Economics

  • Beyond staying the course

    Beyond staying the course

    In this op-ed, Nirvikar Singh, a distinguished professor of economics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, argues that many policies available to the Centre (and potentially states), none radical, can even lead to faster growth in the short run while India’s demographics are still favorable.

  • AI and jobs in India

    AI and jobs in India

    Distinguished Professor of Economics Nirvikar Singh wrote an opinion article about how acceleration of advances in AI demonstrates that the range of productive jobs and the skills needed for them in the future is much broader than what has fueled India’s growth so far.

  • Up to $150bn damage in LA fires unleashes wave of anger at cancelled insurance

    Up to $150bn damage in LA fires unleashes wave of anger at cancelled insurance

    Galina Hale, a professor of economics at the University of California Santa Cruz, told The i Paper that insurance companies use models to determine what is termed “actuarily fair” insurance policy pricing. “Some areas have such high risks that insurance companies would have to charge insurance premia above what people might be willing to pay,"…

  • A haze of institutional weakness

    A haze of institutional weakness

    In an opinion article, Distinguished Professor of Economics Nirvikar Singh argues that the standard approach of localized and reactive policies will not India’s air pollution problems.

  • India and the US elections

    India and the US elections

    Nirvikar Singh, distinguished professor of economics at UC Santa Cruz, argues in this op-ed that the importance of the recent U.S. elections for India cannot be overstated. The political landscape in the U.S. has shifted dramatically.

  • Growth, jobs and manufacturing

    Growth, jobs and manufacturing

    Distinguished Professor of Economics Nirvikar Singh argues that increases in productivity and wages that come from investment in human capital are going to benefit a larger slice of the population than investment in physical capital that substitutes for workers, though both kinds of investment matter.

  • Deficits, debt and India’s growth prospects

    Deficits, debt and India’s growth prospects

    Distinguished Professor of Economics Nirvikar Singh wrote an opinion article for Financial Express about the fiscal architecture necessary to managing public debt and deficits in India. 

  • Hate crimes rise against Indian Americans in California, deepening a divide between Hindus and Sikhs

    Hate crimes rise against Indian Americans in California, deepening a divide between Hindus and Sikhs

    Distinguished Professor of Economics Nirvikar Singh, co-author of The Other One Percent: Indians in America, spoke with CalMatters about how issues from India are spilling over into hate crimes against Indian Americans. “The citizens themselves are in some sense all victims of this phenomenon, whether Sikh, Muslim or Hindu or any other religious tradition," he said.…

  • Banks seem to be falling totally flat on climate commitments

    Banks seem to be falling totally flat on climate commitments

    Quartz covered a new working paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research by Economics Professor Galina Hale and her collaborators, which found that, while "all banks have reduced their loan-emission exposures over the last 8 years" banks that made public sustainability commitments didn't perform any better in these efforts than those that didn't.

  • The politics of pensions and savings

    The politics of pensions and savings

    Distinguished Professor of Economics Nirvikar Singh wrote an opinion article for Financial Express recommending that government policy in India should take a comprehensive look at the institutional landscape for pensions and savings. 

  • There's a 40% chance the US economy is already in a recession, according to a new indicator

    There's a 40% chance the US economy is already in a recession, according to a new indicator

    Business Insider covered a new paper coauthored by Associate Professor of Economics Pascal Michaillat that presents a new recession indicator method that uses data on both the unemployment rate and the vacancy rate for jobs.

  • The Budget and the end of ‘reform’

    The Budget and the end of ‘reform’

    Distinguished Professor of Economics Nirvikar Singh wrote an opinion article for Financial Express arguing that the complex nature of modern manufacturing makes tariff policy difficult to implement perfectly in India, but minimal attempts at fine-tuning are a good sign.

Last modified: Apr 22, 2025