Reconsidering the Idea of Pigou Wealth Tax in the Time of Covid-19

By Kavaljit Singh | Briefing Paper # 40 | July 30, 2020

Arthur Cecil Pigou (1877-1959), a British economist, is well known for his contributions to welfare economics. One of the most prolific writers of his time, Pigou wrote over a dozen books and more than 100 articles and pamphlets dealing with both theoretical and practical aspects of welfare economics. His writings cover a wide range…

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India’s Economic Dependence on China: Some Explanations

By Biswajit Dhar and K.S. Chalapati Rao | Briefing Paper # 39 | July 3, 2020

Since May 2020, India and China have had the worst face-off in decades on the line of actual control in India’s far North, which was yet another stark reminder that the two most populous nations have an extremely fragile relationship. But when the 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in the ensuing clashes with…

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An Open Letter to National Governments on ISDS and COVID-19 Measures

By CSOs | Letter | June 22, 2020

In an open letter to national governments, more than 600 civil society organisations (including Madhyam) from over 90 countries have urged the governments to take a lead in ensuring countries around the world do not face a wave of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) cases arising from actions taken to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and…

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Azevedo’s Resignation Amid Growing Irrelevance of WTO

By Biswajit Dhar | Briefing Paper # 38 | May 25, 2020

The decision of the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Roberto Azevedo, to demit office a year before the expiration of his second term, confirms the long-held view that the multilateral trading system is facing an existential crisis. This rules-based trading system was established by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)…

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It’s Time for a Solidarity Tax

By Kavaljit Singh | Briefing Paper # 37 | May 15, 2020

Last month, Peru’s President Martin Vizcarra proposed a Solidarity Tax to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposed solidarity tax would be temporarily imposed on wealthy and super-rich Peruvians earning more than US$3,000 a month. The tax authorities are expected to raise 300 million soles (US$88 million) per month in additional…

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