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India Is Broken: A People Betrayed, Independence to Today Hardcover – 14 February 2023
by Ashoka Mody (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 227 ratings
A provocative new account of how India moved relentlessly from its hope-filled founding in 1947 to the dramatic economic and democratic breakdowns of today.
When Indian leaders first took control of their government in 1947, they proclaimed the ideals of national unity and secular democracy. Through the first half century of nation-building, leaders could point to uneven but measurable progress on key goals, and after the mid-1980s, dire poverty declined for a few decades, inspiring declarations of victory. But today, a vast majority of Indians live in a state of underemployment and are one crisis away from despair. Public goods--health, education, cities, air and water, and the judiciary--are in woeful condition. And good jobs will remain scarce as long as that is the case. The lack of jobs will further undermine democracy, which will further undermine job creation. India is Broken provides the most persuasive account available of this economic catch-22.
Challenging prevailing narratives, Mody contends that successive post-independence leaders, starting with its first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, failed to confront India's true economic problems, seeking easy solutions instead. As a popular frustration grew, and corruption in politics became pervasive, India's economic growth relied increasingly on unregulated finance and environmentally destructive construction. The rise of a violent Hindutva has buried all prior norms in civic life and public accountability.
Combining statistical data with creative media, such as literature and cinema, to create strong, accessible, people-driven narratives, this book is a meditation on the interplay between democracy and economic progress, with lessons extending far beyond India. Mody proposes a path forward that is fraught with its own peril, but which nevertheless offers something resembling hope.
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528 pages
Language
English
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Stanford University Press
Publication date
14 February 2023
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"[An] impressive, sweeping narrative of India's economic and political history.... The book is very readable--a coherent and useful compendium of major events, policies, and scandals covering India's complex economic and political history from 1947 to the present."--Reeta C. Tremblay, Pacific Affairs
"India Is Broken is a brave book, flying in the face of both the chest-thumping nationalist narrative of a rising India and the collective wisdom of various finance bros, investment gurus, CEOs, and talking heads."--Dinyar Patel, Los Angeles Review of Books
"India is Broken is a highly readable book. Mody is deeply knowledgable, and can write as fluently and thoughtfully about the 1950's as he can about the last decade. I found his discussion of the Nehru period especially fascinating."--Anand Swamy, Journal of Economic Literature
"This book asks a straightforward question: has Indian democracy, as practiced since independence in 1947, improved the lives of people in general? The answer, contends Mody, is no. To substantiate this distressing yet sobering response, Mody conducts an expansive analysis of leaders and policy making in modern India.... Recommended."--A. A. Batabyal, CHOICE
"Fundamentally, Mody's claim is right. India is broken. It offers a poor deal to its working-age population, few good jobs and little welfare. A humanitarian crisis for migrant workers shortly after COVID-19 broke out was a brutal reminder of the condition. The book's message is stark and demands attention. That it is a highly readable account of India's development enhances the appeal."--Tirthankar Roy, The Developing Economies
"This is a well-documented readable history of the major economic and social policy strategies of Indian governments, from Nehru to Modi.... [Mody] makes a powerful case to the effect that education outcomes cannot be separated from politics."--John Richards, International Journal of Educational Development
"India is Broken is a masterful, wonderfully readable but searing indictment of the failures of Indian economic policy since Independence. Brilliantly weaving into his account a history of the key political events of the era, Mody chronicles how a dismal catalogue of flawed economic strategies and a dysfunctional political system have led to a country that is unable to produce enough jobs, where religious divisions keep growing, and inequality is relentlessly rising. An indispensable book for anyone trying to understand this complicated country."--Liaquat Ahamed, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Lords of Finance
"A compellingly readable history of Indian politics and economics since independence: Nehru's early mistakes--especially his tragic lack of attention to health, education, and jobs--multiplied into performative and destructive politics in the hands of his heirs. This is a profound account of how any democracy, even the world's largest, can be destroyed from within. Great storytelling. Hard to put down!"--Angus Deaton, Nobel Laureate in Economics
"A detailed and richly researched study of India's economy from independence to the present day, India Is Broken delves into many of the critical yet overlooked aspects of India's political and economic history. While I cannot endorse everything he writes, Mody's highly-readable account lays bare the deception and failure of the last several years, while maintaining a focus on the important details of economic policy."--Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament and author of The Struggle for India's Soul
"A magisterial political and economic history of post-colonial India, written with extraordinary eloquence and passion. Mody argues that successive leaders have failed the country's hundreds of millions of poor and borderline poor on its path from nascent democracy to mature authoritarian state. All too often the IMF, the World Bank, and other donors were willing to sign off on economic policies that had little chance of success. India is Broken will be a touchstone in policy debates for years to come."--Kenneth Rogoff, Harvard University, and coauthor of This Time is Different
"Combining statistical data with creative media, such as literature and cinema, to create strong, accessible, people-driven narrative, this book is a meditation on the interplay between democracy and economic progress, with lessons extending far beyond India. Mody proposes a path forward that is fraught with its own peril, but which nevertheless offers something resembling hope."--Discovery: Research at Princeton
"This book is the most sustained, accessible, and trenchantly argued alternative account of India's political economy and democratic crisis that I have seen in many years. Engaging and well written, it tells a striking and disturbing story. A major achievement."--Thomas Blom Hansen, Stanford University
About the Author
Ashoka Mody is an economic historian at Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs. Formerly, he worked at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. He is the author of EuroTragedy: A Drama in Nine Acts (2018), and his writing appears often in outlets such as Financial Times, Project Syndicate, and Bloomberg View.
Product details
Publisher : Stanford University Press (14 February 2023)
Language : English
Hardcover : 528 pages
Dimensions : 16.51 x 3.81 x 24.13 cmBest Sellers Rank: 323,767 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)643 in History of India
1,001 in Economic Conditions (Books)
1,176 in Economic History (Books)Customer Reviews:
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 227 ratings
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5.0 out of 5 stars Bollywood Economics: A Review of India is BrokenReviewed in the United States on 7 December 2024
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Ashoka Mody's India is Broken offers a unique and engaging perspective on 75 years of missed economic opportunities in India. By drawing on the evocative power of Bollywood cinema, Mody skillfully intertwines politics, economics, and popular culture to illuminate complex issues. This approach makes the book accessible to a wide audience and transforms what could have been a dry academic analysis into a captivating narrative.
Mody's analysis is both insightful and critical, examining the impact of well-intentioned political novices, hubris, and outright malice on India's economic trajectory. The book's strength lies in its ability to connect historical events with contemporary challenges, providing a nuanced understanding of India's economic development.
By blending economic theory with cinematic references, Mody has created a truly original work that will appeal to both scholars and casual readers alike. India is Broken is a must-read for anyone interested in India's post-independence journey.
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Darlene Albright
5.0 out of 5 stars PerfectReviewed in Canada on 14 March 2023
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I can't believe the problems in India.... the corruption, the lack of education, the pollution. And it doesn't seem to be getting any better. Racism, castes, and mistakes being made over and over. Money is needed but with conditions. Send in a team or something to help and monitor. It takes forever to change the culture and without education they may never come out of it. The spiritual Gange is a toxic mess and people still go into this river and use it regularly. Never want to visit there. Ever.
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Amazon Kunde
5.0 out of 5 stars Indien kritisch betrachtetReviewed in Germany on 24 October 2024
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Wer sich mit Indien beschäftigt, kommt an diesem Buch nicht vorbei. Es zeigt die Entwicklung von den Anfängen des Staates bis heute (Modi) auf. Es ist kein Sachbuch, sondern eine wissenschaftliche Abhandung von einem der besten Kenner des Landes. Dennoch hervorragend zu lesen. Eine klare Empfehlung!
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B. A. Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping and informativeReviewed in India on 12 June 2024
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I found Ashoka Mody's India Is Broken very easy to read and very enlightening.
However, I worry that his prescription of a universal basic income (UBI) will not address all of the major challenges that he highlights. While a UBI is likely to help parents afford better nutrition for their children, I imagine that much of the UBI would flow to private providers of education and health care. So, a UBI would do little to improve public goods.
But the devolution of power to city and state governments will probably increase accountability.
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MR S S DADWAL
1.0 out of 5 stars Well written, but hides important factsReviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 March 2023
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was fun to read until i got to the bit about the Sikh saint Bhindranwale. What i read was shockingly false, i have heard almost all of Bhindranwales speaches and he never condoned what this author is claiming. This is a deliberate attempt to paint indian history in the authors chosen narrative. Manipulating.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 35 reviews
Ashwani Ram Singh
13 reviews
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March 3, 2023
Brilliantly researched & lucidly written this is a hard to put down book about the failures of Indian economic policy as well as its leadership from independence to the present. Though some may not agree with the relentless criticism this is an essential read to understand where we are & how we got here.
That said, it would have been helpful if some context had been provided for the decisions that have been criticised - to get a perspective as to the compulsions or thought processes that led to those decisions at those points in time.
Thin on prescribing solutions, the book is a cracking good read. Recommended.
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Suman Srivastava
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February 22, 2023
Refreshingly new perspective on India’s economic history post independence. Backed by reams of data. Will anger both the left and the right and hence seems truly unbiased.
best-of-2023
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sube
129 reviews
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June 10, 2023
The introduction is excellent, saying it is a history of India's attempt at creating employment for most of the population and failing at that - yet the book is often not structured around this central question, unfortunately. Nonetheless, it is an informative economic and political history of India since its independence.
It says that India's issues today is a cause of the "original sin" of Nehru's heavy industrialisation-oriented policies, who however were (1) unable to generate a lot of jobs, (2) encouraged politicians to focus on big projects over meaningful social improvements in healthcare, education, etc. and (3) was inherently flawed as medium-sized firms would have been effective at export-oriented industrialisation, a la Japan / Taiwan / South Korea.
I find this is a bit questionable, since to me it seems mostly political and social constraints blocked this from being successful - as China shows this is not a doomed approach. The emphasis on the importance of education and healthcare for industrialisation is however correct.
It also illustrates quite well how the liberalisation policies in the 1990s were not really particularly effective long-term, only increasing informal jobs mostly, while helping pave the path for Hindutva politics - with most growth being an after-effect of the Green Revolution.
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S Ravishankar
170 reviews
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May 18, 2023
An honest chronicle of the times of Independent India and how its leaders allowed ‘me-me-me’ to triumph over ‘we-we-we’ during the seventy-five years of Independence. The book describes how political leaders squandered chances to change India’s course to go on a high-growth trajectory and to eradicate poverty. Instead they failed to initiate policies favoring sustained growth in agriculture and industry. This resulted in an increased divide between the rich and the poor.
Prof Mody recounts in detail Nehru’s period of missed opportunity and misplaced priorities - tertiary education favored over primary schools, heavy industry over existing strengths in MSME and small entrepreneurship.There was a complete disregard to complaints about corruption; something that could have been easier tackled in the beginning.
During Indira’s time the systematic devaluation of democratic institutions, increased corruption, nepotism at all levels and populist short-term policies is described.
The two decades after Indira, the instability, corruption at all levels, violence and divisive tendencies strengthened the hand of the Hindutva brigade. This culminated in the victory of the present dispensation as the only possible solution to India’s poverty, unemployment and corruption. The author expounds on why he thinks there is a need to rethink and go back to basics.
The book is glittered with interesting, not-so-well known anecdotes and major cinema releases that highlighted contemporary situations. This makes for a compelling read !
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Rajiv Chopra
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June 17, 2023
This book by Ashoka Mody is brilliant, insightful and depressing. As the title suggests, his thesis is that India is broken, and he set out to prove it.
The chronological approach he adopted is excellent. In India's context, this is the best approach because we understand how succeeding Prime Ministers have compounded errors made by the previous ones.
When I read the book, I understood the similarities between Modi and Indira Gandhi - a strongman and a strong woman.
Primary/secondary education and public health have been under-funded in India. For me, this was the biggest lesson and, I agree with this position. I have long argued about this.
Other issues:
- we have ignored the environment
- we have not democratised growth. Too much emphasis is on heavy industry and benefiting a small coterie of business people.
These lessons, the politician-criminal nexus, and the corruption come through.
When you read the book, you may feel India has no hope. It is here I disagree with the author. There is always hope. If he had spent some time looking at the positive side of the India story, then yes, the book may have been outstanding.
However, it is an excellent book with a coherent message.
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Ingrid
168 reviews
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June 19, 2023
The evolution, and perennial blind spots, of India’s economic policies from independence to today told in an easy narrative style. From Nehru’s distaste for policy implementation through Shastri’s brief intervention, Indira’s cynicism and hubris, Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh’s reforms as well as the Vajpayee years to today’s Modi era, the book highlights the failure to learn from other Asian countries - from Japan and Korea, to Vietnam and Bangladesh - the criticality of investments in education and health to generate productive employment and consequently successful manufacturing industries, exports and competitive advantage. Beyond that central thesis however it is the panoramic view of the past 75 years and the non-partisan critique of strong women, strong men and everything in between that provides a sobering recognition of the pattern of choice making that has led to the institutional and moral decay we currently confront. I think it diminishes the significance of caste as a factor and understates the role of civil society as the only mitigating force. The solutions the epilogue proposes are self-confessedly idealistic but bear thinking about. Highly recommended read.
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Somya
21 reviews
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December 7, 2024
Bollywood Economics: A Review of India is Broken
Ashoka Mody's India is Broken offers a unique and engaging perspective on 75 years of missed economic opportunities in India. By drawing on the evocative power of Bollywood cinema, Mody skillfully intertwines politics, economics, and popular culture to illuminate complex issues. This approach makes the book accessible to a wide audience and transforms what could have been a dry academic analysis into a captivating narrative.
Mody's analysis is both insightful and critical, examining the impact of well-intentioned political novices, hubris, and outright malice on India's economic trajectory. The book's strength lies in its ability to connect historical events with contemporary challenges, providing a nuanced understanding of India's economic development.
By blending economic theory with cinematic references, Mody has created a truly original work that will appeal to both scholars and casual readers alike. India is Broken is a must-read for anyone interested in India's post-independence journey.
1 like
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Aarav Balsu
129 reviews
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March 31, 2023
I thought this was a well-researched book that offers a fairly unbiased look at India's key economic and democratic indicators post-independence. I found the chapters on the Emergency years particularly enlightening because this is a period of history that isn't covered much in history classes. The excesses of executive power are particularly troubling, as are the complete excising of civil liberties from opposition politicians. Also, Rajiv Gandhi really stuck out to me as an Indian Nero, with his penchant for forced male sterilisation drives, his corrupt inner circle and failure re: the Maruti car (intended to be a people's car: affordable for the masses) and his inglorious end (dying in a plane crash along with his flight instructor while performing dangerous manoeuvres).
Medium-length. Took me 3 days or so to chug through.
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Walter Sylesh
72 reviews
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June 27, 2024
I was heavily inclined to consider this as just another tirade by an old, opinionated and well-to-do uncle with an American degree who has given up citizenship of the country for greener pastures.
The book did not change my view although it tempered the extent of my prejudiced dismissal of the entire book. I was drawn to the author's work after having read his editorial on The Hindu that criticized the ill-effects of consumption and borrowing in the long term. His observations were based on facts that seem to be glossed over by most intellectuals and professionals. The book contains rich and well-documented traces of observation and reliable sources.
It is a sobering account of the "India growth story" and quite sober as well. The phrase " It's too good to be true " finds ready acceptance but I noticed me often sighing " It's too bad to be true " after going through reams and reams of negative attacks on the entire Indian economic story since Nehru. Everything that was considered good has been demonstrated or demolished as bad and negative; this without break for the 400 odd pages with only a portion of the last 10 pages even offering a hint of optimism or prescription.
I can understand that in this time and age of propaganda and fake chest-beating, the author's critique cuts at both the Left and the Right and far more deeper too, gaining a notional and plausible acceptance among the affected middle class and intelligentsia.
I agree with most of his prescriptions which I share in common such as - Decentralised political and financial decision-making, norms that promote good, honest and progressive practice among citizens, long-term solutions and the focus on tangible outcomes over inflated numbers. But I can also gather that the author believes in a form of "true, untested" socialism and displays a heavily collective-oriented thinking; both are two fundamentals I disagree with.
The well-narrated and well-researched aspects of the book is what prompt me to engage with it and treat it on par with a work of intellectual effort. But I was put off by the author's biases and excessive dysphoria with a country he abandoned years ago. I wish he sees the potential of the rational youth (who he either decries as militant Hindu or products of sub-par education)and other individuals in India who are working on wonderful things, looking forward to a future with a sense of optimism and purpose.
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Arjun Ramani
11 reviews
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February 15, 2024
- I am very glad I read this book. It is perhaps the best collection of examples and arguments for the weakness of the India development story. Mody argues that on broad measures of human development India's progress lags well behind the standard narrative of a booming country. He details the history of criminal-politican nexus in India, and ties the country's weak development to the growth of Hindutva ideology. If you are looking for India bear case arguments, Mody has examples for every issue you can think of.
- That said, the narrative is one-sided and takes a glass half-empty view on basically everything, even when the glass used to be even emptier! India has made remarkable progress in the past 30 years especially when set against the prior 40. The book also lacks comparative perspective. India has done better than most peers in the past few decades. Comparing it solely to the Asian tigers is a bit unfair. Mody's constant gloominess reduces the credibility of his overall take.
- That said (again), because most international economics writing about India doesn't dare to be so critical, Mody's approach is somewhat refreshing. He also is almost equally critical of Congress and the BJP (including on political matters), another unique aspect. Ultimately, it is an important read to balance the standard perspective for those interested in the India development story.
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Ashoka Mody
Ashoka Mody | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 January 1956 |
| Nationality | American |
| Academic career | |
| Field | Economics - emerging markets' access to foreign capital |
| Institution | Princeton University |
| Alma mater | IIT Madras (BTech) Centre for Development Studies (MPhil) Boston University (PhD) |
| Information at IDEAS / RePEc | |
Ashoka Mody (born 14 January 1956)[1] is an Indian-American economist. He is the Charles and Marie Robertson visiting professor in international economic policy and lecturer in public and international affairs at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.[2]
Education
[edit]Mody studied Electronics at the Indian Institute of Technology at Madras. After his B.Tech. (1978) he switched fields and obtained a M.Phil. in Applied Economics at the Centre for Development Studies in Trivandrum 1979, where he worked as a Research Associate until completing his PhD in Economics from Boston University in 1986.[3]
Career
[edit]He briefly joined AT&T Bell Laboratories as a member of their technical staff before joining the World Bank where he worked from 1987 to 2003. In 1997/1998, Mody was a visiting professor of public policy at the Wharton School. From 2001 until his retirement, Mody was the assistant director of the International Monetary Fund's European Department. He is opposed to fiscal austerity as a means to resolve credit crises.[4]
He was the chief IMF representative to Ireland during Ireland's troika bailout. Mody was critical of the troika for severity of the austerity regime enforced on Ireland. He was also critical of the Irish Government's lack of solidarity with other indebted EU nations and claimed that Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan "blew it" by siding with the troika in 2015, when a debt reduction might have been reached.[5] Mody noted in 2018 that Ireland's heavy exposure to U.S. multinationals for its business model would be a problem post the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 reforms.[6]
He is also affiliated with Bruegel in Brussels.[7]
Attempt on Mody's life
[edit]In October 2009 as Mody returned to his home in Bethesda, Maryland when he was shot multiple times whilst in his car by a masked gunman who then fled on foot. Police issued an arrest warrant for Mohau Mercy Mathibe who worked for a trial period at the IMF under Mody.[8][9] The assailant was suspected to be denied a promotion, leaving him embittered enough to commit the crime.[10]
Personal life
[edit]Mody is married and has two children.[8]
Bibliography
[edit]- Mody, Ashoka (2014). Foreign Direct Investment and the World Economy. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415654876.
- Mody, Ashoka (2018). EuroTragedy: A Drama in Nine Acts. OUP USA. ISBN 978-0199351381.
- Mody, Ashoka (2023). India Is Broken A People Betrayed, Independence to Today. Redwood City: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-1-5036-3422-0. OCLC 1354208737.
See also
[edit]- Post-2008 Irish banking crisis
- Ireland as a tax haven
- Economic Adjustment Programme for Ireland
- Post-2008 Irish economic downturn
References
[edit]- ^ "Mody, Ashoka". Library of Congress. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
data sheet (b. 1/14/56)
- ^ "Profile: Ashoka Mody". Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University. Princeton University. Archived from the original on 2 December 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ^ "Biography: Ashoka Mody". Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University. Princeton University. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ^ Newenham, Pamela; Crosbie, Judith (22 July 2013). "IMF distances itself from Ashoka Mody comments on Ireland". The Irish Times. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ^ "Noonan dismisses Ashoka Mody comments on debt writedown". Irish Times. 16 February 2015.
- ^ "Warning that Ireland faces huge economic threat over corporate tax reliance - Troika chief Mody says country won't be able to cope with changes to tax regime". Irish Independent. 9 June 2018.
- ^ "Profile: Ashoka Mody". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ^ a b Morse, Dan (9 October 2010). "Man shot in garage identified as IMF economist". Washington Post. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ^ Davis, Bob (5 January 2010). "IMF worker sought in attack". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ^ Datta, Kanika (20 January 2023). "Why economist Ashoka Mody feels India needs to rethink its priorities". www.business-standard.com. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
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