Subir Gokarn – A Tribute

Introduction to Dr Gokarn’s Media Writings

This section provides access to nearly 100 selected opinion pieces (op-eds) of late Dr. Subir V Gokarn that were originally published over the period 2004-2017 in the Business Standard newspaper, along with their respective abstracts written specifically for this initiative. The articles have been organized under 13 categories such as Central Bank Policies; Financial Economics; International Economics; Macroeconomics and Business Cycles; Public Finance and Policy etc. The articles’ classifications as well as their abstracts are designed to make it easy for the readers to navigate through this collection and quickly find the op-eds of their interest. Subir Gokarn taught at IGIDR for several years and therefore, it is fitting that this institution is hosting this collection.

Op-eds on this site were originally written for the readers of the Business Standard, who may not necessarily have had any formal training in economics. However, on a careful reading, students of economics will find that the discussion and the arguments in these op-eds rest on solid theoretical ground. Almost every piece has a cogent economic framework underpinning the opinions being advanced. Although these op-eds were written a while ago they are not just of historical relevance but can contribute to a better understanding of today’s economic issues and development challenges. Furthermore, despite their analytical rigor they are written in an easy to understand style.

The art of rhetoric, i.e. the ability to enrich a debate and influence the audience, should be an important element in the toolkit of economic studentship. Thus, the writing of brief persuasive essays well- grounded in economic theory should be part of the training for future professional economists. However, in most universities, rhetoric is not part of formal economic curriculum, leaving a gap that students are typically expected to fill themselves through experience. This collection of Dr. Gokarn’s op-eds has been selected with the objective to address this gap. These op-eds should help develop skills to analyze recent economic developments, create frameworks appropriate for such analyses and communicate the findings effectively. Being richly imbued with brevity, clarity and persuasiveness, these op-eds are a valuable resource for students, especially those in the early stages of their intellectual development.

The Team

The curation of the op-eds and the preparation of their respective abstracts were done by four of Dr Gokarn’s friends and Delhi School of Economics classmates: Nalin Kishor, Nirmal Mohanty, Narendra Singh and Probir Roy together with Jyotsna Bapat. Mousumi Ganguly provided editorial support. TN Ninan and AK Bhattacharya of Business Standard supported this initiative since its inception. From the very start of the project, S. Mahendra Dev, Director, IGIDR provided institutional support while Jayati Sarkar, Subrata Sarkar and A. Ganesh Kumar (faculty members, IGIDR) advised and coordinated the project. Lingaraj Panda (Head of IT, IGIDR) managed the technical aspects of design and construction of the web pages.