

All Things Policy
Takshashila Institution
Ever wondered how automation will change the world? Maybe you puzzle over what India could do to ease traffic congestion, or how China's aircraft carriers will transform Indian Ocean geopolitics? All Things Policy, a daily podcast brought to you by the Takshashila Institution, brings you all the answers. Every weekday, our researchers break down complex economic and geopolitical ideas through the lens of current events. For everyone from the busy executive to the curious student, All Things Policy is all you'll need to understand the world (and appreciate your breakfast) better.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 26, 2024 • 23min
A Quad for All Seasons
U.S. President Joe Biden hosted an unusual Quad Summit at his residence in his hometown of Wilmington. Despite the intimate setting, the summit resulted in concrete decisions and some tough talk. Manoj Kewalramani joins Aditya Ramanathan to discuss the key takeaways from the latest summit and what we can expect from the Quad over the coming year.
Also, check out Takshashila's newsletter, the Quad Bulletin:
https://quadbulletin.substack.com
All Things Policy is a daily podcast on public policy brought to you by the Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru.
Find out more on our research and other work here: https://takshashila.org.in/
Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in

Sep 25, 2024 • 46min
From Arrest of Telegram CEO to Banning of X: Decoding the Churn in Global Social Media Landscape
Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, discusses the shocking developments in August 2024, including his arrest in France and the ban of X in Brazil. He delves into the shifting dynamics between governments and social media platforms, highlighting the trend towards autocratic measures. The conversation also addresses the complexities of content moderation, misinformation, and political polarization, particularly in India. Durov emphasizes the urgent need for regulatory frameworks that balance free speech and accountability amidst the evolving global social media landscape.

Sep 24, 2024 • 30min
Donating Data: An Approach
In this episode of All Things Policy, Carl Jaison speaks to Pranav Gupta, PhD candidate in Political Science at UC Berkeley on the idea of ‘Data Daan’, a proposal on a nation-wide programme for voluntary data sharing for training of AI models and innovation. The objective is to enable startups & researchers building AI-based solutions to access relevant, usable and contextually appropriate data for training models and analysis. How can this ‘data-donation’ spur innovation? What are the different forms it can take to be operationalised? What does this mean for an ordinary citizen donating his/her data?
How can this ‘data-donation’ spur innovation? What are the different forms it can take to be operationalised? What does this mean for an ordinary citizen donating his/her data?
Link to consultative paper: https://bit.ly/DataDaan
Provide your feedback on the consultative paper, before 30th Sept, through this short form: http://bit.ly/DataDaanFeedback
All Things Policy is a daily podcast on public policy brought to you by the Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru.
Find out more on our research and other work here: https://takshashila.org.in/
Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in

Sep 23, 2024 • 30min
Aiming Better for India's Guns
India has had an uneven history with military firearms. Satya Sahu walks us through how the country has variously designed, reverse-engineered, and imported firearms in the nearly eight decades since independence, with mixed results.
In a conversation with Aditya Ramanathan, he provides concrete recommendations on how the country must consolidate and improve its arsenal of these most essential weapons.
Also, check out Aditya Ramanathan's opinion piece on the problems that ail the Indian Army's small arms:
https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/opinion/indian-army-needs-to-abandon-its-ad-hoc-approach-to-arming-the-infantry-12813226.html
All Things Policy is a daily podcast on public policy brought to you by the Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru.
Find out more on our research and other work here: https://takshashila.org.in/
Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in

Sep 20, 2024 • 28min
Pagers, Walkie-Talkies, and Supply Chain Security
KPM Das, an expert on wireless technology, and Pranay Kotasthane, a commentator on supply chain security, delve into the serious implications of recent wireless device explosions in Lebanon. They discuss the intersection of legacy technology and modern warfare, highlighting the evolving tactics of attacks. The conversation emphasizes the urgent need for rigorous supply chain validation and reassessing security frameworks in India. They also unpack risk-based assessments crucial for protecting national infrastructure, stressing the importance of tailored security solutions.

Sep 19, 2024 • 38min
India’s fiscal allocations imbalance
Join Sarthak Pradhan and Arindam Goswami in this episode of All Things Policy, where we'll dive deep into a very important problem in public finance: that of the devolution of taxes/revenue to the states. This problem has
various facets to it. Quite often, it plays out as a horizontal devolution or North vs South problem in public discourse.
Due to that, the vertical devolution aspect is ignored. We look at various perspectives of this issue and try to understand the core problems, and what could be the solutions.
Sarthak has recently co-authored an op-ed about this, which you can read here:
https://theprint.in/opinion/indias-fiscal-imbalance-isnt-a-north-vs-south-problem-heres-what-lies-at-the-centre-of-it/2249684/
All Things Policy is a daily podcast on public policy brought to you by the Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru.
Find out more on our research and other work here: https://takshashila.org.in/
Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in

Sep 18, 2024 • 40min
Skilling India's Future: Adapting Economic and Geopolitical Shifts
In this episode of All things policy, Avinash Shet is in conversation with Arindam Goswami. They discuss India’s talent landscape, the talent gap and need for skilling for our workforce in this ever changing economic and geopolitical realities.
Source material: https://takshashila.org.in/research/geopolitics-of-indian-talent
All Things Policy is a daily podcast on public policy brought to you by the Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru.
Find out more on our research and other work here: https://takshashila.org.in/
Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in

Sep 17, 2024 • 33min
Is India emerging as an advanced energy superpower?
In this episode, we have Mr. Debmalya Sen, who currently leads the World Economic Forum’s global initiatives on Advanced Energy Solutions and is leading the Forum’s work on Energy in India. Who better than him to address a few important queries regarding India's advanced energy solutions? In this episode, Rakshith and Debmalya discuss a variety of energy-related topics specific to India, such as green hydrogen, CCUS, energy storage technologies and many other nerdy advanced energy solutions. If you are an energy wonk, tune in to this episode. And should you make it through, Debmalya will provide a few sources so you can stay updated on energy-related news.
All Things Policy is a daily podcast on public policy brought to you by the Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru.
Find out more on our research and other work here: https://takshashila.org.in/
Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in

Sep 16, 2024 • 26min
Why is AI Hardware a Policy Concern?
Join Ashwin and Satya as they engage in a brief conversation on the reasons why AI hardware has become a critical public policy question, and why policymakers should know the tradeoffs associated with it.
All Things Policy is a daily podcast on public policy brought to you by the Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru.
Find out more on our research and other work here: https://takshashila.org.in/
Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in

Sep 13, 2024 • 40min
Untapped job opportunities for women in mobility business
Here’s a good use case to increase the Women Labour Force Participation Rates. This is an opportunity for women to ensure fellow women get to workplaces safely. It’s crazy yet true that safety comes with a cost. In this episode, Sowmya Prabhakar is in conversation with Vandana Suri to deep dive into women in mobility business.
All Things Policy is a daily podcast on public policy brought to you by the Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru.
Find out more on our research and other work here: https://takshashila.org.in/
Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in