Thread by @shrikanth_krish

Interesting paper from @ATabarrok and @srajagopalan

Stunning tidbit -

U.S. federal government spending per capita was five times higher in 1902 than Indian federal government spending per capita in 2006

independent.org/store/tir/subs…

I don't agree with some of the other points in the paper concerning English and also the "elite"-driven public discourse

Sure, there is a strong element of cultural elitism that defines India - but that has been the case for several millennia

It is what keeps India stable. It's the reason this nation has not had a bloody revolution in over 3000 years

As a country we never start afresh on a blank slate but tend to scribble on the same palimpsest as Nehru once put it

And while there is a strong elite influence at the highest level of public policy, the elites do change constantly

New elites are constantly replace the old

There is upward mobility, which may not always be apparent

E.g. The trading castes have now risen considerably in influence in corporate life and in shaping public policy and debate

Not quite the case 60 years ago, when the upper castes of certain select regions - Bengal and Tamil Nadu - wielded disproportionate influence

So the "English speaking elite" is not something frozen in stone.

It is enlarging by the day. And its social character is also constantly changing

There are many drawbacks to this culture by the elites, of the elites and some might argue "for" the elites

But it has its plusses

It keeps in check regional / lingual nationalisms, the more virulent forms of populism

Also ensures relatively sound, conservative public policy - which typifies India, unlike the several basket cases in Latin America or Africa where you see considerably greater macro volatility

Post-script : As remarked in the paper, many express consternation at the fact that barely 10% of Indians can speak English, however poorly

My guess is - the % who speak English today in India is perhaps a tad higher than the % who spoke Sanskrit fluently 1500 years ago

Of course I have no data to back this. It's purely my personal hunch

Yet both English and Sanskrit have been incredibly effective at unifying elites in their respective epochs