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Devesh Kapur
Devesh Kapur is the Starr Foundation Professor of South Asian Studies and Director of Asia Programs at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Prior to joining Johns Hopkins University, he was professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for the Advanced Study of India at the University of Pennsylvania, holding the Madan Lal Sobti Chair for the Study of Contemporary India. He has also held the positions of Associate Professor of Government at the University of Texas at Austin, and the Frederick Danziger Associate Professor of Government at Harvard. Kapur received the Joseph R Levenson Teaching Prize, awarded to the best junior faculty at Harvard College and outstanding Teaching in Political Science by the American Political Science Association, in 2005.
Kapur’s research has focussed on five broad areas that examine the political and institutional determinants of economic development: international financial institutions, political and economic consequences of international and internal migration, the effects of market forces and urbanisation on the well-being of socially marginalised groups in India, governance and public institutions, and higher education. His book, Diaspora, Democracy and Development: The Impact of International Migration from India (Princeton University Press) earned him a 2012 Distinguished Book Award of the International Studies Association, while The Other One Percent: Indians in American (with Sanjoy Chakravorty and Nirvikar Singh) was a Choice Outstanding Title of 2017. His other publications include The World Bank: Its First Half Century (with John Lewis and Richard Webb) and Defying the Odds: The Rise of Dalit Entrepreneurs (co-authored with D. Shyam Babu and Chandra Bhan Prasad). His latest edited works are Navigating the Labyrinth: Perspectives on India’s Higher Education (with Pratap Bhanu Mehta), Rethinking Public Institutions in India (with Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Milan Vaishnav), The Costs of Democracy: Political Finance in India (with Milan Vaishnav), and Regulation in India: Design, Capacity, Performance (with Madhav Khosla).
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Land Shackled - II
Rising land scarcity and land market distortions are increasingly becoming a binding constraint on development in India. In their previous article, Kapur, Somanathan and Subramanian diagnosed India’s land problem. In this part, they propose policy reforms for addressing the problem and ensuring that land facilitates rather than impedes development.
Land Shackled
Rising land scarcity and land market distortions are increasingly becoming a binding constraint on development in India. In the first of a two-part series, Kapur, Somanathan and Subramanian diagnose India’s land problem. In the next part, they propose policy reforms for addressing the problem and ensuring that land facilitates rather than impedes development.
Why taxing property is essential for local government accountability
With rapid decentralisation and urbanisation, wealth is increasingly vested and locked up in land and property in India. In their previous article, Kapur and Subramanian emphasised the importance of direct taxes in ensuring citizen participation in holding the government accountable. In this part, they recommend that the 14th Finance Commission should promote tax decentralisation by incentivising state and local government to increase the property tax net.
Taxation's fatal neglect?
Today, the public discourse on government finances in India is largely focused on spending. This article emphasises the importance of taxes, particularly income tax, in ensuring citizen participation in holding the government accountable. It shows that while economic growth in the past decade was faster than in preceding years, expansion of the direct tax net slowed down.
India's unique crisis - a short term fix
While the current turbulence in the Indian economy bears a resemblance to the situation of other emerging economies, it is unique when compared with historical experiences of economic crises. In their previous article, Kapur and Subramanian discussed the misdiagnosis of India’s crisis, and consequent errors in policy remedies. In this part, they outline short-term actions for reversing the growth slowdown, reducing current account deficit and preventing inflation.
India's unique crisis
While the current turbulence in the Indian economy bears a resemblance to the situation of other emerging economies, it is unique when compared with historical experiences of economic crises. In the first of a two-part article, Kapur and Subramanian discuss the misdiagnoses of India’s crisis, and the consequent errors in policy remedies. In the next part, the authors provide a short-term solution for India’s unique crisis.
Understanding Mandis: Market Towns and the Dynamics of India's Rural and Urban Transformations
The idea behind this project is to undertake process-oriented investigations that will involve the study of interactions, especially between agricultural markets, settlements, technology, infrastructure, and regulations.