influence…
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India’s Renewable Revolution Has Reached the Grid — But Is the Grid Ready?
The real energy transition begins after installationFor many years, India measured its renewable-energy success through installed capacity. Every new solar park, wind farm and rooftop system added another impressive number to the national target. Installed capacity was politically visible, easy to announce and useful for attracting investment. But electricity systems…
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When Distribution Becomes the Real Factory: The New Battle for India’s Electrical Market
From Fragmented Manufacturing to Conglomerate Expansion For a long time, India’s wires, cables and electrical-equipment industry grew through thousands of manufacturers, regional brands, traders, electricians and specialised suppliers. Many businesses began as modest family enterprises serving a city, an industrial cluster or a particular category of customer. Their competitive strength…