The Function of Blame

This paper sets forth a theory of blame. Many currently proposed theories of blame fail to capture all instances of blame. This motivates a pluralism about blame, suggesting that there are many kinds of blame. These varieties of blame are nonetheless united in serving a particular function in our interpersonal decision making. This function is to flag the blamed behavior in such a way as to unsure that we factor it into future interactions with the blamed person. Thus any feature of our psychology that generally fulfills this function is a kind of blame. Since on this theory an instance of blame can count as such even if it does not fulfill the function of flagging in that particular instance, as long as it is still is a kind of blame, this theory can account for virtually all cases of blame

Second order consequentialism: a defense

This thesis is a defense of Second Order Consequentialism (SOC). Whereas first order consequentialism is the claim that we should perform the action that results in the best consequences, SOC is the claim that we should adopt the moral theory for which it is true that adopting it would have the best consequences. I argue that this form of consequentialism has many of the traditional virtues of consequentialism, but by virtue of its indirectness it conflicts less with our intuitions and produces more desirable outcomes at the level of moral decision making. I argue that we have good reasons to make a distinction between first and second order theories, independent of any problems with consequentialism. I further argue that certain ethical problems –most notably the problem of demandingness and the concept of threshold deontology –cannot be properly addressed without a second order theory of some kind. I will then apply SOC to these areas to demonstrate how a second order theory can be used to fruitfully address problems like these. Finally, I will explore the idea of first order pluralism with a unifying second order theory. Second-order theories in general provide us with a framework by which we can interrogate our intuitions, particularly those that we have reason to think are in some way suspect or biased. Further, second order theories can be more easily made sensitive to changed circumstances or relevant information, without requiring awkward additions or clauses attached to the theory, as is often the case with first-order theories. Many of these are virtues of all second-order theories, including nonconsequentialist ones, but second order consequentialism is particularly promising due to its relative simplicity, and I think worth considering first before we jump to more, perhaps unnecessarily complicated, second order theories

Brand India-Where Next? A Panel Discussion

Three large-company top executives, a prominent journalist, and a representative of India's Ministry of Tourism discuss the country's recent transformation into "the world's fastest-growing, free-market democracy." Much of the discussion concerns the recent accomplishments of Indian companies and executives, both those working inside the country and the many who have risen to prominence outside it. But the recent rise of India is more than a matter of economic success. Brand India is also, in the words of one panelist, "a soft brand as well as a hard brand… It is not only about efficiency, but about democracy and reverence for learning and the past, about art and architecture, and Bollywood and yoga, all of which have a cultural and even a spiritual dimension." Copyright (c) 2008 Morgan Stanley.

Rebooting India : realizing a billion aspirations

xxviii, 337 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates

A global deal on climate change: a possible role for India

India has traversed a long way since the economic reforms of the early 1990s, and is now widely recognized as one of the fastest growing countries in the world. In view of Montek Singh Ahluwalia’s key role in crafting reforms which helped integrate India with the world economy, this volume in his honour brings together essays by leading experts on the Indian economy and on international economic policy.Grounded in the context of current issues and constraints, the volume is divided into four themes: (i) growth, inequality, and reform; (ii) the evolution of macroeconomic and financial policies; (iii) review of progress in key sectors of the economy; and (iv) India’s role and place in the global economy. It spans the main features of India’s economic development and addresses a wide range of topics such as growth, inequality, macroeconomic performance, monetary policy, capital markets, infrastructure, human resources, services, global finance, climate change, and international trade. The essays analyse the key economic challenges facing India today and suggest policy measures that can propel India towards inclusive growth

National Knowledge Commission of India : an overview

The 21st Century has been acknowledged worldwide as the 'Knowledge Century'. Every nation now finds itself operating in an increasingly competitive and globalised international environment where the information infrastructure, research and innovation systems, education and lifelong learning, and regulatory frameworks are crucial variables. In the next few decades India will probably have the largest set of young people in the world. Given this demographic advantage over the countries of the West and even China, we are optimally positioned, in the words of our Prime Minister, to "leapfrog in the race for social and economic development" by establishing a knowledge-oriented paradigm of development. It is with this broad task in mind that the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) was established on 13th June 2005 and given a timeframe of three years from 2nd October 2005 to 2nd October 2008 to achieve its objectives. The overall task before the National Knowledge Commission is to take steps that will give India the ‘knowledge edge’ in the coming decades, i.e. to ensure that our country becomes a leader in the creation, application and dissemination of knowledge. Creation of new knowledge principally depends on strengthening the education system, promoting domestic research and innovation in laboratories as well as at the grassroots level, and tapping foreign sources of knowledge through more open trading regimes, foreign investment and technology licensing. Application of knowledge will primarily target the sectors of health, agriculture, government and industry. This involves diverse priorities like using traditional knowledge in agriculture, encouraging innovation in industry and agriculture, and building a strong e-governance framework for public services. Dissemination of knowledge focuses on ensuring universal elementary education, especially for girls and other traditionally disadvantaged groups; creating a culture of lifelong learning, especially for skilled workers; taking steps to boost literacy levels; and using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to enhance standards in education and widely disseminate easily accessible knowledge that is useful to the public