Free Speech In Our World?

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The Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF) withdrew its invitation to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to deliver a live video keynote address. The organizers of the event, however, are determined to arrange another platform less publicized for him to address students at the prestigious American business school.

WIEF is an annual student-organized event hosted by the Wharton School, which is part of the University of Pennsylvania.

The reason for the withdrawal of Modi at the main event?

"We find it astonishing that any academic and student body at the University of Pennsylvania can endorse ideas about economic development that are based on the systematic oppression of minority populations, whether in India or elsewhere," and pledged to protest Modi's appearance.

Whatever happened to free speech in our world?

Read the entire article:  "Dumped, Modi may get another Wharton platform to go global"

India and APEC: What It Means

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Should the U.S. back India's membership in Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)?  Walter Lohman and Derek Scissors, Ph.D. seem to think so.

For India to join, it must commit to APEC’s mission to “champion free and open trade and investment.” It must also be able to participate effectively. This means providing the required information concerning its own regulatory environment and working to harmonize it with the existing and future regulations introduced by other members. It may take several years for India to create the capacity to provide and absorb the information, but it would certainly not be the first member to suffer from institutional overload. The benefit to all APEC members of exercising patience with this process will be a much larger active economy with better-matched regulatory standards.

Read more here.

Meatballs, IKEA and India

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What do meatballs, IKEA and India all have in common?  The approval of the Indian government.  As it turns out:

The Indian government may allow Swedish furniture retailer IKEA to follow its global model and open stores with cafeterias that feature their signature meatballs. Commerce minister Anand Sharma said on Wednesday that the government has taken a favourable view of the matter. 

Apparently, IKEA has a global business model and feels it ought not change it for anybody or any country.

Read the entire article:  IKEA's meatballs may be on its Indian menu after all

Related article:  India Looks Favorably on IKEA Plan

Which Country Will Become a Global Growth Engine?

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China this. China that. Which country are you betting on to become a global growth engine?

Those who are dazzled by China often forget that much of the rapid growth before 2008 was caused by the shift of global manufacturing from Europe and the U.S., not by domestic-oriented activity. China’s economy remains export-driven, with consumers accounting for only 38 percent of gross domestic product, far below the levels of many developing and developed countries.

See if your guess matches up to this article.