In this episode, Puja Mehra talks to economist Ila Patnaik about the complex challenges India faces as it strives to compete with China's export dominance. They talk about the uncompetitive infrastructure, higher labor and energy costs, and irrational tariff structures that hinder India’s manufacturing sector. Patnaik discusses the impact of China's post-COVID economic slowdown, its focus on exports, and the implications for India. She argues that India must address its internal economic issues before considering protectionist measures, and emphasises the need for a comprehensive strategy to counter China's export-driven model.
ABOUT ILA PATNAIK
Dr Ila Patnaik is the Chief Economist at the Aditya Birla Group. In 2014 she was the Principal Economic Advisor to the Government of India. Her research interests include international macroeconomics, finance and emerging economy business cycles and she has been published in journals such as the Journal of International Money and Finance, the World Bank Economic Review, International Finance, and in collected volumes. She has also been a regular columnist with The Print and co-authored (with Bhupender Yadav) the book The Rise of the BJP: The Making of the World's Largest Political Party.