Recently, Rakesh Agarwal, Narinder Singh and I among others were engaged in a debate on the efficacy of capitalism or socialism in India. We used examples from the US and Scandinavian countries. My argument was that we tended to compare ourselves with Americans, or look up to them, because theirs is a society that is heterogeneous like ours, whereas each of the European countries is quite homogeneous where it is easier to implement government schemes due to public discipline. I argued that the other ways of making government (or socialism) click are turning the regime into a police raj, as in Singapore where you are whipped for minor offences on the street, and monarchy governed by a draconian code like Shariah as in Saudi Arabia. Narinder believes the Swedish, Norwegian or Dutch model might work in India. He is invited to continue with the debate here. Here is another argument with a real-life example to show that the Scandinavian model does not work here. This is about infrastructure rather than human beings. In the sparsely populated northern European countries, vehicular traffic is managed by building roundabouts at crossroads. It works in a place like Lutyens Delhi. Where the traffic is heavier, the model collapses. There we need the American model of flyovers, which China has adopted well in Beijing and Shanghai. You have the example of the Dhaula Kuan crossing where even a huge circle -- with a radius much bigger than that of roundabouts we see on the roads approaching Connaught Place -- couldnt keep the movement of vehicles coming from five different directions smooth until several flyovers were built crisscrossing the junction. But there are socialist fundamentalists like Prof Dinesh Mohan of IIT-Delhi who would not have an expensive flyover built anywhere in India if things were to go his way. He uses the Scandinavian model as a one-size-fits-all formula everywhere. He does not care to calculate the cost of stalled or slow-moving vehicles guzzling fuel nonetheless, and the cost of people not able to reach their workplaces in time. Stefan Metzeler and Mathieu Mercier may give us international perspectives.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 08:14:43 +0000
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