Ideas of India

In this episode, Rajat Kochhar, an environmental economics scholar, discusses the impact of market power in local agricultural markets on farmer adaptation to climate change. They explore distortionary policies, regulations, crop choice, water audits, and the agricultural produce market system in India and the UK.

Vani Swarupa Murali, a PhD candidate and instructor specializing in political science and environmental governance, dives into India's centralized agricultural policies. She discusses the adverse effects of this centralization on farmers' livelihoods and groundwater depletion, particularly in Tamil Nadu. Vani highlights the complexities of agriculture and irrigation, revealing how inadequate governance leads to enduring inequalities. She advocates for localized solutions and critiques the government's inconsistent responses to farmers' needs, bringing personal anecdotes to life.

Shruti spoke with Kartikeya Batra, Ph.D. candidate in economics at the University of Maryland. They discussed the long-run effects of land redistribution in India, the Zamindari or Taluqdari system, land titling versus redistribution, property rights, the relationship between land owning castes and socioeconomic outcomes, and more.

In this episode, Shruti spoke with Vatsal Khandelwal, who is a junior research fellow at Merton College and an associate member of the Department of Economics at University of Oxford. His main research interest are development and behavioral economics, with a focus on social and economic networks. They discussed his job market paper titled “Silent Networks: The Role of Inaccurate Beliefs in Reducing Useful Social Interactions,” (coauthored with Ronak Jain). They spoke about pessimistic beliefs and their impact on individual’s well-being, the methods to correct incorrect beliefs about social norms, the importance of social networks, support groups, students’ expectations’ impact on performance more. Recorded September 21st, 2023. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Vatsal on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox.

Shruti spoke with Sarath Pillai, who is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Center for the Advanced Study of India at University of Pennsylvania. He holds a PhD in History from the University of Chicago, a Master of Studies in Law from Yale Law School, a MA in history from the University of Delhi, and a Postgraduate Diploma in archives and records management from the National Archives of India, Delhi. They discussed his job market paper titled “German Lessons: Comparative Constitutionalism, States’ Rights, and Federalist Imaginaries in Interwar India,” recently published in “Comparative Studies in Society and History.” They spoke about how the views of the princely states on federalism and constitutionalism are different from the view of the Indian nationalists; the influence of German thought on India in the early twentieth century; subnationalism and federalism in modern day India and more. Recorded September 6th, 2023. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Sarath on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox.

Rithika Kumar, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Kellogg Institute, dives into the fascinating dynamics of male migration and its impact on women's political engagement in Bihar, India. She discusses how the absence of men leads to unexpected empowerment among women, who step up to claim their entitlements. The conversation highlights the dual challenges of greater political activity against traditional household expectations and the intricate ways migration transforms societal norms, paving the way for enhanced female agency in politics.

Vanisha Sharma, researcher on the effects of social media on farmers, discusses her research on how social media impacts farmers, including their farm expenditures and battle against pests. The podcast explores the impact of WhatsApp groups on farmers in rural India, the differences between in-person and virtual interventions in developing communities, language barriers faced by farmers, and the various areas in which digital technology has revolutionized India.

Duncan Webb is a Ph.D. candidate in economics at the Paris School of Economics. He received his B.A. in PPE at Oxford University and his masters in economics at Paris School of Economics. His research lies at the intersection of development and behavioral economics. We spoke about his job market paper titled, “Silence to Solidarity: Using Group Dynamics to Reduce Anti-Transgender Discrimination in India.” Shruti and Duncan talked about deep-rooted prejudice versus marginal prejudice, preference falsification, behavior in group settings, endogamy, caste prejudice and more.  Recorded August 31st, 2023. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Duncan on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox.

Amit Ahuja and Devesh Kapur discuss violence and order in India, including reasons behind declining violence, the contradiction of decentralization and centralization in governance and security, unrest and violence in India, failure in the Northeast region, implications of communication blackouts, challenges faced by police forces, road traffic fatalities, challenges of policing, and reflecting on fault lines and hope for future discussions.

Shreyas Narla and Kadambari Shah discuss women's absence from decision-making tables, trends in female labor force participation, and the challenges faced by women economic policy makers in India. They also highlight the progress made and the need for greater representation of women in these roles.