JNU | RTI | Directory | Contact Us | Emergency Services | List of Holidays
-A A +A

Questioning Economic Growth

Questioning Economic Growth

Event End Date
Event Title
Questioning Economic Growth
Event Details
<strong>Centre for the Study of Regional Development School of Social Sciences</strong> a lecture by <strong>Felix Padel</strong> Visiting Professor, North East India Studies Programme (NEISP), JNU on <strong>Questioning Economic Growth </strong> <strong>on 16th October 2015 </strong> <strong>Abstract :</strong> The concept of Economic Growth has been questioned from within economics and outside, especially by Ecologists/Environmentalists, who point out that all Life depends on the earth's ecosystems, which are getting damaged by depletion and pollution, maybe beyond repair. We are passing the tipping points of coal, oil and gas, and have less than 50 years of other minerals at current extraction rates. Is it true to say that India's relatively high growth rate and GDP is based on high rates of foreign investment/FDI, geared towards an unsustainably rapid extraction of resources? "The economic crisis that began in 2007-8 was both foreseeable and inevitable, and it marks a permanent, fundamental break from past decades – a period during which most economists adopted the unrealistic view that perpetual growth is necessary and also possible…." (Richard Heinberg, The End of Growth: Adapting to Our New Economic Reality 2011 p.1-2) One feature of every boom or bubble is that investors and policy-makers fail to read the signs and accelerate growth of the finance bubble until a terrible crash is inevitable (Crisis Economics, Roubini and Mihm, 2010). Is this the case in India right now? A key factor is debt: India's foreign debt has grown exponentially since it became the country with the biggest debt to the World Bank in 1962. Are India's key economic policies basically decided by the IMF? One aspect of unrepayable debt burdens is that they are used as a key mechanism of policy control. Economic growth can be seen as based on debt and geared to the arms industry, feeding conflicts/wars. The black economy is a motivating factor in ma`ny deals, but finds no place in economic models. Should economists be transforming their models and shifting policy towards Planned De-growth? <strong>About the Speaker</strong> : Felix Padel is Visiting Professor at the NE India Study Programme. His books include: Ecology, Economy: Quest for a Socially Informed Connection (with Ajay Dandekar and Jeemol Unni, 2013), Out of This Earth: East India Adivasis and the Aluminium Cartel (with Samarendra Das, 2010), and Sacrificing People: Invasions of a Tribal Landscape (1995/2010).

A warm welcome to the modified and updated website of the Centre for East Asian Studies. The East Asian region has been at the forefront of several path-breaking changes since 1970s beginning with the redefining the development architecture with its State-led development model besides emerging as a major region in the global politics and a key hub of the sophisticated technologies. The Centre is one of the thirteen Centres of the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi that provides a holistic understanding of the region.

Initially, established as a Centre for Chinese and Japanese Studies, it subsequently grew to include Korean Studies as well. At present there are eight faculty members in the Centre. Several distinguished faculty who have now retired include the late Prof. Gargi Dutt, Prof. P.A.N. Murthy, Prof. G.P. Deshpande, Dr. Nranarayan Das, Prof. R.R. Krishnan and Prof. K.V. Kesavan. Besides, Dr. Madhu Bhalla served at the Centre in Chinese Studies Programme during 1994-2006. In addition, Ms. Kamlesh Jain and Dr. M. M. Kunju served the Centre as the Documentation Officers in Chinese and Japanese Studies respectively.

The academic curriculum covers both modern and contemporary facets of East Asia as each scholar specializes in an area of his/her interest in the region. The integrated course involves two semesters of classes at the M. Phil programme and a dissertation for the M. Phil and a thesis for Ph. D programme respectively. The central objective is to impart an interdisciplinary knowledge and understanding of history, foreign policy, government and politics, society and culture and political economy of the respective areas. Students can explore new and emerging themes such as East Asian regionalism, the evolving East Asian Community, the rise of China, resurgence of Japan and the prospects for reunification of the Korean peninsula. Additionally, the Centre lays great emphasis on the building of language skills. The background of scholars includes mostly from the social science disciplines; History, Political Science, Economics, Sociology, International Relations and language.

Several students of the centre have been recipients of prestigious research fellowships awarded by Japan Foundation, Mombusho (Ministry of Education, Government of Japan), Saburo Okita Memorial Fellowship, Nippon Foundation, Korea Foundation, Nehru Memorial Fellowship, and Fellowship from the Chinese and Taiwanese Governments. Besides, students from Japan receive fellowship from the Indian Council of Cultural Relations.