On the road to Liberty

Isn't it ironic that almost everyone agrees that the tiger is a priceless animal, yet, after decades of effort to save the tiger the future of the tiger seem as uncertain as ever. For decades, at every international gathering on wildlife, everyone agonises at the fate of the tiger, but hardly anyone is able to come up with some fresh thinking. In this article, "Save the tiger: Commercial road to conservation" , published in the Economic Times, on 9 April 1999, I look at some of the other species that have made a come back powered by commerce. Recently, the Tiger Forum, an international gathering of countries where tigers are still economy available in the wild, and NGOs, held its meeting in Bombay. Although Project Tiger, the most famous conservation project in India and the world, has just completed its 25th anniversary the delegates did not have anything to cheer. The participants grimly reminded each other of the fall in the number of tigers, and once again predicted ...

My article titled "Save the tiger: Commercial road to conservation" was published in The Economic Times on 9th April 1999. Recently, the Tiger Forum, an international gathering of countries where tigers are still economy available in the wild, and NGOs, held its meeting in Bombay. Although Project Tiger, the most famous conservation project in India and the world, has just completed its 25th anniversary the delegates did not have anything to cheer. The participants grimly reminded each other of the fall in the number of tigers, and once again predicted that tigers may be extinct in the next 5 to 10 years. It might seem ironic that tiger, such a prized animal, is facing extinction, with barely 3600 of them around in India today. While much less valued animals - cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, dogs, etc. - have thrived, because of their value, economic and otherwise, despite being "exploited" for thousands of years. Economics of greed is responsible for the illegal kil...

My article titled "Going Beyond Good Intentions: A look at Amartya Sen" was published in April 1999. In the battle over economics, the victory of the market forces seemed decisive. It had not been easy. Since the days of Adam Smith, the world economy had to cross the turbulent waters of colonialism, mercantilism, socialism, fascism, and communism before liberalisation, globalisation, privatisation, became accepted part of our general vocabulary. But even before the process of consolidation is over, it now seems that free market ideas are faced with insidious threats as never before. Indeed, the popular appeal of socialist ideas was not primarily based on economic principles but on its ethical and political ones - an egalitarian worldview. (Discussions rarely focussed on the morality of the methods that would be necessary to create such a world order.) On the other hand, the advocates of free market rarely went beyond economics and utility, and generally ignored the moral basi...

Socialism has much popular appeal, primarily for ethical and political reasons. Most advocates of the free market economy did not defend it on moral grounds. This is unfortunate. The Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen is one economist who appreciates the connection between ethics and economics, and there are some half truths in his world view. However, good intentions are not enough for alleviation of poverty. My article titled " Sen Or Sense " was published in The Freeman in February 1999. In the battle over economics, the victory of the market seemed decisive. It had not been easy. Since the days of Adam Smith, the world economy had to cross the turbulent waters of colonialism, mercantilism, socialism, fascism, and communism before liberalization, globalization, and privatization became accepted as part of our general vocabulary. But even before the process of consolidation is over, it now seems that free market ideas are faced with insidious threats as never before. Indeed, the po...

My report titled "Liberty Institute ON THE BROADCAST BILL, 1997" was published in July 1997. Summary: We think the electronic media should not be treated differently from the print media, and should enjoy the protection under freedom of speech and the press. Consequently, the electromagnetic spectrum ought to be privatised and a market allowed to develop for trading space on the spectrum. This will ensure the optimum allocation of the spectrum among various users. Introduction Liberty Institute prepared this report suggesting a broad range of modifications to the Broadcast Bill 1997, which was introduced in Parliament in May 1977. Subsequently, the Bill was sent to a specially constituted committee of Parliamentarians from both Houses. The Joint Committee of Parliament (commonly known as the JPC) was made up of 30 senior MPs from all political parties. The Bill reflected a welcome consensus on the need to update the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885. However...

Post script Long before Tata Motor thought of developing a “People’s Car” costing about $2,500, there has been another kind of a car for the masses in socialist India. For over three decades, this indigenously built vehicle has been the mainstay of mass transportation in predominantly rural parts of north India. Reproduced here is my article, “India’s ‘Informal’ Car” , which was originally published on the editorial page in The Asian Wall Street Journal on 26 January 1995. And it remains one of my favourite articles, as it illustrates the tragedy and triumph of India. In “The Other Path,” Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto devoted a whole chapter to detailing how the informal sector provides cheap modes of transportation in poor countries. Here in India, the informal sector is pushing the idea to its limits. We probably have the only informal sector in the world manufacturing its own automobile. If one drives out of Delhi in any direction one is likely to encounter these hybrid vehic...