Center for New Economics Studies

In this episode of Vichaar, the Team is conversation with Miss Smitha Murthy, the Managing Director of the Ant a voluntary organization that is registered as a public charitable trust in Bongaigaon, Assam since October 2000. Over the past few months, the field researchers as a part of an ethnographic project undertaken by  the Centre for New Economics Studies’ visual storyboard team, O.P. Jindal Global University, witnessed an all women weavers organization Aagor, registered as a separate trust, under the Ant. Aagor, a Bodo word that means "motifs," not only has a connection to the tribe in its name but also in its craftswomen and administration. Started as merely a livelihood project, Aagor gives work to over 140 women weavers and runs a training center for building up capacities of other NGOs in Assam and other northeast states.

Interviewed by: Ishani Sharma and Shreeya Bhayana

In this episode of Interlinked's sub-series, Kitabon ka Karwaan, Ishani and Shreeya conduct a book talk around Prof Maini's recently published book, "Humanity Amidst Insanity: Stories of Hope and Compassion During Indo-Pak Partition", which looks into heartwarming experiences of brotherhood during the Partition. Prof Maini also talked about the role played by his own personal experiences in increasing his interest in the Partition. He also delves deeper into the exciting idea of a Punjabi Identity that permeates the Indo-Pakistan border and discusses its prevalence in the present day. Finally, Prof Maini concludes by talking about the intercommunity bonds across borders and gives his take on the increased hostility between different communities. 

Prof Maini is an associate professor of diplomatic practice at the Jindal School of International Affairs. His research interests include India’s ties with neighbouring with specific reference to economic ties and the role of sub-regions in bilateral relations. Prof Maini is also a regular contributor for The Hindu, The Millenium Post, The News, The Friday Times, The Global Times and The Diplomat. He has also published in Academic Journals including Asian Ethnicity. Thank you for joining us today, Professor.

Image Source: https://thedailyguardian.com/indias-partition-and-the-reign-of-terror-and-horror/

Interviewed by: Bilquis Calcuttawala and Aarjavi Shah

In this episode of Interlinked's sub-series, Kitabon ka Karwaan, we hold a discussion around the recently published book by Professor Pulapre Balakrishnan, ''India's Economy From Nehru to Modi: A Brief History''.  We talk in-depth about traversing India’s economy from the Nehruvian era to the present, under the leadership of Narendra Modi and why this expansionary timeline is crucial to make conclusions about our economy. Additionally, we talk about public spending on education, gender parity and labour force participation rate, tying these with discussions on caste and matters of priority in public policy. In the end, we discuss what are some ways in which we can move away from focusing solely on quantitative goals and “reorient” our task to enable something greater.

Professor Pulapre Balakrishnan is currently a Professor of Economics at Ashoka University and has held appointments at the University of Oxford, the Indian Statistical Institute (Delhi Centre) and the Indian Institute of Management (Kozhikode). His published work spans the inflationary process in the Indian economy, productivity growth in manufacturing, the macroeconomics of the transition to a market economy in Ukraine, agricultural involution in Kerala and economic growth in India. He has written in professional journals and is the author of books like Pricing and Inflation in India (OUP India, 1991) and Economic Growth in India: History and Prospect (OUP India, 2010). He has served as Country Economist for Ukraine at the World Bank and has been a consultant to the International Labour Organisation, the Reserve Bank of India and the United Nations Development Program. With that, we welcome you to the podcast professor.

Interviewers: Bilquis Calcuttawala and Ishani Sharma

In this episode of Interlinked's sub-series, Kitabon ka Karwaan, we hold a discussion around the recently published book by Dr Rahul Verma, "Ideology and Identity: The Changing Party Systems of India".  We talk in-depth about the two concepts of the politics of statism and the politics of recognition which are central to understanding the arguments in this book. Dr Verma also sheds light on the role of media and the use of religion to portray specific messages and disseminate ideological ideas. Concludingly, Prof Verma discusses how the shift of power (mainly guided by the conservative and vernacular elite) has important lessons for comparative politics. 

Rahul Verma is a Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR). He is also Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, at Ashoka University. His research interests include voting behaviour, party politics, political violence, and media. He is a regular columnist for various news platforms and has published papers in Asian Survey, Economic & Political Weekly, and Studies in Indian Politics. His book co-authored with Pradeep Chhibber, Ideology and Identity: The Changing Party Systems of India (OUP: New York, 2018) develops a new approach to defining the contours of what constitutes an ideology in multi-ethnic countries such as India.

Image Source: AFP photos

Interviewer: Ishani Sharma

In this episode, we hold a book talk on Dr Svitych's recently published book: The Rise of the Capital-State and Neo-Nationalism. He began by explaining the differentiating factors between neo-nationalism and populism, highlighting his argument that the rise of neo-nationalism is rooted in the rise of the capital state. Dr Svitych also talked about the importance of the ideas of Karl Polanyi in his book wherein he drew on and also changed and modified Polanyi's ideas to structure his argument. The conversation then moved on to discussing the effects of the pandemic and how neo-nationalism may pan out in the post-pandemic future. Lastly, he concludes by talking about the possibilities of the way forward and suggestions as to how the rise of neo-nationalism can be stopped.

Dr Oleksandr Svitych is an associate professor at the Jindal School of International Affairs. He received his PhD in Political Science from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore. His main research interest is the relationship between markets and social stability, spanning the fields of political economy, political sociology, contentious politics, party politics, and nationalism. Thank you for joining us today, Professor.

Image Source: Robert G Fresson - https://www.thedailystar.net/op-ed/economics/brexit-rise-neo-nationalism-and-protectionism-1246327 

Interviewer: Bilquis Calcuttawala

In this episode of Interlinked, our conversation largely revolves around the role of marketing and social media in an increasingly digital world, especially after the pandemic. We discuss commonly used terms like customer-centricity and network effects, alongside understanding how to use platforms more effectively to draw in a target audience. Additionally, we talk about the role of social media and emerging trends in developing effective campaigns. We conclude our discussion with the future potential for content while highlighting certain restrictions on data privacy and artificial intelligence.

Kiran Pedada is an Assistant Professor of Marketing and F. Ross Johnson Fellow at the Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba and was previously on the faculty of the Indian School of Business (ISB). He has been a Visiting Scholar in Marketing at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School in the Fall of 2018 and was also on the faculty of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Ambassadors Programme. Kiran focuses on two streams of research - interfirm relationships and growth and marketing transformation for digital environments. His research has been published in premier academic journals such as the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science and International Journal of Research in Marketing, and practitioner journals such as Management and Business Review and California Management Review.

Image Source: https://contentfirst.marketing/the-importance-of-social-media-for-digital-marketing/

This interview entails a discussion on the stance of the Government on Surrogacy through a discussion of the implications, reasons etc. of the Surrogacy Regulation Act 2021. Professor Namrata Mukherjee has helped us understand the topic better. Her research has been in the area of labour laws gender studies etc.

Interviewers: Ishani Sharma and Bilquis Calcuttawala

In this episode of our sub-series, Kitabon ka Karwaan, we hold a book talk on the recently published book "Nation and its Citizens: Tales of Bondage and Belonging" with its author, Prof Sukumar Muralidharan. In this conversation, the author gave a brief overview of the book, talking about the role of democracy and the constitution in building and sustaining a nation. Prof Muralidharan also looked at the impact of violence in constructing and sustaining a nation-state. Following this, the conversation moved into discussing the various and opposing perspectives of a nation, taking the example of India and talking about how it can lead to the undermining of different minority identities. 

Prof. Sukumar Muralidharan was a print media journalist for over two decades. Since 2004 he has worked as a freelance journalist with no formal attachments to any media organisation. He has been a visiting professor in contemporary studies at the Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi. As South Asia programme manager for the International Federation of Journalists, he has carried out campaign and advocacy work, and training programmes for journalists over much of the sub-continent. Presently, Prof Muralidharan also teaches at the School of Journalism, O.P. Jindal Global University.

Image Source: https://knowlaw.in/index.php/2020/08/25/role-of-citizens-in-nation-building/ 

Interviewer: Ishani Sharma

In this episode of our sub-series, Kitabon ka Karwaan, we discuss the book "International Law and the European Union". The author, Dr Odermatt, shed light on the role of the EU in shaping, both directly and indirectly, public international law and the wider international legal order. Further, the conversation moved on to talking about how the EU has achieved a distinctive identity in the international legal order. Dr Odermatt also discussed a recent trend of neglecting and disregarding international law, as exemplified by the cases of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Chinese disregard of international law in the South China Sea dispute. 

Dr Jed Odermatt is a Senior Lecturer at the City Law School, the University of London where he is co-convenor of the International Law and Affairs Group and a member of the Institute for the Study of European Law. His research interests relate to public international law, international dispute settlement, the law of international organizations and EU external relations law.

Image Source: https://www.summerschoolsineurope.eu/course/12991/private-international-law-within-the-european-union---contractual-and-non-contractual-obligations

Interviewers: Ishani Sharma and Aarjavi Shah

In this episode of our sub-series, Kitabon ka Karwaan, we discuss the recently published book "Drifts and Dynamics: Russia's Ukraine War and Northeast Asia. The authors begin with a glimpse of their book, talking about the different aspects covered as well as the vitality of the northeast Asian region. Following that, the authors shed light on the diversity of responses of countries from the region towards the war, looking at the different geopolitical reasons for the same. The authors also discussed the bleak possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, instigated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Lastly, the authors concluded by offering their analysis of the way forward for the northeast Asian countries.

Dr Sriparna Pathak is currently working as an associate professor at the Jindal School of International Affairs and has previously worked with multiple institutions such as the Ministry of External Affairs, Observer Research Foundation, South Asia Democratic Forum. Dr Panigrahi is also currently working as an assistant professor at the Jindal School of International Affairs along with being a Non-Residential Research Fellow at Taiwan NextGen Foundation, Taipei. 

Image Source: DepositPhotos