Amit Varma has won the Bastiat prize.
Joyous as this is, I can’t help but wonder if and when someone will come up with a Miss World-style conspiracy theory that an Indian has won only to promote a neoliberal agenda in India.
(The original conspiracy theory was that Indian beauty queens were winning Miss World and Miss Universe titles only because cosmetics companies were trying to push sales in the Indian market. If there’s a country which liberalised cosmetics imports and retail at the same time as India, but didn’t win any beauty pageants, this could actually be tested.)
“If there’s a country which liberalised cosmetics imports and retail at the same time as India, but didn’t win any beauty pageants, this could actually be tested.”
Plus that country should also have potential market size comparable with India. There are not too many such countries in the world.
Can’t say anything about Amit Varma winning the prize (I don’t rate him highly at all), but Miss World-cosmetic companies link seems fairly obvious to me.
i agree–but having read previous winners- i think he is as good/bad. plus as half the nominees win prizes, i would’ve definitely bet on him-pity i didnt find a sucker who took me up on that. (sigh) looking fwd to betting on you when you are nominated. long live the indian blogspherical way of blaspheming.
You don’t need a conspiracy theory. The International Policy Network admits it anyway.
“Entries for the Bastiat Prize are judged on intellectual content, persuasiveness of language used, and type and location of publication.” (emphasis added)
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