All Things Policy
Episodes
Ep. 481: Should AYUSH Doctors Perform Surgeries?
22 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A recent notification from the Ministry of AYUSH says post-graduate AYUSH doctors will be trained to perform 39 types of surgeries. The notification h...
Ep. 480: Europe's China Dilemma
21 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Even as incoming US President Joe Biden vows to craft a "coherent strategy" on China, the European Union is trying to clinch a trade deal with Beijing...
Ep. 479: What are China's Lunar Ambitions?
18 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
China's Change 5 mission returned to Earth after a 23-day mission to the moon during which it collected two kilograms of lunar samples. What does this...
Ep. 478: Surprises in the National Family Health Survey
17 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released the findings of the first phase of the National Family Health Survey 5. While indicators on family ...
Ep. 477: Is the FTC Suit Against Facebook Fair?
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The US Federal Trade Commission is suing Facebook for its acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram. Is Facebook monopolising the personal social network...
Ep. 476: India-China Ties: The Strategic Dimension
15 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said this week that the relationship with China had been “significantly damaged” this year. In fact, as wint...
Ep. 475: Bear's Den: Why Does Russia Want A Naval Base in the Red Sea?
14 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Russia is planning to lease a naval base in Sudan for at least 25 years. Aditya Pareek talks to Aditya Ramanathan about Moscow's underlying ambitions,...
Ep. 474: Is India Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine Soon?
11 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Vaccines are being approved for emergency use in countries like the UK and Canada. Can India do the same? Sunila Dixit talks to Shambhavi Naik about t...
Ep. 473: Could Spies Avert the Next Pandemic?
10 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As threats from disease outbreaks and ecological disasters grow, should intelligence agencies be tasked with tracking them? What are the potential ben...
Ep. 472: Is Corporate Ownership of Banks a Good Idea?
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
An internal working group set up by RBI recommended allowing corporate houses to own and operate banks. Sarthak Pradhan joins Saurabh Modi to discuss ...
Ep. 471: The Death of a Scientist and the Future of Iran’s Nuclear Programme
08 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The killing of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh has dimmed prospects for a renewed nuclear deal with Iran. Will US President-elect Joe Bid...
Ep. 470: Does One Nation, One Election Make Sense?
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Recently, on the Constitution Day, the Prime Minister called for replacing current election cycles with simultaneous elections. While this is not a ne...
Ep. 469: Is India Really Closer to Achieving its Sanitation Goals?
04 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A new WHO report, State of the World's Sanitation, reveals what progress has been made and what remains to be done. What are the social factors affect...
Ep. 468: Guidelines for Cab Aggregators: The good, the bad, and the unnecessary
03 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has issued new Motor Vehicle Aggregators guidelines. These have some serious implications for companies like...
Ep. 467: Dropping Out of RCEP: An Opportunity Lost for India
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For a larger regional and global presence, India needs to be pro-active in joining free trade agreements. Dropping out of RCEP is an opportunity lost ...
Ep. 466: Lessons to Learn on Big Tech Regulation
01 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Both the US and Europe have attempted to regulate 'Big Tech' effectively. Soon, it will be India's turn to work out new ground rules for these novel t...
Ep. 465: Should 2020 be a Zero Year for Education?
30 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened inequalities in India's education sector. While many schools and colleges have resorted to online classes, millions...
Ep. 464: How Effective Are the New COVID Vaccines?
27 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How is vaccine effectiveness calculated? Should ministers be part of vaccine clinical trials? Sunila Dixit is joined by Ameya Paleja and Shambhavi ...
Ep. 463: How Not To Regulate Disinformation
26 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Kerala State government has backed down from amending its Police Act to include imprisonment for social media posts considered "offensive" or "def...
Ep. 462: The World Health Assembly Meets Amid a Pandemic
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
While the pandemic rages on without end, the 73rd World Health Assembly has passed important resolutions relating to vaccination, food security, and o...
Ep. 461: India's Marathon: Surya Prakash BS on Reimagining India's Revenue
24 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Takshashila Institution has launched a new book, India's Marathon: Reshaping the Post-Pandemic World Order, a collection of essays by public intel...
Ep. 460: India's Marathon: Kunal Singh on Leveraging the India-US Partnership
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Takshashila Institution has launched a new book, India's Marathon: Reshaping the Post-Pandemic World Order, a collection of essays by public intel...
Ep. 459: India's Marathon: Shruti Rajagopalan on India's Strength in Numbers
20 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Takshashila Institution has launched a new book, India's Marathon: Reshaping the Post-Pandemic World Order, a collection of essays by public intel...
Ep. 458: India's Marathon: Raja Karthikeya on India as an International Mediator
19 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Takshashila Institution has launched a new book, India's Marathon: Reshaping the Post-Pandemic World Order, a collection of essays by public intel...
Ep. 457: India's Marathon: Ameya Naik on India and the Rules-Based International Order
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Takshashila Institution has launched a new book, India's Marathon: Reshaping the Post-Pandemic World Order, a collection of essays by public intel...
Ep. 456: India's Marathon: Alok Prasanna Kumar on Reforming India's Institutions
17 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Takshashila Institution has launched a new book, India's Marathon: Reshaping the Post-Pandemic World Order, a collection of essays by public intel...
Ep. 455: Pfizer and the Hunt for a COVID-19 Vaccine
13 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What does Pfizer’s announcement about its COVID-19 vaccine mean? Why did Brazil halt China’s SinoVac vaccine trial? When will Serum Institute’s ...
Ep. 454: What India's Information Ecosystem Can Learn from the US Elections
12 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Information disorder took center-stage in the 2020 US elections, with mass-media and social media platforms both amplifying and containing narratives....
Ep. 453: How Will Biden Deal With China?
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Will a Biden administration get tougher on Beijing? Will it ease the pressure? Or will it be more of the same? Manoj Kewalramani and Suyash Desai join...
Ep. 452: What Ancient Egypt Tells Us About Ourselves
10 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Cleopatra, the last active ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt is closer to our time than the Great Pyramid of Giza was to her time. How did ancient Egypt last s...
Ep. 451: What Today's Submarines Owe to the Cold War and WWII
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The cutting edge features in naval submarines today are the legacy of Cold War-era technologies that were, in turn, derived from both Axis and Allied ...
Ep. 450: China's Plan for the Next Five Years
06 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
China held the fifth plenary session of the 19th Communist Party Central Committee last week. The primary task was to assess the results of the 13th F...
Ep. 449: Rags to Riches: The Mystery of Social Mobility in India
05 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Social mobility refers to a change in one's social status relative to one's current social location. What are the factors impacting social mobility? W...
Ep. 448: The Political Theatre of Section 230
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The US Senate questioned the CEOs of Facebook, Twitter, and Google on whether Section 230- which shields them from liability for the actions of online...
Ep. 447: The Perils of Stubble Burning
03 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Stubble burning in the states of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh contributes to air pollution in North India during the wintertime.
Ep. 446: How Australia Sees the Indo-Pacific
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In a historic development, Australia will join the Malabar naval exercise in November along with India, the US and Japan. High Commissioner Barry O'Fa...
Ep. 445: Understanding the Taliban's Strategies for War and Peace
30 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The United States, the Afghan government, and the Taliban are vying for advantage in the ongoing talks. In a conversation with Pranay Kotasthane and A...
Ep. 444: Reforming the Power Sector OR Can we have less power cuts?
29 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Reforms are long overdue in India's power sector. Does the recent draft Electricity Amendment Bill offer viable solutions? Anupam Manur and Sarthak Pr...
Ep. 443: Is Herd Immunity a Viable Strategy for COVID-19?
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A recent declaration from a group of experts calls for a different strategy to deal with COVID-19: one of achieving herd immunity while protecting the...
Ep. 442: Making Content Policy for Hate Speech
27 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It has been a busy time for content moderation and social media. Facebook has updated its policy on holocaust denial and Delhi’s Peace and Harmony C...
Ep. 441: The Paradoxes of Pakistani Politics
26 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What’s fuelling political instability in Pakistan? Why are opposition parties rallying behind former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif - and against army ...
Ep. 440: Who Really Wrote the Arthashastra?
23 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Arthashastra is famously believed to have been composed by Chanakya, the prime minister of Chandragupta Maurya. But a new wave of scholarship is c...
Ep. 439: Submarine Cables: Why They Matter and Who Threatens Them
22 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Around 97% of all global communications are facilitated by submarine telecom cables. These cables, and the online connectivity they enable, are crucia...
Ep. 438: Mental Health and the Pandemic
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Prolonged periods of isolation and loss of jobs due to COVID-19 have resulted in rising cases of suicide, depression, and anxiety. Open conversations ...
Ep. 437: To Break or Not to Break: Discussing the US Congressional Report on Antitrust
20 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The US Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law came out with a 449-page report on monopoly power in digital markets. How might r...
Ep. 436: What's Happening in Space?
19 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's been an eventful couple of weeks in matters relating to space, with eight nations signing an agreement on moon exploration and new advances in th...
Ep. 435: How the Portuguese Influenced India's Culture
16 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
From a transformation of cuisines to vanishing creole languages to loan words we use every day, the influence of Portugal on the fabric of life in the...
Ep. 434: The Hidden Realities Behind Crime Statistics
15 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What state has the worst crime rates? That's not easy to tell because crime statistics in India aren't always accurate reflections of the actual crime...
Ep. 433: China’s Blueprint for Data Security
14 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
China recently launched the Global Data Security Initiative, laying out eight important principles. One of these principles talks about the need to us...
Ep. 432: The Trials and Tribulations of ASHAs
13 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Why did India's auxiliary health workers, the ASHAs, go on strike? Sunila Dixit talks to Anirudh Kanisetti about the challenges ASHAs have faced - the...
Ep. 431: Taiwan's China Threat
12 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tensions between China and Taiwan are on the rise due to repeated Chinese military drills and activities in the Taiwan Strait. In this episode, Manoj ...
Ep. 430: How Can States Help Themselves?
09 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The stalemate between the Union and the states with regards to GST compensation continues. Even if it is resolved, it is going to be a temporary fix. ...
Ep. 429: Does Facebook Risk Antitrust Action?
08 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Facebook reportedly aims to integrate Messenger and Instagram Direct. While this may have been in the works all along, it's now stirring murmurs about...
Ep. 428: Ethics in Clinical Trials
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
ICMR's 2017 ethical guidelines need a revision, with more focus on fundamental principles that govern the moral decisions and on ethical dilemmas that...
Ep. 427: How Should We Disagree Online?
06 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Interventions against problematic discourse online can result in amplifying it due a combination of group dynamics and algorithmic reward. For example...
Ep. 426: Choppy Waters in the South China Sea
05 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As China asserts itself once again in the South China Sea, the United States outlines a new position, and regional actors react cautiously, Suyash Des...
Ep. 425: How China's Belt and Road Initiative is Adapting to COVID
01 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Even as the world is buffeted by a global pandemic and massive economic slowdowns, China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is quietly adaptin...
Ep. 424: Celebrities and Vaccines, From the 19th Century to the Present
30 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Can celebrities help build trust in a new vaccine? Shambhavi Naik and Anirudh Kanisetti talk to Aditya Ramanathan about the historical role celebritie...
Ep. 423: Online Fashion Vs Amazon
29 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Why did the Competition Commission of India rule in favour of Amazon in an antitrust case brought by a fashion brand? Rohan Seth and Prateek Waghre di...
Ep. 422: Why Great Powers Procrastinate
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Why did the United States aid and abet China's rise instead of "strangling the baby in the cradle"? Manoj Kewalramani, Pranay Kotasthane, and Aditya R...
Ep. 421: India's Sea War Against Germany and Japan
25 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
From 1939 to 1945, the Royal Indian Navy fought on the high seas in the greatest conflict in human history. In this episode, Commodore Odakkal Johnson...
Ep. 420: Reforming the Information Technology Act
24 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Internet in India is governed by the IT Act. But the powers this law gives the state need to be balanced with due process and adequate safeguards....
Ep. 419: Military Revolutions: Past, Present, and Future
23 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Recent Pentagon reports indicate that China is quickly leveling the scales against the US by building up its military. New frontiers in military techn...
Ep. 418: Serosurveys and the True Picture of the Pandemic in India
22 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
India's national and state/city level serosurveys have come up with concerning results. The disparity between the estimated number of cases based on s...
Ep. 417: Inside China's National Security State
21 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ever since Xi Jinping assumed power in China in late 2012, concerns about domestic stability, external challenges, and the resilience of Party rule ha...
Ep. 416: Whose History is it Anyway?
18 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Do statues, monuments and buildings represent history? Or just the preoccupations of those that erected them? Should statues of problematic figures be...
Ep. 415: The Wicked Problem of Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour
17 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
CIB or Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour is a precise-sounding term that remains imprecise. As the recent Buzzfeed exposé on Facebook highlights, pla...
Ep. 414: Why Neglecting Opportunity Costs Leads to Bad Policy
16 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Opportunity cost is the value of the next best alternative that is foregone when exercising a particular option. Any good public policy needs to take ...
Ep. 413: How Can We Vaccinate India?
15 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Once a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19 is available, who should get inoculated first? And how will India vaccinate at least 800 million of its...
Ep. 412: Making Sense of the LAC Standoff
14 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Is the joint statement between India and China on 10th September a sign that the two sides are finding a way to end their standoff on the LAC? Manoj K...
Ep. 411: When Japan Tried to Invade China
11 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Imjin War of the late sixteenth century changed the fates of Japan, Korea, and China. But what was it all about? And why does it have such a power...
Ep. 410: Should the State Set Rules for Content Moderation?
10 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Reports suggest that India is looking to formulate guidelines for consistent content moderation across social media platforms.
Ep. 409: How to Increase India's State Capacity
09 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As India struggles with the COVID19 pandemic, questions about the capacity of the state have come to the forefront.
Ep. 408: Should the Government Collect Health Data?
08 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The new National Health Data Management Policy creates a framework for collecting citizens' medical data. Sunila Dixit, Shambhavi Naik, and Prateek Wa...
Ep. 407: China Military Report
07 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Pentagon’s 2020 China Military Power report emphasizes the advances made by the Chinese armed forces towards achieving "world-class" force statu...
Ep. 406: Xi Jinping's Plans for Tibet
04 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In a landmark speech last week, China's President Xi Jinping laid out Beijing's strategy for securing Tibet. What do China's plans mean for the people...
Ep. 405: How Can India be More Disabled Friendly?
03 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The United Nations has released its first-ever guidelines on making justice systems more accessible to people with disabilities. India has the Right t...
Ep. 404: How the Pandemic Has Affected Indian Women
02 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As the Indian economy struggles with the aftermath of lockdowns and preexisting problems, COVID-19 has now spread across the length and breadth of the...
Ep. 403: Can Our Public Spaces Return to Normalcy?
01 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The pandemic has transformed attitudes towards public spaces like schools, movie theatres, and offices. When can these return to normalcy? And how? Ro...
Ep. 402: Strategic Autonomy: What It Means for India
31 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As India's relations with China deteriorate, what sort of ties should it seek with the United States? Lt General Prakash Menon talks to Suyash Desai a...
Ep. 401: The Forgotten Heritage of the Deccan
28 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
From the 14th to the 17th centuries, the Sultanates of the Deccan embarked on a remarkable experiment in globalisation and regionalisation. This is re...
Ep. 400: The Scale of the Pandemic in India
27 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Serosurveys conducted in Mumbai, Delhi, and Pune have thrown up some interesting findings on the possible scale of COVID-19 infection in India, showin...
Ep. 399: Revamping India's Labour Laws
26 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Labour laws in India are complex and rigid. In the last few months, several state governments have announced changes to these old rules. But are the s...
Ep. 398: WhatsApp Pay Antitrust case
25 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In a forty-one page order, The Competition Commission of India (CCI) last week ruled on an antitrust case on WhatsApp’s upcoming payments service.
Ep. 397: Does History Shape Foreign Policy?
24 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Public discourse often attempts to explain the actions of nation-states through "civilisational worldviews". China, for example, is believed to have ...
Ep. 396: An Extraordinary Life in the British Raj
21 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Stuck in the trenches of the Western Front in Europe, a soldier named Mir Mast took a very important decision that sent him on a remarkable journey th...
Ep. 395: Restructuring India's Public Health Sector
20 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare suffers from a lack of clear division of responsibilities, a platform for inter-sectoral coordination and co...
Ep. 394: Regulating India's Wet Markets
19 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
While a wet market in Wuhan has become notorious for being the likely place of origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, some of India's own wet markets are pla...
Ep. 393: How Big Tech Sees the World
18 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Geographies and domestic politics have a profound impact on how big tech operates. This is evident when we examine the stance tech companies have take...
Ep. 392: Pivoting towards Taiwan
17 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The standoff in Eastern Ladakh has led to a number of calls for India to deepen the relationship with Taiwan.
Ep. 391: The Secrets of Bengaluru's Past
14 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The recorded history of Bengaluru, one of India's most dynamic cities, goes back well over a thousand years. However, it's a past that offers us only ...
Ep. 390: Ensuring Nutrition Amid a Pandemic
13 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
COVID-19 has worsened the problem of malnutrition in India because it has disrupted two critical programmes: the ICDS and Mid-Day Meal Scheme. However...
Ep. 389: Reforming India's Agricultural Markets
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Agricultural markets in India have long been characterized by multiple trade barriers and uncompetitive policies.
Ep. 388: The Promise and Perils of Facial Recognition
11 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Facial recognition technology and its applications have been advancing, even in the absence of adequate privacy laws. Facial data is personal, sensiti...
Ep. 387: Confucian Confusion: India Reviews Work of CIs
10 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Amid the standoff at the LAC, the Indian government is reportedly reviewing the work of Confucius Institutes in the country.
Ep. 386: Gender and the Indian City
07 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Are Indian cities equal spaces for everyone? Do social expectations determine how accepting an urban space is to people of different genders? What do ...
Ep. 385: Is India Prepared for Gene Edited Humans?
06 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The technology to modify the human genome is here, potentially signaling a transformation of societies and economies.
Ep. 384: The Puzzle of Tech Clusters
05 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tech clusters play a leading role in fostering innovation, creating jobs, and attracting investments. In this episode, Sarthak Pradhan and Pranay Kota...
Ep. 383: Antitrust Enquiry and Tech Giants
04 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sundar Pichai, Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, and Jeff Bezos attended an antitrust enquiry last week. The tech giants were grilled on issues ranging from ...
Ep. 382: Securing the Future: India’s Options Amid the LAC Standoff
03 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
While India and China are in talks to disengage in Eastern Ladakh, what are the long-term implications of the standoff for bilateral ties? Manoj Kewal...