The State by, of and for the Elite

This book could easily go un-noticed until one stumbles upon its descriptive second title i.e., how the wealthy use the government to stay rich and get richer? It is a brutal truth that manifests itself in the manner in which governments increasingly work under the influence of corporations. There is conspicuous similarity in which the state has been appropriated by the wealthy, be they conservatives or the liberals.

Drawing parallel between conservatives and liberals, economist Dean Baker contends that it is a myth that conservatives trusts the market and liberals want the government. Conversely, many of the key forms of corporate welfare involve not just the handout of public funds, but interventions in the economy to benefit corporations. How true is the formulation in the Indian context where divergent political ideologies have demonstrated remarkable consistency in favoring the rich?

Not without reason Bill Gates has become incredibly rich. Thanks to state-granted copyright monopoly, all doors of copying were closed on Windows. Any number of examples exists where corporations are completely dependent for their profits on the nanny state's protection from competition. No wonder, the country that is riding the crest of the economy wave has a sizeable populace fighting to just stay afloat!

The poor would be worse off if the rich continue to actively use the power of the government to shape market outcomes in ways that redistribute income upward. There are reasons for doctors to draw higher wages - to force everyone in the country pay more for health care. Salaries of the top executives have soared in recent years at the cost of wage stagnation of ordinary workers. Simply put, the nanny state is increasingly favoring the wealthy.

Through incisive economic insights, Baker argues that it's time for the rules to change. Unless economic policy harnesses the market in ways that produces desirable social outcome, the brewing social discontent will give a severe jolt to the nanny state.....Link

The Conservative Nanny State by Dean Baker,
Center for Economic & Policy Research,

Washington, 113 pages, $ 7.90

Vulnerable, for sure

Sometime I get a feeling that India's incredibility lies in it being vulnerable. Hasn't it become increasingly turbulent, awash with diversity of social, economic, political and geographical disruptions? Not a day passes without disaster of a kind being recorded, be it natural or purely human construct. From a freak tornado that accounted for some hundred lives in Bihar to deliberate dumping of radioactive waste that claimed one victim in Delhi, disasters have registered their democratic omnipresence across the country.

Not long ago, a senior official of the prestigious National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) took pride in proclaiming that effective flood management had resulted in less than anticipated loss of lives during the Kosi floods of 2008. The claim revealed a disturbing fact - given the inevitability of floods the challenge lie in staking claims through unsubstantiated data on the so-called effectiveness of the response mechanism. Simply stated, the policy prescription is to 'manage' disasters after these have occurred.


In Vulnerable India, author Anu Kapur makes a bold attempt to chronicle the inadequacies in the system that has not only propelled natural disasters but has made several human-induced disasters to look 'natural'. No wonder, for a corrupt leadership, indifferent bureaucracy and a complacent civil society each disaster opens a fresh opportunity for appropriating generous relief supplies. It may not be an over-statement that 'disaster' has indeed become an industry with its well-entrenched stakeholders at all levels.

The book argues in favor of an approach that positions socio-economic vulnerability against the vagaries of natural disasters. Though slow paced in presenting a rather gloomy scenario, the book covers fresh ground for interdisciplinary studies to ascertain the hidden causes behind the recurrence of natural disasters in our country. The book shows that the rigor of academic work can pave the foundations for practical action by policy makers and decision-makers. Aesthetically designed and attractively printed, Vulnerable India is worth its price....Link

Vulnerable India: A Geographical Study of Disasters
by Anu Kapur 
Sage Books, New Delhi, 279 pages, Rs 850.