Batra, Raveendra N.

Raveendra Nath "Ravi" Batra (born June 27, 1943) is an Indian-American economist, author, and professor at Southern Methodist University. Batra is the author of six bestselling books, two of which appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list, with one (The Great Depression of 1990) reaching No. 1 in late 1987. His books center on his idea that financial capitalism breeds excessive inequality and political corruption, which inevitably succumbs to financial crisis and economic depression. In his works, Batra proposes an equitable distribution system known as Progressive Utilization Theory (PROUT) as a means to not only ensure material welfare but also to secure the ability of all to develop a full personality. Batra has appeared on CBS, NBC, CNN, ABC, and CNBC, and has been profiled in The New York Times, Time, and Newsweek. Since the 2008 financial crisis, Batra has been a frequent guest on radio shows and featured in numerous publications.