Ideas of India

Jaksot

• 
  Aishwarya Kekre on Land Fragmentation and Its Impact on Structural Transformation 10.09.2026 56min

  This is the 2026 job market series, where I speak with young scholars entering the academic job market about their latest research on India. We are launching our series with Aishwarya Kekre, who is a PhD Candidate in Economics at the University of Virginia. Her research focus is at the intersection development, trade and spatial Economics. We discussed her job market paper, "Barriers to Structural Transformation: The Role of Agricultural Land Fragmentation." We talked about the reasons for land fragmentation in India, its impact on manufacturing enterprises, on employment in both agriculture and manufacturing, profitability of small farms, how it impacts overall structural transformation, and much more.  Recorded August 21st, 2026. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Prefer to watch this episode, see the full length video here. 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 00:01:36 - Land Fragmentation and Structural Transformation: Surprising Trends 00:08:10 - Understanding Land Fragmentation 00:15:17 - Measuring the Impact of Land Fragmentation 00:21:13 - The Effect of Declining Farm Size on Manufacturing 00:26:30 - Measuring Fragmentation 00:31:11 - The Magnitude of the Distortions 00:36:20 - Impacts on Manufacturing Employment 00:39:45 - Modeling This Problem 00:49:04 - Potential Policy Implications 00:56:07 - Outro
• 
  Rana Hasan on Harnessing the Economic Potential of Indian Cities 27.08.2026 1t 13min

  Today my guest is Rana Hasan who is the Director, Centre for Economic Growth at NCAER and Senior Affiliate Scholar at the Mercatus Center. Prior to this he was the Regional Lead Economist at the Asian Development Bank. We talked about how to classify and define a city, coordination problems in urban governance, their potential as engines of growth and employment, land use regulation, and how cities are the mother of all general equilibrium problems, and much more. Recorded July 23rd, 2026. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Prefer to watch this episode, see the full length video here. 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 00:02:23 - Thinking Differently About Cities 00:13:15 - Fixing India's Land Use Regulation and Coordination 00:23:18 - Strategies for Nurturing Urban Growth 00:33:19 - The Mother of All General-Equilibrium Problems 00:38:41 - The Potential Benefits of Devolving Power to Local Governments 00:45:49 - Making India a Global Economic Player 00:49:38 - Balancing Security for Workers and Flexibility for Firms 00:58:29 - India's Missed Growth Opportunities 01:06:05 - Hurdles to Global Integration and Opportunities for Local Empowerment 01:12:46 - Outro
• 
  Gaurav Chiplunkar on the Frictions in India's Labor Market 13.08.2026 1t 31min

  Today my guest is Gaurav Chiplunkar, who is an Assistant Professor in the Global Economies and Markets group at the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia. We talked about labor market frictions in India, understanding the reasons for low female labor force participation in India, the importance of information flows and networks, the role of middlemen, and much more. Recorded July 8th, 2026. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Prefer to watch this episode, see the full length video here. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Gaurav on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:15 - Examining Female Labor Force Participation in India 00:08:38 - Broad Patterns in Female Employment 00:14:15 - Barriers to Entrepreneurship for Indian Women 00:21:50 - Well-Intended Labor Policy and Unintended Consequences 00:29:20 - Female Employment After Career Breaks 00:35:52 - Female Labor Force Participation and Economic Growth 00:46:02 - The Trouble with Piecemeal Reforms 00:50:40 - Frictions in the Job Market 00:57:04 - Rivalry, Information Flow, and the Nerd Effect 01:05:11 - Challenges to Placement and Retention 01:18:31 - On the Potential of Job Portals and Leapfrogging 01:27:08 - Defining the Goalposts 01:30:38 - Outro
• 
  Shreyas Narla and Kadambari Shah on the 'The 1991 Project' 30.07.2026 1t 53min

  Today my guests are my colleagues Shreyas Narla and Kadambari Shah. Shreyas is a research scholar and Kadambari is a research associate at the Mercatus Center with the India program. We talked about completing five years of the 1991 Project, how it started, it's scope, the oral histories of the reformers in 1991, papers, essays, fellowships and much more.  Recorded July 10th, 2026. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Prefer to watch this episode, see the full length video here. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Shreyas on X Follow Kadambari on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:44 - The Origin Story 00:11:07 - Launching the Oral Histories Initiative 00:20:47 -Documentation and Memory 00:37:47 - Building the Repository 00:46:18 - The 1991 Project Website 00:58:11 - Walking with Giants 01:06:45 - Where are all the Women? 01:11:27 - Making Economic Reforms 'Sexy' Again 01:22:43 - The Importance of Intergenerational Interaction 01:34:33 - Incubating New Talent 01:41:39 - Gratitude and Acknowledgments 01:53:19 - Outro
• 
  M.R. Madhavan on Party Power and the Decline of India's Legislatures 16.07.2026 1t 35min

  Today my guest is M.R. Madhavan, co-founder and president of PRS Legislative Research. We talked about the role and purpose of the Rajya Sabha, treatment of money bills in a Westminster system, how the anti-defection law and party whips have hollowed out parliamentary function, parliamentary procedure, the role of the governor, and much more. Recorded June 24th, 2026. 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 (00:01:33) - The Role and Purpose of the Rajya Sabha (00:14:46) - Money Bills, No-Confidence Motions, and Design Flaws (00:22:47) - GST and Constitutional Design (00:30:33) - One Country, One Tax System? (00:35:31) - The Problem with Anti-Defection Laws and Whips (00:43:55) - Who Will Bell the Cat? (00:50:53) - Parliamentary Pressures: Constitutional vs. Constituent Expectations (01:02:04) - Challenges Faced by State Legislatures (01:15:37) - Reforming the Office of Governor (01:27:18) - The Role of PRS in Parliamentary Functioning (01:35:13) - Outro
• 
  Rahul Sagar on the Birth of Indian Nationalism 02.07.2026 1t 3min

  Today my guest is once again Rahul Sagar, who is a Global Network Associate Professor of Political Science at New York University Abu Dhabi. We talked about his new book The Birth of Indian Liberalism, the recovery of the forgotten nineteenth-century thinker Mama Parmanand, why his Letters to an Indian Raja counts as the first work of Indian political theory, how Indian liberals had to justify building a state out of chaos rather than restraining one that already existed, their fight against the social tyranny of caste, clergy, and family, the case for binding the ruler and educating the citizenry before extending the vote, the divergence between British India and the princely states, religion as a moral resource, the roots of Hindu nationalism, and much more. Recorded June 9th, 2026. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Rahul on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:37) - A Complete Unknown (00:08:53) - The Historical Context of Emerging Indian Liberalism (00:15:47) - Features of Parmanand's Liberal Project (00:21:36) - The Princely States vs. British India (00:27:47) - Religion and the Development of Indian Liberalism (00:37:05) - Neither Scientific Nor Divine (00:46:33) - What Constitutes a Work of Political Theory? (00:51:27) - The Ethics of Parmanand's Anonymity (01:02:50) - Outro
• 
  Sajjid Chinoy on Whether India Faces another 1991 Moment 18.06.2026 1t 19min

  Today my guest is Sajjid Chinoy, managing director and chief India economist at J.P. Morgan. He is also currently serving as a part-time member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India. Sajjid previously served on the Advisory Council to India's 15th Finance Commission and has served on a number of expert committees of the Reserve Bank of India. We talked about India's current balance of payments and capital account challenges, the constraints holding back private investment, why employment and exports have become first-order policy priorities, rupee depreciation, shrinking FDI, and much more. Recorded May 21st, 2026. 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 (00:01:18) - Taking Stock of the Indian Economy (00:11:26) - Factors Dragging on Aggregate Demand (00:15:46) - Changing Policy Priorities for Indian Economic Growth (00:22:13) - Rethinking Fiscal Architecture in a Shock-Prone World (00:33:44) - Let the Rupee Depreciate (00:42:46) - Coping with Shrinking Capital Flows (00:50:00) - Improving India's Pull Factors (00:54:12) - Export-Led Growth and Improved Resilience (01:00:53) - Navigating Choke Points While Avoiding Autarky (01:07:33) - India's Trilemma (01:14:55) - Positive Signs of Resilience in the Indian Economy (01:18:41) - Outro
• 
  Ritam Chaurey on Placing the Firm at the Center of India's Structural Transformation 04.06.2026 1t 30min

  Today my guest is Ritam Chaurey, who is an Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. We talked about structural transformation in India over the last three decades, how firm level behavior responds to regulatory and fiscal changes, how firms choose between capital and labor, or permanent versus contractual labor, land use and factory location, and much more. Recorded April 29th, 2026. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Ritam on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:07) - The Industrial Disputes Act, Permanent Workers, and Contractors (00:10:14) - Impacts of Reliance on Contract Labor (00:16:02) - Labor Protections and Their Impact on Firm Behavior (00:22:35) - Binding Constraints and the Rise of 'Invisible Workers' (00:27:46) - Labor Supply Preferences in Structural Transformation (00:34:07) - A 'Bad Law,' Musclemen, and the Evolution of Debt Law in India (00:40:21) - SARFAESI's Unintended Consequences (00:46:28) - The Drop in Fixed-Capital Assets (00:48:57) - The Impact of Judicial Delays on Labor-Capital Substitution (00:52:41) - The Bankruptcy Code and Marginal Improvements (00:55:54) - Spillover Benefits of Relaxing Land Use Regulation (01:04:18) - Location-Specific Subsidies and Barrier Relaxation (01:06:36) - A Case Study: Uttarakhand and Himachal (01:13:32) - The Impact of New Bank Branches in Underbanked Communities (01:23:24) - The Demonetization Shock (01:29:48) - Outro
• 
  Pratap Bhanu Mehta on Liberalism, Nihilism, and the Collapse of Sincerity 21.05.2026 1t 46min

  Today my guest is Dr. Pratap Bhanu Mehta, who is the Laurance Rockefeller Professor for Distinguished Teaching at Princeton and former president and chief executive of the Center for Policy Research, New Delhi. He is the author of various books and edited volumes, has served on various government committees, and is a columnist for the Indian Express. We talked about the return of nihilism in political life, the hollowing of professional identities, the politics of vishwas, Adam Smith on concentrated power, what it takes to build lasting institutions, the assumptions behind nonalignment, and much more. Recorded April 3rd, 2026. 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 (00:01:11) - The Challenges Facing Liberalism (00:06:50) - The Erosion of Moral Authority (00:11:32) - Nationalism, Feminism, and the Arc of History (00:16:55) - Globalization and the Crisis of Community (00:22:06) - Sincerity, Context, and Intelligibility in a Digital Age (00:30:37) - Professional Identities as Sources of Moral Meaning (00:40:45) - Formal Inclusion and Continued Inequality (00:45:54) - Concentration of Power and the Distortion of the State (00:51:37) - The Politics of Vishwas (01:01:57) - On Caste and the Limits of Identity Politics (01:05:34) - The Question of Social Trust (01:14:08) - Trust-Building and Barriers to Desegregation (01:24:53) - Institutions of Higher Learning (01:39:31) - The Assumptions of Nonalignment (01:46:12) - Outro
• 
  Shruti Rajagopalan and Milan Vaishnav on India's Delimitation Dilemma 06.05.2026 1t 31min

  Today we are releasing a webinar recording from April 24th where Milan Vaishnav and I had a conversation on delimitation in India. Milan is a senior fellow and the director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is also the host of the excellent Grand Tamasha podcast where this recording will be simultaneously released.  We talked about the failure to pass the 131st constitutional amendment bill in Parliament, the government's intention to reapportion and increase the size of the Lok Sabha, the delimitation freeze pegged to the 1971 census that has survived five decades, why the fiscal bargain between states matters as much as the political bargain, and much more. Recorded April 24th, 2026. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Milan on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:24) - What is Delimitation? (00:35:03) - The Politics Behind the Constitutional Amendment (00:47:38) - The Political Arithmetic (00:51:53) - The Financial Bargain (01:30:21) - Outro  
• 
  Samanth Subramanian on the Fragile and Resilient Technologies that Bind Us 23.04.2026 1t 13min

  Today my guest is Samanth Subramanian, who is a journalist and writer and the author of the recent books The Web Beneath the Waves and A Dominant Character: The Radical Science and Restless Politics of J. B. S. Haldane. We talked about under water sea cables and choke points in critical global infrastructure, the intersection of technology and geopolitics, large language models, JBS Haldane and the relationship between science and politics, and much more. Recorded March 25th, 2026. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Samanth on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:35) - Vulnerability and Resilience: Grappling with the Fragility of Undersea Connections (00:03:48) - Underwater Sea Cables (00:10:48) - How America's Big Tech Companies Dominate Bandwidth (00:14:37) - Concentration of Infrastructure (00:20:27) - The 2Africa Cable and Countries Without Leverage (00:27:17) - Geopolitical Vulnerabilities (00:34:51) - Indian Resilience (00:39:27) - Choke Points in the Global AI Economy (00:44:05) - The Challenges of Decommissioning Nuclear Plants (00:49:45) - On the Frontiers and Ethics of AI Technology (00:56:37) - Haldane's Legacy and Science in the Public Square (01:06:34) - Optimism and Pessimism About the Future of Science (01:12:59) - Outro
• 
  Arvind Subramanian and Devesh Kapur on India's Precocious Development Odyssey 09.04.2026 1t 47min

  Today my guests are Arvind Subramanian and Devesh Kapur. Arvind is a Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and a former Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India. Devesh is the Starr Foundation Professor of South Asian Studies and Director of the Asia Programs at the Johns Hopkins. They are co-authors of the recent book, A Sixth of Humanity: Independent India's Development Odyssey. We talked about India's redistributive democracy, why Indian states have taken such different development paths, India's socialism and consequent scarcity, manufacturing challenges, and much more. Recorded February 13th, 2026. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Arvind on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:18) - A Sixth of Humanity (00:06:51) - The Effect of Education on State Development (00:13:39) - Redistributive Democracy in India (00:21:54) - One Democracy, Multiple Outcomes at the State Level (00:36:52) - Tamil Nadu (00:38:01) - The Collapse of Punjab (00:42:12) - Shades of Socialism in India (01:08:00) - Upside-Down State (01:26:36) - Manufacturing (01:46:23) - Outro
• 
  V. Anantha Nageswaran on Surveying the Growth and Financialization of the Indian Economy 26.03.2026 1t 7min

  Today my guest is Dr. V Anantha Nageswaran, who is currently serving as the Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India. He is also the co-author of the books Economics of Derivatives and The Rise of Finance: Causes, Consequences and Cures.  We talked about import substitution and strategic resilience, futures and options market, gross fixed capital formation, crypto markets, India's growth trajectory, and much more. Recorded March 12th, 2026. 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   (00:02:38) - Import Substitution as a Policy   (00:11:19) - Indian States' Spending Problem   (00:18:16) - Capital Formation   (00:25:47) - Increasing Financialization   (00:30:21) - Options and Futures Markets in India   (00:34:15) - Securities Transactions Tax (STT)   (00:40:27) - Curbing Crypto   (00:46:01) - How Should We Approach Policy Regulation?   (00:51:04) - Deregulation   (00:53:41) - Digital Public Infrastructure   (00:56:28) - India's Growth Trajectory  
• 
  Ornit Shani and Rohit De on Assembling India's Constitution 12.03.2026 1t 34min

  Today my guests are Ornit Shani and Rohit De, historians and the authors of the latest book Assembling India's Constitution. Ornit Shani is an associate professor of history at the University of Haifa and the author of How India Became Democratic: Citizenship and the Making of the Universal Franchise. Rohit De is an associate professor of history at Yale University and the author of A People's Constitution: The Everyday Life of Law in the Indian Republic.  We talked about how their latest book is a radical departure from the usual telling of the making of the Indian Constitution as an elite project, the mass mobilization that took place during the drafting of the constitution, the role of public participation in political negotiation, the status of provincial legislatures and of princely states during the constitution making, and much more. Recorded January 20th, 2026 and February 10th, 2026. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Ornit on X Follow Rohit on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:49) - Situating Rohit and Ornit's Book (00:13:52) - More Than the Text (00:27:22) - Provincial Legislatures (00:35:40) - India's Princely States (01:01:04) - Mass Mobilization (01:16:10) - Theater and the Constitution (01:26:06) - Judicial Interpretation (01:31:21) - Future Projects (01:34:08) - Outro
• 
  Pranay Kotasthane on the Political Economy of Rare Earths and Critical Minerals 26.02.2026 1t 47min

  Today my guest is Pranay Kotasthane who is the deputy director of the Takshashila Institution and chairs the High Tech Geopolitics Programme.  Pranay co-writes Anticipating the Unintended, a newsletter on public policy ideas and frameworks, and co-hosts Puliyabaazi, a popular Hindi-Urdu podcast on politics, policy, and technology. He is the co-author of - Missing in Action: Why Should You Care About Public Policy, When the Chips are Down, and the graphic nonfiction narrative We, the Citizens.   We spoke about rare earths and critical minerals, China's dominance, the gap between India's ambitions and opportunities, the potential for recycling, and much and more. Recorded February 2nd, 2026. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Learn more about The 1991 Fellowship. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Pranay on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps (00:00:00) - 1991 Fellowship (00:01:11) - Intro (00:02:59) - Rare Earths versus Critical Minerals (00:10:15) - Why Are Rare Earths and Critical Minerals So Important Now? (00:29:29) - Geopolitical Uncertainty (00:33:14) - China's Process Advantage (00:44:10) - Industrial Policy (00:48:10) - India's Critical Elements Mission (00:53:00) - Auctions (00:56:53) - India's Position in the Value Chain (01:04:36) - Recycling (01:34:04) - Law of One Price (01:41:28) - Pakistan and Rare Earth Reserves (01:46:26) - Outro
• 
  Nachiket Mor on Rethinking India's Healthcare System 12.02.2026 1t 41min

  Today my guest is Nachiket Mor, a health economist whose work focuses on the design of national and regional health systems. He is a visiting scientist at the Banyan Academy of Leadership in Mental Health, a senior research fellow at the Centre for Information Technology and Public Policy at IIIT Bangalore, and a commissioner and author on the Lancet Citizens' Commission on Reimagining India's Health System, which published its final report in The Lancet in January 2026. We talked about the different layers of the Indian healthcare system, the design and policy failures in both public and private sector healthcare, the role of community workers, the health insurance and regulation market, and much more.  Recorded January 29th, 2026. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Learn more about The 1991 Fellowship. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Nachiket on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps (00:00:00) - 1991 Fellowship (00:01:11) - Intro (00:02:32) - Policy Design Failure in India's Healthcare System (00:07:43) - Layers of Indian Healthcare (00:14:04) - ASHA Workers (00:23:59) - State Capacity (00:26:47) - The Exit to the Private Sector (00:34:00) - Getting Ambitious with ASHA Workers (00:37:54) - Stacking Healthcare (00:51:53) - India's Private Sector Healthcare (01:05:14) - Government Insurance Instruments (01:13:10) - Insurance Regulation in India (01:41:09) - Outro
• 
  Akshay Jaitly on the Making of a Modern Indian Law Firm 29.01.2026 1t 19min

  Today my guest is Akshay Jaitly, the author of the recent book, Trilegal: The Making of a Modern Indian Law Firm. He is one of the founders of Trilegal and specializes in advising on energy and infrastructure projects. His research interests include power sector reform, the energy transition and public-private contracting. We talked about how Trilegal grew in the context of India's market liberalization and sectoral reforms, different partnership structures, delegated legislation, regulatory capture, the alchemy between the founding partners, and much more. Recorded January 6th, 2026. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Learn more about The 1991 Fellowship. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Akshay on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps (00:00:00) - 1991 Fellowship (00:01:11) - Intro (00:02:20) - In the Shadow of Liberalization (00:07:28) - Specialization (00:20:55) - Delegated Legislation (00:28:35) - Managing Risk (00:33:30) - Dispute Resolution (00:38:44) - Trilegal's Partnership Structure (00:51:57) - Scaling (00:59:42) - Design or Alchemy? (01:05:08) - Regulatory Capture (01:11:27) - Foreign Law Firms (01:19:08) - Outro
• 
  Renuka Sane on Regulatory Frameworks, Rule of Law, and Pensions Reforms in India 15.01.2026 1t 35min

  Today my guest is Renuka Sane who is the managing director of Managing Director of Trustbridge. An institution that seeks to improve India's business environment by improving the rule of law. Renuka was a member of many expert committees including: the Task Force of Experts set up by the Employees Provident Fund Organisation; the research team of the Bankruptcy Legislative Reforms Commission; the Pension Advisory Committee of the Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority; and the Working Group on personal insolvency at the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India. She received a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of New South Wales.  We talked about the old, new, and unified pension scheme and related reforms over the last few decades in India, India's broader financial regulation framework, separation of powers in regulatory authorities, the way regulatory orders are written, and much more.  Recorded December 17th, 2025. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Learn more about The 1991 Fellowship. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Renuka on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps (00:00:00) - The 1991 Fellowship (00:01:09) - Intro (00:02:49) - India's Pension System (00:35:42) - Private Sector Pension Schemes (01:06:28) - Regulatory Orders (01:24:03) - Improving Transparency at the Reserve Bank of India (01:34:57) - Outro  
• 
  Snigdha Poonam on the Political Economy of Transnational Scams 02.01.2026 1t 27min

  Today my guest is Snigdha Poonam who is a journalist and writer. She is the author of the new book Scamlands and also the author of the 2018 award winning book Dreamers: How Young Indians Are Changing Their World. We talked about the scam industrial complex in different states like Jharkhand,  Assam and Tamil Nadu in India, the interaction between the scam economy and the formal economy, the transnational scams in China and Cambodia and how they are connected to India, the aspirations and traumas of the scam work force and much more.  Recorded November 17th, 2025. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Learn more about The 1991 Fellowship. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Snigdha on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:13) - The Scam-Industrial Complex (00:03:48) - On Jamtara and the Economics of Joining a Scam (00:09:12) - The Moral Logic of Scamming (00:13:31) - How the State Enables the Scam Economy (00:15:54) - Inside Assam's Paperwork and Insurance Scams (00:23:04) - The Politics of Legibility in Assam (00:32:47) - Women in the Scam Economy (00:38:32) - How Scammers Get Trapped Inside the System (00:46:18) - From Local Scams to Transnational Cybercrime (00:52:18) - Scam Slavery in Southeast Asia (01:02:15) - Reporting on the Shadow Economy (01:10:49) - Starting the Story (01:16:54) - From Aspiration to Desperation (01:21:56) - Closing Reflections (01:27:08) - Outro
• 
  2025 in Review 23.12.2025 1t 10min

  Shruti and Ideas of India producer Dallas Floer sit down for the 2025 end-of-year episode. They look back at key themes and top episodes from the past year, address listener questions, and look forward to what's in store for Shruti and the show in 2026. Recorded December 16th, 2025. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Learn more about The 1991 Fellowship. 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 (00:01:03) - Listener Questions (00:25:50) - Big Themes and Top Episodes (00:42:21) - Personal Moments  (00:46:53) - Looking to 2026 (00:49:47) - Hope or Concern for Next Generation (00:51:45) - Intellectual Mood Around India (00:53:01) - Shruti and Animals (00:56:52) - What's New for 2026 (01:00:07) - The Ideas of India Team (01:05:21) - Thank You's (01:09:49) - Outro