All Things Policy

In this episode of All Things Policy, Takshashila Research Analyst Anushka Saxena is in conversation with independent research scholar Suyash Desai. The two discuss the recent reform announced in the Chinese military vis-a-vis disbanding of its Strategic Support Force (SSF), and the institution of a new Information Support Force (ISF). Suyash places this development in the larger context of reforms in the PLA, and its preparedness to fight "informatised" wars.

Born out of war more than 50 years ago, Bangladesh has hauled itself out of poverty to become one of the fastest-growing economies in the Asia Pacific region. But the nation still faces many challenges—climate change threatens to overwhelm its low-lying lands, corruption is endemic, and many critics complain that democracy and freedom of speech are under pressure.

In this episode of All Things Policy, Rakshith Shetty quizzes Dr Sreeradha Datta on the current developments in Bangladesh.

Do check out her latest book on the theme - https://www.amazon.in/-/hi/Sreeradha-Datta/dp/9356404216

An allegedly unscrupulous one person company has been handling data and infrastructure for DigiYatra, the biometric boarding system used at airports. Anupam Manur and Bharath Reddy discuss the implications.

Join Ashwin Prasad, Shreya Ramakrishnan, and Tanay Ravichandran, three policy enthusiasts sharing their latest discoveries in the world of public policy!

A new course on ⁠Unpacking Urban Governance⁠ on OpenTakshashila is now accepting applications. Click ⁠here⁠ for more information.

Is it possible for AI to be racist? When Google's AI chatbot 'Gemini' launched a new text-to-image feature on February 1st, it received a barrage of accusations on social media for possessing an inherent reluctance towards generating images of light-skinned, Caucasian people. These accusations came after instances where the Founding Fathers were shown to be Native American and East Asian men, while the Pope was represented by an Indian woman.

The Senior Vice President of Google responded soon after that the bias was an unintended consequence of programming the chatbot to represent a variety of ethnicities. Should text-to-image models accurately reflect the existing prejudices in society based on training data? Or should they, as in the case of Gemini, artificially promote inclusion and diversity as per the prevailing value judgment at the time?

Join Rohan Pai and Ashwin Reddy in this episode of All Things Policy as they tackle these difficult, controversial questions.

A new course on Unpacking Urban Governance on OpenTakshashila is now accepting applications. Click here for more information.

In this episode of All Things Policy, Kripa Koshy and Saurabh Todi discuss the recent controversy around the high sugar content in Nestle baby food in certain countries. They discuss the need for informed regulation and better compliance in India.

A new course on Unpacking Urban Governance on OpenTakshashila is now accepting applications. Click here for more information.

In this episode, Ashwin Prasad quizzes Saurabh Todi on the recent Trilateral Technology Dialogue in Seoul. With a focus on strengthening supply chain resilience and fostering trade partnerships, Saurabh provides insights into the significance of this event. Join them as they unravel the discussions, explore key outcomes, and analyze the implications for technology geopolitics.

The Parliament recently passed legislation called the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, aimed at curbing cheating and upholding the integrity of public examinations. How does the new law safeguard the public recruitment system against malpractices, such as paper leaks, and help to address the problem of state capacity shortfall?

In this episode of All Things Policy, Carl Jaison speaks to Pranav Gupta about the context, causes, and consequences of the new law and the wider implications on state capacity owing to a broken recruitment system.

Reading: Can new exam bill save India’s public recruitment system?

Do check out Takshashila's public policy courses at https://school.takshashila.org.in/

Two weeks after a suspected Israeli attack on the Iranian diplomatic mission in Syria, Tehran launched a massive drone and missile attack on Israel last Saturday. What does this mean for an already explosive situation in West Asia? Will the exchange of fire between the two countries lead to a larger regional conflagration? Sachin Kalbag and Yusuf Unjhawala discuss in the latest episode of All Things Policy.

Check out Takshashila's public policy courses at https://school.takshashila.org.in/

In early April, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha travelled to China for his first foreign visit since taking office. While no major deals or breakthroughs were reported, this signalled a new proximity between the two countries. In this episode, Manoj Kewalramani talks to author and journalist Amish Raj Mulmi about the recent developments in China-Nepal ties.

Check out Takshashila's public policy courses at https://school.takshashila.org.in/