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Looking back, in 2020 I had an opportunity to speak with the authors of some of my favorite books, mostly through the Ideas of India podcast. Thread on twelve books and conversations.
1. I started the year reading Vijay Kelkar and Ajay Shah's "In Service of the Republic: The art and science of economic policy." My Conversation with @ajay_shah for the Ideas of India podcast. https://www.discoursemagazine.com/economics/2020/08/06/ideas-of-india-libertarianism-by-necessity/
2. Madhav's Khosla's "India’s Founding Moment: The Constitution of a Most Surprising Democracy." My review of the book in @Mint_Lounge https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/features/the-document-that-defines-an-indian-citizen-11579844382508.html and my conversation with @MadKhosla for the Ideas of India Podcast https://www.discoursemagazine.com/politics/2020/08/20/ideas-of-india-constitutional-democracy/
3. Dinyar Patel's "Naoroji: Pioneer of Indian Nationalism" finally gave us a magisterial biography of the Grand Old Man of India. My conversation with @DinyarPatel for the Ideas of India podcast. https://www.discoursemagazine.com/politics/2020/09/03/ideas-of-india-nationalism-and-liberalism/
4. Anuj Bhuwania's "Courting the People: Public Interest Litigation in Post-Emergency India" released in 2017 but gains relevance with each passing year. My conversation with @anujbhuwania for the Ideas of India podcast. https://www.discoursemagazine.com/politics/2020/09/17/ideas-of-india-not-always-in-the-public-interest/
5. Sriya Iyer's detailed and comprehensive survey in "The Economics of Religion in India." https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674979642 My conversation with Sriya for the ideas of India podcast. https://www.discoursemagazine.com/economics/2020/10/01/ideas-of-india-economics-religion/
6. Viral Acharya's "Quest for Restoring Financial Stability in India" explains the current banking crisis in India, but is also a critique of India's overwhelmingly large government. My conversation with Viral for the Ideas of India podcast. https://www.discoursemagazine.com/economics/2020/10/15/ideas-of-india-fiscal-dominance-a-theory-of-everything/
7. Vijayendra Rao and Paromita Sanyal's "Oral Democracy: Deliberation in Indian Village Assemblies" (open access here) https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/oral-democracy/1389E93F8F69AA1AB07B434124CE7582 My conversation with @bijurao for the Ideas of India podcast. https://www.discoursemagazine.com/politics/2020/10/29/ideas-of-india-democracy-deliberation-and-development/
8. Rohit De's insightful narrative on the ordinary Indians who shaped India's constitutionalism in "A People's Constitution." https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691174433/a-peoples-constitution My conversation with @itihaasnaama for the Ideas of India podcast. https://www.discoursemagazine.com/politics/2020/11/12/ideas-of-india-the-importance-of-ordinary-people/
9. Adam Auerbach's look into urban Indian slum governance in "Demanding Development: The Politics of Public Goods Provision in India’s Urban Slums." My conversation with @adam_m_auerbach for the Ideas of India podcast. https://www.discoursemagazine.com/economics/2020/11/26/ideas-of-india-slum-residents-demanding-development/
10. Mario Rizzo and Glen Whitman's "Escaping Paternalism: Rationality, Behavioral Economics, and Public Policy"-a most comprehensive critique of behavioral economics and paternalism. My conversation with Mario and @glenwhitman for @mercatus policy podcast. https://www.discoursemagazine.com/culture-and-society/2020/07/07/the-case-against-nudging-and-the-paternalistic-state/
11. Johan Norberg's "Open - The Story of Human Progress" makes a fantastic case for freedom. My conversation with @johanknorberg for the @JaipurLitFest Brave New World series
12. Matt Ridley's "How Innovation Works: And Why it Flourishes in Freedom" gives 'the innovator' the same importance as 'the inventor' in human history and progress. My conversation with @mattwridley for @JaipurLitFest Houston
Thanks to all these authors - @ajay_shah @MadKhosla @DinyarPatel @anujbhuwania @bijurao @itihaasnaama @adam_m_auerbach @johanknorberg @mattwridley - for writing these amazing books and for generously sharing their insights in these conversations.
