Canteen-omics

Let me take it light this bright Sunday morning. No serious policy analysis or advice!

If somebody calls me a “canteen tourist” they wouldn’t be too far off the mark. Much of my research work involves visiting lots of government offices and a few corporations. I always make it…

Call centres; not azaadi

I have always thought that at very low levels of both, most people would choose political freedom over economic freedom. I still think so. It looks like people of J&K have more than very low levels of both. They told a ‘pleasantly surprised’ PM, that they wanted call centres and…

Economic Tools and Parking Toils

After trying to apply the law of supply and demand to the male-female sex ratio and upset with the moral ramifications, here is my hand at archaelogical economy.

The Hindustan Times editorial “Driving a Hard Bargain” posed the following…

Torts, lawyers, and millions

In ‘How to become a millionaire,’ ToI’s November 14 SWAMINOMICS column SWAMINATHAN S ANKLESARIA AIYAR said:

“A month ago, the US pharma giant Merck withdrew its best-selling drug rofecoxib (sold under the brand name Vioxx) after tests proved that it…

Have a Barista Break!

I gleaned quite a few interesting details about fast food retail outlets from my conversation with a few Barista friends.

• Barista’s has everything decided, even the music that is played there is
• decided by the company headquarters. Of…

Water woes and wards

I am guessing! From now on, will my roadside chai (my saviour in winters) be costlier? Reason? Water tariffs have increased across the board in Delhi about five to ten times. Let me add a little preamble.
“Two broad principles were followed in effecting the new tariff structure. The first…

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts…

Two weeks after the US presidential elections, postmortem results continue to flow forth both in America and abroad. While most are busy examining the weaknesses of the Kerry campaign or the hidden strengths of the Bush campaign, a few are still…

Spell Left as LFT

Two major events on Sunday, November 14; one personal and the other national (not counting the great brunch Mana and I hosted with Spanish omelet with ham and bacon and apricot jam from Himachal. That jam can beat the best of them!). Dr Anuradha Mangalpalli, a trustee of CCS from the beginning…

Back to barter!

Imagine you were a tailor with a shop the size of 5 coffins. I couldn’t think of a better spatial analogy! Now atleast 40% of the shop space remains un-utilized. So how do you make use of it? I would balk at opening a cyber cafe (basically setting up 2 computers and connecting them online) in this…