All Things Policy

In this episode of All Things Policy, Amit Kumar quizzes Anushka Saxena on her latest book review on Paul Scharre's 'Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence'. The two discuss data, talent, computing, and institutions as the key pillars of the geopolitical quest for technological supremacy in AI.

Last weekend, the Chinese Communist Party concluded a two-day National Ideological and Cultural Work Conference. The big outcome of this was the establishment of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. In this episode, Anushka Saxena and Manoj Kewalramani discuss why the canonisation of such ideas as thoughts matters in Chinese politics and what are the implications of this new thought.

With India achieving its biggest haul ever of 107 medals at the Hangzhou 2023 Asiad games that just concluded, it is important to look at some of the good policies that had been put into place many years prior to make this happen. As a nation, India has a lot of potential and its athletes were able to capitalise on some of the government initiatives. Can the Indian society, markets, and government now work together to take sports to the next level? Malathi Renati, who heads the policy school at Takshashila Institution and has played hockey, baseball, and softball at the national level is in conversation with Carl Jaison, program development manager as they look into some of the success factors behind India breaching the 100 medal mark.

In this episode of All Things Policy, Shambhavi Naik and Saurabh Todi discuss the recent announcement by the European Union to conduct a risk assessment of critical and emerging technologies and how emerging technologies are increasingly being seen through the prism of national and economic security.

On October 7, 2022, the United States Department of Commerce implemented controls related to semiconductor manufacturing in China in order “to protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests”. The recent announcement of Huawei’s 7nm Kirin 9000s chip has raised concerns that the kerfuffle created by the sanctions has all been for nothing and China apparently has next to leading-edge fabrication facilities. So, have the sanctions failed to achieve their objectives and will the US double down with additional measures? In this episode of All Things Policy join Aditya Ramanathan and Satya Sahu as they attempt to gauge the effects of the US ChIp sanctions a year later.

Author Shoba Narayan discusses her book 'Namma Bangalore: The Soul of a Metropolis' with Sowmya Nandan. They explore the layers of food, language, art, start-up ecosystem, citizen-led movements & homes in Bangalore. Traffic and the city's unique texture as a source of idea generation are also highlighted.

In this episode of All Things Policy, Anushka Saxena and Amit Kumar discuss the structural challenges besieging the Chinese Economy, as well policy responses by the central leadership (or lack thereof).

Over the last two years, China has been working on three global geostrategic initiatives: the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and the Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI). Takshashila's Sachin Kalbag and Manoj Kewalramani discuss what they mean for China, for India, and for the rest of the world.

Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, the scientist behind the Green Revolution, discusses the need for an evergreen revolution in Indian agriculture. The podcast delves into the journey of India's food grains self-sufficiency, the consequences of neglecting technology regulation, and the intersection of politics, policy, and science in agriculture. It emphasizes the importance of coherent policies and preserving gains while embracing new technologies.

India has plans to put one of its citizens on the International Space Station in 2024. But why do governments bother to put people into space when they can use robots? And how should India approach such costly missions? Satya Sahu and Aditya Ramanathan discuss.