Economists

William Nordhaus: Connecting the dots between climate change & economics

Nordhaus completed his doctorate in economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) under Robert Solow, a Nobel laureate

William Nordhaus, Nobel laureate who put a price on carbon, dies at 85

Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1941, Nordhaus earned his PhD at MIT under Robert Solow and joined Yale in 1967

BFSI Insight Summit 2026: Economists divided over reliance on foreign funds

At the BFSI Insight Summit 2026, economists differed on India's reliance on foreign capital, FPI tax relief and reforms needed to attract investment amid global uncertainty

India's credit-to-GDP ratio to rise as credit access expands: Economists

Speaking at the Business Standard BFSI Insight Summit 2026, economists called for wider credit access, productive lending, stronger domestic capital markets and sustained investment to drive growth

India should make data centres expand clean power supply: Nicholas Stern

Nicholas Stern says India must accelerate its shift to renewable energy to reduce its vulnerability to geopolitical shocks and volatile oil prices

India needs to lift the poor, not take down the rich: Daniel Waldenström

Swedish economist Daniel Waldenström argues that education, broader asset ownership and growth-led redistribution are key to tackling inequality

The Big Question Can India Achieve High Prosperity?

Can India become one of the world's most prosperous nations by 2100? In this interview, renowned economist Thomas Piketty discusses the findings of the Global Justice Report

Who is Neelkanth Mishra, India's new Executive Director at World Bank?

The Axis Bank chief economist and EAC-PM member will serve a three-year term at the World Bank headquarters in Washington DC, succeeding Parameswaran Iyer

Nobel-winning economist Edmund Phelps reshaped modern thinking on inflation

The Nobel laureate's work on inflation expectations and unemployment transformed economic policymaking and influenced central banks around the world

Who is Ashok Lahiri, former CEA to be appointed NITI Aayog vice-chairman

Former chief economic adviser and BJP MLA from West Bengal has been given a key position at India's top public policy think tank to bring decades of experience to the organisation

Economists see RBI MPC holding rates amid inflation fears, West Asia crisis

The Reserve Bank is likely to keep the benchmark policy repo rate unchanged at 5.25 per cent in the April monetary policy review meeting, as the West Asia crisis is likely to push up inflation, according to economists. The continuing geopolitical tensions in West Asia, volatility in commodity prices and sharp currency movement that have seen the rupee hit record lows have complicated the policy outlook, and its projections on growth, inflation and also the stance of policy will be keenly watched, the poll of over a dozen economists said. "Given the uncertainty around crude oil prices and geopolitical developments, the RBI is likely to remain on pause in the April policy and closely monitor incoming inflation data before taking any further action," said Aditi Nayar, Chief Economist at ICRA. SBI's chief economist Soumya Kanti Ghosh said while announcing the pause, the RBI will be careful in communicating its decision. "India is not unscathed from the current crisis and is feeling the

West Asia war cloud over India's economic 'sweet spot' as oil prices rise

Rising crude prices and trade disruptions from the West Asia war are prompting economists to trim India's growth forecasts, threatening the economy's recent "sweet spot"

If short-lived, conflict unlikely to dent India's macro outlook: Economists

Economists say a brief West Asia conflict may have limited impact on India's macro outlook, though risks could emerge if crude oil prices stay elevated for a prolonged period

Old WPI, new GDP base year series: Economists split on the impact

As India shifts its GDP base year to 2022-23, economists are divided on whether the unrevised WPI base will distort real growth estimates, even as CPI has been updated to 2024

New CPI Series: Economists expect a prolonged pause on RBI's repo rate

Next step may be a rate increase as and when the inflation rate grows

Trade deal sweetens FY27 growth arithmetic as exports lift outlook

Economists say the India-US trade deal could lift FY27 GDP growth by 20-40 basis points by boosting exports and reducing uncertainty, though risks from imports remain

Budget 2026: What is the primary deficit and why it tells the Budget’s real story

In this episode of Budget Basics, we break down one of the most important, but least understood, budget terms: Primary Deficit. What does it really say about a government’s finances?

UK govt needs to find four top economists after crises force exits

A series of crises has left two vacancies at the top of the UK statistics body and one at the Office for Budget Responsibility, the fiscal watchdog

FM Nirmala Sitharaman meets leading economists ahead of FY27 Budget

Ahead of the Union Budget 2026-27, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday met leading economists to elicit their views on the forthcoming Budget. Those present at the meeting include Sajjid Chinoy, Neelkanth Misra, Dharmakirti Joshi, Ridham Desai, Sonal Varma and Indira Rajaraman. "Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt @nsitharaman chairs the first Pre-Budget Consultation with leading economists in connection with the upcoming Union Budget 2026-27, in New Delhi, today," the Ministry of Finance said in a social media post on X. "The meeting was also attended by Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) @FinMinIndia; and Chief Economic Adviser, Government of India, besides senior officers from the DEA," it added. Sitharaman is likely to present the Budget on February 1. She will present the Budget in the backdrop of geopolitical uncertainties and the steep US tariff of 50 per cent imposed on shipments from India. The Budget for the next fiscal year will .

Best of BS Opinion: Will the real Adam Smith please stand up?

Today's pieces cover wide ground, from Adam Smith to Bihari exceptionalism to the AI behemoth that threatens to swallow advertising whole, and the enduring vision of Ritwik Ghatak