Maninomics

Delhi losing to Incheon for the 2014 Asiad could have been just one of those normal defeats cities/countries suffer when battling for high profile sporting events. Paris lost to London in a dramatic and close contest for the 2012 Olympics. France8217;s political establishment mourned across party lines and Britain8217;s, celebrated. South Korea is celebrating Incheon8217;s victory. But there seems to be some satisfaction in India, too. That8217;s what takes normality out of Delhi8217;s defeat. What comes to mind is not just 8216;Maninomics8217;: Mani Shankar Aiyar8217;s conclusion that sporting events do nothing for the poor South Koreans must have been intrigued by India8217;s sports minister8217;s interesting interpretation of his brief. Aiyar8217;s comments draw from a bigger political thesis that finds more than a few devotees in today8217;s politics.

This thesis posits urban infrastructure as an elitist quest. Wide roads, shiny buildings, new hotels 8212; who are these for? Yes, they make life even better for the well-heeled. That by itself doesn8217;t invalidate their social utility. One needs to prove that better urban infrastructure actually makes low income citizens worse off. That8217;s hard to prove, even for smart, articulate politicians. As our columnist today argues, if nothing else labour-intensive construction that precedes any big event creates jobs for the unskilled migrant, a rapidly increasing urban constituency. Any city that experiences a dose of economic dynamism automatically spreads the benefits. Think how many more jobs at the lower end of the market have been created since India8217;s major cities started benefiting from reforms. Other countries, take these economic linkages for granted. They debate the details of expenditure and the nature of specific projects. Here we question why we need to spend money improving urban infrastructure.

Tony Blair championed London8217;s bid for Olympics 2012 by pointing out that unfashionable, poorer East London will get a boost from the expenditure. Ken Livingstone, London mayor and exuberant Left-wing radical, was all for the bid. What8217;s it with some our politicians? They like living in the smarter parts of our cities. Why shouldn8217;t they? But then why get anxious if aspirations travel outside the charmed circle.