Public policy shapes our lives, but how these decisions are made is often misunderstood.

This CPPR podcast—the first of our five-part series on the book, "Public Choice – A Primer" by Dr Eamonn Butler—introduces our audience to Public Choice Theory.

Public Choice applies economics to politics, showing how voters, politicians, and bureaucrats act in self-interest—just like in markets. In this five-part series, we explore democracy, voting, bureaucracy, and governance through this lens.

Episode 1 unpacks the origins and relevance of Public Choice for citizens, students, and policymakers in India and beyond.

Speakers:

Rahul V Kumar, Research Fellow (Market Economics), Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), Kochi

Moderator:

Jofi J Francis, Senior Associate (Project Administration), Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), Kerala

Tune in for an insightful conversation that unpacks the hidden mechanics of power, incentives, and decision-making that quietly shape our everyday lives.

Private schools educate nearly one-third of India’s students, with Low-Fee Private Schools (LFPS) serving the majority from low and middle-income families.

Despite their vital role, LFPS struggle under rigid regulations—land and infrastructure mandates, fee caps, and burdensome recognition processes—that prioritize compliance over learning.

This podcast explores why parents choose LFPS, how state regulations shape their sustainability, and the systemic barriers holding back learning outcomes. It also examines reforms needed to make recognition and governance more transparent, efficient, and learning-focused.

Speakers:

S R Thomas Antony, Senior Manager – Education Policy Reforms, Centre for Civil Society (CCS), New Delhi

Dr J S Paranjyothi, National Vice President, National Independent Schools Alliance (NISA); Founder & Chairman, Oasis

Moderator:

Nissy Solomon, Hon. Trustee & Project Lead, Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), Kerala

Tune in for an insightful conversation that unpacks the everyday realities of LFPS—parental choices, regulatory roadblocks, and the bold reforms needed to put learning, not paperwork, at the heart of education.

India’s manufacturing sector, despite liberalization and decades of economic reforms, continues to underperform relative to its potential.

A recent study, “Multiplying Multi-Plants: A New and Consequential Phenomenon” by Arvind Subramanian, Abhishek Anand, and Dr Naveen Joseph Thomas, sheds light on a critical yet overlooked factor influencing this stagnation—the rise of multi-plants.

These are multiple small production facilities established by firms within a state, rather than expanding existing plants. Contrary to previous assumptions, large plants in India have not scaled up; instead, they remain fragmented and small by international standards. This has profound implications for productivity, competitiveness, and policy.

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS

• What exactly are “multi-plants,” and why have they become so prevalent in India’s manufacturing sector?

• How has the aggregation of multi-plant data led to the misinterpretation of plant size distribution in India, and what are its implications for policy and economic research?
• Why are multi-plant firms less productive compared to single-plant firms of similar size, and to what extent has this affected India’s global manufacturing competitiveness, especially compared to countries like Bangladesh?
• How do labour regulations and political risks influence the proliferation of multi-plants? Is the use of multi-plants a substitute for contract labour, or do they complement each other in different contexts?

However, despite this growth, sports participation at the grassroots level remains limited, especially outside of cricket.

Moreover, sports in India is often viewed as a competitive pursuit reserved for the select few who aspire to become professional athletes, with a societal emphasis on winning medals.

In contrast, the broader benefits of sports on physical health, mental well-being, and community engagement are often overlooked.

The State of Sports and Physical Activity (SAPA) report by Dalberg Advisors highlights alarming figures: 155 million Indian adults and 45 million adolescents do not meet the World Health Organization's physical activity guidelines.

At the grassroots level, the country’s sports culture faces significant challenges in terms of accessibility and inclusivity.

This episode, the first in our new series 'Sports Beyond Medals', dives into the critical challenges that hinder widespread participation in sports across India.

We explore how sports can become a part of everyday life for everyone, not just athletes, and how India can learn from other countries where sports are a vital part of the culture.
Key Discussion Points

Speaker - Leslie Xavier, Senior Fellow (Sports Policies), Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), and a seasoned Sports Journalist

Moderator - Dr. D Dhanuraj, Chairman, Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR)

Tune in for an insightful conversation about reshaping India’s sports culture beyond the pursuit of medals.

Kerala has a rapidly ageing population, with the proportion of senior citizens (aged 60 and above) projected to reach 22.8% by 2036, significantly higher than the national average of 15%. This demographic shift poses challenges for the state in terms of providing adequate care and support for its elderly population. As Kerala grapples with the challenges of a rapidly ageing population, a comprehensive and multifaceted approach involving the government, civil society, and senior citizen organisations is necessary to ensure the well-being and dignity of its senior citizens.

The episode aims to understand the challenges and explore innovative solutions emphasising the importance of a multi-faceted approach to address the increasing ageing population of the state.

The episode discusses the increasing ageing population of the state with special focus on Kerala’s senior citizen policy, this will be featured as part of the “health”, “economy”,and “governance and law” research areas of CPPR.

Speaker: Chandana Rajashekaran- Research Officer at the Center for Management Development, Trivandrum, leading a team that provides research support for policy development.

Moderator: Anu Anna Jo, Senior Research Associate, CPPR.

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS

In this episode, we explore the need for decriminalisation, simplification, and digitisation in business regulations. We dissect the implications of the Jan Vishwas Act and proposed amendments and delve into the progress of decriminalisation across the nation, identifying states leading the charge in reform efforts. Join us as we unravel the complexities and envision the future of business regulations.

Speaker:

Rishi Agrawal, Co-founder & CEO at Teamlease Regtech.

In the 2023 annual Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum (WEF), India saw an advancement in its ranking, now positioned at 127 out of 146 countries, marking an improvement of eight places compared to the previous year. However, the report emphasised that India’s attainment of only 36.7% parity in economic participation and opportunity underscores the ongoing challenge of addressing gender disparities, particularly concerning women’s access to economic opportunities.

The involvement of women in the workforce serves as a significant gauge of a country’s economic advancement. Recent Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data indicates a positive trend in female labour force participation rates in recent years. Nevertheless, concerns arise regarding the quality of employment opportunities and the persistence of wage disparities.

In this context, Yamini Atmavilas, President of Strategy, Data & Applied Research at The Udaiti Foundation, joins Anu Maria Francis, Senior Associate – Research & Project Management at CPPR, in this podcast and explores the recent trends in India’s female labour force participation.

Key Discussion Points

1) Changes in the methodology or sampling framework in the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) of MoSPI, which replaced the nationwide Employment and Unemployment (E&U) surveys in 2017-18, and the effect of such changes.

2) Changes in the concept of labour in light of the significant change in women’s workforce distribution in recent years, with self-employment increasing by 10 percentage points between 2017-18 and 2021-22.

3) The trend of increasing labour force participation among rural women as compared to urban women.

4) Major policy changes that are required to improve the FLFPR to a 50 percent level.

Generative AI is projected to increase annual global GDP to the amount of trillions if implemented properly, according to analysts. What is India’s stake in this new global phenomenon? In today's podcast, we look at generative AI and LLMs, the issues they pose, the effect they have on Indian society and industry, and how we can look forward to regulating AI while allowing it to grow and provide value to the greatest extent. 

Our guest, Nidhi Singh, is a Programme Officer, with CCG Delhi. She is an expert in AI, privacy, internet governance, and emerging technologies. She is hosted by Varsha Radhakrishnan, a Fellow at the Centre for Public Policy Research. Varsha is an expert in emerging technologies and AI, having industrial expertise in this sector. 

Key Takeaways:

In this podcast, we will be diving into the topic 'Decriminalisation of business laws in the state of Kerala'. Kerala, with a Gross State Domestic Product of 7.8 lakh crore, has shown promising growth potential. However, it currently ranks 15th in the Ease of Doing Business ranking within the country, indicating room for improvement in terms of business friendliness. Establishing a favorable legal environment is crucial for enhancing the ease of doing business. The presence of numerous laws governing business activities prompts us to question whether these laws facilitate or hinder the growth of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. In this podcast, we will be exploring the impact of these laws and their potential to encourage or deter investment in Kerala.
Our podcast will be building upon the ongoing CPPR study on the decriminalization of business laws in Kerala. Join us as former IAS Officer T Nandakumar delves into the complexities of the business environment in Kerala and focuses on the decriminalization of business laws.
Speaker: T Nandkumar IAS(retd)
Adviser to IFPRI and WRI (Washington)
Moderator: Anu Anna Jo
Senior Associate, Research, CPPR

Key Takeaways:

1. In many business laws minor offenses are criminalised. In the modern-day business environment, it is regressive and restrictive. 

2. Decriminalisation does not mean that it removes violations, it means that any violation which is civil in nature should be punished accordingly. 

3. Kerala needs to critically look into what it wants to do with its investments and then make the laws and procedures simple for investors.

4. Kerala's growth will come from the large number of small and medium enterprises which probably can be plugged in to the global market.

5. Laws that have historical baggage can be substantially reduced by repealing them.

To achieve the sustainability goals of the transport sector, it is necessary to promote the use of NMT. In this podcast, Mr Shrinivas Deshmukh, Co-founder & Director, Urban Research Foundation, talks about policy-level and implementation-level challenges in the integration of NMT with the public transport sector. Non-motorised transport systems have been proposed to be seamlessly integrated with public transport networks, serving as last-mile connectors, but the integration poses significant challenges. The development of NMT infrastructure should be closely aligned with pedestrian safety measures, prioritising the creation of an inclusive environment that caters to the needs of differently abled individuals and other vulnerable groups. The predominant components of NMT, encompassing walking, cycling, and rickshaws, represent environmentally friendly modes of transportation that could substantially contribute to reducing carbon footprints and achieving zero emissions. Although cities and states have initiated formulation for policies to promote non-motorised forms of transport, the ground level implementation is still challenging. Street designs have the potential to be the brand style of cities, attracting more people to use street facilities. A real time analysis of the NMT feasibility is required to ensure people switch to NMT, thereby ensuring decarbonisation in the transport sector.
The podcast would look into: