This episode examines the institutional ecosystem that shapes women’s safety in India beyond the existence of legal statutes. Over the past two decades, the country has introduced an extensive legal framework addressing domestic violence, sexual offences, trafficking, and workplace discrimination. Yet, persistent gaps remain between statutory guarantees and the realities experienced by women, particularly in low-income and informal urban settlements. The discussion explores whether existing institutional structures—across policing, healthcare, social welfare systems, and local governance—are sufficiently equipped to translate legal protections into accessible and effective support for survivors.

A central theme of the episode is the need to move beyond a statute-centric approach toward integrated, community-embedded systems of prevention and response. Drawing insights from grassroots intervention models, the conversation examines how hospital-based crisis centres, community mobilisation, behavioural change initiatives, and inter-agency coordination can strengthen reporting, survivor follow-up, and long-term recovery. The episode also interrogates the role of fiscal priorities, including allocations in the Union Budget 2026, in supporting decentralised safety infrastructure, frontline services, and survivor-centred accountability mechanisms. Particular attention is given to the role of data systems, monitoring frameworks, and community-level evidence in shaping policy design and institutional reform.

The discussion further situates women’s safety within broader socio-economic frameworks, highlighting how violence constrains mobility, labour force participation, and economic autonomy in urban poverty contexts. By examining linkages between safety infrastructure, livelihood programmes, and social protection mechanisms, the episode explores how violence prevention can be understood not only as a welfare intervention but also as a critical investment in inclusive economic participation.

SPEAKER: Nayreen Daruwalla, Programme Director, Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action (SNEHA)

MODERATOR: Anu Maria Francis, Senior Associate, Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR)

Tune in for a nuanced conversation on strengthening institutional responses to violence against women, the role of community-led prevention models, and the policy reforms required to build survivor-centred, accountable, and resilient safety systems.

This podcast examines whether fiscal systems, particularly tax structures, have mitigated or reinforced gender inequities over the past three decades. While gender budgeting has gained global policy visibility, empirical evidence suggests that fiscal frameworks often remain formally gender neutral yet substantively unequal in impact. The discussion interrogates how income taxation, consumption taxes, and social contributions shape labour force participation, unpaid care burdens, and intra-household distribution, and whether fiscal reform has produced measurable redistributive gains for women.

A central theme of the episode is the distinction between symbolic and substantive gender budgeting. Many governments publish gender budget statements or adopt tagging mechanisms, yet only a limited number integrate gender analysis into budget preparation, revenue design, expenditure review, and performance monitoring. The conversation explores the institutional conditions that determine this divergence, including political leadership, bureaucratic capacity, transparency standards, and legislative scrutiny.

SPEAKER: Janet Stotsky, Consultant andn Former Senior Staff of IMF

MODERATOR: Anu Maria Francis, Senior Associate, CPPR

Tune in for an insightful conversation on the economic and political rationale behind governments, the inherent costs and trade-offs in collective decision-making, and how voter behaviour and political incentives shape policy outcomes.

The fifth episode of the five-part podcast series on the book, Public Choice – A Primer by Dr Eamonn Butler, explores how constitutions function as the foundational rules that shape governance and public accountability. It examines why societies need constitutions beyond symbolism, and how constitutional frameworks influence political decision-making and limit government excesses.

Drawing from the chapters The Role of Constitutions and Achievements and Issues, the episode unpacks the economic logic of constitutional rules, the idea of a fiscal constitution, the role of federalism, and the challenges of ensuring accountability within democratic systems.

This podcast series aims to make the ideas of public choice theory more accessible to a wider audience.

Speaker: Assistant Professor and Head, Department of Economics, St. Albert's College ( Autonomous), Ernakulam

Moderator: Sreelakshmi Harilal, Associate – Research & Projects, Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), Kerala

Tune in for an insightful conversation on the economic and political rationale behind governments, the inherent costs and trade-offs in collective decision-making, and how voter behaviour and political incentives shape policy outcomes.

The fourth episode of the five-part podcast series on the book, "Public Choice – A Primer" by Dr Eamonn Butler, explores brings together key insights from Public Choice: A Primer and reflects on how the theory continues to evolve in response to new governance challenges.

Based primarily on Chapter 12 (Current and Future Horizons), the discussion revisits earlier themes, the logic of collective decision-making, voter behaviour, political incentives, and constitutional design to understand how Public Choice theory has expanded from its foundational principles to more complex, interdisciplinary frontiers.

This podcast series aims to make the ideas of public choice theory more accessible to a wider audience.

Speaker:

Emmanuel Thomas, Assistant Professor, Dept of Economics, St. Thomas’ College, Thrissur

Moderator:

Jofi J Francis, Senior Associate (Project Administration), Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), Kerala

Tune in for an insightful conversation on the economic and political rationale behind governments, the inherent costs and trade-offs in collective decision-making, and how voter behaviour and political incentives shape policy outcomes!

The third episode of the five-part podcast series on the book, "Public Choice – A Primer" by Dr Eamonn Butler, explores how incentives drive political and bureaucratic behaviour, why collective decisions are vulnerable to special interest influence, and how institutional design, as explained by Public Choice Theory, can either mitigate or amplify these distortions.

Drawing from Chapters 5 to 9 of the book, this episode explores how collective decision-making processes are frequently shaped by interest groups, political bargaining, and bureaucratic incentives. It highlights the subtle yet influential ways in which concentrated interests and institutional mechanisms shape policy outcomes—often at the expense of broader public welfare.This podcast series aims to make the ideas of public choice theory more accessible to a wider audience. Speaker:

Kumar Anand, Economist & Public Policy Professional; Senior Fellow, Academy, Centre for Civil Society (CCS), New Delhi

Moderator:

Sreelakshmi Harilal, Associate, Research & Projects, Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), Kochi, Kerala

Tune in for an insightful conversation on Public Choice Theory and its application in understanding power, interest groups, incentives, as well as institutional, political, and public policy decision-making in democratic systems.

As India stands on the brink of the XVI Finance Commission’s recommendations, the debate on fiscal federalism has re-emerged at the centre of public policy discourse.

A recent report titled “State Finances in Transition: An Analysis of Revenue Receipts and Fiscal Dynamics in India during the XV Finance Commission Period,” published by the Foundation for Responsive Governance and authored by Sharad Pandey and Avani Kapur from the Foundation for Responsive Governance (ResGov), provides an in-depth examination of the receipts side: the sources, structure, and trends in own revenues, tax devolution, grants-in-aid, and borrowings.

India’s fiscal federalism is now at a crossroads—caught between the ideals of fiscal decentralization and the practical realities of centralization.This episode of the podcast discusses the research report by ResGov, aiming to explore whether the constitutional vision of fiscal balance can be reimagined in today’s context.

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS

• India's performance during the XV Finance Commission period, and major trends that emerged across key fiscal indicators
• Realistic ONTR avenues states can explore without undermining the equity or affordability of public services
• Key drivers of actual tax devolution during the XV Finance Commission period, which exceeded the amounts originally recommended
• Measures to be prioritised to strengthen the states’ receipt side of the balance sheet under the 16th Finance Commission, since borrowings continue to constitute a significant share of total state receipts

SPEAKERS:

Avani Kapur, Founder and Director, Foundation for Responsive Governance (ResGov)

Sharad Pandey, Senior Research Consultant, Foundation for Responsive Governance (ResGov)

HOST

Banisha Begum Shaikh, Senior Associate - Research & Projects, CPPR

Tune in for an insightful discussion on revenue receipts and fiscal dynamics in India during the XV Finance Commission period.

The second episode of the five-part podcast series on the book, "Public Choice – A Primer" by Dr Eamonn Butler, explores how and why governments exist, how collective decisions are made, and how electoral behaviour shapes policy outcomes.

Drawing from the chapters “Who Needs Government?” and “How to Win Elections,” the episode attempts to unpack the mechanisms of governance, the trade-offs inherent in collective decision-making, and the paradoxes of democratic participation.

This podcast series aims to make the ideas of public choice theory more accessible to a wider audience.

Speaker:

Dr Pradeep Kumar B, Professor of Economics, Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam, Kerala

Moderator:

Jofi J Francis, Senior Associate (Project Administration), Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), Kerala

Tune in for an insightful conversation on the economic and political rationale behind governments, the inherent costs and trade-offs in collective decision-making, and how voter behaviour and political incentives shape policy outcomes.

Public policy shapes our lives, but how these decisions are made is often misunderstood.

This CPPR podcast—the first of our five-part series on the book, "Public Choice – A Primer" by Dr Eamonn Butler—introduces our audience to Public Choice Theory.

Public Choice applies economics to politics, showing how voters, politicians, and bureaucrats act in self-interest—just like in markets. In this five-part series, we explore democracy, voting, bureaucracy, and governance through this lens.

Episode 1 unpacks the origins and relevance of Public Choice for citizens, students, and policymakers in India and beyond.

Speaker:

Rahul V Kumar, Research Fellow (Market Economics), Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), Kochi

Moderator:

Jofi J Francis, Senior Associate (Project Administration), Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), Kerala

Tune in for an insightful conversation that unpacks the hidden mechanics of power, incentives, and decision-making that quietly shape our everyday lives.