At a time when several economies in the western world are facing severe crisis, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen believes that they can learn from countries such as India and China, which are witnessing rapid economic growth. Speaking at a function in Oxford University, Sen said there was much that the developing countries could contribute at the 'level of ideas' to ongoing economic debates in the western world. He said the main lesson to be learnt from the developing countries was the crucial link between growth and how it generated public revenue. Noting that Europe had done much to develop and further democratic norms in the last 300 years, Sen, however, said that at the current juncture in world history, the mantle of democracy was now very much strongly held by India. Sen reiterated India's commitment to democracy and to implement economic measures within a democratic framework.