For
the first time in 17 years, the US government has faced a shutdown.
This has been on account of an impasse between the Democrats and the
Republicans on the broader fiscal policy. The key issue of the funding
bill has been the healthcare law otherwise known as Obamacare. Because
of the government's relentless bailouts, overall government debt has
risen to unsustainable levels. The healthcare law is expected to pile on
the pressure on finances. This law in particular has largely been
unpopular with the Republicans. The latter has been gunning for a cut in
government spending and are pushing the Democrats to affect a cut. But
they are in no mood to relent. And so the shutdown is expected to
continue until such time an agreement between the two parties is
reached.
As far as the impact goes, as per an article on Firstpost, as many as 1 m government employees could face unpaid leaves or missed paydays as part of the spending cuts. Overall, the credibility of the US government will be called into question. As reported in Bloomberg, a partial shutdown of the federal government would cost the U.S. at least US$ 300 m a day in lost economic output. The impact is likely to accelerate if it continues as it depresses confidence and spending by businesses and consumers. This does not bode well for an economy which is already reeling under recession and stagnant growth.
Now what would happen if a similar scenario was to play out in India? After all, a political impasse in India is nothing new. It is something which the country is witnessing even now. So what will happen if the Indian government shuts down? Considering the current sorry state of affairs, it may not be such a bad thing we believe. The government at present has failed to do anything concrete or meaningful for the economy. For most of its tenure, it failed to move on the reforms front. Later some measures were announced, but the implementation of the same remains largely hazy. Scams and large scale corruption, blatant bureaucracy, stained finances and perpetual bickering with the Opposition has rendered the government largely ineffective. So if it is not going to do anything, then maybe a shutdown is not such a bad idea. What is more, if this results in bureaucratic government staff going on unpaid leaves, it is actually a boon. It may do quite a bit in lowering the government's overall unproductive expenditure. On a more positive note, who knows, but such an experience might just kick it into action.
Do you think that the Indian government shutting down might be a good thing for India?
As far as the impact goes, as per an article on Firstpost, as many as 1 m government employees could face unpaid leaves or missed paydays as part of the spending cuts. Overall, the credibility of the US government will be called into question. As reported in Bloomberg, a partial shutdown of the federal government would cost the U.S. at least US$ 300 m a day in lost economic output. The impact is likely to accelerate if it continues as it depresses confidence and spending by businesses and consumers. This does not bode well for an economy which is already reeling under recession and stagnant growth.
Now what would happen if a similar scenario was to play out in India? After all, a political impasse in India is nothing new. It is something which the country is witnessing even now. So what will happen if the Indian government shuts down? Considering the current sorry state of affairs, it may not be such a bad thing we believe. The government at present has failed to do anything concrete or meaningful for the economy. For most of its tenure, it failed to move on the reforms front. Later some measures were announced, but the implementation of the same remains largely hazy. Scams and large scale corruption, blatant bureaucracy, stained finances and perpetual bickering with the Opposition has rendered the government largely ineffective. So if it is not going to do anything, then maybe a shutdown is not such a bad idea. What is more, if this results in bureaucratic government staff going on unpaid leaves, it is actually a boon. It may do quite a bit in lowering the government's overall unproductive expenditure. On a more positive note, who knows, but such an experience might just kick it into action.
Do you think that the Indian government shutting down might be a good thing for India?
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