Topic– Indian Economy : Issues
4) Trade and Development Report 2018 talks about issues of data sovereignty and the need to design national policies to ensure equitable distribution of gains arising from data which is generated within the national boundaries. Discuss the recommendations and how it can help shape India’s e-commerce policy?(250 words)
Why this question
The article discusses the recommendations of UNCTAD’s TDR 2018 related to the need for developing countries to formulate their own policies to maintain control over their data. The findings of the report are crucial for India for two reasons – firstly because data is the new oil and secondly, because the country is currently in a phase where it is giving structure to data policies. Hence understanding the impact of the recommendations on national e commerce policy is important.
Key demand of the question
The question expects us to discuss in detail the findings and recommendations of TDR 2018, and thereafter analyze how these findings are related to India in general and its e Commerce policy in particular.
Directive word
Discuss – Here in your discussion, you need to bring out the recommendations of the committee and highlight how these recommendations are helpful for developing countries in general and India in particular.
Structure of the answer
Introduction – We need to give a brief background to UNCTAD and TDR 2018.
Body – Highlight that the most valuable contribution of the report is its analysis of the policy challenges for developing countries in the digital era. Discuss the recommendations of the committee as mentioned in the article. While mentioning the recommendations, we also need to bring out how they would be helpful for the eCommerce policy of India. Recommendations wrt cash burning, need to analyze anti trust laws etc are hugely relevant for eCommerce sector in India, which has to be explained in your answer.
Conclusion – highlight the importance of data as suggested in the report and the impact of the report’s findings.
