The latest India Economic Brief from ICA Institute can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/c4evfx4

Build and They Will Grow: Construction in India  (Figures available at the URL above)

The last decade has given rise to many experiments by companies to incubate socially responsible business models. Large financial institutions have become hosts to microfinance divisions (Citi, Morgan Stanley). Energy companies have experimented with base-of-the-pyramid business models for emerging markets, aligning social utility (access to energy) with business strategy (long term growth). And social enterprise like The Body Shop and Ben & Jerry’s have been acquired by major multinationals. L’Oréal bought the Body Shop in 2006 and Ben & Jerry’s became part of Unilever in 2000. Read the full article on the Fast Company website:

http://www.fastcoexist.com/1678880/the-4-ways-big-corporations-flirt-with-socially-responsible-business?partner=homepage_newsletter

The ICA Institute is a non-profit research institute dedicated to research on the rise of China and India and exploring their impact on the world market. Here are current headlines from their newsletter:

Emerging Giants Pressure European Union, China Dangles $100 Billion in Rescue Funds

(Agency French Presse | 3 November 2011) Emerging giants pressured EU countries at the G20 today to solve their debt crisis, with Beijing dangling $100 billion in rescue funds if the eurozone guarantees its bailout plan will work. Leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa sat down together hours ahead of the official opening of the summit where they “discussed the European debt crisis,” said Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Study: India Will Be World’s 5th Largest Economy By 2020

(Hindustan Times | 3 November 2011) India will become the 5th-largest economy in the world by 2020 ahead of France, United Kingdom and Italy driven by high growth in consumption and investment, according to consulting major the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). India’s consumption is set to explode relative to the rest of the
world. India’s consumption basket, which is currently a third of Japan’s, will increase to almost twice the size of Japan by 2030, it said.

U.S. Delays China Currency Report; Lawmakers Push Bill

(Reuters | 14 October 2011) The Treasury Department said on Friday it would delay until later this year a ruling on whether China  is manipulating its currency as Democratic Party lawmakers tried to overcome Republican opposition to a bill that would punish Beijing for its currency policies.The decision to delay the sixth semiannual report to Congress under the Obama administration, which was due on Saturday, came days after the Senate approved legislation that aims to pressure Beijing to let its yuan rise in value faster. The delay “will give us a chance to assess progress following several international meetings,” the Treasury Department said in a statement.

Long Way to Go for India-U.S. Investment Treaty, Says U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk

(Business Standard (India) | 5 October 2011) India might have to wait longer to sign a Bilateral Investment Treaty or BIT with the US than what its officials believe. Commerce Minister Anand Sharma was quoted in the Indian and the US media last month, saying negotiations between the two countries on the treaty were nearly complete. However, a US trade official who asked, requesting anonymity, told Business Standard that Sharma’s description of the status of BIT negotiations was “not accurate”. The official said the US-India BIT negotiations were started in 2008 and the first round of talks were held in August 2009. “We look forward to resuming technical discussions of the BIT shortly.” In an exclusive interview, US Trade Representative Ron Kirk also sounded cautious on the prospects of a speedy conclusion. He said the two countries had agreed at the ministerial level to resume technical discussions on the “possibility” of a BIT and expected to begin talks in the “very near future.”