Reimagining Online Public Policy Education
Dear Reader,
We hope you and your loved ones are safe. In this edition, we recap the Takshashila Academic Conference, assess the global Quantum technology ecosystem, analyse the 2022-23 Union Budget, and introduce our new product, the Policy Engineer’s Notebook.
The Takshashila Academic Conference
On February 12-13, five weeks into the January 2022 cohort of our Graduate Certificate in Public Policy programme, we conducted the first Takshashila Academic Conference of 2022!
The conference had 30 sessions spread over two days, including fascinating keynote sessions by Amb. Shyam Saran, Yamini Aiyar, Shruti Rajagopalan, Lt. Gen. Prakash Menon and Nitin Pai. Other sessions focused on research areas being studied by Takshashila’s scholars, such as China’s information warfare strategy, budget analysis, India’s policing system, online fantasy sports policy in India, etc.
While all our public policy programmes are completely online, we recognise that interpersonal interaction and physical presence are often important to the learning process. Therefore, we designed a virtual campus for the conference using Gather Town. In addition to the various rooms where the sessions occurred, the campus also has open spaces, gardens and fountains, where participants could interact with each other, building friendships and discussing avenues for future collaboration.
You can find glimpses of the virtual campus in the following thread:
Exciting, isn’t it? You can also participate in the Academic Conference by signing up for our courses. Find more details on our website.
The Indian Legal Landscape on Online Harms
In a new discussion document, Sapni G.K. provides an exhaustive study of the Indian legal framework on online harms on Digital Communication Networks (DCNs), such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc. This is the third in our series of papers on the governance of DCNs. You can find the first two here and here.
The document defines online harms as a set of actions that can occur on DCNs that can cause legal injuries to users, whether individuals or groups of individuals. The scope of the document is following:
It identifies various harms that are experienced by users on DCNs, broadly placing them in two categories: harms identified as legal injuries by the law or harms that have “less clear” legal definition within India’s current legal framework.
The categorisation and the discussion following it represent how the current framework can be useful with appropriate interpretation. The document concludes by arguing that online harms on DCNs are not completely unregulated, and that proposals to regulate them must be mindful of the existing framework. Regulatory checks and balances should ensure that they do not deprive users and the ecosystem of the benefits brought by DCNs and must strive to strike a balance to protect the best interest of all stakeholders.
Building India’s Quantum Ecosystem
Advancements in quantum information science have enabled technological applications that can address and solve problems that seemed intractable just a few years ago. A discussion document by Arjun Gargeyas and Siddharth Bannerjee explores the current state of the global quantum ecosystem and how different states are positioned in the race towards quantum supremacy.
The primary focus of the document is to underline why India needs a nationally coordinated quantum policy and what strategies it can adopt to build a robust domestic quantum ecosystem. The main aspects covered in this document are:
The key applications (civilian and military) of quantum information science, along with specific use cases of extant quantum technologies.
The quantum value chain and the different focus areas involved in building quantum systems.
Aims, objectives, and policy measures of different quantum programmes around the world to better understand the global quantum landscape, especially the geopolitical contest between established technological powerhouses.
Ethical considerations when formulating policies related to the usage of quantum technologies.
An overview of India’s existing quantum ecosystem, and proposed policy recommendations to build a better quantum industry within the country.
Analysing India’s Defence Allocation
In the wake of the 2022 Union Budget, Pranay Kotasthane, in an article in the Hindustan Times, argues that the downward trend in defence expenditure is worrisome. He writes that given that the government expects the economy to cross the pre-pandemic level in the upcoming financial year, it is worth comparing this year’s defence budget with the pre-pandemic year, fiscal year (FY) 20.
The overall trend in defence spending is not encouraging. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) expenditure now comprises 2.02% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – down from 2.22% in FY20 – and 13.3% of central government expenditure, down from 16.7% in FY20. The more worrying part is that since FY10, the MoD’s expenditure as a proportion of government expenditure has been falling steadily. The parliamentary standing committee on defence’s exhortation that defence spending of 3% GDP is “optimal and necessary for ensuring the operational preparedness of the forces” hasn’t helped.
For a detailed analysis of India’s downward trend in defence spending, read the full article below:
Introducing the Policy Engineer's Notebook
We are proud to introduce the Takshashila Policy Engineer's Notebook. It contains handy public policy concepts and frameworks from some of Takshashila's finest minds, and is available in two versions: leather and canvas.
Do watch the following video for more information on the notebook:
Reflecting on the Union Budget 2022-23
Not only is the Union Budget a statement of the government’s estimated receipts and expenditure for a particular year, but it is also an account of the government’s performance in the previous years. In this episode, Apurva Kumar, Pranay Kotasthane, Suman Joshi and Sarthak Pradhan, discuss the Union Budget 2022-23. They look at some interesting trends and some not so promising projections.
What We Have Been Reading
This week’s book is Fighting to the End by Christine Fair. Recommending it, Arjun Gargeyas says:
The book is an in-depth review of the inner workings of the Pakistani Army. Dr. Fair sheds light on the often mentioned 'Military-Jihadi Complex' of Pakistan as well as offers a rich military history of the army itself. The author also offers subtle explanations on how the Pakistani Army has taken on the mantle of a revisionist power trying to alter the status-quo every chance it gets. Finally, she backs her arguments by showcasing some instances of radical leaders of deemed terrorist outfits being subsumed into the political establishment with the help of the Pakistani Army.
If there is a one stop book for understanding why the armed forces in Pakistan hold such a powerful position in the country's polity, this one will definitely not disappoint you.
That’s it from us this week. Stay safe, and have a wonderful week ahead.