Ep. 442: Making Content Policy for Hate Speech
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 Committee
Oct 27, 2020•26 min
All Things Policy
Ever wondered how automation will change the world? Maybe you puzzle over what India could do to ease traffic congestion, or how China's aircraft carriers will transform Indian Ocean geopolitics? All Things Policy, a daily podcast brought to you by the Takshashila Institution, brings you all the answers. Every weekday, our researchers break down complex economic and geopolitical ideas through the lens of current events. For everyone from the busy executive to the curious student, All Things Policy is all you'll need to understand the world (and appreciate your breakfast) better.
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Episodes
Ep. 441: The Paradoxes of Pakistani Politics
What’s fuelling political instability in Pakistan? Why are opposition parties rallying behind former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif - and against army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa?
Oct 26, 2020•29 min
Ep. 440: Who Really Wrote the Arthashastra?
The Arthashastra is famously believed to have been composed by Chanakya, the prime minister of Chandragupta Maurya. But a new wave of scholarship is challenging that idea. Was Chanakya real?
Oct 23, 2020•21 min
Ep. 439: Submarine Cables: Why They Matter and Who Threatens Them
Around 97% of all global communications are facilitated by submarine telecom cables. These cables, and the online connectivity they enable, are crucial to India's economic recovery and progress.
Oct 22, 2020•21 min
Ep. 438: Mental Health and the Pandemic
Prolonged periods of isolation and loss of jobs due to COVID-19 have resulted in rising cases of suicide, depression, and anxiety. Open conversations about mental health are the best way to address the stigma surrounding it.
Oct 21, 2020•37 min
Ep. 437: To Break or Not to Break: Discussing the US Congressional Report on Antitrust
The US Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law came out with a 449-page report on monopoly power in digital markets. How might recommendations from this report impact the functioning of Amazon,
Oct 20, 2020•46 min
Ep. 436: What's Happening in Space?
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 the reusable craft.
Oct 19, 2020•21 min
Ep. 435: How the Portuguese Influenced India's Culture
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 subcontinent is endlessly fascinating. Anirudh Kanisetti and Aditya Ramanathan
Oct 16, 2020•34 min
Ep. 434: The Hidden Realities Behind Crime Statistics
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 situation. In this episode,
Oct 15, 2020•30 min
Ep. 433: China’s Blueprint for Data Security
China recently launched the Global Data Security Initiative, laying out eight important principles. One of these principles talks about the need to use judicial processes to provide law enforcement access to data.
Oct 14, 2020•21 min
Ep. 432: The Trials and Tribulations of ASHAs
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 increased burden from the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of protective equipment,
Oct 13, 2020•21 min
Ep. 431: Taiwan's China Threat
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 and Suyash talk to Sunila about what it means for the future of China-Taiwan relations, and what should
Oct 12, 2020•32 min
Ep. 430: How Can States Help Themselves?
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. States will need to explore ways to leverage their untapped revenue generation
Oct 09, 2020•35 min
Ep. 429: Does Facebook Risk Antitrust Action?
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 US antitrust action. Aditya Ramanathan joins Rohan Seth and Prateek Waghre to break down recent events.
Oct 08, 2020•22 min
Ep. 428: Ethics in Clinical Trials
ICMR's 2017 ethical guidelines need a revision, with more focus on fundamental principles that govern the moral decisions and on ethical dilemmas that arise while conducting clinical trials/biomedical and health research.
Oct 07, 2020•31 min
Ep. 427: How Should We Disagree Online?
Interventions against problematic discourse online can result in amplifying it due a combination of group dynamics and algorithmic reward. For example, retweeting something controversial to debunk it might end up making it more popular. How can different
Oct 06, 2020•30 min
Ep. 426: Choppy Waters in the South China Sea
As China asserts itself once again in the South China Sea, the United States outlines a new position, and regional actors react cautiously, Suyash Desai
Oct 05, 2020•28 min
Ep. 425: How China's Belt and Road Initiative is Adapting to COVID
Even as the world is buffeted by a global pandemic and massive economic slowdowns, China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is quietly adapting to the new realities.
Oct 01, 2020•32 min
Ep. 424: Celebrities and Vaccines, From the 19th Century to the Present
Can celebrities help build trust in a new vaccine? Shambhavi Naik and Anirudh Kanisetti talk to Aditya Ramanathan about the historical role celebrities have played in facilitating vaccinations in India since the early 1800s
Sep 30, 2020•23 min
Ep. 423: Online Fashion Vs Amazon
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 discuss this ruling and its implications.
Sep 29, 2020•24 min
Ep. 422: Why Great Powers Procrastinate
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 Ramanathan
Sep 28, 2020•36 min
Ep. 421: India's Sea War Against Germany and Japan
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,
Sep 25, 2020•33 min
Ep. 420: Reforming the Information Technology Act
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. Rohan Seth and Prateek Waghre are joined by Gopal Jain, a Supreme Court advocate and
Sep 24, 2020•29 min
Ep. 419: Military Revolutions: Past, Present, and Future
Recent Pentagon reports indicate that China is quickly leveling the scales against the US by building up its military. New frontiers in military technology are constantly being pushed,
Sep 23, 2020•26 min
Ep. 418: Serosurveys and the True Picture of the Pandemic in India
India's national and state/city level serosurveys have come up with concerning results. The disparity between the estimated number of cases based on seroprevalence and the actual number of cases reported is,
Sep 22, 2020•23 min
Ep. 417: Inside China's National Security State
Ever since Xi Jinping assumed power in China in late 2012, concerns about domestic stability, external challenges, and the resilience of Party rule have led to the building of a national security state.
Sep 21, 2020•26 min
Ep. 416: Whose History is it Anyway?
Do statues, monuments and buildings represent history? Or just the preoccupations of those that erected them? Should statues of problematic figures be taken down? Anirudh Kanisetti and Aditya Ramanathan
Sep 18, 2020•30 min
Ep. 415: The Wicked Problem of Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour
CIB or Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour is a precise-sounding term that remains imprecise. As the recent Buzzfeed exposé on Facebook highlights, platform action against such activities is often subjective and haphazard.
Sep 17, 2020•38 min
Ep. 414: Why Neglecting Opportunity Costs Leads to Bad Policy
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 this into account, to avoid an inefficient allocation of scarce resources
Sep 16, 2020•31 min
Ep. 413: How Can We Vaccinate India?
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 citizens? Shambhavi Naik and Ameya Paleja discuss their new vaccine strategy with Anirudh Kanisetti.
Sep 15, 2020•30 min
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