JSIS STUDENT SERVICES - Jackson School of International ...

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STUDENT SERVICES BULLETIN
Panagariya of Columbia University stressed that India is not a rising power as so many suggest, but an already risen power that is
back on the U.S. agenda. By his calculations, India will be the 3 rd largest economy in 2025. Although optimistic, he realizes that the
education system needs to be fixed in order to take advantage of this growth. Bringing a historical perspective to the relationship
between India and China, Anand Yang, professor of International Studies and History at the University of Washington, spoke
of the current state of affairs as India and China rise again. Although their past has been tumultuous, he noted that increasingly,
their relations are beginning to change and their economies complement each other, which has huge implications for the United
States and the rest of the world. Lastly, Sunila Kale, assistant professor of international studies at the University of Washington,
analyzed the political, social, and economic differences between Indian states, demonstrating that poverty, over-population, and
illiteracy are focused in the north-east regions of the country. She concluded that not only does the federal government influence
the states, but each state government has a substantial role and can greatly affect its own economy.
Priti Ramamurthy, professor in the Department of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies and chair of the South Asian
Studies Program at the University of Washington, introduced Rahul Khullar and Robert Hormats, the plenary speakers. She
delved into the meanings of the knowledge economy, explaining how knowledge frames our understanding of the world while technology
innovation connects the world and, hopefully, furthers social development. Rahul Khullar, Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce
and Industry of the Government of India, expressed a desire to go beyond discussing commerce and trade to bring a perspective
to the conversation that uses knowledge to solve India’s problems. His goal is to build more linkages between universities
and research and government, and he was very candid about new linkages as necessary for economically meaningful outcomes.
He noted many instances of greater productivity sparked by cooperation between the United States and India, and challenged the
audience to harness knowledge for social progress. Noting his friendship with Khullar as emblematic of the U.S.-India partnership,
Under Secretary Robert D. Hormats of the Economic, Energy, and Agricultural Affairs office of the U.S. Department of State listed
the many similarities between the two countries and stressed the need to broaden and deepen the economic partnership for mutual
benefit. He stressed India’s need for improved infrastructure, the increased economic linkages between India and its neighbors,
and the need to make the U.S. more welcoming by encouraging quicker processing of visas and letting Indians here to study stay in
the United States longer.
The speakers on the second panel focused on technology transfers, intellectual property regimes, and the knowledge-innovation
economy in India, with Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office, Teresa Stanek Rea as the moderator. Dinesh Keskar, President of Boeing India and Vice President of Boeing
International Corporation India Private Limited, presented on the history of Boeing, Indian import mandates and how Boeing is investing
these in Indian research and educational institutions.. Director of Trade and Competition Policy at Intel Corporation, Greg
Slater, discussed elements for creating an innovation ecosystem with a cycle of innovation and investment. He focused on the policy
surrounding intellectual property and how India needs to encourage greater IP protection to stimulate innovation. Ron Somers,
President of the U.S.-India Business Council agreed, stressing that innovation takes places when IP is rewarded and protected,
citing the example of pharmaceuticals.
With a focus on U.S.-India trade, supply chains, and corporate responsibility, the third panel was moderated by Assistant Secretary
of Commerce for Manufacturing and Services in the International Trade Administration, Nicole Lamb-Hale, who stressed the need
for improving supply chains. Aseem Prakash, professor of Political Science and the Walker Family Professor for the College
of Arts and Sciences at the University of Washington, focused on the problems and prospect of corporate environmentalism. He
urged the private sector to encourage environmental ethics with collective endeavors through voluntary programs to correct market
and government failure. Sanjeev Khagram, who holds a joint faculty appointment with the Jackson School of International
Studies and the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, looked into new measures being taken by major
multinational corporations to establish sustainable supply chains. He suggested that the governments of both countries and universities
should play a role in demanding social regulations through a sustainability consortium. The program is led by companies including
Walmart to create a rating system for products and their life-cycle impact so companies can choose products based on their
sustainability. Priti Ramamurthy discussed the possibilities for pro-poor development in India by the adoption of agricultural biotechnologies.
Drawing on her research on the cotton industry in India, especially genetically modified seeds, she detailed why US
commercial interests in agricultural biotechnologies are high and will grow. She concluded that greater investment in technology to
ensure food security is necessary but that assessing their long-term sustainability requires a social understanding of their impacts.
The last panel dealt with health science, technologies, commercialization, and U.S.-India partnerships in these fields. Moderator
Katya M. Delak is International Affairs Officer in the International and Academic Affairs Office at NIST. Pradipsinh K. Rathod, professor
of Chemistry and adjunct professor of Global Health at the University of Washington, discussed his malaria research
and a new project to set up labs in places without a history of malaria research, with a focus on northeast India, which has higher
cases of poverty and malnutrition. This will enable researchers at UW to work more closely with those in the field. Adding to the
argument that patent access and IP protection are becoming more important, associate professor in the Department of Government
at Claremont McKenna College, Aseema Sinha, discussed the intertwined nature of US and Indian government policy in the pharmaceutical
sector. She documented how policy regulation in the U.S. and in India, led to the expansion of generic medication manufacture
in India, which is reducing health care costs and encouraging research collaboration between countries. Christopher Fox,
the lead formulation engineer for the Infectious Disease Research Institute, discussed a case of technology transfer between his
institute and an Indian pharmaceutical company and made policy recommendations such as funding mechanisms, incentives, and
forums to generate new ideas and solutions. Submitted by -- Suzanna Parikh, UW Junior, Business & Conference Intern
A follow-up to this event took place in Seattle on January
10, 2012. Please contact the South Asia Center for
more details. (sascuw@uw.edu; http://jsis.washington.edu/
soasia/ or http://www.seattletradealliance.com/blog/?
p=7014)