We all strive and endure to be happy. Our journey in life is filled with stories of either successful or not so successful efforts at being happy. The journey continues with acceleration and deceleration.
How dependent is happiness on success?
Also what is success?
Success is time and space dependent. Success for most individuals is determined by the society in which he/she lives. It can range from getting good grades, studying in an Ivy league or premier college, excelling in sports, being an entrepreneur, fancy job, earning better than one's peers!, having fruitful relationships and friends, and so on....
Happiness comes from making a difference to someone's life. We all cannot be Buddhist monks or monks who have mastered the art of being happy in themselves. Our materialistic and consumeristic desires define success for us on a day to day basis.
Striking a balance, it is possible to have self defined success parameter.
My brother asked me what are the five essential things in life.
Immediate reply was:
1. Food
2. Shelter
3. Love (You need someone who accepts your love!)
4. Freedom
5. Work (Passion)
He just heard me and replied that probably these five things vary at different stages of life.
The one universal parameter for success is economic wealth of a person. In a just, equitable society the wealthiest represent the most talented, industrious, capable people. In other words the wealth of a person is directly proportional to the difference she creates to the number of living things (i changed it from human beings).
Making a difference and being acknowledged and rewarded for it, nothing like it. It definitely contributes to happiness.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Peer Pressure and Empathy
50% Genetics, 50% Environment. A very generalized way of striking balance between nature and nurture. It is important to be in the right ecosystem. Sometimes the ecosystem can bring about bad things also, like Lance Armstrong!
Stumbled upon this book, How Peer Pressure Can Transform The World, need to read it.
For those interested in reading how empathy, McDonalds and passion for efficiency has changed eye care, read this..Arvind.
Stumbled upon this book, How Peer Pressure Can Transform The World, need to read it.
For those interested in reading how empathy, McDonalds and passion for efficiency has changed eye care, read this..Arvind.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
World Startup Report
Microsoft accelerator at Bangalore hosted Bowei Gai and Benjamin Joffe who are on world tour to create World Startup Report!
People with fire in the belly who are charting new territories were there. Bowei Gai and Benjamin Joffe successful entrepreneurs and VC's are on a mission to understand and report the ecosystem of the world for startup's. India is their first stop and Bowei will be covering 29 countries and 32 cities by end of this September.
Few numbers:
60,000 startups in US last year!
800 startups in India.
"A billion dollar software tech company is founded every 3 months in USA" Ron Conway.
There have been billion dollar tech companies in China, Japan, Korea, Russia, West Europe, Brazil but none from India so far....................
Makemy trip is probably the only tech company with IPO valued at 550 million $.
Flipkart is next kid on the block.
Discussion about the ecosystem, culture and priorities highlighted the impact on entrepreneurial ambition. The slides can be viewed on slideshare.
Also their effort in understanding Indian culture!!!!!
There was a panel discussion involving the following members.
People with fire in the belly who are charting new territories were there. Bowei Gai and Benjamin Joffe successful entrepreneurs and VC's are on a mission to understand and report the ecosystem of the world for startup's. India is their first stop and Bowei will be covering 29 countries and 32 cities by end of this September.
Few numbers:
60,000 startups in US last year!
800 startups in India.
"A billion dollar software tech company is founded every 3 months in USA" Ron Conway.
There have been billion dollar tech companies in China, Japan, Korea, Russia, West Europe, Brazil but none from India so far....................
Makemy trip is probably the only tech company with IPO valued at 550 million $.
Flipkart is next kid on the block.
Discussion about the ecosystem, culture and priorities highlighted the impact on entrepreneurial ambition. The slides can be viewed on slideshare.
Also their effort in understanding Indian culture!!!!!
There was a panel discussion involving the following members.
Panel 1:
Manish - CEO at Printo
Richa - CEO at Zivame
Shivku - CEO at Exotel
Panel 2:
Amiya - COO at ZipDial
Prateek - COO at MyGola
Rajiv - COO at UrbanLadder
Zivame sells lingerie online and is redefining the market. It is also increasing the market size and has integrated the global delivery model to ensure its success.
Printo is retail printing business. The founder spoke about the gender bias inherent in investors. It appeared as if many missed that point. There was another young entrepreneur Vikas Venugopal who is CEO of Uniper Technology. They provide printing, warehousing support to Universities and educational institutes.
MyGola will help us for panning a trip or vacation.
UrbanLadder provides online shopping for furniture s.
Exotel provides call center support if I am not mistaken. Zivame and Printo have utilised Exotel's service.
Zipdial increases responses to your ads.
The discussion ranged from how the idea came about, challenges, funding, hiring, etc. Audience also had their inputs and questions. A very helpful and lively event.
Established entrepreneurs and aspiring ones can join Open Coffee Club.
The culture is changing. Expect to see lot more people dare to become entrepreneurs. The ecosystem is getting formed from multiple aspects. The fight against corruption, the angst of the young and middle class, the call for empathy, the will to make a difference.
Every time we see a hungry child, a child on the street, homeless, destitute it should move us. 80% action towards entrepreneurship ( dream of inclusive growth), 20% effort towards immediate relief.
"It is important to teach a person to fish but till he is taught it is prudent to give him half a fish".
And very important that one continues to fish......in deep uncharted waters.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Health Is Wealth!
Without health it is difficult to have fun, pleasure, wealth, freedom and drive for reason and responsibility. At times in pursuit of above mentioned things we lose our focus on health and lose health! This is true at individual and country level.
Which country has the best health care system?
Does spending more on healthcare ensure better health?
What is the optimum funding for healthcare?
How health is a linear and non-linear function?
The above questions require research and data collection and analysis. And it will always be a work in progress. Three articles published in Lancet throw some light and make us ponder on health.
Wealth But Not Health In USA The article speaks about the now well known fact that US spends more on health care per person than other G7 countries.
Americans especially American women are having declining health for 30 years. Americans fare badly not only at life span but also at infant mortality, low birth weight, injuries and homicides, teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, drug-related deaths!, obesity, diabetes and heart disease, chronic lung disease, HIV/AIDS prevalence. The data if segregated according to region and economic level will be more revealing about the disparity in health condition.
I suspect there is a great inequality in health care access and outcome within US. This despite the fact that US spends 18% of its GDP on health. The leading European countries range between 9.5 to 12 %. And they have better metrics to show. One thing which i dare to conclude without digging into the data is that probably the level of inequality is less as of today. It will be interesting to note the metrics 5 and 10 years from now as austerity measures get implemented.
Cuba spends on healthcare and has results to show for it also.
What are the lessons for other countries? What model should one follow? How should the government intervene or give incentives for better health. This especially true for young nations like India and China which will have its major population moving above 50 years in coming decade or two.
The Lancet article mentions the following remedies for US.
"Why are Americans at a health disadvantage compared with those in other countries? The fragmented US health-care system, and, in particular, poor access to health care and to primary care, are partly to blame. Lack of insurance, or inadequate insurance, restricts access to health care for many Americans. But the system is not the only problem. Unhealthy behaviours abound in the USA, particularly overeating, drug abuse, and other risk-taking activities such as not wearing motorcycle helmets, drinking and driving, and using firearms. Social and economic conditions in the USA contribute to high incomes for some, but to high poverty and income inequality for others, and to low standards of education. Welfare safety nets are not as robust as they are in other countries. Moreover, cities in the USA are often built around car use, which discourages physical activity and contributes to obesity."
Also it seeks implementation of National Prevention Strategy.
The report mentions the following things:
The Strategy’s seven Priorities are designed to improve health and
wellness for the entire U.S. population, including those groups
disproportionately affected by disease and injury.
• Tobacco Free Living
• Preventing Drug Abuse and Excessive Alcohol Use
• Healthy Eating
• Active Living
• Injury and Violence Free Living
• Reproductive and Sexual Health
• Mental and Emotional Well-Being
My opinion:
1. Behaviors are difficult to change. People who fight fires are normally the heroes and not the one's who prevent fires! We need to glorify fire prev-enters.
2. Corporate's, government, schools, colleges should stress on healthy living. Incentives and recognition should be given to healthy people. Ideal Blood pressure individuals in different age groups, Best Glycemic control in a particular quarter, Best Aerobic capacity person, etc etc.
3. Role of viruses in causing infections, chronic diseases and cancers should be highlighted. Vaccinations should be explained.
We need not have to wait to implement these strategies in Emerging Countries. Every nation stands to benefit by rewarding healthy living.
Other articles to read:
1. Guardian
2. UC Atlas
3. PBS Newshour-How US Compares
A slightly different view!
So what are you going to do to stay healthy?
Friday, January 18, 2013
Unequal India-Harsh Mander
In the last couple of days I have heard from Ash In The Belly-India's Unfinished Battle Against Hunger to what I call,Fire In The Belly-The World Startup Meet. More of World Startup Meet in the next post. There are learning and synergies in both.
From socialism to capitalism, from liberal economy, free markets to government intervention-the struggle has been and is to integrate the have not's with have's. What I mean is how do we ensure that society grows cohesively and basic human needs need not be a concern for anybody.
Harsh Mander spoke on Unequal India and stirred the audience to activate their empathy. The empathy which we all are trying to hide or disregard. He quoted Amartya Sen and mentioned that there is an universal need for 'Nyaya' or a sense of justice. Three essential human traits are empathy, reason and love of freedom. In this he laid stress on empathy and kept it as the running theme throughout the lecture. There is empathy demonstrated by each one of us but we find limits to it. The challenge is how to increase the capacity of this empathy and sustain it. He referred to the recent protest by large number of students in Delhi and other places in support of the Delhi rape victim as an act of empathy. I have my personal doubts on this but his point is worth noting and pondering.
The plight of homeless women living on the streets and being subjected to molestation and other things. We do not hold candle light marches or protests for them.
What it means to be woman and to be homeless!!
We need to demand in the vision of our city, safe shelters for children and women. The empathy needs to translate into action. Schools can be used in the evening and night for this purpose. Government in few parts of the country has done this but we have a long way to go. May be there are better ideas out there which are locked because we have suppressed our empathy.
Harsh Mander asked us to go one step farther and feel compassion for the perpetrators of the crime. Where do these monsters come from? Children on the street who have very less guidance regarding what is right and wrong. There is our moral culpability in not understanding and responding to the inequalities, crimes in and around us, especially concerning children and women.
Disregarding the socialist strain, Harsh mentioned that our time is marred by inequality and indifference. The opposite of love is not hate but indifference. It is of great concern that we are progressively becoming indifferent. We are exiling the poor and their suffering from our conscience and consciousness. The popular cinema of today reflects this exiling.
The inequality is perpetuated and legitimized by three legacies which we have inherited. The Indian caste system, British class system-good family and bad family, and the American neo-liberal consumerism.
The concept of merit, the way we define it, was questioned by Harsh. It is not that the best are occupying the best positions. Most of us in enviable positions have been blessed by luck and circumstances. The sense of privilege and entitlement is misplaced when we base our success on merit. We shrug our shoulders and disregard that the game is not played on an equal ground. The Right To Education Act (RTE) has brought to the fore the reluctance and prejudice of the elite, privileged class. The school desegregation in US in 1960's had similar kind of discussions. There is de facto class segregation in schools. The resistance to 25% of seats being reserved for under-privileged children in elite schools comes from our moral acceptance of inequality.
Legitimization of prejudice was another point which he stressed. Minority bashing especially the universal drawing room discussions about Muslims. The sense of seeking justice for historical wrongs. The work done with victims of Gujarat riots. Story about a high empathy person called Yusuf. Yusuf's stint with Bodos and many other heart wrenching stories also formed part of Harsh's lecture.
The talk was organised by Azim Premji University. Many thanks to them. The following links should be of help to those interested.
1.Ash In The Belly
2.World Startup Report
3.Right To Education
4.Desegregation of Schools in US
5.Azim Premji University and their videos.
There were lot of questions from young and old. The questions will get translated into action and we have a long way to go before we eliminate undernourishment in children. One in two children in India are malnourished today. Focusing on elimination of hunger in children and satisfying their quest for knowledge can go a long way in developing India and the world.
From socialism to capitalism, from liberal economy, free markets to government intervention-the struggle has been and is to integrate the have not's with have's. What I mean is how do we ensure that society grows cohesively and basic human needs need not be a concern for anybody.
Harsh Mander spoke on Unequal India and stirred the audience to activate their empathy. The empathy which we all are trying to hide or disregard. He quoted Amartya Sen and mentioned that there is an universal need for 'Nyaya' or a sense of justice. Three essential human traits are empathy, reason and love of freedom. In this he laid stress on empathy and kept it as the running theme throughout the lecture. There is empathy demonstrated by each one of us but we find limits to it. The challenge is how to increase the capacity of this empathy and sustain it. He referred to the recent protest by large number of students in Delhi and other places in support of the Delhi rape victim as an act of empathy. I have my personal doubts on this but his point is worth noting and pondering.
The plight of homeless women living on the streets and being subjected to molestation and other things. We do not hold candle light marches or protests for them.
What it means to be woman and to be homeless!!
We need to demand in the vision of our city, safe shelters for children and women. The empathy needs to translate into action. Schools can be used in the evening and night for this purpose. Government in few parts of the country has done this but we have a long way to go. May be there are better ideas out there which are locked because we have suppressed our empathy.
Harsh Mander asked us to go one step farther and feel compassion for the perpetrators of the crime. Where do these monsters come from? Children on the street who have very less guidance regarding what is right and wrong. There is our moral culpability in not understanding and responding to the inequalities, crimes in and around us, especially concerning children and women.
Disregarding the socialist strain, Harsh mentioned that our time is marred by inequality and indifference. The opposite of love is not hate but indifference. It is of great concern that we are progressively becoming indifferent. We are exiling the poor and their suffering from our conscience and consciousness. The popular cinema of today reflects this exiling.
The inequality is perpetuated and legitimized by three legacies which we have inherited. The Indian caste system, British class system-good family and bad family, and the American neo-liberal consumerism.
The concept of merit, the way we define it, was questioned by Harsh. It is not that the best are occupying the best positions. Most of us in enviable positions have been blessed by luck and circumstances. The sense of privilege and entitlement is misplaced when we base our success on merit. We shrug our shoulders and disregard that the game is not played on an equal ground. The Right To Education Act (RTE) has brought to the fore the reluctance and prejudice of the elite, privileged class. The school desegregation in US in 1960's had similar kind of discussions. There is de facto class segregation in schools. The resistance to 25% of seats being reserved for under-privileged children in elite schools comes from our moral acceptance of inequality.
Legitimization of prejudice was another point which he stressed. Minority bashing especially the universal drawing room discussions about Muslims. The sense of seeking justice for historical wrongs. The work done with victims of Gujarat riots. Story about a high empathy person called Yusuf. Yusuf's stint with Bodos and many other heart wrenching stories also formed part of Harsh's lecture.
The talk was organised by Azim Premji University. Many thanks to them. The following links should be of help to those interested.
1.Ash In The Belly
2.World Startup Report
3.Right To Education
4.Desegregation of Schools in US
5.Azim Premji University and their videos.
There were lot of questions from young and old. The questions will get translated into action and we have a long way to go before we eliminate undernourishment in children. One in two children in India are malnourished today. Focusing on elimination of hunger in children and satisfying their quest for knowledge can go a long way in developing India and the world.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Building & Managing Products For Emerging Markets-Healthcare Specific
INDIA-BANGALORE
One good thing leads to another.Thanks to Eventbrite.
On Saturday attended a talk on "Building & Managing Products For Emerging Markets", by Ravi Kaushik. Ravi Kaushik is the Global Product Manager-Director at Wipro GE Healthcare. He presently is focusing on Maternal and Infant Division. Under this they have come out with a Lullaby Warmer. The whole iterative process in bringing out this product and tailoring to India was discussed in detail. The challenges from price sensitivity to recommendations by end user were all part of the discussion. The effort of around 4 years with inputs from various sources collected meticulously has resulted in world class product at Indian price! This product is now exported to developed countries also. Ravi highlighted the learning with fair bit of anecdotes, analogues and personal nuggets. Few examples-how the bottom of the pyramid varies from country to country, ice-berg pyramid.
The audience was entrepreneurs, Nokiaites, few techies and other product leadership institute students (I am limited in my knowledge about the participants).
The way the cell phones have penetrated the market was also part of discussion. Also it was highlighted that certain quality issues are a must in few companies which the competitors may not be adhering to. The Nokia person mentioned that each Nokia handset has to go through a Radiation emission test and this adds to cost of each set by 8$. Now we are not sure whether the local cell phone handset manufacturers test their phones or not! If it is not mandatory or not required by law, will companies be doing it voluntarily?
The event was organized by Institute of Product Leadership and Adaptive Marketing.
It is sad to note that there is no licenses or certificates required to enter the healthcare devices market. Anybody can produce warmers, ECG machines etc and sell them. The story goes that an influential Diary Owner entered the baby warmer market, sold around 800 odd units and now is back in diary business!
Few learnings;
1. The corporate world/MNC's do take lot of pain to understand sector like healthcare through primary and secondary research but there are still lot of gaps.
2. Healthcare has complex behavioral patterns influenced by economic and other considerations. The end consumer may be a doctor, hospital, government or the patient ! Each one presents an unique challenge in terms of market, penetration and scalability.
3. Out of pocket expenditure is the prevalent mode of healthcare expenditure in the larger part of the country. They are ready to go in debt and pay if they are convinced of the value. How the value is communicated or demonstrated is the key! The behavior of doctors and how they look at products is something which is not universally known, studied or accepted. The laws of economics also work on them!
4. Lack of FDA kind of approval in healthcare devices leaves the field wide open for all kind of jugaad!
5. Indian market pushes everyone to innovate and offer the best price. The sad or unfortunate part is the "push" is not always from the end consumer or beneficial to the end consumer.
6. Specific to warmers or products related to infants and maternal care, the lower birth rate areas will have greater market for these products. This may seem paradoxical. One may think that the areas with high infant mortality rate should be the first to have products aimed at reducing infant mortality rate! That is true provide it is funded through government. Low birth rate goes hand in hand with literacy and greater economic freedom. This makes investing in the 'precious' child a must.
7. Healthcare requires manufacturing, services, consultancy and educational support! What i mean is that manufacturing, services, consultancy and education specific to healthcare are very much in need.
One good thing leads to another.Thanks to Eventbrite.
The audience was entrepreneurs, Nokiaites, few techies and other product leadership institute students (I am limited in my knowledge about the participants).
The way the cell phones have penetrated the market was also part of discussion. Also it was highlighted that certain quality issues are a must in few companies which the competitors may not be adhering to. The Nokia person mentioned that each Nokia handset has to go through a Radiation emission test and this adds to cost of each set by 8$. Now we are not sure whether the local cell phone handset manufacturers test their phones or not! If it is not mandatory or not required by law, will companies be doing it voluntarily?
The event was organized by Institute of Product Leadership and Adaptive Marketing.
It is sad to note that there is no licenses or certificates required to enter the healthcare devices market. Anybody can produce warmers, ECG machines etc and sell them. The story goes that an influential Diary Owner entered the baby warmer market, sold around 800 odd units and now is back in diary business!
Few learnings;
1. The corporate world/MNC's do take lot of pain to understand sector like healthcare through primary and secondary research but there are still lot of gaps.
2. Healthcare has complex behavioral patterns influenced by economic and other considerations. The end consumer may be a doctor, hospital, government or the patient ! Each one presents an unique challenge in terms of market, penetration and scalability.
3. Out of pocket expenditure is the prevalent mode of healthcare expenditure in the larger part of the country. They are ready to go in debt and pay if they are convinced of the value. How the value is communicated or demonstrated is the key! The behavior of doctors and how they look at products is something which is not universally known, studied or accepted. The laws of economics also work on them!
4. Lack of FDA kind of approval in healthcare devices leaves the field wide open for all kind of jugaad!
5. Indian market pushes everyone to innovate and offer the best price. The sad or unfortunate part is the "push" is not always from the end consumer or beneficial to the end consumer.
6. Specific to warmers or products related to infants and maternal care, the lower birth rate areas will have greater market for these products. This may seem paradoxical. One may think that the areas with high infant mortality rate should be the first to have products aimed at reducing infant mortality rate! That is true provide it is funded through government. Low birth rate goes hand in hand with literacy and greater economic freedom. This makes investing in the 'precious' child a must.
7. Healthcare requires manufacturing, services, consultancy and educational support! What i mean is that manufacturing, services, consultancy and education specific to healthcare are very much in need.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Creative Jab 2
There are flowers
Which Smile
Only to deceive
There are waves
Which Kiss
Only to retreat
There is light
Which delights
On being dual
There are clouds
Which Gather
Only to disperse
There is earth
Which Tolerates
Only to betray future
There are truths
Which Hide
Only to wither
Which Smile
Only to deceive
There are waves
Which Kiss
Only to retreat
There is light
Which delights
On being dual
There are clouds
Which Gather
Only to disperse
There is earth
Which Tolerates
Only to betray future
There are truths
Which Hide
Only to wither
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Question and Answers During Globalization, Development & Inequality
1. Which of India's growth rate is the norm? 6% or the 9% range?
The panelists answered this indirectly. They said India's growth at 9% can be the norm! But the 9% was not uniform or healthy. We need to find ways and means of ensuring 9% plus growth without impact on climate, ecology and without increasing inequality!
2. Question about Russia.
In Russia there has been an increase in inequality. The average life span has declined. This is more in tune with the fact that Russia has become a rent seeking economy.
3. Is Democracy a prerequisite for reducing inequality?
The answer if i infer correctly from Joseph Stiglitz is that it is not. The relationship between democracy and inequality is very complex. He mentioned that it was mentioned in textbooks that Russia grew because it was not a democracy and when it started stagnating it was blamed that it was because it is not a democracy!
4. In times of change there is a rise in inequality, example-railways, information technology etc. Is change the driver of inequality?
The panelists mentioned that this the typical argument of mainstream economists. The question of inequality cannot be left to be answered by market forces. Government has to intervene to reduce inequality by various measures.
5. Taxation
Discussion about the need to have Cayman Islands! Why should the speculators and other irrational risk takers should be taxed less then the people who are productive like researchers, industry workers etc.
Few other points and my ruminations.
Information asymmetry was mentioned as a reason for inequality. This is always going to be there. Also the fact that 1% of Americans hold 35% of wealth will hold true when we look at wealth of nations. The G7 nations may hold disproportionate amount of wealth and also consume disproportionately. This is due the technology lead which the developed countries have. This cannot be eliminated in near future. This asymmetry in information is protected by various policies, laws and regulations. When this question was posed to Joseph Stiglitz he replied that China and India will have to work together and bring a change in this. This calls for laws which will be more in favor of developing countries.
Disclaimer: I have missed few question. Also the interpretation of answers might me prejudiced because of my beliefs or disbelief!
The panelists answered this indirectly. They said India's growth at 9% can be the norm! But the 9% was not uniform or healthy. We need to find ways and means of ensuring 9% plus growth without impact on climate, ecology and without increasing inequality!
2. Question about Russia.
In Russia there has been an increase in inequality. The average life span has declined. This is more in tune with the fact that Russia has become a rent seeking economy.
3. Is Democracy a prerequisite for reducing inequality?
The answer if i infer correctly from Joseph Stiglitz is that it is not. The relationship between democracy and inequality is very complex. He mentioned that it was mentioned in textbooks that Russia grew because it was not a democracy and when it started stagnating it was blamed that it was because it is not a democracy!
4. In times of change there is a rise in inequality, example-railways, information technology etc. Is change the driver of inequality?
The panelists mentioned that this the typical argument of mainstream economists. The question of inequality cannot be left to be answered by market forces. Government has to intervene to reduce inequality by various measures.
5. Taxation
Discussion about the need to have Cayman Islands! Why should the speculators and other irrational risk takers should be taxed less then the people who are productive like researchers, industry workers etc.
Few other points and my ruminations.
Information asymmetry was mentioned as a reason for inequality. This is always going to be there. Also the fact that 1% of Americans hold 35% of wealth will hold true when we look at wealth of nations. The G7 nations may hold disproportionate amount of wealth and also consume disproportionately. This is due the technology lead which the developed countries have. This cannot be eliminated in near future. This asymmetry in information is protected by various policies, laws and regulations. When this question was posed to Joseph Stiglitz he replied that China and India will have to work together and bring a change in this. This calls for laws which will be more in favor of developing countries.
Disclaimer: I have missed few question. Also the interpretation of answers might me prejudiced because of my beliefs or disbelief!
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
'Globalization, Development and Inequality' by Joseph Stiglitz, Ravi Kanbur and Robert Wade
Notes and other points from
APU Public Lecture: 'Globalization, Development and Inequality' by Joseph Stiglitz, Ravi Kanbur and Robert Wade
Why is inequality rising? What are the costs and consequences of inequality? Can governments worldwide intervene and regulate to decrease/eliminate inequality? The government policies, laws and structure are built in such a fashion that the rich get richer and poor become poorer. How the recent economic crisis has deepened this divide. Joseph Stiglitz with few stories brought the above points into consideration. The discussion with his colleagues from Cornell and London School of Economics did stimulate a few grey cells and roused emotions.
In US the bankruptcy laws are lenient on banks and corporate while they will not budge in case of educational loans. The political system is also responsible for fostering this inequality. As the rich and super rich donate the election campaigns, the subsequent government form laws and structures more lucrative to their well being.
Ravi Kanbur highlighted with series of case studies the role of government in Taiwan, China, Ghana in addressing the issue of inequality. Land reforms formed a starting point in Taiwan for equitable growth. The same holds true in case of South Korea. In Ghana the divide between north and south is stark because of geographical vagary. The south grows products which can be exported and this raised the inequality after the exports boomed. So the parameters measured may show that Ghana has grown and inequality is decreasing but the divide between North and South has grown larger. This is actively being addressed by the government of Ghana.
In China the first 15 years of growth saw reduction of inequality because of agricultural growth. As the country relied more on export oriented growth the inequality started widening. The difference between coastal and heartland china is something which Chinese government is trying to rectify by increasing investments in mainland china.
Between inflation and unemployment governments normally tend to address inflation. This according to the panelists helps the larger organizations and raises inequality.
They also mentioned that GDP may not be the right metric to measure economic progress.
Saturday, January 05, 2013
Fiction-I want you back!
I woke up restless in the middle of the night. There was this queer sensation in the stomach. I did not want to touch the laptop. For last 4 days I have been stalking. Reading the same thing again and again. Agonizing moments. Trying to make sense of the end. A relation built over many years, to be precise few decades. Unshakable foundation. How did this come to an end? Why should good things come to an end? Why should one love a person more then his own life? Why should one idolize? His success had become mine. His conquests gave a sense of joy never had before. Life revolved around him. Ecstasy, joy, sadness, intense anger, all were associated with him. He gave meaning to life and life centered around him. Why is it difficult to accept that he needs to move on. It must be tough for him also but still feel that I have been cheated by him. I need him more today then ever before, but it had always been like that. He gave strength and always was the indispensable guy. Should have known that this fanaticism would be lethal to me.
Trying to come to terms with the reality. Tomorrow will make him understand that this is not the time to say goodbye. Will convince him that he can still perform. His mere presence will give hope to me. Will assure him that he still has it in him to send shivers down one's spine.
I will tell Sachin personally. Will ask others to join me in my cry " Sachin Tendulkar, you can perform, just do it, nothing is impossible!".
Trying to come to terms with the reality. Tomorrow will make him understand that this is not the time to say goodbye. Will convince him that he can still perform. His mere presence will give hope to me. Will assure him that he still has it in him to send shivers down one's spine.
I will tell Sachin personally. Will ask others to join me in my cry " Sachin Tendulkar, you can perform, just do it, nothing is impossible!".
Musings
Short
The Dream
Pleasant it is
Long
The Real(Life)
Curse it is
Dream
Becomes Real
Life it is
Attached
For long
Stifling it is
Detachment
An attempt
Pain it is
The Dream
Pleasant it is
Long
The Real(Life)
Curse it is
Dream
Becomes Real
Life it is
Attached
For long
Stifling it is
Detachment
An attempt
Pain it is
Friday, January 04, 2013
Bubbles in Research, Education and Healthcare
Few years back we witnessed the housing bubble coming to an end. Its effects are still being felt. The internet bubble in 2000-2001 led to the creation of infrastructure.Japanese are still to recover from the bubble which ended in 1989. There have been numerous bubbles and busts in history documented. Also considered as business cycle this is considered by some as inevitable and also beneficial. The governments try their best to avoid this as it brings the survival of the fittest to a very crude form! We are yet to learn the art of growing without creating bubbles. Trade, economics and financial market have made their contribution and we need to be thankful to them. In the new era we will have to learn the art of creating mini bubbles from which survival is easier and the pain is short lived.
The latest making the rounds is education bubble and healthcare bubble in US. It will be interesting to see if there is a bubble, and when it will burst. Can we anticipate the consequences of this bubble burst?
There are lot of countries in the world which would aspire to have a bubble in their education and healthcare sector!
Similarly can scientific research suffer from bubbles? The link is to an article which predicted something like that in 2010 http://chronicle.com/article/Will-the-Biomedical-Research/124981/ Bubbles predicted too early have limited impact on the behavior of people.
It is happening with respect to NIH funds. What will be the impact and when the impact will happen are questions which require more analysis and some speculative work. Does the nature of certain research demand that they have bubbles. Without the failures we would not have had our successes? How do i calculate the return on investment of Human Genome Project? What time frame should one be looking at?
Researchers do have fiscal responsibility. But how does one define it?
Similar thoughts can be expressed about healthcare. Solutions can be varied but difficult to implement as they require behavioral changes. Most behavioral changes happen because of pain or right incentives provided at the inflection point. What incentives can be provided to hospitals, doctors, pharmaceutical industry and patients to contain the so called emerging bubble?
The bubble in education will create bonded laborers new era. There are efforts to prevent this.
Why is it so difficult to learn from bubbles in other sectors? Why is it difficult to contain bubbles after having recognized their formation?
Does nature operate through bubbles?
"Unbridled growth in any sector acts as cancer to the ecosystem called life" Pruning either by nature or by humans, if they can, reduce malignant insults.
Thursday, January 03, 2013
Creative Jab
In search of leisure
We create treasure
And lose leisure
In search of peace
We become violent
And lose peace
In search of best
We become blind
And lose good
In search of love
We become blind
To the love we have
Such is life
That without searching
Life is bland
Keep searching
For life is
Both inside and outside
We create treasure
And lose leisure
In search of peace
We become violent
And lose peace
In search of best
We become blind
And lose good
In search of love
We become blind
To the love we have
Such is life
That without searching
Life is bland
Keep searching
For life is
Both inside and outside
Wednesday, January 02, 2013
Duplicate Driving License-Bangalore
I am one of those unfortunate person who lost his wallet in a flight. This made me to apply for a duplicate driving license. Last year i had got my driving license registered locally as it was issued in Maharashtra. The whole process of address change, smart card and an international driving license was done through an agent. This time i did not want to go through the agent. Preliminary inquiries suggested that i need to file a police complaint and also get an affidavit. When i went to the police station he asked me to get the affidavit first. At this juncture i did the google search and came across this useful blog! In the discussion section it was mentioned that there is no need for police fir/acknowledgement. With this and also the information on the RTO website made me confidently go to Indiranagar BDA complex. There the work of affidavit was done in few minutes time by one called Raju. He works for Mr.Krihnamurthy. Assuming that duplicate DL can be issued by any RTO i went to the Indiranagar RTO. The lady asked for police acknowledgement but when i mentioned that it is not necessary, she agreed! But i had a different ordeal. They searched for my name in their database and it was not found. When i mentioned that my smart card DL was issued in K R Puram RTO, they said i need to go there. When i reach K R Puram RTO, there is a big line. The person goes through our documents and puts his initials after which we are to pay the fees. This guy was adamant that i need to get the police acknowledgement. I waited for sometime and then again stood in the line. This time i mentioned that i have a friend in Hubli RTO with whom i verified about the police slip. According to his suggestion i am requesting you. He looked at me uneasily and put his initials. He however mentioned that he cannot make exceptions and he does not have the authority to wive it off. So he wanted his superior to authorize. The superior did the needful with much ado. After paying the fees, the photograph and fingerprint was taken. The data entry operator verified the details and finally i received the acknowledgement slip. I am keeping my fingers crossed as i am yet to receive my smart card DL.
So what did i learn?
1. The police acknowledgement is not a must.
2. The K R Puram RTO is not that well staffed as the Indiranagar one.
So what did i learn?
1. The police acknowledgement is not a must.
2. The K R Puram RTO is not that well staffed as the Indiranagar one.
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