Michael Touchton, assistant professor of government, spoke on “The Politics of Powder: The Ski Industry and the Developmental State in India” March 24 in the Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies. Touchton discussed his experience skiing in Kashmir during the 2010 spring semester and the insights this experience offered on the role of India's state in promoting economic development.
Touchton described how India built an isolated gondola in the middle of Kashmir, and ways locals overcome barriers to participate in the ski industry. India faces difficulty in stimulating local entrepreneurial activity surrounding its national promotion of commercial opportunities and infrastructure, Touchton explained.Several students and faculty attended Touchton’s talk. The Freeman Center for East Asian Studies offers multiple lectures and programs each month. (Photos by Emily Brackman ’11).
Olivia Drake
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