Courtesy: sachchahindustani.com
These elections may have been an inflection point, when big data hit critical mass. From now, it will be used to maximal effect to raise funds, influence people and read the national mood. Not just by political parties, but equally by pollsters and the media.
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Edward Snowden’s revelations about the U.S.’s PRISM surveillance raised many issues related to espionage, electronic surveillance and privacy. It brought home the lack of strong privacy laws in India. As the country sets up its own domestic surveillance system, it must also quickly enact statutory privacy legislation
Courtesy: GovernmentZA/Flickr
The African National Congress party which has won its fifth consecutive victory in the elections faces a long-term challenge, both on the streets and at the ballot box. The newly formed Economic Freedom Fighters party has cut into the ANC’s base significantly in habitual strongholds like Gauteng, the economic hub
Courtesy: Government of Brazil/Wikimedia Commons
Brazil’s advantages – including resources of oil and gas, no historical baggage, an absence of terrorism and military conflicts – and regional leadership, make it a potential global power. But it also has to tackle many challenges in the medium-term, such as poverty, poor infrastructure, healthcare and education
Courtesy: www.narendramodi.in
The burgeoning trade between the state of Gujarat and Latin America has ensured that Narendra Modi’s campaign is closely followed in Latin America. The new government in India must build on this engagement, which will help address India’s energy, food and investment needs
Courtesy: Dev Lewis/Gateway House
Festering territorial disputes have resulted in a fresh conflict between India and China over stapled visas, which has cast a shadow over the burgeoning people to people exchange programmes. It is time the two countries arrived at an abiding bilateral engagement to resolve this
Courtesy: Narendra Modi/Wikimedia Commons
Fewer than 10% of the candidates in the ongoing elections in India are women. A law to reserve seats for women in Parliament, which will increase this number, is in abeyance. Our next government can take lessons from Latin America, where 16 countries have successfully implemented reservations and other enabling measures
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The year 2014 will witness elections in some of the biggest countries including India, Brazil and Indonesia. Like in India, the participation of youth voters is likely to be an important determinant in the outcome of the elections. Gateway House examines the presence of issues common to India and the major countries going to the polls in early 2014
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What do the manifestos of the three main parties say about India’s economic challenges – managing inflation, reviving investment growth, and handling the fiscal and current account deficits? To address the country’s serious economic slowdown, these must be the three priorities for the party that comes to power
Courtesy: Indianhillybilly and Ambuj.Saxena/Wikimedia Commons
As India goes to the polls, many in the U.S. and at home will hope that a new government will usher in a new era in the India-U.S. bilateral. Yet, past condemnations of the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate and the Obama administration’s liberal leaning bureaucrats might prove to be stumbling blocks