Bibek Debroy

Reaction to Omicron and nation’s recovery

The economy is rebounding as shown by a broad set of indicators. However knee-jerk reactions to Omicron can derail growth prospects and recovery.

08 Jan 2022

NFHS and why surveys are better than asking a cab driver

When a survey throws up numbers that don’t tally with our intuitive anecdotal perceptions, we instantly reject it. ‘I spoke to some people and they don’t believe this’ is sufficient to do so

13 Dec 2021

Those who deserve to be in the doghouse

The number of strays in India is declining and will come down even more. If it is not a stray, I don’t understand a person’s antipathy towards a dog.

13 Nov 2021

When Galbraith & Friedman were in agreement

John Kenneth Galbraith was ideologically far removed from Milton Friedman. So if they both had similar views about India’s economic plans, there must have been something wrong

16 Oct 2021

Five-Year Plans and the myth of Harrod-Domar

Students learning economics and preparing for competitive tests have always been taught that the First Plan’s model was Harrod-Domar. But that may not be wholly correct

17 Sep 2021

Roots of planning and policy errors

In portrayals of policy, if someone says alternatives to state intervention and state control were mooted in the 1940s and early 1950s, that’s simply not true

21 Aug 2021

Covid: Death numbers are taxing

Policy formulation requires good data. The pandemic has flagged not only weaknesses in the health infrastructure, particularly in some states, but also data issues in the nation.

17 Jul 2021

Coronavirus origins: A trout in the milk

Contrary to the fair idea most people have, circumstantial evidence alone is sufficient to convict, both in civil and criminal cases, even in the absence of direct evidence

19 Jun 2021

Covid culpability: A conspiracy of silence

Across the world, there has been criticism and questions about culpability of governments in handling the crisis. But oddly, few questions are raised about the origin of the virus

22 May 2021

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