“Be Indian, fly Indian” could have been the subliminal message that they wanted to convey when they (whoever they are) decided that it would be good to change the name of the airline to “Indian” from “Indian Airlines.” As I have pondered that change of name before on this blog, I will move on. I only mention this because yesterday I was flying Indian to get from Mumbai to Bhubaneswar. I am attending the “International Conference on Entrepreneurship and Innovation” at the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar.
Continue reading “Innovation and Entrepreneurship at XIMB”
Author: Atanu Dey
Economist.
Goodbye and Thanks for all the Noodles
This post will make no sense to most people who have not had the experience of being an impoverished student in the US. Very few who read this blog can relate to Top Ramen. But for those of you who do, I am sure you would be saddened to learn of the passing of Momofuku Ando, who died in Ikeda, near Osaka, at 96, the inventor of ramen, according to this appreciation in the NY Times. [Hat tip: Shrikant.] Mr Ando invented ramen noodles way back in 1958.
Continue reading “Goodbye and Thanks for all the Noodles”
Blogspot Censored?
If you have been unable to access blogspot today (as I have been), then here is a work around. Use Anonymouse.org.
This public service announcement has been made possible by a grant from the Freedom Foundation (which hopes to have an office in India in a few centuries.)
Minds Without Fear
The Atlantic Monthly recently published a list of The Top 100 most influential Americans. Arguably, many on that list would also make it into a list called “The Top 100 Most Influential People” as well. Indeed, the modern world is defined and shaped by many on that Atlantic Monthly list. It is remarkable how much the world of today (both good and bad) owes to those who were, and are, Americans. In every broad area of human endeavor—science, technology, politics, economics, law, medicine, education, literature, architecture—Americans have made seminal contributions.
Continue reading “Minds Without Fear”
The Utility of Suffering
The question of the utility of suffering has been asked for as long as sentient beings have walked the earth, I suppose. And it is unlikely that it would be answered any time soon — an answer that does not insult the head nor outrage the heart, that is.
Continue reading “The Utility of Suffering”
Zen and the Art of Development
I was asked recently to ask a quotable question. My facetious response was that I only ask quotable questions. But I did consider the request seriously for a bit, and among the numerous questions that I wish people would ask themselves, I selected one that I think is particularly worthy in the context of development and economic growth. The question is this—and you may quote me freely—is there any instance of a technological development that was specifically created for the poor? The same question in the policy arena would translate into: is there any instance of a policy which was ostensibly pro-poor which actually helped the poor?
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A Trivial Economics Question — Part 2
Yesterday I posed a couple of trivial economics questions. The first was: “I have an object X that I wish to assign (gift or give away) to one of three: A, B, or C. How do I determine whom to give it to if I am concerned about allocative efficiency? Assume that A, B, and C have different preferences and abilities to pay.”
Continue reading “A Trivial Economics Question — Part 2”
A Trivial Economics Question
Here is the story. I have an object X that I wish to assign (gift or give away) to one of three: A, B, or C. How do I determine whom to give it to if I am concerned about allocative efficiency? Assume that A, B, and C have different preferences and abilities to pay.
To put a nice twist to the story, what if I am also concerned about equity? That is, although I have only one object X, I don’t want to be unfair to the other two who will not get the object X. What is the best way—the mechanism—to resolve this issue?
Of course, the answer changes if I don’t wish to give more than just the object X, as opposed to the case where I am willing to give more than X just for the sake of being fair to all three.
Finally, a real world situation. My siblings and I have inherited our parents’ property. The eldest occupies it, but the other three (including me), are waiting for our share. What is the most economically efficient way to distribute the value of the property if the property itself is indivisible?
Your views are solicited. Let’s see if we can find answers to the questions that we find satisfactory. And if we do, perhaps we will understand a little more about the question of how economies work. That is the beauty of economics. From seemingly trivial—though interesting—questions, one can gain insight into larger questions.
POST SCRIPT: I made the mistake of putting two entirely different scenarios on the same post. So there is much confusion. I wish to clarify that the “efficient allocation of an object X” is a seperate matter from the “fair and efficient distribution of an indivisible inherited property.” Conflating the two was not my intention.
IIT-Inspire, Invovle, and Transform — 2
[Continued from Part 1 of this series.]
Made Up Stuff
Naturally, I was not part of the organizing committee and so I can’t know how they chose the keynote speakers of Dec 23rd at the Pan IIT 2006 meet. Therefore, I give in to wild conjecture. Consider this a sort of “reverse process engineering.”
“We need to choose a keynote speaker.”
“Yes, but to attract a wide range of audience, we must have more than one. Let’s set the parameters first. How about someone who appeals to technologists, as we are all techies. At the other end of the scale we have to have someone who widely regarded as a spiritual leader. Most of all, we must have famous personalities.”
“I guess that is a great strategy. We must have complete and comprehensive coverage of the entire spectrum. We need the commies as well as the capitalists amongst us satisfied. So, we must get a money bag to be a keynote speaker. Married speakers as well as bachelors.” Continue reading “IIT-Inspire, Invovle, and Transform — 2”
R U MAD ??????
HELLO,
PLEASE STOP WRITING NONSENSE ABOUT OUR GURUJI SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR JI. HE WILL NOT EVEN GET A SINGLE PENNY OUT OF ART OF LIVING ORGANISATION. HE IS STRUGGLING SO HARD DAY & NIGHT TRAVELLING ALL OVER THE WORLD FOR PEACE AND A SMILE FROM HEART. I GUESS YOUR LIFE MUST BE FULL OF TROUBLES..NO DOUBT ABOUT IT….STOP JUDGING ABOUT GURUJI..YOUR LIFE WILL BE PATHETIC AND IT IS ALREADY PATHETIC…STOP ALL YOUR BULLSHIT AND RUBBISH. ATLEAST JOIN THE BASIC PART 1 COURSE YOU WILL CHANGE. MY LIFE TOTALLY CHANGED BECAUSE OF GURUJI OTHERWISE IT COULD HAVE BEEN MISERABLE. TRUST ME HE IS GOD.. YOU WILL REALISE ONCE YOU DO THE COURSE. I’M NOT HERE TO HURT YOU..PLEASE REALISE GURUJI IS A GOD’S GIFT. HE IS VERY VERY NICE PERSON ON THE EARTH. I CAN NOT REPAY HIM FOR EVER. MY FEE IS NOT AT ALL WORTH…I GIVE MY WHOLE LIFE TO GURUJI..ONCE AGAIN PLEASE STOP ALL YOUR RUBSIH AND REALISE….YOU WILL SEE A BEAUTIFUL WORLD.
JAI GURUDEV
HEMANTH
[Thus wrote Hemanth {previously published email address removed}. I would be embarrassed if I had such worshippers. Sri Sri Ravishankar, please read and weep. To answer your worshipper who asked if I was mad, I assure you that I am merely confused, not mad. I am confused regarding why your worshippers write such emails to me when I have not written a single negative comment about their “Gurudev.” Gurudevji, if you are here for the first time, please read my final word on you.]
Atanu Dey : Life is a Random Draw 