Urbanomics

The stock market lost confidence, partly due to th...

2012-05-24T15:00:37.734+05:30

The stock market lost confidence, partly due to the concept that telecoms were similar to dot com (both were categorised as 'high technology' in the listings) and share prices tumbled. As they did so the ratio of debt to assets based on share price changed making the telephone operators effective credit rating look insecure.

I think it is more so due to near absence of penal...

2012-05-23T05:58:33.783+05:30

I think it is more so due to near absence of penalty for govt employees in India that make them so complacent. The threat of job loss is almost none.

The oil and gas industry is redefining itself amid...

2012-05-22T16:48:13.007+05:30

The oil and gas industry is redefining itself amid uncertain energy policies and a changing environment. As the pressure to meet future energy demand mounts, global alliances are becoming more critical.

Fibromyalgia is sometimes categorized as primary o...

2012-05-16T12:44:03.336+05:30

Fibromyalgia is sometimes categorized as primary or secondary. In primary fibromyalgia, also known as idiopathic fibromyalgia, the causes are not known whereas in secondary fibromyalgia the causes can be identified. Many experts believe that primary fibromyalgia is not a disease but rather a chronic pain condition brought on by a dysfunctional biologic response to stress. Individuals are thought to be more susceptible to stress because of traumatic personal histories, genetic factors, or both. Physical injuries, emotional trauma, or viral infections, such as Epstein-Barr, may act as triggers for the onset of the disorder.

UltraMeal RICE Natural Vanilla

This article presents a more thoughtful and in-dep...

2012-05-14T17:52:20.547+05:30

This article presents a more thoughtful and in-depth view than much of what I've been reading about the Eurozone crisis to date. Thank you.

The sharp fall in top incomes is explained primari...

2012-05-14T13:17:42.704+05:30

The sharp fall in top incomes is explained primarily by the collapse of realized capital gains due to the stock-market crash.

There are really some cool graphs that are present...

2012-05-13T00:55:12.284+05:30

There are really some cool graphs that are presented to show the difference in the healthcare services. It is easy to get some policies to keep yourself insured for the healthcare services and i suggest to have one of this from the best available option.

Not all insurance companies are inefficient provid...

2012-05-10T14:20:08.195+05:30

Not all insurance companies are inefficient providers. Consumers should always do a thorough research to avoid winding up with an insurance provider that overcharges or even one that is a plain ripoff.

Hi, Nice post! Would you please consider adding a ...

2012-05-09T14:14:29.828+05:30

Hi, Nice post! Would you please consider adding a link to my website on your page. Please email me back.

Thanks!

Harry
harry.roger10@gmail.com

RE: :"o meet the cost of the infrastructure r...

2012-05-08T07:26:08.781+05:30

RE: :"o meet the cost of the infrastructure required to carry out that activity."

But that isn't true is it? Lets separate out the cost of that activity from the redistribution. Use any of the top 20 countries. Little if any budget goes to such infrastructure. WHy? because courts, weights and measures, and transportation are cheap. Budgets go to temporal and inter-temporal transfers in advanced countries - they are spent on a luxury, not a necessity.

>> India has been amongst the worst affecte...

2012-05-04T20:56:21.547+05:30

>> India has been amongst the worst affected by China's currency manipulation

This should have been opened up opportunities for Arbitration na?

Just checked & this is the conversion

100.00 USD = 5,342.66 INR
100.00 USD = 629.848 CNY
5,342.66 INR = 629.562 CNY

So, am unable to understand how Chinese Manipulation is hurting India.

Your post really helpful for my research and devel...

2012-05-04T15:41:15.299+05:30

Your post really helpful for my research and developed.

Dairy Market in India

Dear Gulzar, Thank You for a nice post, that look...

2012-04-26T10:19:12.408+05:30

Dear Gulzar,

Thank You for a nice post, that looks at the 'marketization' of everything - or what I think is - markets as the arbiter of all social choice.

The last paragraph is far less hypothetical that we may want to believe.

regards, KP.

I did a brief post about urbanization in India: h...

2012-04-18T08:32:14.877+05:30

I did a brief post about urbanization in India:
http://potemkinreview.blogspot.com/2012/04/india-should-really-start-paying.html

The government has to start thinking about policies that will spur urbanization without causing agglomerated poverty. China and India are in similar positions - except China is actually doing something about it.

Many thanks for making the effort to discuss this,...

2012-04-12T10:59:38.128+05:30

Many thanks for making the effort to discuss this, I feel strongly about this and love learning a great deal more on this matter. It's extremely helpful for me.

Sir, I am Director Census Operations Delhi. The fi...

2012-04-10T17:52:49.545+05:30

Sir, I am Director Census Operations Delhi. The first graphic (for which there seem to be no notes in the back) doesn't fit in with Census data at all even though the Census definition for Urban areas has been used for it. It is also not clear why the data used for 2011 is called an estimate, and where the estimate has come from; the actual Provisional Population Rural Urban distribution from Census 2011 had been released long before the publication date of this document.
The Census figures are available at
http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/india/paper2_1.pdf
and the published graphs showing the same time series are here:
http://varshajoshi95.blogspot.in/2012/04/blog-post.html

The difference, 31% as per Census figures and 48% as per the iihs estimates,based on identical criteria, completely change the complexion of the discourse.

i realy like your blog and appreciate your work......

2012-04-03T00:19:09.773+05:30

i realy like your blog and appreciate your work...i to own a website if you wish have a look
on for freshers jobs

Inevitable future, Gulzar. International trade and...

2012-04-02T15:56:14.031+05:30

Inevitable future, Gulzar. International trade and business will become one of the important pivots around which foreign policy will revolve!

thanks sir. a few responses 1. It needs to be bor...

2012-04-02T07:37:24.226+05:30

thanks sir. a few responses

1. It needs to be borne in mind that health care spending is highly concentrated at the top, ie old aged, in all societies, though the degree of concentration varies. So, even if we compare per capita spending for the remaining 95%, the US is still likely to continue as the outlier.

Bringing down this spending may prove difficult. It may not be politically feasible to cut services or coverage to these people. So cutting costs at the supply side may be the only alternative.

2. No, in the US, the government at any level (except in Maryland) does not play a role in fixing prices of services procured by insurers. For Medicaid and Medicare, there are only the negotiated rates on service procurement, but not on patient spending limits. Not that I know of.

3. I fully agree with the moral dilemma of taking decisions on these issues related to cutting coverage for old aged so as to keep costs under control.

DSI, I am not aware of any Indian study on these. That's deeply disappointing. But it is understandable because, health insurance market in India is very small and fragmented. But as you suggest, we should incorporate these lessons when we design a universal health insurance plan for the country.

Thanks anon. I am really happy that you could find...

2012-04-02T07:27:49.162+05:30

Thanks anon. I am really happy that you could find something useful in what i have been posting.

there are no laws which mandate that, in the aggregate, a certain percentage of all built-up space or development should be only LIG/EWS housing. However, there is the new earmarking requirement in the National Housing Policy, which a couple of states, including AP, have adopted. Under this 10-15% of all built-up space and 20-25% of all developed land should be earmarked for LIG/EWS housing. But its implementation and enforcement is becoming a huge challenge in both states.

Interesting depiction of some well studied facts. ...

2012-03-31T19:14:26.938+05:30

Interesting depiction of some well studied facts. Sir, Is ther an Indian study that has been done on the health care spending pattern of our population? It would be logical to do such a study on the existing health care spending pattern of the public, and then carve out the Universal Health Coverage / Health Insurance plans which are on the pipeline.

comment 3: we would face an ethical dilemma while ...

2012-03-31T09:24:01.254+05:30

comment 3: we would face an ethical dilemma while deciding to cut spending on the top 5% of the spenders. In most cases these are older citizens. When the state needs to make such decisions, we are aware that the decision would be put off for as long as possible. We have seen examples where decisions are put off to the detriment of the system itself. Most would opt for destruction of the system rahter than take such a call during their time in office. Democratic polity also makes the decision difficult.

On the scientiific side, the argument would be that we cannot push the frontiers of medicine, if we make this cost cutting decision. The longevity that the human race has enjoyed, has in recent times, been the result of slow incremental work. The benefits of this work, when applied through the state, becomes all the more difficult to deny.

Sadly, the only public policy option available would be to let the system deteriorate to bad standards. We have seen many such systems go bad within a decade.

Great One Gulzar. Comment 1: If the top 5% is ma...

2012-03-31T09:01:45.654+05:30

Great One Gulzar.

Comment 1: If the top 5% is making 50% of the spending, the per capita spending in 4000$ for the rest of the population, which compares much better with the rest of the countries.

Bringing down the spend by this 5% could be a requirement in order to bring down the total spend, which would reduce the misery of the country a great deal.

Comment 2: That we need to cut down the expenditure on Hospital , doctors, pharma etc simultaneously is a good starting point. Has the government of USA taken any steps in this direction in its medicare and medicaid administration. I think they have taKen a lot of steps. They have fixed limits of individual items as well as on total spend by patients. They haver capped hospital and doctors' fees too. Dont know the net impacts though.

Thanks Gulzar, for consistently writing on issues ...

2012-03-31T06:58:21.563+05:30

Thanks Gulzar, for consistently writing on issues related to low-income housing. Reading your posts for the past two years have inspired me to contest in Hult Global Case Challenge (in Housing track) and qualify for the Boston regional competition (held in Feb 2012). I have also found TV9-Chetana's expose of slums problems in Hyderabad inspiring.

One of the thing I have wondered is if there aren't any laws in India that prescribe a certain quantum of land or housing dedicated for LIG housing. Such mandates can be fulfilled either by govt or private sector or both. Since serving LIG housing interests isn't commercially viable for private sector and isn't a much bother for govts either, state legislative laws imposing such LIG requirements met for cities in the state may address the problem. Would appreciate your thoughts on this.

In Hyderabad all shopping malls charging 5-10 rupe...

2012-03-21T17:50:49.447+05:30

In Hyderabad all shopping malls charging 5-10 rupees and 5-10 Rs for bag. Polythene covers ban in Andhra Pradesh is utterly failed. More over shopping malls gaining money. I don't understand why government charging money for parking vehicles. It is Shopping malls responsibility to provide free space to customers vehicles - Chiru