All Things Policy

The Takshashila Institution has launched a new book, India's Marathon: Reshaping the Post-Pandemic World Order, a collection of essays by public intellectuals about our changing world and what India needs to do to thrive.

The Takshashila Institution has launched a new book, India's Marathon: Reshaping the Post-Pandemic World Order, a collection of essays by public intellectuals about our changing world and what India needs to do to thrive.

The Takshashila Institution has launched a new book, India's Marathon: Reshaping the Post-Pandemic World Order, a collection of essays by public intellectuals about our changing world and what India needs to do to thrive.

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 vaccine be ready? Manoj Kewalramani is joined by Ameya Paleja and Sunila Dixit to talk about progress being

Information disorder took center-stage in the 2020 US elections, with mass-media and social media platforms both amplifying and containing narratives. What lessons can the information ecosystem in India learn from them? Prateek Waghre

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 Aditya Ramanathan to discuss what the coming years might hold for US-China relations.

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 so long? And how did it combine dynamism with endurance? Anirudh Kanisetti joins Aditya

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 efforts from the 1930s. Suyash Desai and Aditya Pareek discuss the fascinating history of how

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 Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) and consider the draft proposal for the 14th Five-Year Plan

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? What is the extent of social mobility in India?

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 users - enables their own 'bad behaviour'

Stubble burning in the states of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh contributes to air pollution in North India during the wintertime.

In a historic development, Australia will join the Malabar naval exercise in November along with India, the US and Japan. High Commissioner Barry O'Farell joins Nitin Pai and Pranay Kotasthane to talk about the exercise,

The United States, the Afghan government, and the Taliban are vying for advantage in the ongoing talks. In a conversation with Pranay Kotasthane and Aditya Ramanathan, Takshashila's distinguished fellow,

Reforms are long overdue in India's power sector. Does the recent draft Electricity Amendment Bill offer viable solutions? Anupam Manur and Sarthak Pradhan discuss the challenges India's power sector faces and analyze whether the draft bill provisions can

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 vulnerable. The majority of experts oppose this, pointing out that the idea is impractical and

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

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?

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?

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.

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.

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,

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.

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

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,