Next phase of Kerala model facing challenges: Olle Tornquist

The next phase of the Kerala development model faces serious challenges, particularly from conservative nationalism, Olle Tornquist, Emeritus Professor, University of Oslo, Norway, said here on Friday.

Prof. Tornquist was delivering the eighth I.S. Gulati memorial lecture on ‘Will Kerala’s knowledge-based development lose out to conservative nationalism,’ organised by the Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation (GIFT) here.

Conservative nationalism is the most serious threat in Kerala’s development path, Prof. Tornquist said, according to a statement. Conservative theories, whether based on religion, nationality or ethnicity, pose serious threats to economic development and progress across the globe. This issue is more serious in the case of emerging economies such as Kerala. Geopolitical tensions in different parts of the globe will jeopardise the development of underdeveloped and developing countries, he said.

Kerala can overcome this with new public action that is sustainable and sufficiently connected with a knowledge economy, he said. Kerala has experience with mass people’s participation in development initiatives and the democratisation of governance. Hence, democratisation of knowledge will be open a new development path for Kerala, he said.

Former Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac chaired the session. GIFT director K.J. Joseph; Leela Gulati, wife of I.S. Gulati; economists K.P. Kannan and A.V. Jose were among those present.