Please join us for the 2025 Sidhartha Maitra Memorial Lecture featuring Raghuram Rajan.

India is at a crossroads today. Its economic growth rate, while respectable relative to other large countries, is too low for the jobs its youth need. The East Asian path of manufacturing-led exports no longer seems feasible—aside from increasing automation in manufacturing, the world isn’t prepared for another export-driven economy like China. India broke away from the standard development path—from agriculture to low-skilled manufacturing, then high-skilled manufacturing and, finally, services—a long time back by leapfrogging the intermediate steps. 

Instead of trying to return to development paths that may no longer be feasible, In this talk, Dr. Rajan will explain how India can accelerate economic development by investing in its people’s human capital, expanding opportunities in high-skilled services and manufacturing centered on innovative new products, and making India a ferment of ideas and creativity. India’s democratic traditions will support this path, helped further by governance reforms, including strengthening its democratic institutions and effecting greater decentralization. By breaking from the past and looking to the future, India can craft a truly Indian way, a path that could be emulated by other developing countries.

5:30–6:30 p.m. - In Person Reception 

6:30-8:15 p.m. - Program