Fri Dec 06 18:52:32 UTC 2024: ## Kerala’s Development Model Threatened by Conservative Nationalism: Expert

**THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, December 7, 2024** – A leading expert has warned that Kerala’s development model faces a significant threat from conservative nationalism. Olle Tornquist, Emeritus Professor at the University of Oslo, delivered the eighth I.S. Gulati memorial lecture on Friday, arguing that conservative ideologies, rooted in religion, nationality, or ethnicity, pose a serious risk to economic progress, particularly in emerging economies like Kerala.

Professor Tornquist, speaking at the Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation (GIFT), highlighted the global impact of geopolitical tensions on underdeveloped and developing nations. He stressed that Kerala can overcome these challenges by embracing sustainable public action, strengthening its connection to the knowledge economy, and leveraging its history of mass participation in development initiatives and democratic governance. He suggested that democratizing knowledge could pave a new path for Kerala’s development.

The lecture was chaired by former Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac, and attended by GIFT director K.J. Joseph and other dignitaries.

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