Cultural Continuity and Change in Kakar's Works: Some Reflections

This article reviews the works of the well-known psychoanalyst, Sudhir Kakar, centering on the themes of cultural continuities and demographic change. Kakar's works span about three decades and represent sensitive psychoanalytical forays into Indian society and the interpretation of its various cultural processes. In this endeavor, Kakar's concern has been to understand the connection between the subjective imagination accessed mostly in psychoanalytical, clinical work and the cultural processes as manifested in myths and folklore, in popular arts and cinema, in the life histories of historical figures on the Indian firmament, and in the traditions of various systems of Hindu religious philosophy. He has been concerned about the modification of the very tool—the psychoanalytic sensibility (and the theory around it)—that he has so adeptly used, while acknowledging its limitations in creating links with phenomena such as mysticism and communal violence. I have tried to understand the processes of cultural continuity and change by focusing on various images of women and men represented in Kakar's work. Selection of these images is guided by the various expressions of desire, playfulness, the search for a political idiom with which to initiate and sustain cultural changes, etc., as represented by the characters in Kakar's analyses. Analyzing their implications for the issues at hand, a special emphasis is placed on the criticism of Kakar's work by Kurtz. The article concludes with a section on the traditional notion of individuality as it has evolved in selected works by Kakar and other Indian psychoanalytically-oriented authors.     

印度和古希腊哲学中的本原论比较研究

本原问题是哲学探讨的基本问题。古印度和古希腊在各自哲学观念形成之初就提出了这方面的思想。两者的此类理论中既有认为单一实体为本原的思想,也有认为多种实体为本原的思想;有不约而同地提出相同思想的情况,也有分别提出特色理论的情形。在两地提出的相同或类似观点中,不能排除二者有相互交流的可能。本原概念对于印度和欧洲哲学在后世的发展都有重要影响。由于两地本原论在古代的差别,对后世两地哲学的影响也呈现出不同的形态。古印度和古希腊的本原思想展现了人类思想的智慧之光,为世界哲学在后世的发展提供了宝贵的思想材料和理论前行基础。     

Modeling interest rate cycles in India

The present study tries to examine the behaviour of various Indian interest rates such as call money rate, and yields on secondary market securities with maturity periods of 15–91 days, 1-year, 5-years and 10-years. In the first stage, the study investigates the determinants of interest rates and finds that although the interest rates depend on some domestic macroeconomic variables such as yield spread and expected exchange rate, they are mainly affected by the movements of international interest rates, although with some lags. The policy variables such as Bank Rate and Federal Funds Rate did not show any significant impact on any of the interest rates. Further, it was found that the interest rates in the very recent period show some cyclical movements similar to that of the developed countries. Future behaviour of interest rates show that the present cycle of each interest rate would peak at different time points. This expected behaviour in domestic interest rates could be due to the integration of the domestic economy with the international money and financial market. This trend may be same in most of the emerging economies of Asia.     

贡貂制度与清代东北治策

“贡貂制度”是清代东北治策中的重要组成部分 ,它不仅对清朝政权的稳固及东北边疆的安全产生了非常重要的作用 ,而且对东北的历史进程与走向亦有重大而深远的影响。在此基础上 ,文章从正反两方面探讨了“贡貂制度”的利弊得失及其深层原因。     

印度的安全战略构想与中印边界问题

中印边界问题由来已久。出于地缘政治和安全战略考虑 ,独立后的印度继承了英印殖民主义者的做法 ,推行所谓的“前进政策” ,谋求把中国的西藏变成“缓冲国”。印方传统的战略思维模式和强加于人的做法致使中印边界问题长期无法得到妥善解决 ,并成为制约两国关系发展的重要因素。国际形势的变化促使印度重新评估其安全战略 ,但从实践来看 ,其安全战略和军事战略并未从根本上摆脱传统思维模式的羁绊     

印度教育改革对我国教育改革的启示

本文通过对印度各级教育改革特点的分析,吸取其中成功的经验,对我国教育改革提出建议.     

Catch-up as a Survival Strategy in the Solar Power Industry

We evaluate the strategies of the emerging market firms in the context of nascent industries. We use the Indian solar power industry as the empirical setting, against the backdrop of the evolution of the global industry, While in traditional industries emerging market firms learn from advanced economy multinational enterprises (MNEs) and slowly upgrade their capabilities, in the intensely competitive environment of nascent innovative industries, emerging market firms are exposed to global competition in their home market right from the early years. This shortens their catch-up clock. As a result, their long-term survival depends on their ability to catch-up fast, both in output and innovation capabilities. In the solar power industry, we find that innovations stem, in the main, from advanced economy firms. Further, Chinese firms are beginning to move from cost-based imitation to innovation. In contrast, with a few key exceptions, most firms in the Indian solar industry remain locked within a narrow niche of downstream site-based installation. Their operations are opportunistic, short term, and without specific catch-up goals, a scenario that does not bode well for the industry's future in India.     

Does economic development reduce household size? Evidence from India

Due to the recent rise in economic development the family sizes in developing countries have become small. This phenomenon demands several policy considerations. Is India ready for it? In this perspective, the paper investigates the impact of a higher level of economic development on average household size in India from 1991 to 2011. Variables such as a higher level of education, health outcomes, the extent of inequality, and urbanization have a negative effect on the average household size. The lower level of poverty is associated with lower level family size in the long run, whereas, infrastructure has a mixed effect. Results show that different religious and social groups have an effect on the family size in India. The results are consistent in state and household level analysis and conclude that a higher level of economic development reduces the family size. Smaller family size faces several problems such as child-rearing, higher divorce rates due to marital conflicts, degradation of children's mental health, land and property disputes, and a low transfer of financial support from children to elderly parents. Therefore, not only the government needs to take cognizance and solve these problems, but also needs to find an appropriate balance between work and family, which is missing currently. This lesson can be useful for many other developing countries to cope up with the reduction in family sizes.     

Global Warming Risk Perceptions in India

Few studies have focused on global warming risk perceptions among people in poor and developing countries, who are disproportionately impacted by climate change. This analysis conducts a comprehensive assessment of global warming risk perceptions in India using a national sample survey. Consistent with cultural theory, egalitarianism was positively associated with global warming risk perceptions. In addition, perceived vulnerability and resilience to extreme weather events were also two of the strongest factors associated with global warming risk perceptions. While worry was positively associated with risk perceptions, it accounted for only a small proportion of the variance, unlike studies in developed countries. Finally, the study also collected global warming affective images. The most common responses were “don't know” or “can't say” (25%), followed by “pollution” (21%), “heat” (20%), and “nature” (16%). The study finds that the predictors of global warming risk perceptions among the Indian public are both similar and different than those in developed countries, which has important implications for climate change communication in India.     

Globalization,financial development and economic growth: Perils on the environmental sustainability of an emerging economy

The study examines the effects of globalization, financial development, economic growth, and energy consumption on environmental sustainability in India over the period 1980–2015. The novelty of the study is the assessment of environmental sustainability in a single framework encompassing globalization, financial development, and growth effects. Findings reveal that an increased level of globalization and financial development while improving economic performance are inimical to the sustainability of the environment. In the short-run, globalization, economic growth, and increased energy consumption are contributing directly to environmental degradation, while banking sector development is impacting environmental sustainability adversely through the economic growth channel. Given the severity of the findings amidst India’s tryst with economic growth, proactive policies are warranted to encourage adaptation of greener and cleaner technologies in environmentally sustainable areas. This necessitates improved institutional quality encompassing stringent environmental standards, legal systems, property rights, corruption, financial information quality, etc., alongside the provision of incentives and subsidies to manufacturing firms undertaking technological innovations and complying with the environmental standards.