Why do we blame citizens and businesses when things go wrong in India? Are poor civic sense, reckless driving, inadequate innovation and bad public infrastructure really individual failures — or are they symptoms of a much deeper institutional problem?
In this thought-provoking article, Debashis Basu argues that the State must take responsibility for creating the systems, incentives and institutions that shape how people and businesses behave.
Drawing lessons from Singapore's urban planning and sanitation, Sweden's road safety policies, and the industrial transformations of Japan, South Korea, China and the United States, he explains how capable governments create the conditions for economic progress, innovation and better public services.
From infrastructure and public transport to research and development, industrial policy and regulatory standards, the article challenges the tendency to blame individuals for problems that governments are ultimately responsible for addressing.
The central argument is simple: when something is persistently wrong in a country, perhaps we should stop looking downwards to blame citizens and businesses, and start looking upwards at those who govern.
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