This is a Course About Public Policy, and We Begin with a Story
How OpenTakshashila Helps You Start Your Public Policy Journey
In the fall of 2005, Professor Michael Sandel of Harvard Law School entered the stage in a packed auditorium wearing a crisp grey suit, walked briskly up to the centre, opened a book of notes on a vintage-style podium, then faced a room full of more than a thousand students and said, “This is a course about justice, and we begin with a story.”
He went on to pose question after question on the famous (or, well, infamous) Trolley Car Problem, and he called the lecture, ‘The Moral Side of Murder’ (a hundred marks for killing the SEO game, BTW).
What of it, and why is a policy newsletter in 2023 discussing the lecture? Well, for one, because Prof Sandel’s talk was part of his ‘Justice’ series, and it was Harvard University’s first free online course. It became such a massive hit when it was uploaded on YouTube four years later in September 2009 that it not only became an instant classic, it also set off a revolution in learning. As of October 2023, it has nearly 37.4 million views, and Prof Sandel since then has taught over 15,000 students, making the 70-year-old political philosopher perhaps Harvard’s most “in demand” teacher.
The second reason we mention this is because a few weeks ago, Takshashila started something humble on its own — an Open Course in Public Policy, a free (yes, free) on its OpenTakshashila platform. It is an easy simple, self-paced course designed to help you read between the lines to understand the consequences of a government policy and governance in India. You even get a citation on the completion of your course. It is seriously that simple.
Tell everyone in your network even remotely interested in policy and governance to take this course. Short of India’s two best courses in public policy — Takshashila’s three-month GCPP and the nine-month PGP — this is the best opportunity out there for a deep introduction to how our country works.
OpenTakshashila for Starters, GCPP for the Main Course
Since 2012, Takshashila has been quietly revolutionising policy education in India. Since then, thousands of students and career professionals have been not only introduced to the world of public policy, but scores of them have gone on to write policy both at the state and national levels.
The writer of Takshashila Dispatch, for instance, was a student of the pioneer cohort, and has, admittedly, greatly benefitted from the ruminations of some of the smartest people in the country (another matter he isn’t one of those smartest).
If you too want to learn from some of the smartest people in India, you can apply now to what is easily India’s best course in public policy — the Graduate Course in Public Policy: Advanced Public Policy.
This programme provides tools to deepen your understanding of economic and governance systems. It delivers clear frameworks to understand how politics and economics intersect and strategies to navigate them effectively. It will aid you in engaging in the public arena, be it as an analyst, public official, leader, or active citizen. You can use this knowledge to enrich both your professional and personal life.
Designed for full-time professionals, the GCPP offers a seamless online learning experience. The programme spans 12 weeks and includes weekly webinars (usually held on Saturdays) and two interactive virtual workshops. Wherever you are, just ensure a stable internet connection, and you're ready to dive in.
You can apply here.
UPI, DPI, and the Foreigner’s Perspective
When Josiah Neal came to India from Australia, he expected the country’s much-vaunted United Payments Interface to be a revolution in online payments. Which it is, but just not for foreigners. In his op-ed for Moneycontrol, Josiah makes an important point:
“India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (“DPI”) is a domestic success story which its proponents are now seeking to export to other countries, and connect with existing global systems. The difficulties that foreigners in India encounter when using it, however, belie its spirit of inclusivity.”
He writes:
“With India seeking to export DPI (Digital Public Infrastructure) to other countries, particularly the Global South, it should first ensure its houseguests are properly welcomed. Tourists to India do not only come from G20 countries. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Malaysia and Singapore are all non-G20 members in the top 10 sources for foreign tourist arrivals in India, collectively representing 29 percent of all foreign tourist arrivals. The UPI tourist wallets were limited to G20 citizens, only accessible at three airports (Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru), and poorly advertised. It was not an open, inclusive, and long-term solution for foreign visitors. The lack of a sustainable and inclusive UPI solution for visitors could affect the comeback of tourism in India. Tourism contributes $143bn to India’s GDP and is expected to grow to $250bn by 2030. The industry directly employs 88 million people but has a far broader secondary benefit for India’s informal economy.”
You can read his policy-oriented and lived-experience piece here.
On Marriage Equality and Why it Remains Elusive in India
In a 2006 novel named ‘An Abundance of Katherines’, author John Green paints a picture of a teenage genius named Colin Singleton who is out about in the world with his friend Hassan Harbish to find a ‘Eureka’ moment to stamp his child prodigy status into permanent genius status.
While they are out, sitting at a pitstop in a small Kentucky town, Colin sees Hassan writing something on the wooden picnic table. When asked what he is carving on the table, Hassan replies: “Well, while you were in the bathroom, I sat down at this picnic table here in Bumblefug, Kentucky, and noticed that someone had carved that GOD HATES FAG, which, aside from being a grammatical nightmare, is absolutely ridiculous. So, I’m changing it to ‘God Hates Baguettes.’ It’s tough to disagree with that. Everybody hates baguettes.”
In one fell swoop, Hassan not only normalises sexuality, but he also redirects hatred to baguettes, which, ahem, this Dispatch writer would have preferred to be cilantro, but then again, we can’t win them all.
A discussion on sexuality in India brings about passionate — even violent — reactions. Even though the Supreme Court of India decriminalised Section 377 in 2018, the issue of same-sex marriage still hangs in the balance. Not just that, after the Supreme Court verdict in October 2023 which said that it would not give legal validity to same-sex marriage, the odds that were stacked against the LGBTQIA community, became even greater.
It is in this context that we point to an excellent discussion on this topic by Takshashila’s Saurabh Todi and Shrikrishna Upadhyaya, who not only break down for us what the verdict means but also explore what the road ahead looks like. In reality, there is very little chance in the near future to expect any sort of legislation favouring same-sex marriage, given that even progressive liberals in Parliament have not come out strongly in favour of what seems to be a basic human freedom.
You can listen to their excellent All Things Policy podcast episode here.
Subsidies Won’t Assuage Semiconductor Supply Security Worries
Here’s a fun fact: Roughly 90% of the back-end work to make semiconductors ready for installation is done in Asia, particularly Taiwan, China, and Malaysia. Now, why is this important?
Takshashila Deputy Director Pranay Kotasthane and Stiftung Neue Verantwortung Project Director Jan-Peter Kleinhans explain in their remarkably detailed op-ed for Nikkei.com that,
“While a few subsidised back-end investments have been announced for the U.S. and Europe, these are unlikely to shift the needle on a global scale, meaning that most of the output of new fab plants coming online in the West will still need to go to East Asia for further processing.”
They prescribe that countries should be investing in technical solutions to screen malicious hardware, rather than attempting to re-engineer their entire supply chain.
In that case, what is the solution to that one question that is dominating high-tech geopolitics at the moment, which is, How can we reinvigorate the global semiconductor supply chains?
You can read Jan-Peter and Pranay’s joint op-ed here.
How Will Space Shape the Future of Geopolitics
Earlier this month, Takshashila’s Aditya Ramanathan was invited by the UK-based Council on Geostrategy to give his view on how space will impact the future of geopolitics.
Here is what he wrote:
The future of space geopolitics will primarily depend on the shape and trajectory of international rivalries. What is clear is that states will seek to leverage space-related activities to increase their national competitiveness and wield geopolitical influence. They will do this by:
Investing in applications which deliver direct commercial or strategic benefits, such as satellite infrastructure;
Pursuing sustained low-Earth orbit habitation as well as lunar and planetary exploration. The budgetary support for these missions will hinge on the intensity of international rivalries as well as other competing priorities back on Earth;
Attempting to shape norms and laws for space activities in ways most favourable to their interests; and,
Developing capabilities to contest their adversaries’ use of space by developing ‘counterspace’ capabilities and offensive cyber tools.
There is a little more to what he said. To read Aditya’s views and others from the world of space geopolitics, head on here.
Wait, There’s More!
On China, Takshashila’s Manoj Kewalramani and Anushka Saxena have two excellent op-eds this week.
Manoj writes on how China’s global initiatives aim to change the way the world is run. You can read that piece here.
Anushka wrote for Moneycontrol on how China’s expanding military drone ecosystem is a menace for the likes of Taiwan and India. You can read her piece here.
Meanwhile, Dr Nithiyanandam, the head of Takshashila’s Geospatial Programme continues his foray into regional language public policy explainers. His latest in Tamil is on the Chinese military’s airpower expansion in Tibet. You can watch the Tamil video here. In case you prefer an English version, do check out this podcast where he explains his findings. And do not forget to subscribe to the Takshashila Geospatial Bulletin, a monthly insight on strategic affairs backed with geospatial imagery and data.
That’s all for this week. Take care!