April 2009 - Posts - An Awkward Corner

April 2009 - Posts

Satyam And Public Policy

Posted by Niranjan Rajadhyaksha at 
The government agencies and the interim board that managed to sell Satyam Computer Services to Tech Mahindra deserve credit for a job well done. Read Mint's editorials on this here and here . But what do these last three months tell us about the nature of Indian public policy? The question popped into my mind when I read this piece by Ashoak Upadhyaya...

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Ayn Rand Versus Karl Marx: An Interesting Factoid

Posted by Niranjan Rajadhyaksha at 
"Only in the US and India do searches on Rand beat searches on Marx." That's Eric Crampton on whether people around the world are searching the Internet more frequently for Ayn Rand or Karl Marx --- and what this means. His message to libertarians: "So, Randians, be a bit careful about calling this a Randian moment. Economic crisis...

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Why And How Do We Cheat?

Posted by Niranjan Rajadhyaksha at 
1. Should nurses treating a burn patient rip out bandages assuming he prefers intense pain over a short period time? Or should they take off the bandages slowly assuming that the patient prefers low-intensity pain over a long period of time? 2. Is a person less likely to cheat when he is reminded of an honour code or a religious text? 3. Is there any...

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Burn, Baby Burn --- And Save The World Economy

Posted by Niranjan Rajadhyaksha at 
The latest fashionable idea that has grabbed the attention of desperate policy makers is cash for clunkers --- or the proposal that governments in recession-hit countries should pay consumers to trade it their old vehicles and buy new, fuel-efficient cars. The underlying belief is that demand for new cars will rise and give recession-stricken economies...

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