“How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?” lamented French President Charles de Gaulle. India, with 22 official languages (and over 1,000 mother tongues), faces a similar puzzle. Of all places to run a democratic experiment, exceptionally diverse India seems the unlikeliest; its democracy is messy and graft is persistent. However, India has recently earned Asia’s top ranking for data openness. What does this say about government transparency elsewhere in Asia, and about the universal application of Western ideals and metrics?

 

http://www.policyforum.net/should-asia-play-by-western-rules/

 

“Should Asia play by Western rules?” Policy Forum (Australian National University), 31 Dec 2015, with Asit K. Biswas.

 

http://thediplomat.com/2016/01/open-data-and-good-governance-in-asia-playing-by-western-rules/

 

“Open Data and Good Governance In Asia: Playing by Western Rules?” The Diplomat, 11 Jan 2016, with Asit K. Biswas.

 

NUS News page:

 

http://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/news/should-asia-play-by-western-rules/