Published in East Asia·Jan 21Geography and demography: China through an Indian lensI got a WhatsApp forward that said that the rail density in India was more than that in China. Now, we all know about China’s world class infrastructure and its astonishing high-speed trains. The WhatsApp forward seemed to contradict my understanding of Chinese infrastructure. The seeming contradiction was resolved only…China6 min readChina6 min read
Jan 7Inequality: China through an Indian lensChina is the only country that you can compare with India, given the size, complexity and stage of development of the two countries. Over a series of articles, I will compare the two countries on different dimensions. …China5 min readChina5 min read
Nov 12, 2022Sorting out India’s coal problemAuthors: Yogesh Upadhyaya and Manish Agarwal The one who sorts out India’s coal problems would deserve Bharat Ratna. Yes, we think that the country should confer the highest civilian honor for tackling this challenge! Coal is that important. What do we mean by ‘sorting out’ the country’s coal problems? We…Energy24 min readEnergy24 min read
Sep 10, 2022Why is it difficult for markets to work in the electricity sector ?Authors: Manish Agarwal and Yogesh Upadhyaya “Market forces will resolve all issues in the electricity sector.” We hear this often. We believe that unless you work through the details, this is a lazily held view. Electricity supply is very different from products like ball bearings or ice cream — where…Electricity21 min readElectricity21 min read
Jun 11, 2022How to have some good political discussionsAuthors: Yogesh Upadhyaya and Anurag Gupta (this post is written in first person but is the product of thinking and discussion of both authors) When was the last time you were in a good political discussion? A good political discussion, by my definition, is one where the participants learn something…Political Discussion11 min readPolitical Discussion11 min read
Apr 23, 2022How to communicate complexity? Five tipsDoes your job require you to explain complex concepts? You could be a researcher, a manager or a student and chances are that you struggle with helping others understand your work. I can help. I have been explaining complex economic, technical and social issues for many years. Here are five…Communication Skills5 min readCommunication Skills5 min read
Apr 9, 2022Want to make it easier for business? Make energy cheaper! (REODB 5)Running a business is easier if costs are low. This is something I learnt as a cofounder in my company. The lesson was reinforced two years ago, when I met nearly fifty business leaders across the country and talked to them for hours about their businesses. It seems obvious that…Ease Of Doing Business14 min readEase Of Doing Business14 min read
Mar 12, 2022Punjab will be a very different challenge for AAPThe election results in Punjab may have reminded the Aam Admi Party (AAP) of their sweeping victory in Delhi, but the challenge of running the government would be very different. …Aap6 min readAap6 min read
Mar 5, 2022What can data tell us about modern India?I know I am going to get some dirty looks for saying this, but I read non-fiction books with a pen in hand. I underline the sentences that I like. I mark references for future. Worst of all, I make notes in the margins. I recently read the book —…India12 min readIndia12 min read
Feb 5, 2022Indian States — The superstars, the laggards and the mighty fallenAuthors: SR Ramanujam and Yogesh Upadhyaya Punjab and Maharashtra were economic leaders four decades ago. They are no longer in the top 5! Rajasthan used to be a laggard and now has climbed to somewhere in the middle. Last week, one of us wrote a post on how Uttar Pradesh…Development3 min readDevelopment3 min read