Takshashila Discussion Document - Economic Reasoning and Social Policy

Economic Policy
Written By

Based on a keynote address to 12th East Asian Social Policy (EASP) Conference, 
 “Social Policy and Governance in East Asia” in Singapore, July 30-31, 2015.

Executive Summary

There is growing consensus that in the 21st century, broad-based economic growth with social harmony would be difficult to pursue without progress in social development. This paper focuses on how incorporating economic reasoning in social policy analysis and discussions could assist in improving the design, implementation, and assessment of social programs and schemes. Such incorporation could contribute to be>er societal outcomes and the effectiveness of social policies. The paper provides three inter-related frameworks, for thinking about household welfare, for generating fiscal space, and for diagnosing overall economic growth, or for sector specific constraints, which could be applied to specific contexts of social policy. Their application could assist in pursuing social policies in a more systemic and integrated manner, with requisite understanding of the trade-­offs involved in social policy choices.

Author

Featured
Mukul G Asher
Mukul G Asher

Mukul G. Asher is a Professor in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. He received his PhD in Economics from Washington State University in 1972. In addition to India, Singapore and USA, he has also taught or researched in U.K., Sweden, Japan, Australia and Malaysia. He was previously a Fellow at Takshashila. His research has focused on fiscal reforms, India’s external economic policies, and pension reform in Asia.

Previous

Takshashila Discussion Document - The looming United States pivot towards containing China’s influence
Next

Takshashila Discussion Document - The India-Pakistan Conflict Escalation Framework