Good Governance

This is the first of my series of talks as Guest Faculty of Kuvempu University, Shimoga, Karnataka. I begin with a sneak peak at the role that the Indian govt plays in the business and economy of the country. I then trace the historical perspective, the history of govt intervention in the economy, which has undergone considerable transformation from 1947, when India became independent, until today. The break came in 1991 when there was great turnaround and many changes were made. In the light of this historical background, I look individually at the different roles that the Govt plays, as regulator, promoter, entrepreneur, planner and partner. I close with an assessment of the achievements of the state , and the challenges that still remain to be overcome.

Using the framework of critical international political economy, the contributors challenge the long held views about the ways natural resources shape political and economic outcomes. They examine how the specific features of the resource sector creates particular dynamics of policy change, and therefore, the range of development options for the Global South move beyond adopting unregulated, open extractive markets. In so doing, they explore the extent to which neoliberalism as a global political project has both constrained and opened opportunities for economic development in the global South. The volume engages with development theory and political economy literature by exploring the ideational construction, implementation, and subsequent recalibration of mining reforms in the last three decades across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Megaproject Planning and Management: Essential Readings contains the seminal articles from the growing body of research on megaproject planning and management along with an original introduction by the editor, Bent Flyvbjerg. The leading and most cited authority in the field, Flyvbjerg has used crowdsourcing and 25 years of experience to cherry-pick from several hundred articles and books the writings that define the field. This volume will be an indispensable source for those wishing to speak with authority about how megaprojects are prepared, delivered, and fought over. The target audience is students, academics, practitioners, and media pundits alike, as well as communities affected by megaprojects.