Impact of policies and politics of developing & developed world on India
Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors
Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
COVID-19: Disruption and a new order
Context: Former National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan analyses the geopolitical and geo-economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. These are as follows
Institutions under fire
UN Security Council is criticised for being slow in dealing with a situation that is far dangerous than any military threat in recent decades.
WHO has been alleged of bias towards China and of grossly underestimating the nature of the epidemic.
Economic shock
World Bank has already predicted negative growth for most nations.
India’s growth forecast for the current fiscal year has been put at 1.5% to 2.8%.
Political Management
Tools used by Democratic governments to tackle COVID-19 are similar to authoritarian regimes such as China and people have welcomed such measures
The role of the state as an enforcer of public good will become greatly enhanced.
For instance: Europe has shown a willingness to sacrifice personal liberties in favour of greater state control
An omnipotent state could well become a reality i.e. present everywhere and monitoring people through mass surveillance
China in the spotlight
China due to its ‘early recovery’ seeks to take advantage of and benefit from the problems faced by the world in the wake of the epidemic.
It wants to use its manufacturing capability to its geo-economic advantage.
Hostile Takeover: China intends to acquire stakes in companies across the world, taking advantage of the scaled-down value of their assets
It wants to gain soft power by offering medical aid & supplies to other nations
