• Addressing structural inequalities that lie at the core of poverty and exclusion of the most vulnerable groups
• Provision of quality social (education and health) and infrastructure services to rural and urban populations
• Ensuring an improved environment—clean air, clean water and sanitation etc.
• Launching an Energy revolution, also with a view to reducing the economy’s carbon intensity
• Overcoming Infrastructure (including power) bottlenecks
• Improving the quality of education and access to secondary and tertiary education
• Fostering Innovation
• Improving the business environment including to foster entrepreneurship and innovation
• Assistance to less well-off neighboring countries
• Taking on the role of a responsible global citizen

The book proposes that India could be one of the top three global economic powers in 30 years, by presenting a persuasive case that if India succeeds in sustaining its recent economic success over the longer term (as many East Asian economies have done in the past), India can realistically aspire to become an affluent society—with a GDP per capita of $22,000 (PPP terms and no poor people–within one generation.

India 2039 provides a description and analysis of alternative scenarios of India’s long term growth between 2009 and 2039. It drew lessons from other successful developing countries for India and identified the key multi-generation issues that need priority attention to allow India to continue its recent progress. The book assesses the many hurdles – political, social, policy and institutional – that India must overcome to realize this vision and lift millions of Indians from relative poverty today to enjoy the fruits of a modern and inclusive affluent society within 30 years. It provides an agenda of inter generational issues that are central to India avoiding the middle income trap—where countries stagnate at middle income levels and are unable to achieve high income status– that so many other countries have fallen into. The recommendations also emphasized a pro-active stance on the climate change agenda, indicating that this would be in India’s self-interest.

In addition, the authors provide recommendations on the measures required to enhance India’s global competitiveness based on improving the business environment, strengthening innovation and entrepreneurship, and building the required physical, technological and information infrastructure. Importantly, the recommendations also covered cross-cutting issues such as:

• Improving governance at the national level, state level and municipal level
• Reform of the bureaucracy/civil service
• Judicial and police reforms
• Improved delivery of social services
• Measures to address structural inequities, such as those based on identity (ethnic and religious differences) that affect the most vulnerable populations

For over two decades, India’s economic development has gathered impressive momentum, and looking beyond the short-term impact of the current worldwide crisis, this book explains how a continued high savings rate combined with far reaching institutional changes can lead almost 1.5 billion people to real prosperity—equivalent to, say, Portugal today. The recommendations of the book were discussed with senior level policy-makers (including from the National Planning Commission) as well as a number of private sector executives at a 2-day forum in Mumbai, and shared with all Members of India’s parliament.

Buy it online: http://www.sagepub.com/books/Book235056

This book provides an analysis of the challenges facing economic growth, equality, public safety, education, competitiveness and technology and innovation. In doing so, the authors analyze the reasons for underperformance of the Latin America region during the past 30 years as compared to Asia and highlight issues related to the unsustainable economic, social and political state of Latin America.

Centennial’s econometric model most recently used for this study is its proprietary instrumental-variable-based structural equation model used to project infrastructure needs of 21 countries for 10 sectors through 2040 for alternate growth scenarios. The innovative methodology was published in a 2011 journal article, and its results constituted an entire chapter in the Latin America 2040 book. As one explanatory variable affected others, instrumental variables were required to ensure un-biasedness.

Latin America 2040 presents a strategy to realize the vision for rapid economic growth and faster reduction in disparities during the next three decades by sharply raising their growth rates while achieving much more inclusive societies.  It offers an agenda for what Latin America’s national leaders, policy makers and private businesses must do to regain the regions past momentum and achieve a much needed resurgence.

Buy it online: http://www.amazon.com/Latin-America-2040-Complacency-Resurgence/dp/8132105826

The papers present concrete ways in which Asian economies and financial systems can be made more responsive and resilient, including frameworks for macroeconomic, fiscal and monetary policies.  The book proposes that Asian economies can capitalize on the global economic crisis by using it as an opportunity to move from crisis management to gradually assuming global economic leadership. It spells out a general framework for strengthening recovery efforts, ensuring inclusive growth and open regionalism, rebalancing Asia’s growth model, and creating greater regional cooperation for a prosperous and resilient Asia.

This is perhaps the first ever book in the market to undertake an in-depth discussion about the impact and the long-term implications of the global financial crisis on economies in Asia.

Asia is a region of paradoxes. The gap between advanced economies and the least developed is the largest of any region of the world. In fact, income inequality in Asia is mostly explained by differences between countries, in sharp contrast to income inequality in Europe, North America or Latin America, where most income inequality is within countries. As yet, Asia has given little thought as to how to manage inter-country inequality. For example, income differential between Singapore and Indonesia reached 14:1 in 2010. And if India continues to grow quickly, the ratio between its real income level and that of Bangladesh and Pakistan could widen from today’s manageable 2.1 and 1.3, respectively, to as high as 2.9 (India/Bangladesh) and 5.2 (India/Pakistan) by 2050. For comparison, the income ratio between the United States and Mexico today is 3.2 (in PPP terms). These trends suggest that Asia faces a considerable risk if some countries are allowed to lag behind while others enjoy the benefits of global and regional expansion. For this reason, this report recommends two initiatives under Asia’s regional cooperation agenda: (i) unhindered trade and investment flows across all 49 Asian economies; and (ii) the launching of a meaningful intra-regional development assistance program—on a bilateral or multilateral basis—consistent with Development Assistance Committee (DAC) guidelines.

A distinguishing feature of Asia’s economic story during the past fifty years has been the singular focus of most policy makers and political leaders on domestic economic and social development. This was appropriate as countries attempted to eradicate poverty and rapidly catch up with the developed countries. It was also possible to do so when Asia’s global footprint was smaller. But as the center of gravity of the world economy moves to Asia, culminating in its share of global GDP rising to half or more, it will no longer be possible or desirable. It is therefore important that Asian policy makers look beyond their national borders. Managing some of the biggest risks facing the region—particularly, cross-country disparities that could lead to conflict—will require region-wide discussion and action.

In this book, Centennial Group presents a strategic framework and the contours of general strategies for Asia as a whole. The framework covers three dimensions: national action; regional cooperation; and collective action on the global agenda.