23 January 2020: Hikmat - Lectures in Economics on "Corporate Purpose"

Oliver Hart
Harvard University

Organised by:
Ashoka University, Haryana and The Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET), New York

Date: January 23, 2020
Time: 06:30 P.M.

Venue:
Multipurpose Hall,
Kamladevi Complex,
India International Centre,
40, Max Mueller Marg, Lodhi Estate,
New Delhi-110003(INDIA)

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13 December 2019: Discussion on 'Blackout: The Political Dynamics of Power Outages'

Discussants:
Brian Min
Department of Political Science, University of Michigan
Neelanjan Sircar and Ashwini K. Swain
Centre for Policy Research

Moderator:
Gilles Verniers, Trivedi Centre for Political Data, Ashoka University

Organised by
Centre for Policy Research & Trivedi Centre for Political Data, Ashoka University

Abstract:
Access to electricity in India has increased dramatically in recent decades. On the other hand, the quality of electricity remains uneven in some areas, characterized by blackouts, load shedding, and reliability problems. Brian Min introduce new data on power outages derived from satellite imagery captured nightly over each village since the 1990s. The data suggest that the rapid implementation of village electrification projects has often coincided with a decline in the quality of electricity service. The worst outages are in areas which most aggressively pursued new electrification efforts. The patterns are consistent with an electoral strategy that prioritizes more visible, short-term accomplishments over less visible longer-term investments jn service quality. The results support an electoral explanation for the quality deficit that characterizes the delivery of many public services in democracies across the world.

Date: December 13, 2019
Time: 02:00 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall
Centre for Policy Research,
Dharma Marg, Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi–110021(INDIA)

Note:
Please RSVP at president.cpr@cprindia.org. The seating at the venue can accommodate up to 60 people on a first come first serve basis.

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14 August 2019: Public lecture on 'Is Electoral Democracy still a good tool for Social Justice?'

Philippe Van Parijs
University of Louvain

Organised by
Centre for Policy Research (CPR) and Trivedi Centre for Political Data, Ashoka University

Abstract:
Electoral democracy possesses virtues that arguably makes it an indispensable tool in the pursuit of social justice. These virtues include the educational force of vote fetching, the disciplining force of self-infliction and above all the civilising force of hypocrisy. But this tool is very imperfect and for a number of reasons — among them, the growing impact of our local decisions on people living elsewhere or not yet born and the growing role of the internet — increasingly so.

To address its imperfections, it is worth exploring unorthodox strategies whose relevance will vary greatly from place to place. These strategies include the democratisation of a lingua franca (as a complement to local languages), the creation of global constituencies (as a complement to local ones), the development of randomly composed citizens’ assemblies (as a complement to elected assemblies) and listening to the street (as a complement to the ballot box). They will be illustrated by recent proposals and debates in the European context.

Date: August 14, 2019
Time: 06:00 P.M.

Venue:
Auditorium,
The Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML)
Teen Murti Marg,
New Delhi-110011(INDIA)

Location:

28 September 2018: Discussion on The Long March to 2019: Understanding the rise of farmers movements and its impact on the 2019 election

Panellists:
Mekhala Krishnamurthy, Ashoka University
Harish Damodaran, The Indian Express and
V M Singh, Supreme Court lawyer

Abstract:
As we approach the 2019 general elections, Rural and Agricultural distress is an issue which is likely to dominate the election discourse. Over the last few years, India has seen a significant increase in farmers movements, best exemplified by the 'Kisan Long March' which signified the emergence of a new moment in Indian agricultural politics. Election season is therefore likely to see many promises being made to farmers as a response to this new mobilization. In this session of the CPR-TCPD "Dialogues on Indian Politics" we bring together a distinguished panel of academics, journalists and activists to understand the nature of the current rural political economy and its likely impact on the elections next year. In particular this panel will seek to unpack the reason behind the emergence of these new farmers movements. Could this be the beginning of a new politics?

Date: September 28, 2018
Time: 03:30 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall
Centre for Policy Research,
Dharma Marg, Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi–110021(INDIA)

Note:
Please RSVP at president.cpr@cprindia.org

Location:

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9 August 2018: Talk on Crony populism

A conversation with Michael Walton, Harvard Kennedy School and Centre for Policy Research and
James Crabtree, Lee Kuan Yew School, National University of Singapore

Abstract:
Populism has emerged in various forms in many parts of the world in recent years. While it is typically associated with an anti-establishment and anti-elite narrative, it is striking how it often coincides with cronyism—favored relations between the state and (some) big business. This talk will seek to put some structure and perspective on these phenomena, interpreting the central features of both populism and cronyism, and their consequences for economic and social development—that is (perhaps surprisingly) ambiguous. For example, in India, Tamil Nadu has in the past been, by international standards, a real success in economic and social development, even as it has vividly exemplified both populist politics and cronyist state-business relations. The current conjuncture will also be explored.

The talk will draw on both an ongoing comparative study of state-business relations in India, Egypt, Turkey and South Africa and secondary literature on the history and contemporary features of cronyism and populism.

Date: August 9, 2018
Time: 03:30 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall
Centre for Policy Research,
Dharma Marg, Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi–110021(INDIA)

Note:
Please RSVP at president.cpr@cprindia.org

Location:

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6 July 2018: Panel discussion on Interpreting the 2019 elections: Settling a research agenda

Speakers:
Ashutosh Varshney, Brown University
Pradeep Chhibber, UC Berkeley
Vandita Mishra, Indian Express
Aditi Phadnis, Business Standard

Abstract:
The run up to the general elections in 2019 have already generated heated political debate. As political activity gains momentum, researchers and observers of Indian politics face the formidable task of interpreting and analysing the implications of these activities both on the immediate elections as well as on democratic practice in the long term. In these polarised times, when debates on politics have become increasingly partisan, building a research agenda to understand the elections becomes even more critical.

This third edition of the CPR-TPCD dialogues on Indian politics will bring together a panel of formidable academics and political journalists to discuss the broad contours of the research agenda for 2019. In order for us to meaningfully contribute to understandings of the shifting dynamics of political life in India, what are the questions that we should be asking and how should we orient our research?

Date: July 6, 2018
Time: 03:30 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall
Centre for Policy Research,
Dharma Marg, Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi–110021(INDIA)

Note:
Please RSVP at president.cpr@cprindia.org to reserve a seat for you.

Location:

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