Category: Industry Sectors
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Foreign Direct Investment in EMDEs: Trends, Challenges, and the Way Forward
Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) have been on a steady decline as a share of GDP since the global financial crisis. In the boom years of the 2000s, FDI inflows reached nearly 5% of GDP in a typical EMDE by 2008. Today, they…
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India’s GST Puzzle: Why the 18% Slab Was Left Untouched
In a bold fiscal move, the Government of India is reshaping the Goods and Services Tax (GST) structure—reducing the 28% slab to 18% on some goods and services, and cutting the 12% slab to 5% for several essential commodities. While these measures aim to stimulate consumption and simplify compliance, one…
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Innovation Deficit and Digital Sovereignty: Why India Must Bridge the Gap Now
India’s ambition to become a global technology powerhouse is often celebrated in headlines, but the reality beneath the surface is more sobering. Despite its talent pool and thriving startup culture, India has yet to produce tech giants on the scale of Nvidia, TSMC, or OpenAI. Structural weaknesses in research commercialisation,…
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Tariff Turbulence: How U.S. Tariffs on Indian Goods Are Reshaping India’s Economy
On 7–8 August 2025, the United States sharply escalated its trade dispute with India. President Donald Trump announced an additional 25-percentage-point duty on Indian goods because New Delhi continued to buy discounted Russian oil. Added to a 25 % levy imposed in April, this raised the total tariff on several…
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“India’s Deep-Tech Dilemma: The Long Road to Its Own Innovation Icon”
India’s technology sector has delivered remarkable success stories in IT services, SaaS exports, and digital adoption at scale. Yet, the country has not produced a homegrown deep-tech giant comparable to Nvidia — a company that not only leads in semiconductors but also shapes global innovation in AI, high-performance computing, and…
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Strategic Shifts in the Global Economy and India’s “Make in India” Drive
The interplay of global economic forces—most notably the ongoing U.S.–China tariff tensions, evolving inflationary trends, and the reshaping of supply chains—is redefining the strategic contours of India’s economic landscape. These shifts present both opportunities and challenges for India’s Make in India initiative, which aims to position the country as a…
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India’s Fiscal Policy in the Shadow of New U.S. Tariffs: Balancing Growth and Stability
The sharp escalation of U.S. tariffs—now set at 50% on a substantial portion of Indian goods—marks a pivotal moment for India’s fiscal strategy. With USD 30–35 billion worth of exports directly affected and potential spillovers across the broader USD 87 billion trade relationship, policymakers face an immediate test in safeguarding…
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The Shifting Future of Foreign Aid: From Post-War Solidarity to a Fragmented Global Order
Foreign aid is undergoing a transformation that is both structural and strategic. The post-war model—where a handful of wealthy nations set the tone for global development through consistent, large-scale official development assistance (ODA)—is rapidly eroding. Declining donor commitments, rising localization, and the entry of new private and non-traditional actors are…
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India’s Non-Leather Footwear Industry Faces Steep Tariff Headwinds in the U.S. Market
India’s non-leather footwear sector, long considered a rising player in the global value chain, is now facing a significant export challenge. The United States is reportedly considering a steep fifty percent tariff on these products—a move that could substantially erode the industry’s competitiveness in its most lucrative market. India’s footwear…
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