Penn Calendar Penn A-Z School of Arts and Sciences University of Pennsylvania

Aditya Balasubramanian on the Swatantra Party's Role in the Story of Indian Democracy

Aditya Balasubramanian & Rohan Venkat
Monday, December 4, 2023

Over the last 15 years, India in Transition has brought readers brief, analytical perspectives on the ongoing transformations in contemporary India based on cutting-edge research across a wide variety of subjects. This year, IiT is bringing you another way to engage with insightful scholarship on India: in-depth interviews with researchers, where we hear directly from them on what inspired their work, how they are choosing to dig deeper into the subject, and how it adds to our understanding of the country.

The Politics of Numbers in Kashmir: From Plebiscite to Census (1991-2011)

Vikas Kumar
Monday, November 20, 2023

The obsession with population statistics in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is as old as the contested accession of the state to India and the occupation of parts of it by Pakistan. It was rekindled, most recently, in 2019 by the repeal of Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which stripped away provisions that offered autonomy to J&K. While population figures play a crucial role in the politics of J&K, the quality of the data tends to be moot.

Rahul Sagar on How 19th Century Indians Grappled with the “Great Questions of our Age”

Rahul Sagar & Rohan Venkat
Monday, November 6, 2023

Over the last 15 years, India in Transition has brought readers brief, analytical perspectives on the ongoing transformations in contemporary India based on cutting-edge research across a wide variety of subjects. This year, IiT is bringing you another way to engage with insightful scholarship on India: in-depth interviews with researchers, where we hear directly from them on what inspired their work, how they are choosing to dig deeper into the subject, and how it adds to our understanding of the country.

The US, China, and India: The Future of the Indo-Pacific

Ambassador Vijay Keshav Gokhale is the former 32nd Foreign Secretary of India (2018-20). His diplomatic career with the Indian Foreign Service spans 39 years. Over the course of four decades, Ambassador Gokhale worked extensively on matters relating to the Indo-Pacific region with a special emphasis on Chinese politics and diplomacy. He has served as Ambassador of India to the People’s Republic of China (2016-17), Ambassador of India to the Federal Republic of Germany (2013-16), and India’s High Commissioner to Malaysia (2010-13).

The Role of Industrial Policy in Global Value Chains: The India Story

Saon Ray
Monday, October 23, 2023

Industrial policy, the idea that the government can play a significant role in building out parts of the economy for various purposes, is back globally. The United States’ Inflation Reduction Act is the prime example, using state subsidies, tax breaks, loans, and grants to support industries that the US has deemed strategic. India, too, is no stranger to this trend.

India-China Border: A Key Flashpoint in the Indo-Pacific

Amrita Jash
Monday, October 9, 2023

The potential for conflict over Taiwan tends to dominate conversations about the dangers of a wider war in the Indo-Pacific. Ross Babbage’s book, The Next Major War identifies a Chinese invasion of Taiwan as the spark that could engulf the region.

Tariq Thachil on the Surprising Dynamism of Politics in Indian Slums

Tariq Thachil & Rohan Venkat
Monday, September 25, 2023

Over the last 15 years, India in Transition has brought readers brief, analytical perspectives on the ongoing transformations in contemporary India based on cutting-edge research across a wide variety of subjects. This year, IiT is bringing you another way to engage with insightful scholarship on India: in-depth interviews with researchers, where we hear directly from them on what inspired their work, how they are choosing to dig deeper into the subject, and how it adds to our understanding of the country.

Suraj Jacob

Suraj Jacob is a Political Economist at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, where he teaches development and policy, and is a CASI Fall 2023 Visiting Scholar. His research draws on his training in political economy and collaborations with anthropologists and development practitioners. Suraj’s research explores development policy, institutions, governance, and social practices.