Zero Down

India’s biggest digital payment shake-up is here as new rules introduce merchant fees on UPI. In this episode, hosts Pihu and Vanisha unpack why the government is intervening after years of subsidised transactions, and whether shopkeepers will start pushing back toward cash. Together, we explore the hidden economics behind every QR scan and what sustainability actually means for our payment infrastructure.

How do economists actually measure poverty, and what does it take to design effective social safety nets? In this episode, hosts Ayansh and Anika sit down with Nayantara Sarma, a Miranda House economics alumna and economist at the World Bank.

She walks us through her journey from Miranda House to the World Bank, how poverty lines are actually measured, the UBI vs. targeted assistance debate, and how safety nets are designed across the life cycle — plus her advice for economics students.

In the current international climate, does material domination really imply an accumulation of power? As the distribution of material power disperses in the international arena, the narrative around these power dynamics also must ideally shift. Join Anjali and Manya as they perform a deep dive into the current geoeconomic dynamic between the BRICS+ and G7 groups, and whether the “developing” part of the world will eventually be able to hold an equal stake in the world market.

Why does the price of your seat spike right before you book it — and why does the passenger next to you always seem to have paid less? In this episode, Anusmita and Samaira break open the economics of airline pricing: from near-zero marginal costs and yield management to the psychological "fences" like anchoring, loss aversion, and drip pricing that shape every fare you see. They also unpack India's aviation duopoly, the 2025 IndiGo scheduling crisis, the state's four-decade experiment with nationalized airlines, and why the government still bankrolls regional air travel through schemes like UDAN.

Would you take ₹1,000 right now or ₹1,200 a month from now? Most people pick the cash today, and that's exactly why "Homo economicus," the perfectly rational decision-maker of traditional economics, doesn't actually exist. In this episode, Ridhima and Rajnandini unpack bounded rationality, cognitive biases like loss aversion and present bias, and why "70% off, only 2 hours left" beats hours of careful research every time. A quick "Rational or Human?" game proves just how far real behaviour strays from the textbook model.

Why does opening Netflix with a thousand options often end with you watching nothing at all? In this episode, Susmita and Rajnandini unpack the paradox of choice, how too many options can leave us more exhausted, less satisfied, and stuck chasing the "perfect" pick instead of a good one. They bring in the jam experiment, opportunity cost, decision fatigue, and how social media multiplies the number of lives we feel we're choosing between. Plus, a rapid-fire choice game that proves the point better than any theory could.

What if every decision you made had to make you better off without making anyone else worse off? In this episode, Samaira and Riddhima put Pareto efficiency to the test, not as an abstract market model, but as a real seven-day personal operating system. From Delhi's daily commute chaos to household dinner disputes and workplace tea-break trade-offs, they trace how a framework built for static equilibria collapses under the weight of everyday choices. We also unpack the Kaldor-Hicks compensation principle and how Indian policy, from the Land Acquisition Act to Direct Benefit Transfers, deals with trade-offs that Pareto efficiency alone can't solve.

In this episode, Bhadra, Devika and Diya unpack the economics and psychology behind viral consumer trends, from engineered scarcity and FOMO to Veblen's theory of conspicuous consumption. We get into why influencers act as hype amplifiers, how brands manufacture exclusivity through planned scarcity, and why price anchoring makes us feel like we're "saving" even when we're overspending. We also talk sunk cost fallacy, guilt consumption, and how to actually break the cycle.

When platforms vanish overnight, how does a generation react? How did Gen Z turn online trends into protest, and what hidden rules might be guiding their moves?

In this episode of Zero Down, join Muskan and Rama as they unpack Nepal’s social media ban, the Nepo Kids trend that exposed political privilege, and the hidden game theory behind youth action. From viral outrage to real world mobilization, we explore how mistrust, opportunity, and strategic choices collide to shape the responses of Nepal’s digital generation navigating a world where voices are suddenly silenced.

In today’s episode, Nandini, Anika and Anusmita dive into the significance of the India–European Union Free Trade Agreement, a landmark pact linking two of the world’s largest economic powers, India and the European Union. We’ll examine what this agreement means for global supply chains, investment flows, and strategic alliances in an era marked by protectionism and geopolitical uncertainty. From economic opportunities to regulatory challenges, and from trade diversification to the reshaping of globalisation itself, this episode explores how one deal could influence the future trajectory of international trade.