All Things Policy
Takshashila Institution
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A daily podcast from the Takshashila Institution that breaks down complex economic and geopolitical ideas through the lens of current events. Each weekday, researchers explore topics such as automation, urban congestion, and shifting regional geopolitics. Designed for busy professionals and curious students alike, it offers accessible insights into global affairs.
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AI and India’s Electricity Market 13.10.2026 39minIndia’s power system is becoming more complex as renewable energy grows and electricity demand becomes harder to predict. In this episode of All Things Policy, Gopal Tomar speaks to Dinker George Mattam about how AI and machine learning could make India’s electricity markets smarter. They explore the role of forecasting, automated decision-making, storage and demand flexibility; who benefits from more dynamic power markets; and what India needs to get right in terms of data, market design and policy.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/research-areas Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in -
The Inverse Law of Innovation 12.10.2026 31minHow does a young officer’s “Why not?” become a senior officer’s “Better not”?In this episode of All Things Policy, Dr Y. Nithiyanandam, Professor at the Takshashila Institution, speaks with Cmde (Dr) Arun Pratap Golaya (Retd) about The Inverse Law of Innovation: the idea that openness to new ideas in government declines with years of service. Drawing on his experience in naval innovation, Golaya explores how career risks, rigid procedures and the “frozen middle” can stall promising ideas. Together, they discuss small experiments, leadership support and rewarding outcomes, asking a vital question: how can institutions uphold accountability while giving good ideas a chance?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/research-areas Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in -
How China Makes Policy 09.10.2026 35minChina is often seen as a highly centralised system where policy is decided at the top and simply implemented by the bureaucracy. But is Chinese policymaking really that straightforward? In this episode, Shreya Ramakrishnan speaks with Shobhankita Reddy about how policymaking actually works in China. They explore the iterative nature of the policymaking process, the different stakeholders who shape it, and how these dynamics are reflected in China’s approach to AI. The conversation then looks at the broader domestic economic trends shaping China’s technology ecosystem, and what these could mean for the country’s future technological ambitions.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/research-areas Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in -
A New Congress, A New Challenge for India-US Ties? 08.10.2026 30minIn this episode of All Things Policy, Aditi Palo speaks with Abhishek Kadiyala about the impacts of an altered US Congress composition on India-US ties. In the past, the US Congress has proven to be a relatively consistent element in India-US ties and a reliable institution in times of political uncertainty. But early trends in the midterm elections indicate a shift towards a more ideologically divided composition of Congress, which could potentially erode this very reliability. Aditi and Abhishek unpack the uncertainties a fragmented Congress would bring in, and delve into the measures India could take to preserve the institutional foundations of this relationship.Explore:US Mid-Term Tracker - https://dcdossier.github.io/Generational-Mid-terms/DC Dossier - https://dcdossier.github.io/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/research-areas Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in -
America Votes | Why should India care? 07.10.2026 35minIn this inaugural episode of 'America Votes', All Things Policy's series covering the US mid-terms, Brigadier Anil Raman and Abhishek Kadiyala cover the early trends in November elections. They discuss the process, the politics and its relevance for India. It frames the midterms as a contest for Congress, whose powers over war, tariffs and aid outlast any executive action. Tracing the President's record-low approval and Republican fears, the episode shows how American domestic politics now sets the cost and tone of ties with India. It argues that India remains strategically essential but politically disposable, and that a Democratic House will not undo American protectionism. Ultimately, it asks whether New Delhi must stop treating Congress as insurance against the executive and build constituencies on Capitol Hill.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/research-areas Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in -
The Limits of US-China Cooperation on AI Safety 06.10.2026 28minCan the US and China cooperate on AI safety while competing to lead the technology’s development? Bharath Reddy and Shobhankita Reddy examine what the Trump–Xi summit revealed, why calls to slow the AI race face resistance and what areas they might possibly cooperate on going forward.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/research-areas Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in -
The Medical Wild East 05.10.2026 29minA Chinese company engaged in semi-invasive brain-computer interface became the first firm globally to get regulatory approval for commercial use. Within 12 days, different arms of the Chinese government - both at the national and local level - worked together to assign the product a medical insurance code, add it to the government’s consumables catalogue, and list it for hospital procurement. In contrast, it may be 2029 when Elon Musk's Neuralink gets its regulatory clearance. Shobhankita Reddy sits down with Shambhavi Naik to discuss what all this means and its potential impact for China and the rest of the world. Read Shobhankita's op-ed here - https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/opinion/china-s-laissez-faire-approach-to-cutting-edge-medical-technology-has-set-the-cat-among-the-pigeons-14021687.htmlAll 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/research-areas Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in -
Should Governments Read Science Fiction? 01.10.2026 28minScience fiction has a habit of describing inventions decades before they're built: the submarine, the mobile phone, even the phrase "atomic bomb." Astha Rastogi and Ashwin Prasad Rao ask whether that same imaginative power can help governments make sense of technologies that don't yet exist.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/research-areas Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in -
Civic Innovation: What Works, What Doesn’t 30.09.2026 36minIn this episode, Sowmya Prabhakar is in conversation with Kuldeep Dantewadia about Civic Innovation: What Works, What Doesn't. The framework and tools that Kuldeep shares give enough pointers to convene people to bring about change. We also discuss how this works at the intersection of society, government, and markets. We delve into what it takes to keep the learning muscle active by gathering, growing and repeating this process.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/research-areas Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in -
Cross-Border Strikes and Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations 29.09.2026 22minIn this episode of All Things Policy, Aishwaria Sonavane joins Adya Madhavan to unpack Pakistan’s escalating military strikes in Afghanistan. They discuss the deep-rooted ideological and tribal ties binding the Afghan Taliban to the TTP, the limits of regional mediation by actors like China and Saudi Arabia, and whether Islamabad and Kabul are entering a protracted, low-intensity conflict. 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/research-areas Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in -
Saudi Arabia’s Houthi Problem 28.09.2026 33minIn this episode of All Things Policy, Aishwaria Sonavane speaks to Raja Karthikeya about the origins of the Saudi-Houthi conflict, the evolution of the Houthis' military capabilities, and why Saudi Arabia’s considerable military and financial resources have not translated into an easy victory. They examine the strategic significance of the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb, Washington’s reluctance to enter another regional conflict, the options available to Riyadh, and what the Mecca Pact could mean for the conflict. Tune in for a deep dive into the conflict in just 30 minutes.This episode was recorded on 21/09/2026All 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/research-areas Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in -
Mining, Money and the States 25.09.2026 23minMining in India is subject to a remarkably high number of levies, from royalty and auction premiums to DMF, NMET, cess and state-level charges. A new amendment has raised even more questions. In this episode, Suman Joshi, along with Sarthak Pradhan and Shobhankita Reddy, unpacks the recent legal and policy changes, what they mean for miners, state finances and communities living around mines.Here is the piece Sarthak and Shobhankita wrote recently: https://theprint.in/opinion/excess-levies-india-mining-industry-minerals-council/3031226/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/research-areas Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in -
Who Owns the View from Above? 24.09.2026 33minSatellite imagery is no longer just about having better satellites or sharper images. In this episode of All Things Policy, Gopal Tomar speaks to Dr Y. Nithiyanandam about how commercial satellite access, AI, and private companies are changing who can see and interpret the Earth. They look at what “sovereign Earth intelligence” means for India, whether strategic autonomy requires self-reliance, how India’s geospatial policy has evolved, and the risks around surveillance and privacy. They also discuss what India needs to build a resilient Earth-observation ecosystem and what that capability could look like by 2035.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/research-areas Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in -
Senior Citizen Policies: The Kerala Model 23.09.2026 46minKerala's 60-plus population has grown from 12.6% in 2011 to 18.7% today. The state's own projections put it near 30% by 2051. India as a whole won't reach that share for decades.In the first episode of a series on active ageing, Malathi Renati speaks with Dr Praveen Pai, gerontologist and the WHO Global Network's Focal Point for age-friendly Kochi, about what it actually takes to govern for a population living longer rather than simply growing older.The conversation moves through three layers of government: what the Union has built since 1999, what Kerala has added on top, including a state senior citizen policy; and what Kochi did to become India's first age-friendly city. The key is the design and how the problem is framed: "ageing" and "living longer" are not the same policy problem, and that difference shows up in what actually gets built.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/research-areas Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in -
India's Electricity Woes & Solutions 22.09.2026 47minOver the last decade, India's power sector has done few things correctly. Almost every household is connected, and we're adding solar and wind faster than most countries. But if you talk to someone who runs a distribution company, a solar park or a factory, you hear a different story. DISCOMs struggle to pay their bills. Solar gets switched off in the afternoon while another state scrambles for expensive power at night. And a unit of electricity costs the same at noon as it does at 8 pm, even though it's worth very different things at those two times. Today Arindam Goswami is talking to Srinivasan Iyengar about what's broken in how India buys and sells electricity, what other countries got right and wrong, and what a sensible Indian electricity market could look like. Srinivasan was the CTO for the Energy and Resources Industry in Asia at a major multinational technology company. His research focused, among other things, on Smart Cities and Energy. 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/research-areas Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in -
The Real Economics of Innovation Hubs 21.09.2026 36minState governments love lobbying for premier institutes, hoping they'll magically turn into the next Silicon Valley. But without the right ecosystem, top talent just takes the first flight out. In this episode of All Things Policy, host Kavya and guest Arindam unpack the real blueprint for building a tech hub. From state-backed venture capital and regulatory sandboxes to the live-test of India's Semiconductor Mission, discover the foundational policy levers required to turn a shiny campus into a thriving innovation economy.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/research-areas Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in -
What If Your Biggest Launch Customer Is Yourself? | Space Launch 4 18.09.2026 37minRockets need things to launch. Increasingly, that demand comes from large satellite constellations whose spectrum and orbital filings are mediated by states. Lokendra Sharma and Ashwin Prasad Rao discuss how Starlink and China’s megaconstellations are reshaping launch demand, why orbital rights matter to launch capacity, and whether India can use its own emerging constellation plans to strengthen its domestic launch industry.If you often think about space and India's foray into it, then we think you may like to take the Technopolitik survey designed by the Takshashila Institution. It aims to assess what people think about how India should navigate high-tech geopolitics. Take the survey here: tinyurl.com/technopolitikAll 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/research-areas Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in -
Brahmaputra: The Risk of a River Changing Slowly 17.09.2026 26minChina’s mega-dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo has raised concerns about downstream risks for India. Beyond the prospect of sudden floods, how could gradual changes in river flows and sediment reshape the Brahmaputra and the lives that depend on it? In this episode of All Things Policy, Kavya Rai speaks with Dr Y. Nithiyanandam about Himalayan hazards, climate change and the implications of upstream development for downstream states in India. They also discuss the role of geospatial monitoring, data sharing and scientific cooperation in strengthening India’s preparedness.The original op-ed about this was published in Times Now. The link to the original article (https://www.timesnownews.com/opinion/india/the-brahmaputras-real-risk-is-a-river-that-changes-slowly-article-156022924) 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/research-areas Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in -
What Happens After a Rocket Fails? | Space Launch 3 16.09.2026 30minFailure is an unavoidable part of developing launch vehicles, but not every launch company survives it. Lokendra Sharma and Ashwin Prasad Rao discuss why states sometimes continue supporting launch firms after expensive failures and sometimes allow them to disappear. Drawing on cases from the United States, China and elsewhere, they ask what India’s first serious private-launch failure will reveal about the state’s willingness to preserve domestic launch capability.The discussion draws on this newsletter: https://orrery.ashwinprasadrao.com/p/still-on-the-umbilicalAll 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/research-areas Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in -
Laughs and SCO-ffs At Bishkek 15.09.2026 39minIn this episode of All Things Policy, Anisree Suresh sits with Manoj Kewalramani and Anushka Saxena to unpack the 26th SCO Summit. They analyse the key takeaways from the Summit and its Bishkek Declaration, the utility of the Organisation itself from an Indian perspective, and its wider impact on regional security and cooperation.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/research-areas Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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