EXPERTS ADVISORY

ANN ARBOR—The leaders of the world’s two largest democracies will meet when India’s new prime minister, Narendra Modi, visits the U.S. Modi will meet with business leaders, give an address at the UN General Assembly Sept. 27 and meet with President Barack Obama Sept. 29.

Experts at the University of Michigan are available to discuss the visit:

Brian Min, assistant professor of political science, studies the political economy of development, with a focus on the politics of energy, ethnic politics and civil conflict. Contact: brianmin@umich.edu, (734) 546-6824

“This is a landmark visit. India and its new prime minister are rightfully celebrating many achievements. But India continues to face many challenges to sustain economic growth while also being mindful of income inequality at home, regional security with its neighbors and global concerns about the climate. India’s relationship with the U.S. is more critical than ever and this meeting will go a long way to showing what the path forward may look like.”

Puneet Manchanda, professor of marketing at the Ross School of Business. His areas of expertise are business in emerging markets, business in India, strategy and marketing. Contact: pmanchan@umich.edu, (734) 936-2445

“This visit presents the opportunity to reset and restart the relationship between India and the U.S. There is a huge possible upside here. However, the challenge for the prime minister is to articulate a vision of the world for the United States in which India matters, economically and politically.

“The challenge for the United States is to move away from its historic ambivalence to India and fully engage in a meaningful relationship.”

M.S. Krishnan, associate dean of global initiatives at the Ross School of Business, studies business in India and computer information systems and has led several projects in India. Contact: mskrish@umich.edu, (734) 763-6749

“The Indian government’s recent announcements intending to open the doors for foreign investment in some of the critical sectors in India’s economy, such as infrastructure and defense, and India’s vision to develop environmentally clean and ‘smart’ cities can create attractive investment opportunities for U.S. firms. Meetings with business leaders can also help in enhancing fairness in policies related to mutual immigration issues and intellectual property governance.”

Leela Fernandes, professor of political science, studies the relationship between politics and culture. Contact: leelaf@umich.edu, (734) 780-7514