The Oxford Handbook Of Hindu Economics And Business

This Handbook, comprised of twenty-three chapters by distinguished authors, highlights the breadth and depth of Hindu Economics. With high rates of economic growth in India, policy makers, managers, investors, and scholars need to understand the business culture and economics of the region's predominant religion. Much of the knowledge in this field is scattered; this volume is the first of its kind to bring together various strands of research. Part one begins with a Hindu sage named Kautilya, who unbeknownst to many, wrote the first economics treatise containing laws of contracts, monetary and fiscal policies, practical Machiavellian ethics, Marxian `labor theory of value' and UN-type `human security,' circa 300 BC. Additional chapters discuss Hindu parallels to Darwinian evolution, the role of animals, beef eating, astrology, and the pursuit of wealth and pleasures without guilt. Part two focuses on recent history including the unexpected benefits of the Hindu caste system in helping amass social capital through risk-sharing, while nurturing entrepreneurship traits. The authors also cover Hindu marriage age, how the improving status of women can help solve India's population problem, charity in India, Hindu ideas relevant for modern day management and leadership, and yoga for growth in human capital. Two controversial chapters consider the paradigm conflict between generous (Dev) and greedy (Danav) persons and currency reform ideas to deal with corruption.

The innovative Handbook offers 23 state-of-the-art peer-reviewed essays by leading international authorities summarizing evidence-based research on ancient and modern India. For example, Kautilya's Economics text published some 2000 years before Adam Smith is shown to include ideas in Marx's Labor Theory of Value, UN's Human Rights, optimization, etc. Hindu India topics include: beef eating, astrology, rituals, sacraments, pilgrimages, guilt-free pursuit of wealth and pleasures, caste system's huge costs and benefits in nurturing entrepreneurship, charity, Hindu Law, gender issues, overpopulation problem, yoga for business management and human capital growth. The scholarly essays provide a unique reference work for students, teachers, businessmen, India investors and general readers. Michael Szenberg, editor of The American Economist wrote: "Hindu Economics and Business Handbook is an engaging and informative survey of the economics of Hinduism. I highly recommend it. Jagdish Bhagwati of Columbia University said "... interesting collection ... will be widely read" Prof. Panchamukhi, Former Chairman, Indian Council for Social Science Research, New Delhi and editor of Indian Journal of Economics wrote: ".. systematically arranged into different themes and chapters ...Protection and prosperity, Importance of animals, Four-fold Objectives of Life, Hindu Social Corporate form, Ayurvedic Medicines, Impact of Rituals, (etc.)...perceptive articles on the recent thoughts on development and governance ...extremely valuable reading material...the most useful addition to the literature" Prof. Rishi Raj of CCNY, president of SIAA, wrote: "...many methods and strategies ..(by).. Hindu economists are desperately needed to help solve the present day world economic crisis." Narain Kataria, President of Indian American Intellectual Forum wrote: "...review of contrasting viewpoints... This unique reference work edited by Prof. Vinod belongs not only in every public library, but also in the home of everyone interested in India, including non-Hindus and international investors." List of distinguished authors includes the likes of: (1) former Harvard professor and president of Janata Party, Subramanian Swamy, (2) Suresh Tendulkar, Chair, Indian Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, (3) Shankar Abhyankar, founder of Aditya Pratishthan, (4) Anil Bokil, founder of ArthaKranti Pratishthan, (5) Prof. R. Vaidyanathan, IIM Banglore, (6) Balbir Sihag of U. Mass. (7) M.G. Prasad of Stevens Tech. (8) M. V. Patwardhan former Fellow Institute of Bankers, London, (9) Gautam Naresh, formerly at the National Institute of Public Finance, (10) M. V. Nadkarni, founder of Journal of Social and Economic Development, (11) Prof. R. Kulkarni, IIT Bombay, (12) K. Kulkarni, editor of the Indian Journal of Economics and Business, (13) Prof. S. Kaushik, Pace University, NY, Founder of Women's College in India, (14) H. Mhaskar, von Neumann distinguished professor, Technical University, Munich, Germany, (15) Vasant Lad, founder of Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, NM, (16) Yogi S. Vinod, founder MVRF, Pune, (17) S. Kalyanaraman, Director, Sarasvati Research Centre, Chennai, (18) M. and P. Joshi, founders of Gurukul Yoga Center, NJ, (19) Advocate S. Deshmukh, formerly at Citibank and president, Maharashtra Foundation, and (20) Advocate C. Vaidya, among others.

This innovative collection of essays draws together and compares the teachings of world and regional religions on the subject of economic morality.

India's remarkable economic growth in recent years has made it one of the fastest growing economies in the world. This Oxford Handbook reflects India's growing economic importance on the world stage, and features research on core topics by leading scholars to understand the Indian economic miracle and the obstacles India faces in transforming itself into a modern 21st-century economy.

A general perception exists that ancient Indian literature on economic matters is fatalistic and an admixture of sacred and secular thoughts. Economic Sutra provides a comprehensive perspective on the elements of Indian economic thought leading up to and after the Arthashastra. Economic Sutra is a perception-correction initiative to distil the Indian mind in the realm of economic thoughts and behaviour as brought out by the ancient Indian authors. It highlights the broader spread of economic ideas both prior to and sometime after Kautilya, giving insights into the purpose, actions and vision of our forefathers.

In this essay, Paul van Geest pleads for a renewal of the old ties between economics and theology as scientific disciplines, so as to arrive at a deeper and richer anthropological fundament for economic research.

Publishing is one of the oldest and most influential businesses in the world. It remains an essential creative and knowledge industry, worth over $140 billion a year, which continues to shape our education and culture. Two trends make this a particularly exciting time. The first is the revolution in communications technology that has transformed what it means to publish; far from resting on their laurels and retreating into tradition, publishers are doing as they always have - staying on the cutting edge. The second is the growing body of academic work that studies publishing in its many forms. Both mean that there has never been a more important time to examine this essential practice and the current state of knowledge. The Oxford Handbook of Publishing marks the coming of age of the scholarship in publishing studies with a comprehensive exploration of current research, featuring contributions from both industry professionals and internationally renowned scholars on subjects such as copyright, corporate social responsibility, globalizing markets, and changing technology. This authoritative volume looks at the relationship of the book publishing industry with other media, and how intellectual property underpins what publishers do. It outlines the complex and risky economics of the industry and examines how marketing, publicity, and sales have become ever more central aspects of business practice, while also exploring different sectors in depth and giving full treatment to the transformational and much discussed impact of digital publishing. This Handbook is essential reading for anyone interested in publishing, literature, and the business of media, entertainment, culture, communication, and information.

India was an economic power to reckon with until its economic decline in the 18th century. What explains this long period of prosperity? The answer might lie in a framework of social and economic thought that lies buried in our ancient heritage, says Sriram Balasubramanian, of which Kautilya's Arthashastra is a major example. Kautilyanomics for Modern Times seeks to do three things-first, to provide a structure and a context for Kautilya's economic thoughts; second, to examine his work's relevance today; and third, to do it in a way that a lay reader can follow and grasp easily. Kautilya's thought is mainly articulated through the prism of dharmic capitalism and its components-some examples include his views on global economic outlook, state-market dynamics, and sustainable growth through observance of environmental, societal and familial responsibilities. Fathoming India's rich economic and philosophical heritage and making use of it, Balasubramanian argues, would prove to be a great asset in India's/the country's/the nation's ascent again.