Shifting Identities and Globalization in Contemporary India
A conference organized by The Globalization and Society in India Working Group at George Mason University
Sponsored by George Mason University's Center for Global Studies and The Colonial Academic Alliance
FEBRUARY 26, 2009
9 A.M. -- 5:30 P.M.
GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

This conference will foster critical analysis of the globalization discourse in India, while simultaneously developing a cross-disciplinary network of scholars interested in continuing the discussion of globalization's impact on thesub-continent. India began a period of economic deregulation and liberalization in the early 1990s.e ripple effects of these policy changes continue to be experienced in India as it becomes one of the fastest growing economies in the world. While great attention has been paid to the "new" India with its jubilatory discourse surrounding development, progress, and economic achievement, little attention has been focused on the changing Indian identity that has accompanied this growth. Although some scholars have acknowledged that these new economic policies have not benefited everyone equally, a sustained analysis is lacking. is conference brings to the fore discussions of the social problems and cultural conflicts that are a consequence of this success, but that are often hidden behind a veil of progress and growth. The rhetoric of "progress" in India needs to be problematized as it marginalizes the already-always marginalized. This conference aims to examine the underbelly of "progress" and provide a space where the dominant discourse can be critically examined.

Registration deadline: February 12, 2009
More information: http://www.colonialacademicalliance.org/collaborativ e/documents/IndiaConferenceBrochureFinal.pdf< br>

IJEB INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INDIAN ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS ISSUES
December 18-22, 2009
New Delhi, India

To be Invited Speakers: Dr. Subramanian Swamy, Ex- Union Minister of Commerce, Government of India and Harvard Professor of Economics, Dr. Narendra Jadhav, Vice Chancellor, University of Pune; Dr. Narayana Murthy, Mentor, Infosys India and many other eminent scholars, academicians, business leaders and researchers. Invited speakers will address Luncheons and Dinners meetings on the India specific topics.

Paper & abstract submissions:
Deadline: June 1, 2009 even if early submission are encouraged. Blind review and acceptance letters out to primary author: June 1, 2009 or earlier if possible. Full paper submission deadline: October 1, 2009. Electronic submissions may be emailed to kulkarnk@mscd.edu. All paper submissions should follow guidelines listed on the journal website http://www.ijeb.com/InstructionsForAuthors.htm .
Selected papers will be published in the refereed conference proceedings which will be available to all participants at the conference.

Please send papers and registration fees to:
Dr. Kishore G. Kulkarni.
Editor, Indian Journal of Economics and Business, (visit www.ijeb.com),
Campus Box 77, P. O. Box 173362
Metropolitan State College of Denver
Denver, CO 80217-3362, USA.
Tel: 303-556-2675. Fax: 303-556-3966

UPDATE 1-US won't unilaterally block China exports - Biden (Reuters, Jan 29)
The United States will insist China play by international trade rules, but will not move unilaterally to keep out China's exports, Vice President Joe Biden said on Thursday. "The policy of this administration is to say to China -- which occasionally the last administration was reluctant to do -- 'you're a major player on the world scene economically and you've got to play by the rules that everybody else plays by,'" Biden said in an interview on CNBC.

China-Spain relations see steady growth (China View, Jan 30)
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will arrive in Spain later on Friday as part of his European tour, in his first visit to the country as premier. Wen's visit will deepen the all-around strategic partnership between China and Spain, and expand the existing mutually beneficial cooperation in all fields, analysts said. As one of the most rapidly growing EU countries, Spain now has the fifth largest economy within the EU and the eighth largest across the world.

Asia Foundation Proposes Cooperation 'Triangle' for US, China, India (Voice of America News, Jan 29)
A call for the establishment of a diplomatic "triangle of cooperation" - among the United States, India and China - is receiving a mixed reception at its unveiling in New Delhi. The influential Asia Foundation has rolled out its recommendations for the Obama administration's policy towards India. And, one key suggestion is hitting a log jam. It is the call for three-way cooperation among Washington, New Delhi and Beijing. Proponents say such an effort will be essential to helping solve such thorny regional issues as instability in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

China makes no big change to FX reserves (Reuters, Jan 30)
China is not making any big changes to the composition of its foreign exchange reserves but continues to make regular small adjustments to them, an influential former lawmaker said on Friday. Observers have been very sensitive to the idea that Beijing could start shifting a significant part of its nearly $2 trillion in currency reserves out of U.S. government debt, just as Washington is issuing huge amounts of bonds to finance its attempts to revive the economy.

Interview: "China's involvement in Africa's infrastructure development has fundamental, transformative impact": Ethiopian PM (People's Daily Online, Jan 29)
During an exclusive interview with Xinhua, the Ethiopian head of state said that infrastructure development is critical for Africa's economic development, as every economic sector needs infrastructure to develop. Without proper infrastructure, for example, the transport of raw materials, products, and fertilizers will be greatly restricted, he said. The Chinese government and banks have provided billions of U.S. dollars worth of loans for the infrastructure projects in Ethiopia, said he, including 1.5 billion dollars in telecommunications and nearly one billion in other infrastructure projects. He also believes similar scale of loans are provided by China to other African countries.

DAVOS-Putin says mutual access to energy creates security (Reuters UK, Jan 28)
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called for mutual access to energy assets to boost greater energy security and said Russia wanted to create more energy export routes. Putin also called for increased capacity in gas pipelines going from Russia to Europe, and said the government was still mulling the country's first gas pipeline to China. "For the future, we are also considering a parallel (to oil) gas pipeline going in the same direction to the Pacific Ocean and China," Putin said, referring to Russia's first oil pipeline to China, which will come on stream this year.

India to sign IAEA deal on Monday: diplomats (AFP, Jan 30)
India will next week sign an inspections agreement with the UN atomic watchdog as part of a deal lifting a 34-year-old embargo on nuclear trade with New Delhi, diplomatic sources said Friday. "The signing will take place on Monday at 2:30pm (1330 GMT)," said one source close to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The so-called safeguards agreement is a pre- condition for a US-led deal to allow nuclear nations to supply energy-hungry India with nuclear material and technology for civilian uses even though it refuses to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Energy Leaders Tell Davos That Oil Prices Too Low For Serious Investments (Radio Free Europe, Jan 29)
Leaders from the world's energy sector have told the World Economic Forum in Davos that the current price of oil -- about $40 per barrel -- is too low to allow them to make investments needed to ensure that they can meet energy demands in the future. OPEC Secretary- General Abdalla Salem el-Badri also warned the Davos forum that current prices are too low to allow for reinvestment into exploration or new transport infrastructure.

In Global Telecoms, Emerging-Market Players Take Pole Positions (MSNBC, Jan 30)
Telecom companies from emerging markets navigated the rough economic waters far better than their peers in developed markets, and they are starting to expand outside their home turf, according to Oliver Wyman's 2009 Communications, Media, and Technology State of the Industry Report. The report analyzes the top 450 publicly quoted companies worldwide in the CMT industries.

Some Silicon Valley companies having second thoughts on outsourcing (Mercury News, Jan 29)
In India, software services companies face tough negotiations as clients seek to further trim costs. At the same time, they are subjected to greater scrutiny to ensure they are reliable and financially stable. In China, contract manufacturers are shutting factories, raising questions about their reliability as well as China's prospects as millions of migrant workers face unemployment. The once high-flying outsourcing industry that boasted stunning growth has begun to slow dramatically. Infosys, India's second-largest outsourcing company, last month reported its first sequential quarterly drop in revenue and sliced its guidance for the year for the second time.

China restructures mobile market ready for 3G force (CNN.com, Jan 29)
After a slow start, 3G is now widely used in Japan and Korea, yet has had less than stellar adoption rates across Europe and in the United States, where uptake has been stymied because of expensive handsets and pricing plans, poor network coverage and lack of consumer interest. For years, Beijing has delayed the rollout of next- generation networks largely to complete technology for its homegrown 3G standard called TD-SCDMA, which many experts say was developed to reduce China's dependence on foreign technology and spur the growth of its domestic telecom industry.

Telcos oppose DoT's 'lock-in' proposal (The Economic Times, Jan 30)
All existing telecom operators as well as the new licencees in the telecom space, including Swan Telecom and Unitech Wireless have opposed department of Telecom's (DoT) proposal to impose a three-year lock-in for sale of the promoters stake in the company. The DoT had proposed this lock in clause after criticism from several circles that telecom minister A Raja's decision to award pan-India telecom licenses for Rs 1,651 crore, a price that was fixed in 2001, had resulted in losses to the tune of over Rs 50,000 crore to the exchequer.

India Allows Duty Free Sugar Imports as Output Drops (Update3) (Bloomberg, Jan 30)
India, the world's biggest consumer of sugar, permitted duty free imports of the sweetener for sale domestically to prevent an increase in prices as output slumps. Mills can purchase raw sugar abroad provided they export a similar quantity after processing within two years, Vinay Kumar, managing director of the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Ltd., said in a phone interview in Mumbai.

Wheat buying in Asia could pick up as price falls (weekly times now, Jan 31)
ASIAN wheat purchases were slow this week, but will likely pick up next week, with buyers taking advantage of a global supply glut. The state-run Trading Corporation of Pakistan is holding two separate tenders to buy a total 400,000 metric tonnes of wheat, with Saturday being the last date to submit bids: It seeks 250,000 tonnes of US- origin wheat in one tender and 150,000 tonnes optional-origin wheat in the other. Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, which didn't hold a wheat import tender this week, could hold one next week. Other countries, such as South Korea, are likely to buy feed wheat because of its price advantage over corn. Wheat prices are falling globally as supply continues to outstrip demand.

Agriculture offers spring of hope for PE firms (The Economic Times, Jan 22)
Private equity players are having a tough time with a slow down in the services and manufacturing sectors, which promised good returns even a year back. But some investors seem to have found an answer closer to the ground- in agricultural fields. Last year, Indian agro-based companies attracted a host of private equity players, who see potential in this space on the back of strong demand and the sector's insulation from the credit-induced economic crisis in the West.

Indian semiconductor industry's growth slashed by 50% (Business Standard, January 28)
The Indian semiconductor industry market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.4 per cent to $7.59 billion by 2010 as against the earlier forecasted CAGR of 26.7 per cent. An industry report put out by the The India Semiconductor Association (ISA) and Frost and Sullivan (F&S) states that the decline in CAGR, from 26.7 per cent, in the earlier report of 2007, to 13.4 per cent, in the current report, is on account of revised investment and manufacturing scenario seen in the second half of 2008.

China's Wen underlines 'confidence' (MarketWatch, January 28)
China's annual growth rate will slow in 2009, but will remain "fast and steady" despite taking a hit from growing international financial and economic turmoil, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum on Wednesday.

In dian bicycle industry expanding (Daily India, January 28)
Not many may know but India is the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world after China. The industry, having an annual turnover of over 1.2 million bicycles, is today all set to expand itself to meet new challenges posed by global slowdown.

Migrant workers struggle as China's factories slow (Christian Science Monitor, January 28)
The global recession is shuttering manufacturers and pushing millions out of work or into lower wages.

Obama asks India, China to do their part on climate change (Sify News, January 26)
As he began reversing the Bush administration's climate change policies, President Barack Obama said America is ready to lead a "truly global coalition" to meet the challenge, but nations like China and India too must do their part.

China dams reveal flaws in climate-change weapon (Associated Press, January 25)
The hydroelectric dam, a low wall of concrete slicing across an old farming valley, is supposed to help a power company in distant Germany contribute to saving the climate — while putting lucrative "carbon credits" into the pockets of Chinese developers.

Indian Ocean, hotspot for research work (Hindu Business Line, January 28)
The Indian Ocean is becoming the hotspot for research activities by major international institutions with studies indicating its growing influence on evolving weather over places as far away as western US and northern Europe.

India slips in innovation index (Sify News, January 28)
It's an unkind blow in the midst of a fight for survival. At a time when economic growth is stuttering across all the major sectors in the country, the latest Global Innovation Index (GII) 2008-09 report says India has slipped to the 41st position from the previous year's ranking of 23.

India third largest patent applicant among developing nations (The Hindu, January 28)
India has emerged as the third largest patent applicant among developing countries across the world in 2008, but the country significantly lags behind its neighbouring economy China, which has filed nearly eight times more applications, a report says.

New Medical Reform Plan for China (InventorSpot, January 23)
The powers that be have been deliberating Chinese medical reform since 2006. As a nation that takes it time when it comes to just about anything, this plan was well worth the wait. It comes in response to a surge of public criticism concerning soaring medical fees, a lack of access to affordable medical services, poor doctor- patient relationships and low medical insurance coverage.

Indian arms of Pfizer, Wyeth to merge soon (Business Standard, January 27)
The decision of Pfizer to acquire rival drugmaker Wyeth in a $68-billion cash-and-stock deal will also see merger of the listed Indian subsidiaries of both US multinationals soon. The combined entity will generate about Rs 1,500 crore revenues and will be one of the top 10 drug firms in the domestic market.

China, Germany agree on maglev technology transfer (China View, January 29)
China and Germany on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding on the transfer of parts of the core technologies from Germany for the maglev railway projects in China. The deal was signed by Wu Xiangming, president of the Shanghai Magnetic Transportation Development Co. and Hans Christoph Atzpodien, chairman of Germany's Thyssen Krupp Technology. The agreement was among six deals signed by the two sides during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's official visit to Germany.

IBM offers new Green logistics consulting service (Purchasing.com, January 28)
IBM has introduced its Supply Chain Network Optimization Workbench, a consulting offering help companies make more cost-effective and Greener logistics decisions.

China's railways carry 75 mln passengers during Spring Festival so far (ChinaView, January 30)
China's railways carried more than 75 million passengers between Jan. 11-27, the world's largest migration of people, according to the Railways Ministry Wednesday. The official statistics cover the first 17 days of the 40- day Spring Festival travel rush to celebrate the New Year. This is a 17 percent increase from the same period last year. The ministry is now increasing the numbers of trains in migrant-heavy areas like Sichuan, Chongqing, and Jiangxi to brace for the post-holiday peak.

Inter national Contributors Editorial Board
RJ Paulsick - Co-Editor
Roxanne Russell - Co-Editor
Geoff Hiscock - Australia
Harsha Harjani - Hong Kong
Dr. Nilay Yajnik - India
Farhad Mirzaei - Iran
Ajay Sharma - Netherlands
Melissa Steinmetz - UK
Dr. Daney Jackson - USA
Dr. John R. McIntyre - USA
Dr. Sudhanva Char - Academic Resources
Shree Pandya - Engaging Youth
Laurel Askue - Environment & Conservation
Christopher Chan - Intellectual Property