Ideas of India

In this discussion, Akshay Jaitly, a founder of Trilegal and expert in energy law, dives into India's electricity regulation challenges. He highlights the dysfunction within DISCOMs and the urgent reforms needed for a successful energy transition. The conversation also covers the surge of renewable technologies like wind and solar, alongside the complexities of nuclear energy regulation. Jaitly discusses the role of privatization, the intricacies of tariff negotiations, and the potential of innovative contracts to reshape India’s energy landscape.

Today my guest is Christopher J Coyne, who is a Professor of Economics at George Mason University, the Associate Director of the F.A. Hayek Program at the Mercatus Center. We talked about the economics of conflict and peace, history of the US security state, the US intervention in Afghanistan, domestic consequences of militarism abroad, and much more.  Recorded January 15th, 2025. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Christopher on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox.

Today my guest Katherine Butler Schofield who is a professor of South Asian Music and History at King’s College London. She is the author of the recent book Music and Musicians in Late Mughal India: Histories of the Ephemeral, 1748–1858.  She also hosted a podcast series called The Histories of the Ephemeral on the same theme. We talked about the history of classical music in India - from Natyasastra to Dhrupad and to khayals and qawallis. about Aurangzeb’s relationship with music, the sacking of Delhiand it’s influence on hindustani classical music, the powerful tawaifs of that time, and much more. Recorded January 24th, 2025. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:17) - The Nāṭyaśāstra and Tasting Music (00:09:29) - Raga Style and Persian Influences (00:18:35) - The Influence of Intoxicants (00:19:42) - Aurangzeb and Other Courtly Characters (00:33:37) - Aurangzeb’s Demise and Its Effect on Music (00:43:15) - Traveling Musicians and the Spread and Rise of Different Forms (00:49:49) - Development of Tomri (00:55:37) - What Makes Punjab So Different (00:59:17) - The Tawaif (01:02:06) - The Stories of Sophia Plowden and Khanam Jan (01:18:07) - Outro

Today my guest is Anton Howes head of innovation research at The Entrepreneurs Network, and the historian-in-residence at the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce. He is the author of Arts and Minds: How the Royal Society of Arts Changed a Nation and the excellent Substack Age of Invention.  We talked about salt trade in India, the Dutch culture of innovation, the Royal Society of Arts, endogenous versus O-ring theories of growth, why the Industrial Revolution took place in Britain, and much more.  Recorded November 11th, 2024. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Anton on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:29) - History of the Salt Trade and Salt Tax in India (00:11:12) - Harvesting Salt in Bengal (00:17:140 - The Great Hedge of India (00:23:58) - The Rationale for Taxing Salt (00:25:49) - The Western European Salt Trade and Land Control  (00:34:22) - The Dutch Golden Age (00:39:44) - Baltic Salt and New Forms of Sleeching (00:45:51) - Maritime Trade (00:48:24) - Why Did the Industrial Revolution Take Place in Britain and Not Elsewhere? (01:03:14) - Solving the Problem of Debasement in Britain (01:08:33) - The Path to the Royal Society of Arts (01:16:39) - A Culture of Tinkerers and Improvers  (01:20:49) - The Society of Arts’ Aims and Legacy (01:31:15) - Theories of Progress (01:40:20) - The Society of Arts and the Tool of Status (01:47:43) - Outro

Anant Sudarshan, an expert in environmental economics from the University of Warwick and the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago, discusses critical issues of air pollution in India. He sheds light on the challenges posed by crop burning and vehicular emissions, advocating for market-based solutions. The conversation delves into the intertwined effects of agricultural subsidies on groundwater and pollution management. Sudarshan also discusses the alarming decline of vultures, emphasizing their ecological importance and the ripple effects on public health.

Today the roles are reversed. Producer Dallas Floer interviews Shruti for the annual end of year episode where they look back at key themes and episodes from the past year, address listener questions, discuss the job market series, and share some questions from previous guests.   On behalf of Shruti and the entire Ideas of India team, thank you for listening to the podcast this year. We’re excited to bring you more episodes in 2025.  Recorded November 26th, 2024. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:23) - Listener Questions (00:02:27) - Essential readings on the Indian economy (00:04:19) - The economy of eastern India from 1970 to today (00:06:18) - Achieving a “Developed India” (00:09:20) - Alternate paths for economic students (00:014:56) - Suggested dissertation topics for PhD students (00:18:57) - Revising stances on COVID shutdowns (00:24:42) - Problematic TV news programs in India (00:27:57) - Predicting the economic impact of AI (00:30:11) - The South Korean chaebol model (00:38:24) - Karthik Muralidharan: reimagining state capacity (00:41:02) - Aparna Chandra: institutional checks on judicial bias (00:44:03) - Arjun Ramani and Thomas Easton: critical reforms to maintain growth (00:47:29) - Ruchir Sharma: the state of American capitalism (00:51:00) - The Job Market Series (00:54:01) - Questions from Past Guests (00:56:59) - Shifting stances on schooling and drugs (01:02:11) - Law and economics (01:05:36) - “Home” when living in many cultures (01:09:44) - Next up for The 1991 Project (01:11:31) - Personal goals for 2025 (01:16:26) - Thanks and Good Wishes (01:18:29) - Outro

In this engaging discussion, Pravin Krishna, a distinguished international economics expert from Johns Hopkins University, dives into the intricate world of global trade. He unpacks the evolution of India's trade policies and the complexities of preferential trade agreements, addressing their often unintended protectionist outcomes. The dialogue also highlights the delicate balance of trade liberalization, labor dynamics, and the unique hurdles facing foreign companies in India. Krishna's insights into future trade challenges, especially regarding U.S. tariffs, add an intriguing layer to this global conversation.

Subscribe to Grand Tamasha on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or your favorite podcast app. I spoke with Deepti Sharma, who's an Assistant Professor at Ahmedabad University. She completed her PhD in public policy from the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Management of Health Services at the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad. Her current research focus is empirical methods, applied microeconomics, public health and gender studies. We discussed her job market paper, Does it matter who you ask for Time Use Data? We talked about the systematic bias in proxy reporting when compared to self-reporting in time use surveys, some techniques used to fix those biases, the gendered nature of these biases, policy implications of using these time use surveys and much more.  Recorded September 12th, 2024. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Deepti on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:12) - Grand Tamasha (00:02:42) - Proxy-Reporting Versus Self-Reporting in Time-Use Surveys (00:07:16) - Gender Bias and Systematic Bias in Proxy-Reported Data (00:10:27) - How Cultural Norms and Gender Perceptions Shape Reporting (00:16:59) - Challenges in Collecting Accurate Time-Use Data (00:19:34) - Methodological Approaches to Working with Proxy-Reported Data (00:24:43) - Suggested Approaches to Conducting Time-Use Surveys (00:31:21) - Impact of Climate Change on Gendered Agricultural Work (00:33:17) - Hysterectomy Rates and Health Insurance Policies in India (00:36:03) - Outro

Kushagr Bakshi, a Michigan International Law Scholar and SJD candidate, dives into the nuances of constitutional interpretation and federalism in India. He discusses the implications of Jammu and Kashmir's unique constitutional status and the effects of Article 370's abrogation. The conversation explores asymmetric versus heterarchical federalism and the importance of historical context in legal interpretations. Bakshi advocates for a more inclusive approach to constitutional analysis, emphasizing participatory democracy and the complexities of local governance.

Aarushi Kalra, a PhD candidate in Economics at Brown University, sheds light on the intricate relationship between social media algorithms and digital polarization. She discusses her research on online behavior, specifically how recommendation systems can amplify toxic speech against minorities. Kalra explores user engagement with harmful content, the demand for toxicity, and the challenges of platform regulation. She highlights the complexities of defining toxicity and emphasizes the proactive nature of users in shaping media narratives.