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Nearly 100 million people are said to have been lifted out of poverty in China since 2012, coinciding with President Xi Jinping's reign as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Indeed, closing the income gap is a stated goal of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) and part of the CCP's objectives till 2035. As resentment of the rich has grown, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi has encouraged the wealthy to embrace austeri

The teacher’s role is redefined because of the pandemic; teachers are stepping into the shoes of a facilitator, mentor, guide, entertainer, innovato

Integrating their economies will help Bangladesh and India rise up global and regional value chains

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, there has been a surge in cases of online child sexual abuse and exploitation (OCSAE) in many parts of the world. This brief discusses the cases of India and Australia. It examines their efforts to combat the increased incidence of OCSAE resulting from greater use of the internet as movement was restricted in response to the pandemic. The brief focuses on India and Australia as bo

The COVID-19 pandemic is taking an enormous toll on health systems across the world. A growing concern is that efforts to manage the pandemic are undermining care for serious non-Covid illnesses such as cancer. In the UK and US, for example, it is estimated that delays in cancer diagnosis and treatment due to COVID-19 will lead to excess cancer deaths in the range of tens of thousands within a year. In India, where health systems are weak, it is

A careful reading of the first quarter estimates of 2022-23 raises quite a few questions about whether the Indian economy is back on the growth path.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear that global health crises are geopolitical events with far-reaching and long-lasting effects across the globe. It creates prodigious disruptions across economic, security, and social sectors, with spillover effects through trade, financial linkages, and tourism, to name the least. This essay argues that as the American-led order in Asia arguably falters, instead of China rushing to fill the post COVID-19 vacuu

Reopening of schools in India must not follow a one-size-fits-all model but should be based on context

2024 could turn out to be a pivotal year for development finance as it would be interesting to see how countries direct their ODA allocations alongsid

As cities emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, they cannot afford a setback in the struggle to build more equitable and resilient urban areas. They must

The regional approach to collectively combat the pandemic may have allowed global institutions such as the United Nations and its agencies to engage r

This brief examines the education crisis that has affected close to 250 million children in India due to school closures implemented as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It underlines that the switch to remote learning has created a “regression in learning” that, while cutting across the entire socio-economic spectrum, has disproportionately affected the poor, and among them, the girls. This pandemic-induced education divide and learning l

Central business districts (CBDs) dominate economic activity in large cities. In India’s capital, New Delhi, for example, Connaught Place is a CBD. Firms relocate to CBDs due to the ease of doing business in such areas owing to retail agglomeration, functional grouping, labour pooling, and the ability to attract talent. However, recent phenomenon such as an increase in remote working, the rise in real estate costs, and the expansion of city lim

Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, India–UK ties remain unfettered to harness new strategic convergences in sync with contemporary realities

With growing digitalisation and amid the ongoing pandemic, India needs to reorient its trade policy with emphasis on developing its own GVCs and upgra

The world needs the vaccine today — not tomorrow — to stop the disease and end the pandemic. We need to embrace the access to medicine movement �

While one can sense the positive sentiments across the market, albeit tentative, there is nothing to suggest that the end of the pandemic is near —

Governments are right to worry about outsiders snapping up struggling companies amid the pandemic.

Vaccine hesitancy among women adds to the risks to economic recovery by prolonging the pandemic.

There is a danger that by focusing entirely on the pandemic Russia and the international community might get distracted from addressing fundamental pr

Safeguarding people’s health has been the global priority amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In Bhutan, emerging lessons show how nutrition and other aspects of health are intricately related to the management of food security during the current crisis, and beyond. The country’s leaders have used moral suasion alongside policy measures to demonstrate that good nutrition need not be a luxury.

The pandemic has offered insights to improve structural flaws in education systems, thus, proper mitigation efforts need to be adopted to reap India�

The behaviour of the COVID-19 pandemic is not particularly unusual with regard to its resurgence as “waves.”

The Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) in the Indo-Pacific are a critical enabler of economic development and prosperity in the region but receive little policy attention. In an era of geopolitical contestation, with regional powers reluctant to exert military effort in preserving exclusive access in ‘contested’ spaces, joint military endeavours remain largely confined to non-traditional areas of security. The COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukr

India's second COVID-19 wave was marked by a daily surge in incident cases and a high prevalence of severe forms of the novel coronavirus. COVID-19–related studies on Indian populations have focused on aspects like seroprevalence, estimating the peak of infections, and vaccine efficacy. However, other lifestyle factors, such as activity levels, are of significance and can broaden our understanding of COVID-19. Across the world, the pandemic lif

It is yet to be seen how successful SMIC will be in competing with more advanced manufacturers like those in Taiwan and Samsung

Effectively managing Sittwe Port in Myanmar will allow India to play a vital role in promoting regional security and stability while also forging valu

The telemedicine sector is booming, however, a proper approach to regulate the sector, as seen in Singapore, is a prerequisite for it to work at scale

Singapore’s predominantly state-based school system and agile policymaking ensure minimal impact of the pandemic on its children

Studies indicate that the sudden deaths among young adults have little to do with the COVID-19 vaccination and a lot more to do with one’s lifestyle

In a country where the healthcare system is already under-equipped to deal with a public health crisis as extensive as the coronavirus, continued hostilities would sabotage any chance of surviving the pandemic.

India’s resilient economy has rebounded from pandemic-induced negative growth, making it a shining prospect in the gloomy global arena

This brief examines state responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, taking the cases of India, Israel, Brazil, Hungary and the United States. It studies the language utilised by the government leaders in these countries and finds extensive war-time semantics. The brief explores the interrelationship of such rhetoric with the legitimisation of extreme measures through the construction of an issue as an “existential threat”— a process analysts call

Russia has long depended on migrant labour. However, the COVID-19 pandemic, the conflict in Ukraine, and a devaluing Ruble have impacted migrants economically. These developments, coupled with institutional hurdles and rising xenophobia in Russia, have pushed migrant labourers to seek alternate employment destinations. Notably, workers from countries such as Kazakhstan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine are swaying away from Russia, even as

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the formal schooling system in India, as it has across the globe, causing massive pressure on the online education sector. This paper analyses the state of digitalised education in India. It outlines current government guidelines on digital-mode schooling, and uses the case of Maharashtra’s five-year-old efforts at digitalising government schools to gauge preparedness for implementing the guidelines. It highl

Many countries imposed stringent lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sweden, however, adopted a ‘soft’ approach of self-imposed social precautions without state regulation. This evoked extensive criticism within and outside the country, especially in view of its high death rates in comparison to its Nordic neighbours. The Swedish government, however, has been steadfast with its strategy. As countries emerge from lockdowns and begi

The pandemic has presented a window of opportunity to reimagine the way we work and imbibe the flexibility to try new ideas such as telecommuting.