In India cows are considered holy. They are worshipped and have first dibs on everything from the streets to food. Under Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, they have become a symbol for the struggle to remake India as a Hindu state. Two thousand cows are slaughtered every day in the kitchen of one king.
Cows are venerated in India, but precisely how intensely often depends on politics. And being venerated does not necessarily yield a pleasant life for the creatures. Economists rarely consider how policies will affect birth rates and the yet-to-be-born; we examine the thorny topic of “population ethics”. And foreign-language phrasebooks may be in decline but they maintain huge historical value.
For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer