Brooks barnes

A lack of tolerance towards public, as well as internal, criticism can lead to mistakes in policymaking, and governments do themselves a gross disservice by doing so, said former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan.“If every critic gets a phone call from a government functionary asking them to back off, or gets targeted by the ruling party’s troll army, many will tone down their criticism. The government will then live in a pleasant make-believe environment, until the harsh truth can no longer be denied,” Rajan said.He also said that dwelling on historical achievements and opposing foreign ideas or foreigners reflects great insecurity and may hamper economic development.Recently, the reconstitution of the prime minister’s Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) has drawn criticism from various quarters for dropping two members who voiced their concerns on the government’s policies.Shamika Ravi, the director of research at Brookings India, and … [Read more...] about Suppressing criticism can lead to mistakes in policymaking, says Raghuram Rajan

Suppressing criticism is a "sure fire recipe" for policy mistakes, cautioned former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan in a hard-hitting blog arguing that people in authority should tolerate criticism. Rajan also said it is only criticism that prompts government to take period policy course correction."If every critic gets a phone call from a government functionary asking them to back off, or gets targeted by the ruling party's troll army, many will tone down their criticism. The government will then live in a pleasant make-believe environment, until the harsh truth can no longer be denied," Rajan said while recalling the achievements of noted jurist and doyen of liberalism in India Nani Palkhivala.People in the authority, he emphasised, have to tolerate criticism.Close "Undoubtedly, some of the criticism, including in the press, is ill-informed, motivated, and descends into ad-hominem personal attacks. I have certainly had my share of those in past jobs. However, suppressing criticism is a … [Read more...] about Suppressing criticism is a sure fire recipe for policy mistakes, says Raghuram Rajan

The Hanukkah menorah generally conjures up an image of a golden candelabra, complete with intricate, detailed carvings reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast’s Lumiere. It’s undoubtedly regal and beautiful, but, for some, a little much alongside modern tableware or a Le Creuset. advertisement advertisement In recent years, designers have reimagined the religious lamp used to celebrate Hanukkah, many of them playing with materials such as clay, marble, glass, even plastic. Some of them restructure it entirely. Designer Jonathan Adler, for example, refashioned the whole thing into a ceramic dachshund. These creators aren’t looking to replace the traditional designs of Jewish heritage; rather the goal is to add to Judaism’s rich history of design. But beware: Not every design constitutes a legitimate menorah. There are rules–designs laws, if you will, that go all the way back to the Bible. A menorah must meet certain requirements to be … [Read more...] about 9 modern menorahs you’ll want to display all year long

Five years ago, my company was still a small digital product agency. We were doing good work, but the client work often felt like a creative grind. So as an experiment, we blocked off a week and had everyone work on our app. It turned out to be a success and a blast. Employees had the opportunity to collaborate and innovate, which provided a shot of adrenaline to the team. advertisement advertisement Eventually, we decided to continue dialing down client work every other Friday. But rather than getting everyone to work on one thing together, I decided to give everyone space to pursue their own projects or interests. We called it “Lab Fridays,” and the only rule that we instituted was that it had to be focused on learning, creating something new, or an activity they wouldn’t typically have the opportunity to pursue. This creative time away from work ended up spurring innovation and creativity at Crema. The time “off” actually increased our … [Read more...] about I let my staff do whatever they want every other Friday, and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made

India captain Virat Kohli on December 4 regained the top spot in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Test rankings after Australian Steve Smith slipped a rung in the latest list issued.Kohli, who had struck a fine 136 in the day-night Kolkata Test against Bangladesh last week to reach 928 points, is now five points clear after Smith's knock of 36 in the Adelaide Test against Pakistan saw him slip to 923 points from 931 before the match.Cheteshwar Pujara has held on to his fourth spot, while Ajinkya Rahane has come down a spot to sixth in the latest update.Close Among the bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah is the highest-placed Indian at the fifth position. Senior off-spinner R Ashwin was also static at ninth in the rankings. related news India vs West Indies: Windies ropes in Monty Desai as batting coach ahead of limited-overs series Foundation of India's current fast-bowling talent laid by likes of Kapil: Ian Bishop IPL auctions: Starc opts out; Maxwell, Lynn in auction pool … [Read more...] about ICC Test Rankings: Kohli regains No.1 spot, Bumrah best-placed Indian bowler at 5th