Tempered Macroeconomic Views and (Notre-Dame) Windows...
“At first, I questioned if I was worthy,” said French artist Claire Tabouret who won a nation-wide contest to design six new stained glass windows in the famed Notre-Dame Cathedral. “There’s a great deal of audacity in this commission, which will take place in a beloved and historic building” she admitted.
Tabouret’s design was selected as part of the French Government’s effort to commemorate the opening of the Cathedral this month, five years after it was ravaged by a fire in 2019 (part of a restoration effort with a €846 million price tag). The new glass windows her designs will adorn are planned to replace those on the Cathedral's south side.
While such renovations have occurred a few times over the history of the famed building, 240,000 persons signed a petition opposing the idea when the French Ministry of Culture first announced this decision to replace these six windows with re-imaged designs.
Then France’s National Heritage Commission chimed in. They argued that such replacement would go against international heritage guidelines, most notably the preservation and restoration guidelines of the 1964 Venice Charter (with a note that the original six windows have already been cleaned and restored following the fire).
For her part, Tabouret will be collaborating with Simon-Marq, a historic glassmaker whose studio was responsible for restoring the stained glass at Notre-Dame de Reims following World War II. Known for her “vibrant and expressive” artwork, Tabouret shares, “I’ve read about the different opinions of people because I want to understand their arguments and also to take an approach that is open and two-way.”
It could be argued that Takshashila Director, Nitin Pai, has also taken a similarly tempered view to comments from the World Bank’s Chief Economist, Indermit Gill, which sent shockwaves across the global community in August. Gill’s comment asserted that it would take India 75 years to achieve a quarter of the United States’ per capita gross domestic product (GDP).
In his recent column in The Mint, Nitin responds:
No one can say if Gill’s prediction is accurate. While he has received criticism and brickbats for challenging the euphoric popular narrative, he actually deserves appreciation for offering a dose of negative feedback that can help us reflect on our economic policies.
While Nitin unpacks the potential value of the statement he also importantly draws attention to an area where a proverbial re-design of Gill’s statement may be warranted - it misses due consideration of society, attitudes and mindsets.
Nitin writes:
In an earlier work, Gill and his co-author Homi Kharas have inferred that middle-income countries grow when they have mechanisms for increasing investment in physical and human capital, incentives for innovation and institutions that can successfully carry out structural reforms. If we aspire to be a developed country by 2047, we should pay attention to these underlying factors.
One aspect of it is macroeconomic policy: about interest rate regimes, tax rates, financial sector regulations, digital public infrastructure, research and development (R&D) expenditure and so on. But there are other aspects that economists and technocrats tend to overlook: concerning society, attitudes and mindsets.
Take a closer look at this ‘re-designed glasswork’ including the three key considerations to be mindful of in light of the country’s 2047 aspirations, by following this link.
A Jet Engine Primer? You Heard Right…
What if we told you, dear reader, that we have a primer for you on the “most ambitious and technologically advanced areas in aerospace engineering worldwide”? Takshashila High-Tech Geopolitics Research Analyst, Avinash Shet, has developed exactly that. A primer on the jet engine.
Avinash outlines his key objective with this document:
By understanding the intricacies of jet engine technology and the global supply chain from this primer, we hope policymakers can make informed decisions to strengthen India's aerospace industry and position the country as a major player in the global aviation market.
Follow this link to learn more about the technology, supply chains, and global and Indian ecosystems for the jet engine. Importantly, you’ll also learn more about India’s efforts to build an indigenous jet engine.
Could We Ease India’s Mineral Dependance on China? We Think Yes…
The 2023 report by the Ministry of Mines identified 30 critical minerals deemed essential for the nation’s economic development and national security, but was missing one crucial element: India’s import dependency, particularly on China.
But how significant could this dependency be, I hear you ask curious reader. If you were to ask the question of Takshashila Indo-Pacific Studies Programme Research Analyst, Rakshith Shetty, his answer may be: fairly significant.
His analysis reveals:
An in-depth examination of import data of 30 critical minerals spanning 2019 to 2024 reveals India’s acute vulnerability to Chinese supplies, particularly for six critical minerals where dependency exceeds 40%: bismuth (85.6%), lithium (82%), silicon (76%), titanium (50.6%), tellurium (48.8%), and graphite (42.4%).
In his recent Op-Ed for The Hindu, Rakshith expands on India’s struggle with access to its own mineral resources, China’s weaponisation of mineral exports and India’s response to these challenges.
To read more of his detailed analysis follow this link.
What’s the PLAN’s Plan?
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) recently debuted its new unmanned combat vessel, the ORCA, and Takshashila Indo-Pacific Studies Programme Staff Research, Anushka Saxena, has views to share.
Her analysis draws attention to the ORCA’s anti-submarine search capabilities and its ability to strike autonomously. If true, she argues, “the PLAN may just be ushering in a transformed era for China’s undersea warfare capabilities.”
To take a closer look at her analysis on developments in China’s anti-submarine warfare (ASW) (and why it has become a particular area of focus for the PLAN) follow this link.
Expanding the Limits of Delimitation?
Delimitation has caught the attention of Takshashila’s Geoeconomics Programme Research Associate, Anisree Suresh and she’s here to elaborate on the potential role that local bodies could play in this evolving constituency boundary-setting process.
She argues that:
By fostering well-functioning local governments, the tensions arising from population-based delimitation can be addressed more effectively. When local bodies have greater autonomy and control over their resources, they are less likely to depend on the central government or engage in zero-sum competition with other states.
For a more comprehensive read of her insightful analysis, including challenges and debates on the delimitation exercise and a series of policy recommendations in light of these, click here.
ATP of the Week: The Biological Weapons Convention
The All Things Policy (ATP) Episode we’d like to highlight this week centres on the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).
Join Takshashila’s Head of Research and Chairperson of the Advanced Biology Programme, Shambhavi Naik and Takshashila’s Advanced Military Technologies Programme Research Fellow, Aditya R as they discuss current plans for updating the BWC, a UN disarmament treaty that prevents the development, production and use of bioweapons.
To be a fly on the wall for their interesting conversation, follow this link to Spotify.
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Learn more about the three specialised learning streams we offer by following this link and apply by January 3, 2025!
This edition of the Dispatch was written by Kripa Koshy, Programme Manager for Takshashila’s Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy.