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All Things Policy
by Takshashila Institution
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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1000
What Happens After a Rocket Fails? | Space Launch 3
Failure 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
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999
Laughs and SCO-ffs At Bishkek
In 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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998
What India Gains from BRICS and the SCO
India’s participation in BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation often appears contradictory. New Delhi shares the table with China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan even as it deepens ties with the United States, Europe and other Indo-Pacific partners. In this episode, Vanshika Saraf and Bhumika Sevkani examine what India actually gains from being on the table, where these groupings fall short, and whether continued participation strengthens India’s influence across regions and institutions important to a multipolar world.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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997
NPC Watch: China's Defence in Jeopardy?
In this episode of 'All Things Policy', Aditi Palo quizzes Anushka Saxena on her takeaways from the recently concluded session of the 14th Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress. They discuss the revisions to China's National Defence Mobilisation Law, removals of key members from the Central Military Commission, and the budget report introduced at the NPC session. Anushka also addresses a question often asked by watchers of the NPC: Is it just a rubber-stamp parliament, or something more relevant? Tune in to find out her reasoning.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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996
Reading the Himalayan Warning Signs
The devastating floods in Nepal are a reminder of how hazards in one part of the Himalayas can cascade into disasters hundreds of kilometres downstream. In this episode, Nithiyanandam Y, Head of Takshashila’s Geospatial Programme, speaks with Shreya Ramakrishnan about what triggered the recent disaster, what geospatial intelligence can tell us before such events occur, and how better observation, preparedness and cross-border cooperation can help India manage the risks of a changing Himalayan region.As promised, read and listen to Nithiyanandam Y's analysis of these events:Nepal Floods: What Happened & What India Must Learn - https://youtu.be/wvpBI_D_G7U?si=_r1gV_5WRg5xIwDhThe Science of Mountain Signs - https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toi-plus/environment/the-science-of-mountain-signs/articleshow/133631628.cmsAll 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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995
Navigating the Ice Silk Road
A Chinese shipping company – Sea Legend- announced that it will be starting container shipping services between China’s east coast and the UK through the 'Ice Silk Road'. In this episode, Bhumika Sevkani and Anushka Saxena talk about the potential of the alternative route, the China-Russia partnership in the Arctic and the leverage that the Ice Silk Road could provide going ahead.Tune in to understand the global implications of exploring this trade route as well as the interests and actions of various geopolitical actors in the Arctic.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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994
What Does The Mecca Pact Actually Change?
What does the emerging Mecca Pact mean for regional security and, more crucially, for India? In this episode of All Things Policy, Research Analysts Aishwaria Sonavane and Adya Madhavan deliberate on the trilateral defence arrangement between Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan, analysing its capabilities, strategic asymmetries, and the gap between collective-defence commitments on paper and immediate operational realities. From the perspective of a Pakistan-Saudi nuclear umbrella to questions of military interoperability and Pakistan's long-term capability development, they examine what India should and should not be anxious about. https://aishwariasonavane.github.io/Mecca-Pact-Dashboard/https://pakistanpaigham.substack.com/https://grammarofwar.substack.com/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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993
Semicon 2.0 Focuses on Getting India's Chip Design Game Right
On 31 August 2026, the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) notified Semicon 2.0 – Scheme for the development of Semiconductor Design and Manufacturing Ecosystem in India. To discuss the hits and misses of this new architecture, Pranay Kotasthane speaks to Sunil Acharya, Management Director of the Semiconductor Future Accelerator Lab Foundation (SFAL). Sunil breaks down the incentives for chip design firms and explains how investors and entrepreneurs might perceive these changes.Read more: https://egazette.gov.in/WriteReadData/2026/275860.pdfAll 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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992
You Can Have a Rocket and Still Lose Access to Space | Space Launch 2
A rocket is only useful if it has somewhere reliable to launch from. Lokendra Sharma and Ashwin Prasad Rao discuss how geography, launch ranges, sea launch and access to foreign spaceports shape national launch capacity. They also examine India’s dependence on Sriharikota, the role of Kulasekarapattinam, and whether Technology Safeguards Agreements and overseas launch sites could give India more resilient access to orbit.The discussion draws on this recent newsletter edition discussing global space launch: https://orrery.ashwinprasadrao.com/p/still-on-the-umbilicalFor those interested in exploring these questions further, Takshashila Institution’s Space Power Course: Advancing India’s Interests in the Orbits and Beyond covers the strategic, commercial and military dimensions of space power:https://takshashila.org.in/pages/policy-school/ecc-space-power.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
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991
Who Pays for Private Rockets? | Space Launch 1
Private rockets may be built by companies, but who gives them enough demand to survive and scale? Lokendra Sharma and Ashwin Prasad Rao discuss how government procurement has shaped launch capacity in the United States and China, why India has largely supported the supply of rockets rather than buying launches, and how anchor contracts could help build a stronger domestic launch industry.The discussion draws on this recent newsletter edition discussing global space launch: https://orrery.ashwinprasadrao.com/p/still-on-the-umbilicalFor those interested in exploring these questions further, Takshashila Institution’s Space Power Course: Advancing India’s Interests in the Orbits and Beyond covers the strategic, commercial and military dimensions of space power:https://takshashila.org.in/pages/policy-school/ecc-space-power.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
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990
Should India Aspire to Have 15-Minute Cities?
A 15-minute city is an urban planning concept where all daily essential services are accessible within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from any resident's front door. Developed by Franco-Colombian scholar Carlos Moreno and popularised in Paris, the model aims to reduce car dependency, lower carbon emissions, and boost local quality of life. But would this concept play out well in the average Indian city? To unpack this question and more, Kripa Koshy (Staff Programme Manager) is joined by Sarthak Pradhan (Assistant Professor, Economics) and Suman Joshi (Staff Programme Manager) in this latest episode of All Things 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
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989
How Is The Iran War Impacting US Midterms?
In this episode of All Things Policy, Vanshika Saraf and Abhishek Kadiyala examine what the war on Iran means for the November 2026 midterm elections in the U.S. The joint U.S. and Israeli strikes that began on 28 February 2026 have not become a campaign issue in their own right, with only 4 per cent of Americans naming foreign policy as their top concern by July. The conversation applies a test drawn from Iraq in 2002 and Afghanistan in 2010, which is that American wars seldom rank as voter priorities yet often worsen the issues that do. The episode works through the evidence, including inflation at 4.2 per cent, petrol at USD 4.65 a gallon, record-low congressional approval of 10 per cent, and the repeated collapse of War Powers Resolution votes. The argument advanced is that the war reaches voters through prices and institutional distrust rather than as a war. It concludes by discussing certain indicators beyond inflation and institutional mistrust that might highlight the electoral and political impact of the war. Learn more:US midterm tracker: https://dcdossier.github.io/Generational-Mid-terms/DC Dossier: https://dcdossier.substack.com/ECC: The American System:https://takshashila.org.in/pages/policy-school/ecc-american-system.html Early Bird closes on 31st August.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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988
Where Will Future Growth Come From?
Since 1950, only a handful of countries have made the jump from poor to rich, and nearly all of them did it in a similar way. Put a lot of people in factories, sell cheap goods into open Western markets, and climb, one rung at a time, for forty years. Today, the tariff walls are going back up, the trade rulebook is fraying, and China sits on every rung of that ladder. The fashionable verdict is that India's window has closed. Has it?In this final episode of Turbulence, Anupam Manur is joined by Shruti Rajagopalan, Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and host of Ideas of India, who refuses the premise. The path to prosperity, she argues, is not controlled by Washington or Beijing. It is blocked closer to home by what she calls India's regulatory cholesterol, and by the land conversion certificate you need before a factory can go up on a field. The conversation ranges across China, services beyond software, women and work, land, and state capacity, before landing somewhere unexpectedly hopeful: the biggest levers are still in India's own hands.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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987
The Great Indian Tournament
In this episode, 'The Great Indian Tournament' — Only a few "win" India's white-collar job market while millions compete for a shrinking number of prizes. Sowmya Prabhakar & Shobhankita Reddy use tournament theory to figure out why India's middle class is hitting a breaking point. It points to real openings in the semiconductor design and entrepreneurship sectors where prizes are going unclaimed for want of the right people. However, this means the old rulebook- study hard, get a degree, get a job, retire safely needs rewriting for individuals and for policy alike.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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986
The State of Fiscal Decentralisation in Karnataka
Karnataka has long been seen as a leader in fiscal decentralisation, giving local governments both responsibilities and resources to deliver public services. But as the state urbanises rapidly, is this changing?In this episode of All Things Policy, Sarthak Pradhan speaks with Manisha Marulasiddappa from Janaagraha, co-author of the report A Slow Reversal of Karnataka’s Fiscal Decentralisation, to unpack what is happening to fiscal decentralisation in Karnataka. Manisha discusses the role of State Finance Commissions, the growing gap between Karnataka’s urbanisation and its fiscal transfers to cities, and what Karnataka can do better.The report can be found here: https://www.janaagraha.org/resources/a-slow-reversal-of-karnatakas-fiscal-decentralisation/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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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985
Pakistan in the Middle: Mediating West Asia
Pakistan has emerged as an unlikely mediator in the conflict in West Asia, balancing its relationships with Iran, Saudi Arabia, the US and China. In this episode of All Things Policy, Suman Joshi speaks with Aishwaria Sonavane about what has enabled Pakistan to play this role, the limits of its diplomatic leverage, and what its growing relevance could mean for India. This is based on Aishwaria's recent paper titled: SWOT Analysis of Pakistan’s Mediation in West Asia - takshashila.org.in/content/publications/20260811-swot-analysis-of-pakistans-mediation-in-west.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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984
State Equity In AI Companies
In August, Sam Altman floated the idea of handing the US government about five per cent of OpenAI, dressed up as a sovereign wealth fund for ordinary Americans. Around the same time, and with far less noise, the Indian government moved towards taking a one to two per cent share in Sarvam, the Bengaluru startup building foundation models, in exchange for a compute subsidy under the IndiaAI mission. While the sums are small, what these arrangements set up needs to be analysed for its unintended consequences.MeitY writes the rules for AI in India. It also runs the mission that decides who gets subsidised GPUs. Government departments will buy some of what these companies build. And now the same ministry will also get a place at the table.Join Arindam Goswami and Bharath Reddy as we discuss all of this. Bharath has been following this, and he has argued that India should hold back even as Washington, Beijing and others reach for equity. In this episode, we work through why, and where the argument runs into trouble.You can read Bharath's oped on this topic here: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/indian-government-invest-ai-openai-sarvam-sam-altman-10810106/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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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983
Risk and Resilience: Built in Peacetime
Sooner or later, every country gets hit — a pandemic, a war, a shipping lane that closes, a bank that fails. And there is a comfortable belief in Indian public life that crisis is when things finally get fixed. 1991 is the proof, we tell ourselves. The fashionable verdict is that a crisis is an opportunity, and a terrible thing to waste. Is it?In this episode of Turbulence, Anupam Manur is joined by Ajay Shah — co-founder of the XKDR Forum, formerly of the Ministry of Finance and NIPFP, and co-author with Vijay Kelkar of In Service of the Republic — who calls that idea drawing-room chatter. In a crisis, he argues, checks and balances peel away, and the worst ideas get their hearing. What actually protects a country is built long beforehand: prices free to move, institutions able to refuse bad ideas, and what he calls strategic depth — the fiscal room to respond when something goes wrong. The conversation runs from social media's role in breaking an old political settlement, through China, to why India could not spend its way through the pandemic.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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982
Why Swimming Is A Policy Issue
India recorded 38,503 drowning deaths in 2022, 9.1% of all accidental deaths in the country (source: NCRB). Yet swimming is still treated as a summer hobby for the urban few, not the public-health and sporting priority the numbers demand.On this episode of All Things Policy, Malathi Renati is in conversation with Hakimuddin Habibulla OLY, 2000 Sydney Olympian and founder of Swimming Matters, about the importatance of swimming: why water safety has no real home in Indian policy, why the sport with the most Olympic golds on offer stays under-resourced, and whether India's swimming pool market ($204.6M in 2024) is a demand problem or a supply one.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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981
India’s Sovereign AI Stack: Beyond the GPU Race
India’s AI ambitions are often framed around chips, GPUs, and the race for cutting-edge models. But AI is much more than hardware. In this episode, Gopal Tomar and Dr Dheeraj Dwarakanath examine India’s AI stack from the ground up — from electricity, data centres, and semiconductor manufacturing to models, applications, languages, and digital public infrastructure.The discussion explores what “sovereign AI” should mean for India, where India’s actual strengths and constraints lie, and whether the country should try to compete with the US and China on their terms or build an AI ecosystem around its own advantages. We also discuss India’s talent base, research capacity, UPI and digital public infrastructure, multilingual AI, frugal innovation, data governance, and the geopolitical implications of the global AI and semiconductor race.The central question is simple: Does India need to win the cutting-edge AI race, or can it build a different and more consequential model of AI for scale?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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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980
Navigating India's Subsea Cable Governance
Subsea cables are the fibre-optic networks laid across the ocean floor that carry approximately 95% of all intercontinental digital communications, serving as the essential, yet often invisible, backbone of the modern global internet. In India, the subsea cable ecosystem is constrained by regulatory gaps, procurement hurdles, and structural commercial barriers, resulting in significant vulnerabilities in the nation’s digital connectivity.In this episode of All Things Policy, Anisree Suresh and Anwesha Sen explore these vulnerabilities and discuss ways to mitigate the same. Check out our paper on "Navigating India's Subsea Cable Governance" for the detailed policy roadmap: takshashila.org.in/content/publications/20260720-subsea-cable-governance.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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979
FCRA: A Potential US-India Irritant?
In this episode of the All Things Policy podcast, Kavya Rai and Abhishek Kadiyala examine India's 2026 amendments to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act and why a domestic funding law has drawn attention in Washington. The conversation frames the issue as a collision between Indian regulatory sovereignty and the rising force of religious-freedom politics in the United States. It traces the money at stake, from American donors to Indian recipients, and situates the debate within USCIRF hearings, Congressional interest, and the evangelical turn in US politics. The episode argues that while the executive has shown limited appetite for action, having moved only against Nigeria, the FCRA question retains real nuisance value as a Congressional and electoral lever. It ultimately asks whether this issue becomes an active irritant in India-US ties, or remains a low-grade friction ahead of the midterms.To track the latest trends in the 2026 US midterm elections, follow the Election Racebook here: https://dcdossier.github.io/Generational-Mid-terms/ To stay updated on the latest developments in US domestic politics and US-India relations, subscribe to our DC Dossier here: https://dcdossier.substack.com/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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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978
China: Weaker at Home, Stronger Abroad?
China's population is shrinking. Its property sector has collapsed, and taken local government finances down with it. Prices at the factory gate have been falling for years. By most conventional measures, the Chinese economy is in real trouble. And yet, last October, China made a change to its rare-earth export licensing, which sent countries scampering to think about economic statecraft. How does a weakening economy end up with more leverage than ever?In this episode of Turbulence, Anupam Manur is joined by Manoj Kewalramani, who chairs the Indo-Pacific Studies Programme at the Takshashila Institution, writes a daily newsletter tracking the Communist Party's own People's Daily, and is the editor of Taming the Dragon: A Manifesto for a New Modus Vivendi with China. The conversation traces China's domestic slowdown, how Beijing exports its overcapacity through outward investment and green tech, what its rare-earth and critical-mineral controls are actually built to do, and how China has quietly de-risked its own economy from the US since 2018.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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977
"We Feel Free" — India's Geospatial Sector Since the 2022 Policy
Companies now tell Srikant Sastri that their chains have been removed. Dr Y. Nithiyanandam speaks with the GDPDC Chairman about whether that feeling amounts to an inflection point, what Operation Dronagiri proved in its pilot districts, where geospatial data pays off in agriculture, logistics and infrastructure; whether India can build sovereign capability in GeoAI and hardware; what students should learn now; and why this industry resists measurement entirely. 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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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976
Geospatial Technology and India's Monsoon Crisis
Geospatial data can predict where a flood will happen. Satellite imagery can identify vulnerable settlements before disaster strikes. Real-time mapping can guide evacuation decisions. India has all these tools. Yet our early warning systems remain fragmented, slow, and disconnected. In this episode of All Things Policy, host Kavya Rai sits with Dr Y. Nithiyanandam as he explains what needs to change in how we coordinate disaster response and what works in other countries.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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975
Pakistan and the Taliban: From Allies to Adversaries
Five years since the Taliban's returned to power in Kabul, ties between Pakistan-Afghanistan have steadily deteriorated reaching a new low. In this episode of All Things Policy, Aishwaria Sonavane speaks to Islamabad-based scholar and investigative journalist Natasha Matloob about what went wrong between the traditional allies. They look beyond the capitals to understand how communities along the border are experiencing the conflict, whether Kabul’s diplomatic promises holds up on the ground, who bears the economic costs of the confrontation, and whether this is a permanent rupture or just another cycle in a relationship that has survived decades of turbulence.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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974
Indian Radius | Europe’s New Place in Indian Foreign Policy
In this episode of The Indian Radius series, Vanshika Saraf joins Shobhankita Reddy to examine the progress of the India–EU Trade and Technology Council. The discussion looks at cooperation on open source technologies, start-up ecosystems, critical minerals, and a prospective association with Horizon Europe. They also briefly discuss the Indian President’s visits to Moldova, North Macedonia and Romania. These engagements reflect India’s effort to diversify its European outreach and create new opportunities in trade, investment, technology and institutional 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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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973
Sanctions and Economic Statecraft
More than a quarter of the world's countries now live under sanctions. They have become the West's instrument of choice—the thing governments reach for when war is unthinkable and doing nothing is unacceptable. Freeze the reserves, cut off the banks, choke the exports, and force a government to change course without firing a shot. The fashionable verdict, after Russia's economy failed to collapse, is that sanctions simply don't work. In this episode of Turbulence, Anupam Manur is joined by Mark Harrison, a Professor Emeritus at the University of Warwick, one of the world's foremost economic historians of war and coercion, and co-editor of Economic Warfare and Sanctions since 1688. Reading three centuries of evidence, Harrison finds an interesting pattern: economic pressure has worked only when backed by force or the credible threat of it, which is the one thing the modern sanctions regime was built to avoid. The conversation runs from Napoleon's blockades to the chip war, asks why targets adapt faster than senders expect, and turns on an uncomfortable question for a country like India, caught between the sanctioners and the sanctioned.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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972
China Gives India "Strategic Breadcrumbs"
As India and China navigate the paradoxes of their post-Galwan ties, stressors ranging from Delhi-Washington ties to a competition over influence in the Indo-Pacific continue to plague a strategic "reset." In this episode of 'All Things Policy', Anushka Saxena quizzes Saheb Singh Chadha on his latest research paper explaining China's India policy of "Strategic breadcrumbing." Saheb delves into the boundary question and the challenges posed by Beijing's sustained use of economic coercion, while arguing that the current thaw is nothing more than a pause before a new storm takes over the ties.Read his full paper, 'Threading The Needle', here: https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2026/07/threading-the-needle-indias-path-forward-with-china.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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971
Aboard Starship, The Largest Rocket Ever
SpaceX, which has built the largest satellite internet constellation and has also made history with the largest IPO in the world is now testing the largest rocket ever developed. Recently, the Starship, as the rocket is being called, completed its 13th test flight. But what is Starship? What does its success mean for the space sector in the US and beyond? And, what does it mean for the space race? To unpack these questions, Takshashila's tech geopolitics researcher Lokendra Sharma is joined by Ashwin Prasad, Takshashila’s space researcher who closely follows SpaceX related developments. The Takshashila Institution runs a four-week Expert Capsule Course on Space Power, covering India's space reforms, the Outer Space Treaty, megaconstellations, and the military space strategies of India and China. Cohort 4 runs 5 September to 10 October 2026. Applications close 31 August. Apply here: https://takshashila.org.in/pages/policy-school/ecc-space-power.htmlIf 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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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970
Thorny Security Relations Between India and the US?
U.S. Under Secretary of War for Policy, Elbridge Colby, recently critiqued what he called a "collective “middle powers” strategy". In this episode, Kripa Koshy (Staff Programme Manager) sits down with Brigadier Anil Raman (Retd) (Head, Defence Fellowship Programme) to analyse the U.S.' shift toward a more transactional, burden-sharing approach to global security and examine how India can navigate these evolving expectations.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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969
Can China's Open-Weight Models Help India's AI Sovereignty?
Last month, China hosted the ninth iteration of its World AI Conference in Shanghai. Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the event for the first time in nine years, and teasing out his speech beyond the rhetoric leaves some important takeaways. Meanwhile, companies around the world are turning to open-weight models from China that increasingly deliver near-frontier capability at a fraction of the cost. Join three researchers from the Takshashila Institution - Shobhankita Reddy, Amit Kumar and Bharath Reddy - as they make sense of what all this means for India. Read on - https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/lets-make-china-work-for-us-securely-building-indias-domestic-compute-keeping-good-terms-with-us-pax-silica-anthropic-101784679849823.html and https://eyeonchina.substack.com/p/the-symphony-of-global-ai 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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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968
Technology & Geo-Economic Disruption — The AI Shock
Artificial intelligence is being sold as the biggest economic shock in a generation, a productivity revolution that will decide which countries grow rich and which fall behind. The machinery of it has already become a contest of power: chips have become chokepoints, compute is rationed by export controls, and the routine coding and back-office work that lifted millions across the developing world is squarely in the crosshairs. In this episode of Turbulence, Anupam Manur is joined by two guides to the two halves of the story. Pranay Kotasthane maps the geopolitics of AI, including the chips, the compute, and the contest for power. Economist Ashish Kulkarni brings in the economics and answers whether the productivity boom is real or overhyped, and who actually captures the gains. Together, they work through the question that matters most for India: does AI offer the developing world a shortcut up the ladder, or kick it away? Also, whether export controls actually work, and whether India should build its own "sovereign AI" or simply buy it in.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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967
Whose Forest Is It Anyway?
The science of population biology and the coexistence debate with predators, how protected areas actually get expanded and monitored on the ground, and whose voices are heard in that process. This episode walks us through the science, the governance mechanics, and the on-the-ground reality of making any of this actually work.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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966
The Hidden Government Debt
Governments can make debt less visible, but they can't make it disappear. In this episode of All Things Policy, Kripa Koshy speaks with Sarthak Pradhan about off-budget borrowing - the incentives that drive it, its implications for public finances and democratic accountability. Drawing on examples from across India, they explore why these liabilities matter and discuss reforms that could bring hidden liabilities back into the public eye.Read more: https://fincomindia.nic.in/asset/doc/commission-reports/16th-FC/studies/commission/A%20Study%20of%20Off-Budget%20Borrowings%20in%20India%20by%20WB.pdfAll 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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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965
India-UK Trade Deal
India and the UK have signed a landmark trade agreement—but what does it really mean? In this episode, Anisree Suresh and Suman Joshi discuss the contours of the recently signed India-UK CETA. In addition to unpacking the key provisions of the India–UK CETA, who stands to gain, what was left out, we also try to understand the changing nature of FTAs and why issues like carbon border taxes and industrial policy may matter as much as tariff cuts.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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964
The New Phase of Conflict in West Asia
In this episode of All Things Policy, Aishwaria Sonavane speaks with Raja Karthikeya about the second phase of the US–Iran military conflict and its wider implications. The conversation examines India’s role, the opening of a new front involving the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, and the future of the US military presence in the Gulf.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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963
The Future of Money
The US dollar sits at the centre of almost everything from the reserves of central banks, the pricing of oil to the settlement of cross-border debt. Lately that centre looks less solid: central banks are stockpiling gold, countries are settling trade in their own currencies, digital money is spreading, and there's open talk of payment systems built to bypass the dollar altogether. Is the dollar's reign ending and why?In this episode of Turbulence, Anupam Manur is joined by Barry Eichengreen, the Berkeley economist and historian of how global currencies rise and fall, author of Exorbitant Privilege and the new Money Beyond Borders, who thinks the age of dollar dominance really is drawing to a close, and that this time is different. What's wearing the dollar down is the United States itself: mounting debt, threats to the Federal Reserve's independence, eroding institutional strength, and a growing readiness to turn the currency into a weapon. The conversation runs from the renminbi's ceiling to stablecoins and digital money, asks whether a BRICS-style currency could ever work, and weighs where India fits into all of this.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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962
Win-Win Energy Policy
Public conversation about energy and climate tends to default to a sense of unavoidable trade-offs, where every gain is assumed to carry an equal and offsetting loss. India's own record complicates that pessimism. Fly ash, once a disposal problem piling up in ash ponds beside thermal plants, now moves into cement, bricks, and roads. Clean cooking gas has reached households that had never had a connection. None of these was costless, and none was free of design flaws, but each shows that well-constructed policy can improve health, the environment, and the economy at the same time.Join Srinivasan Iyengar and Arindam Goswami as this episode of All Things Policy uses the ethanol debate as an entry point to a wider question: how India can keep designing pragmatic energy policy that treats electrification, biofuels, coal-bed methane, coal-to-methanol, and green ammonia as complements rather than rivals. The organising idea is not loyalty to any one fuel, but rigorous cost-benefit thinking anchored in scientific evidence, the country's resource endowment, and its developmental priorities.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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961
MilTech and the Governance of Future Wars
As the wars in Ukraine and Iran have evolved, military technologies ranging from drones and lethal autonomous weapons are becoming a matter of great debate across global platforms. In this episode of 'All Things Policy', Manoj Harjani from RSIS, Singapore, sheds light on how military technologies are shaping procurement policies and how global governance debates on LAWS and military AI are attempting to establish norms and best practices. He also discusses Singaporean lessons and perspectives on defence procurement. Read his latest paper on these debates here: https://rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/idss/ip26076-framing-expectations-for-the-fourth-reaim-summit/.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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960
Tech Sovereignty, Geopolitics, and Open Source
In this episode, Shobhankita Reddy, research analyst at the Takshashila Institution, and Sai Rahul Poruri, CEO of the FOSS United Foundation, sit down to unpack the nuances of tech sovereignty, arguing that it is not about absolute self-sufficiency, but rather about having the freedom to choose and avoiding proprietary vendor lock-in. They discuss ways in which the open source ecosystem can help secure a nation's long-term technological resilience.This discussion was recorded during Takshashila’s Academic Conference (June 2026) for the 44th cohort of the Graduate Certificate in Public Policy. Applications for the September cohort are now open. Join us to participate in such conversations at the next iteration of the Academic Conference!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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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959
NGO Service Delivery And Civic Society Partnerships
Host Malathi Renati sits down with Ankita J Chakkraborty (Trustee & Treasurer, Avant Welfare Foundation) to unpack how NGOs actually deliver services on the ground and what real partnership with government looks like, beyond the funding buzzwords.We cover the fragmented NGO landscape (3M+ registered NGOs, one of the largest non-profit ecosystems globally), the compliance runway for young NGOs seeking CSR recognition, PPP models in public health like Karuna Trust's PHC management, and whether CSR money is built for sustained infrastructure work or just visibility.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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958
Tariffs and Trade Disruption — Trump and Beyond
Tariffs are back, industrial policy is fashionable again, and over the past year the United States, the country that helped build and maintain the open trading system, has spent its energy tearing holes in it, taxing allies and rivals alike. The popular verdict in India is grim: a global trade war is on, the rules-based order is finished, and we are caught in the crossfire. But is that really what's happening?In this episode of Turbulence, Anupam Manur is joined by Devashish Mitra — Professor of Economics at Syracuse University's Maxwell School, and the economist who has written extensively on the political economy of trade policy. His answer is bracing on two counts. Tariffs, he argues, can't do what they promise: trade balances are governed by macroeconomics, not trade policy, and the cost of a tariff falls largely on the country that imposes it. And for India, the more uncomfortable truth is that the binding constraint was never Washington, but it's India's own protectionism. The conversation runs from Trump's tariffs to the wider drift toward industrial policy and "friend-shoring," to what the future of trade might look like and what India should actually do about it.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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957
India's Water Troubles
From the Indus Waters Treaty to the Brahmaputra's origins on the Tibetan Plateau, India's water security sits at the intersection of climate stress, outdated irrigation infrastructure, and some of the most contested river systems in the world. In this episode of All Things Policy, Adya Madhavan sits down with Maj Gen Akash Kaushik, author of India's Water Security: Threats, Strategies and Solutions, about what's really driving the crisis, and who India needs to worry about most.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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956
Fuel For Thought
In this episode of All Things Policy, Anisree Suresh and Bhumika Sevkani critically examine the Ethanol Blending Programme as India’s long-term strategy. They unpack the complexities of the entire supply chain, from the impact of Fair and Remunerative Prices (FRP) to stifled innovation in agriculture on the ethanol supply chain. To read more about this, please visit and subscribe https://thebiologic.substack.com/p/4-the-two-sides-of-ethanol-blending?r=3tc8daAll 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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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955
Geospatial Intelligence for Disaster Resilience
India experiences a cycle of disasters throughout the year—from scorching heatwaves and droughts to floods, landslides, cyclones, and glacial hazards. Can technology help us anticipate these risks before they become catastrophes? In this episode of All Things Policy, Kavya Rai speaks with Prof. Y. Nithiyanandam about how satellites, GIS, remote sensing, and geospatial intelligence are reshaping disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. The discussion explores why disasters are fundamentally spatial challenges and how India can build a more proactive, data-driven disaster management system for a changing climate.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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954
The Indian Radius: Endurance of the Indo-Pacific
July has been an exceptionally busy month for Indian diplomacy. PM Modi embarked on a three-nation tour of Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, NATO leaders gathered for their annual summit. Join Vanshika Saraf and Amit Kumar as they assess each of these meetings and their importance. They also explore the growing—yet often incomplete—alignment between India’s economic and foreign policies.Check out the China Coercion Tracker (amitkumar-ak.com/china-coercion-tracker/mindmap.html). It offers a risk-exposure assessment and a comprehensive mindmap of China’s economic statecraft. Also, read the latest issue brief (takshashila.org.in/content/publications/20260709-China-Japan-Escalation.html) on the drivers, responses and implications of the recent escalatory spiral between China and Japan.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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953
Disruption in the Global Economic Order — Bretton Woods No More
For eighty years, a single architecture has run the global economy with important institutions at the helm, including the IMF, the World Bank, the WTO, and the US dollar at the centre of it all. Today, that architecture is under more strain than at any point in living memory: tariff walls are rising, finance is being turned into a weapon, and supply chains are being torn up and re-stitched along the lines of who trusts whom. The fashionable verdict is that the post-war order is rupturing. Is it? In this opening episode of Turbulence, Anupam Manur is joined by Narayan Ramachandran, who isn't entirely convinced by this framing. The order isn't rupturing, he argues; it's being impeded, selectively slowed and re-routed rather than dismantled, and renegotiated into something more multipolar and higher-friction. The conversation separates what's genuinely eroding from what's merely noise, asks what the next world order will look like, and weighs where India stands in the great churn.
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952
Beyond Talks or No Talks: Rethinking India-Pakistan Engagement
Kavya Rai sits down with Aishwaria Sonavane (Pakistan Studies) and Raja Karthikeya (West Asia Studies, UN peace mediation veteran) to unpack why India's Pakistan policy has stayed more consistent than it gets credit for, why the current diplomatic freeze runs deeper than past standoffs, and why grand gestures keep failing while quiet back-channels persist. 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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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951
The Trap of Unenforceable Rights
The Supreme Court's recent recognition of the right to walk as a fundamental right has been celebrated as a landmark victory for pedestrians in India. In this episode of All Things Policy, Sowmya Prabhakar and Shreya Ramakrishnan examine the current state of India's footpaths, the competing interests and governance challenges that shape them, and the gap between constitutional ideals and administrative reality. They argue that creating new fundamental rights without building the institutional capacity to enforce them can unintentionally expand the discretionary power of local-level bureaucrats, leading to harassment of vendors, rent-seeking, and inter-agency gridlock rather than safer, more walkable cities. The conversation explores why the real solution lies not in judicial declarations alone, but in strengthening municipal institutions, realigning incentives, and designing infrastructure that makes good outcomes easier to achieve.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-areasCheck out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
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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All Things Policy currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
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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...
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