Currency Ban, Beef Ban, Alcohol Ban. Doing Business in the Current Indian Environment
“Ban” seems to be the buzzword in India right now. One would have imagined a widespread uproar against the recent initiatives being taken. After all, Indians are fiercely free willed. On the contrary, the sentiment
India, The Third World
Should India subscribe to free market principles? Can India overtake the US? Here are some quotes from my book: India, The Third World.
The Road to Serfdom is Paved with Good Intentions
The Road to Serfdom is a singularly influential book published in 1944. The book was written by the Nobel Prize-winning economist Friedrich Hayek and is probably the single most popular book on economic theory to be read and known, thanks to the Reader’s
Bitcoin: Herald for Free Markets?
Imagine a currency that does not belong to any one country, owes no allegiance to geographical or political borders and exists only in virtual form. Now imagine the impact on the economies of the world when confronted by this relative newcomer in the currency category. Today, bitcoin is the most widespread Internet currency. It is
India Achieves its Highest Ever Score on the Index of Economic Freedom
India achieved its highest ever score on the 2016 Index of Economic Freedom. India’s score of 56.2 gave it the 123rd rank among the 178 countries ranked by this index. India was ranked the 25th among the xx nations in the Asia Pacific region. The 123rd
Donald Trump: American Dream Coming True?
Donald Trump has been referring to the American Dream being over. And, of course, about how he would play an instrumental, as President, in reviving this dream. I wonder if Donald Trump actually understands the American Dream, and whether his policies are in synch
Apple vs the FBI – A Case of Privacy vs Security
On December 2, 2015, two terrorists, Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people and injured 22 others in the city of San Bernardino, California. The couple were shot dead by the police in a shootout following a chase.
Sharad Joshi: An Economist Who Worked for India’s Farmers
Exiting 2015, India lost one of her free market champions, Sharad Anantarao Joshi. At a time when farmer suicides are becoming rampant across the nation, someone like Joshi, with his ideas for agriculture, will be sorely missed. Many have called
A Constitutional Monarchy that is a Free Market – The Paradox of Bahrain
The kingdom of Bahrain is no more than an archipelago consisting of thirty islands in the Persian Gulf. However, when it comes to liberalism of economy, it surprisingly leads most countries of the world. The 2015 Index of Economic
Rakesh Wadhwa. Ever since, I was a school boy, I knew India was on the wrong path. Socialism was just not what we needed to get ahead. Government controlled our travel; government controlled our ability to buy and sell; and government controlled our freedom to move our money. My life has focused on the inherent rights people have. When I was in college, I never understood, what the governments meant by their "socialistic attitude". If people are free to buy, sell and move their capital themselves without any restrictions by state, then the welfare of people is inevitable & hence the countries they live in will become wealthy. The government has no right whatsoever, to point a finger at me or my business. I am not a revolutionary. I just want to light up my cigarette and not get nagged about it. I believe in non-interfering attitude to attain more. 
The Bastiat Award is a journalism award, given annually by the International Policy Network, London. Bastiat Prize entries are judged on intellectual content, the persuasiveness of the language used and the type of publication in which they appear. Rakesh Wadhwa won the 3rd prize (a cash award of $1,000 and a candlestick), in 2006.
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