The Undismal Paradox: Recent Episodes

The Undismal Paradox

A podcast to help you understand and break down Interesting situations that we see today. The podcast's name is derived from the term 'Dismal Science', coined by Thomas Carlyle to describe economics. It consists of various short 'series', each of which revolving around a particular topic. Enjoy listening and learning about numerous interesting scenarios! Series 1: China vs Rest of the world PART1- Chinese Takeaways Part 2- Rise of China Series 2: Enlighten Series 3: Crisis-Picuous Consumer Do follow us on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook with the name 'The Undismal Paradox' !

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SPECIAL EPISODE ALERT

9 newbies. 3 miniseries. One crazy experience.

Like the saying goes, sharing is caring, and it pretty much applies to our experiences too,  so ahead and listen to all of the crazy, behind-the-scene stories that we have for you!

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See you later, Alligator!

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According to the World Economic Forum, "It will be 118 years before women have the same career prospects as men." In our fourth episode, we discussed what patriarchy is and how far we are from putting an end to it. Now, we are going to talk about how it has been affecting the workforce of women and our national economy. 

Women have to fight for their rights, for equal income on every scale in their everyday life. 

Tune into our fifth and final episode to find out more.

Thank you for listening to Obstacles To Progression. We have enjoyed this experience a lot and we hope you did too!

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Ever wondered how companies like Hotmail and Airbnb became worth billions of dollars without having to do advertising? Ever wondered how every other person knows about Instagram when Instagram doesn't even directly market itself? Well then, allow us to introduce you to the world of Growth hacking.

"The end goal of every growth hacker is to build a self-perpetuating marketing machine which reaches millions by itself"

Links Mentioned in the Episode

Andrew Chen’s essays

http://andrewchen.co

Noah Kagan’s blog

http://okdork.com

Patrick Vlaskovits

http://vlaskovits.com/blog

twitter.com/pv

Jesse Farmer

http://20bits.com

Sean Ellis

http://www.startup-marketing.com

Paul Graham’s essays

http://www.paulgraham.com/articles.html

Aaron Ginn

http://www.aginnt.com

Josh Elman

https://medium.com/@joshelman

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On a scale of 1 to 10, how much have you been missing concerts lately? How much do you sacrifice on little things to save up for that one concert ticket? What's a concert ticket worth? What do you think makes these concert tickets so pricey?  

Too many questions? Pretty sure This Is ‘not’ What You Came For!

Just head on to the episode, There’s Nothing Holding you Back!

Reference - Rockonomics: Book by Alan Krueger

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Women's horizons are limited by the idea that their primary responsibility is domestic work. 

This is the truth.. but wait.. don't make up your mind just yet. We have another bitter truth coming your way.

Women do cooking at home, But all professional chefs are male. So when something gets professionalised, then the men get monopoly.

So, in both cases who's paying the price? Women!

In our fourth episode we are going to talk about patriarchy in India. Join Ananyaa, Sanjeet and our guest speaker Sunita ma'am to unravel the bitter truth and various aspects of The Patriarchal Problem..

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Ever find yourself buried in the deep, dark hole of thoughts about how everything is fake and how nothing really matters and how existence is a scam? 

Well, turns out, it might not be as bad as it sounds! 

Wanna find out how? 

Tune into the fourth episode of Too Long; Didn’t Read, where we’re taking you all on a small philosophical joyride!

References :

https://youtu.be/MBRqu0YOH14

https://www.openculture.com/2017/10/the-philosophy-of-optimistic-nihilism-or-how-to-find-purpose-in-a-meaningless-universe.html

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Not much for you to read here today except, just go to this Youtube link - https://youtu.be/6FURuLYrR_Q and take a look at the title of the video.

Turn on your desi mode as in this episode, we go Bollywood style!

References:

  • https://vidiq.com/blog/post/cover-songs-on-youtube/

  • https://ccs.instructure.com/courses/1428874/pages/lecture-2-bollywood

  • http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/08/bollywood.playback.singers/index.html

  • https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/now-bollywoods-playback-singers-get-payback/articleshow/63765379.cms

  • https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/decoding-the-process-involved-in-the-making-of-a-bollywood-song-779112

  • https://open.spotify.com/episode/29epLzqicuj7OTj5whxs7A?si=de9b55286b494390

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Right from a black cat crossing your way might ruin your day to not cutting your hair on the day of eclipse, we’ve all been around people who believe in superstition.

But does this superstition affect different aspects of the economy?

Tune in to the third episode of OTP, where Mukta and Kalyani will try to answer this question, by analysing it's role in trade, businesses and various industries.

References :

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/superstitions

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/About-61-of-Indian-employees-are-superstitious-Study/article20529780.ece

264823772_Economic_implications_of_superstition_and_the_defacement_of_the_currency_notes_Nigeria_experience

43.pdf

Rising-need-anti-superstitious-laws-india

superstitions-in-real-estate.html

Article.asp

4898066.cms

csr-superstitions-in-india

top-5-weird-superstitions-hotels-have-to-deal-with

Do discounts mitigate numerological superstitions? Evidence from the Russian real estate market

The rising need for anti-superstitious laws in India

Superstitions and stock trading: some new evidence: Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy: Vol 19, No 4

Why Superstition Works in Business

ThrowbackThursday: 10 Superstitions that Make Small Businesses Thrive

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/businessmen-and-superstition/articleshow/9735921.cms

13 Crazy Facts About Stock Markets

superstition-in-india

1216ijhas08.pdf

qt70z5b0ng.pdf

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Ever wonder why you chose Spotify even though you have an Amazon Prime membership that includes music?

Well it's all about a way a product is designed that makes you want to chose it over it's competition. Tune in this podcast to learn about UX design and how it bridges the gap between machines and human beings

Links of resources mentioned:

abnux.com

uxdesign.cc

uxplanet.org

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Imagine spending weeks creating a piece of music and posting it on social media, only to find that it has been used as a background score in a high-budget movie. Neither were you asked for permission nor were you given due credits!

How’d you feel? Robbed? Devastated? Angry?

In a world where piracy and theft have become the new normal, you should, rather, you MUST know about copyrights.

Tune in to our latest episode to know more about it.

References:

  • Rockonomics: Book by Alan Krueger

  • https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.insider.com/ariana-grande-7-rings-royalties-rodgers-and-hammerstein-my-favourite-things-sample-2019-3%3famp

  • https://help.songtrust.com/knowledge/what-is-the-difference-between-a-sample-and-interpolation

  • https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/73635/indian-composer-sues-over-truth-hurts-sample

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Are beggars forced into the practice of beggary? Why don't beggars look for employment? What is the government doing about this?

On the second episode of Obstacles To Progression - Beggary Booming (Part 2), Kalyani and Sanjeet discuss the practice of beggary in India in further detail and try to figure out possible solutions for the same. Tune in!

References:

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/in-india-inequality-bigger-challenge-than-poverty/story-i5bvo7P2vVOEHOngFX5n1K.html

https://www.hamessharley.com.au/

https://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/this-economist-says-britain-took-away-usd-45-trillion-from-india-in-173-years/story/292352.html

https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/mumbai-beggar-was-a-millionaire-police-find-after-his-death/1729130/

The Economics of Begging! (linkedin.com)

Beggar's banquet - Society & The Arts News - Issue Date: Feb 4, 2008 (indiatoday.in)

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jalandhar/jalandhar-city-police-must-crack-down-heavily-on-begging-cartels-212465

Bhttps://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/amritsar/-beggars-thrive-on-charity-refuse-rehabilitation-31748

https://www.thestatesman.com/supplements/nbextra/child-begging-indian-scenario-1502767535.html

https://www.marketingmind.in/begging-in-india-complete-case-study-of-1-5-billion-industry/

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/beggars-choosing-street-life-over-homes/articleshow/62877233.cms

https://punemirror.indiatimes.com/pune/civic/547-fires-in-90-days-and-now-1-less-fire-team/articleshow/81790991.cms

https://www.dhyeyaias.com/current-affairs/perfect-7-magazine/beggary-in-india

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306094400_SOCIO-ECONOMIC_CAUSES_OF_BEGGING

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304057261_Begging_in_India_Barricading_the_Sustainable_Financial_Development

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You keep hearing so much about Crypto and Blockchain but still don't know what it exactly is? Or You're just an enthusiast who doesn't know how to approach this topic and are looking for an easy way into it?? DO NOT WORRY! You've come to the right place!

Tune into this 10 mins episode of tl;dr where we're talking about the basics about Blockchain and Cryptocurrency. 

And most importantly tell you how to go about investing in it .

References

https://thecollegeinvestor.com/21245/top-10-bitcoin-crypto-investing-sites/

https://www.coinbase.com/learn/crypto-basics/what-is-a-blockchain

https://youtu.be/qeMmxq0MT6g

https://youtu.be/U9n8w4bxJ0k

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Take a look at the cover art of our mini-series. Who do you think actually owns it, the artist behind it or The Undismal Paradox?

Now, think about your favourite song. Who do you think it belongs to? The answer is definitely not the voice you hear!

Okay, enough with the guessing games. Tune in to our latest episode to know how the music industry is blinded by the rights.

References:

  • https://youtu.be/iExPc11FWUc

  • https://www.thefruitfulfirm.com/post/differences-between-music-publishing-record-label-deals-contracts-agreements

  • https://www.allkpop.com/article/2020/01/kpop-idols-who-own-the-most-copyrights-updated-in-january-2020

  • https://www.audiomentor.com/businessmoney/k-pop-collaboration-k-tune/

  • https://www.gemtracks.com/guides/view.php?title=how-does-the-kpop-industry-work&id=460

  • https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9485702/everyone-taylor-swift-said-re-recording-her-songs

  • https://www.instagram.com/p/CLJzk9MjcCe/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

  • https://youtu.be/ZVpkFb9-fts?t=526

  • https://taylorswift.tumblr.com/post/185958366550/for-years-i-asked-pleaded-for-a-chance-to-own-my

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Economic theories stem from the study of society, people and culture. The topics we discuss in this series pertain to unavoidable parts of Indian society. In today’s episode, Ananya and Mukta take up beggary, and simply dissect how it interacts and interlinks with economics - obstacles and all.

This series is for anyone who has an urge to understand how far the reach of economics goes and witness the application of it to important issues in our country.

References:

https://www.thestatesman.com/supplements/nbextra/child-begging-indian-scenario-1502767535.html

https://www.marketingmind.in/begging-in-india-complete-case-study-of-1-5-billion-industry/

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/beggars-choosing-street-life-over-homes/articleshow/62877233.cms

https://punemirror.indiatimes.com/pune/civic/547-fires-in-90-days-and-now-1-less-fire-team/articleshow/81790991.cms

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/amritsar/-beggars-thrive-on-charity-refuse-rehabilitation-31748

https://www.dhyeyaias.com/current-affairs/perfect-7-magazine/beggary-in-india

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306094400_SOCIO-ECONOMIC_CAUSES_OF_BEGGING

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304057261_Begging_in_India_Barricading_the_Sustainable_Financial_Development

http://ijsw.tiss.edu/greenstone/collect/ijsw/index/assoc/HASH6ee0/259573d5.dir/doc.pdf

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/in-india-inequality-bigger-challenge-than-poverty/story-i5bvo7P2vVOEHOngFX5n1K.html

https://www.hamessharley.com.au/

https://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/this-economist-says-britain-took-away-usd-45-trillion-from-india-in-173-years/story/292352.html

https://produccioncientificaluz.org/index.php/opcion/article/view/31115

https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Mendicant#Christian_Mendicant_Orders

https://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/4425/1/Saeed13PhD.pdf

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Ever log into an online class, hear the teacher ask a question and bask in the nice awkward silence that follows? 

Ever rage about how apathetic the mankind has become, filming accidents and mishaps rather than helping the people? 

These two things may not be as different as you think they are…

Wanna know how? Tap play and find out in our first episode of Too Long; Didn’t Read, where we talk about Smokey rooms and sannata in online classes!

References:

https://academy4sc.org/video/the-smoky-room-experiment-trust-your-instincts/

https://www.heroconstruction.org/who-we-are

http://www.bbc.com/storyworks/the-psychology-of-heroism/overcoming-the-bystander-effect

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Kitty_Genovese

https://www.britannica.com/topic/bystander-effect

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Are you one of those devoted fans that listen to their idols' music for the first 24 hours after it is released? 

Do you know how much money they make when you listen to a single song on repeat?

Press play and listen to our first episode to learn how streaming has transformed the music industry. Stream now!

References:

• Rockonomics: Book by Alan Krueger

• https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9580407/taylor-swift-evermore-record-breaking-vinyl-album-sales-week/

• https://soundcharts.com/blog/music-streaming-rates-payouts#not-all-streams-are-created-equal

• https://loudandclear.byspotify.com/?question=how-is-stream-share-calculated

Note: Taylor Swift wrote the op-ed to Apple in 2015, not 2014. Kindly excuse the error.

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Does the lockdown make you contemplate everything that’s wrong with the world? Have you ever wondered how various social issues that you observe and encounter in your day-to-day activities affect the country as a whole? 

Join Ananya, Mukta, Sanjeet, and Kalyani on this journey as they discuss various obstacles on the way of our country's economic development and what we can do about it.

This is an OTP which can be used again and again!

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2.5 seconds! Just 2.5 freakin’ seconds. This is the average attention span of humans, which means that this is exactly the time taken by your brain to skip an article that has a lotta bombastic words in it which might make it boring. As scary as this statistics may seem to you, don’t worry we’ve got you covered!! Our podcast, Too Long; Didn't Read is designed for all those who wish to get the basic idea about any topic that you find hard to understand and are trying to avoid reading more about it just because you thought it was too complex.

We bring new episodes every Wednesday..so go mark your calendars!

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Welcome to the 9th episode of The Undismal Paradox Season 2!!

In this episode, Prof. Ashish Kulkarni chats up with Jubin Daniel, an alumnus of GIPE.

Jubin Daniel is a Co-Founder at TravelnGo, a travel startup. He is also a Co-Founder at Onlybook Technologies, an edutech startup that aims to build a marketplace for study content with a focus on text content. He completed his MSc in Financial Economics at GIPE and also works as a Freelance Educator at Preply.

Ashish Kulkarni is an Assistant Professor at Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics. He is also the host of this podcast, and likes to chat up with people from different fields on their experiences in college.

Ashish blogs daily at https://econforeverybody.com/

They talk about several topics: exchanging stories on how relevant their education was when it came to professional life, maintaining peer networks, getting internships online, rigorousness of the Masters course in Financial Economics, utility of Gap Year and finally, what should ideally be changed about the model of higher education that we follow.

Notes: Bloomberg Quint- https://www.bloombergquint.com/

Aswath Damodaran’s Blog- http://aswathdamodaran.blogspot.com/

Connect with us:

Jubin- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jubin-dan...

Ashish - https://twitter.com/ashish2727?s=20

Find us on:

Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/0E5PReA...

Google Podcasts- The Undismal Paradox (google.com)

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How many hours do you spend curating your fire playlist every week? 

A survey says that we Indians typically spend 19.1 hours grooving to music, while the global average is around 18 hours a week. We love our music, don’t we!?

Four students of economics, wondered if we could explore the economics behind the music industry.

We have a playlist of fun facts Taylor-made just for you. 

We’ll be waiting, all there’s left to do is stream!

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Welcome to the 8th episode of The Undismal Paradox Season 2!!

In this episode, Prof. Ashish Kulkarni chats up with 'The Travelling Professor', Siddhart Deshmukh!

Siddhart's career profile is endless. He has worked as a product manager at Sony Entertainment Television, been a senior executive in marketing communications at Birla AT&T, served as the COO at Cohezia, a UK based venture studio, and is currently the Senior Advisor and Adjunct Professor at MICA, Ahmedabad.

Siddhart also hosts the famous podcast - 'The Travelling Professor's Diary'. https://ivmpodcasts.com/the-travelling-professors-diary

Ashish Kulkarni is an Assistant Professor at Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics. He is also the host of this podcast, and likes to chat up with people from different fields on their experiences in college.

Ashish blogs daily at https://econforeverybody.com/

They talk about the essence of a college life, the importance of a community, professors being content creators, having skin in the game, the power of a fantastic teacher, and on using the internet for personal growth!

Notes: 1) Siddhart on the university experience https://open.spotify.com/episode/3eNtmAzM9hE4lsBPp11bgJ?si=ZxZ12MIZRg2bfOTEiUp5rw

2) Ashish on college being a triple combo https://econforeverybody.com/2020/03/12/signaling-bundling-and-college/

3) Distributed presentation https://open.spotify.com/episode/7thHsE6ObvR3kiDT90T97J?si=0k1OlAHDSW2-LuiyvAFY0A

4) Need for the statement of purpose https://open.spotify.com/episode/33pGhvHmpNtYaq6OQdj10g?si=5bdac605a5454b78

5) Nir Eyal's Hooked https://www.amazon.in/Hooked-How-Build-Habit-Forming-Products-ebook/dp/B00NW01MKM

Connect with them: Siddhart - https://in.linkedin.com/in/sideshmukh

Ashish - https://twitter.com/ashish2727?s=20

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/A5rgRyTbNwI

Listen to the audio version on your preferred podcasting apps 🎧 Anchor- https://anchor.fm/the-undismal-paradox Spotify-https://open.spotify.com/show/0E5PReAJtDkKFBhbMKzo4n Google Podcasts- https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8yNmUxYzkyNC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==

Follow us on these social media handles: 1) Twitter- https://twitter.com/undismalparadox?s=09, https://twitter.com/bscgipe?s=08 2) Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=1fnc7ph5srmr&utm_content=hbfx5n9, https://instagram.com/bscgipe?igshid=f092u5ec9u91 3) LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/company/bsc-gipe

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Welcome to the sixth episode of The Undismal Paradox Season 2!

In this episode, Prof.Ashish Kulkarni chats up with Navin Kabra.

Navin Kabra is a software technology professional who has over two decades of experience in the industry, and is currently the co-founder and CTO at Reliscore.com, an online platform for assessing technical skills required by companies. He is a popular figure in Pune's Tech circles and Twitter too, with over 10K people following him!

Dr. Ashish Kulkarni is an Assistant Professor at Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, specializing in Macroeconomics, commodities and derivatives.

They talk about the importance of a gap year, flexibility of career paths, how to use Twitter, building for the next billion, and the education system in general.

Follow both the intellectuals of Pune here:

Navin Kabra - https://twitter.com/NGKabra?s=20

Ashish Kulkarni - https://twitter.com/ashish2727?s=20

Listen to the audio version on your preferred podcasting apps 🎧

Anchor- https://anchor.fm/the-undismal-paradox

Spotify-https://open.spotify.com/show/0E5PReAJtDkKFBhbMKzo4n

Google Podcasts- https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8yNmUxYzkyNC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==

Follow us on these social media handles:

1) Twitter- https://twitter.com/undismalparadox?s=09, https://twitter.com/bscgipe?s=08

2) Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=1fnc7ph5srmr&utm_content=hbfx5n9, https://instagram.com/bscgipe?igshid=f092u5ec9u91

3) LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/company/bsc-gipe

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Welcome to the fifth episode of The Undismal Paradox Season 2!

There is a slight change this time around, The host for today's episode is Prof.Saylee Jog, and the guest is a fellow SSE Alumni, Milind Sharma.

Milind Sharma is the Co-Founder of PepperTap - an on-demand hyperlocal grocery delivery startup, and NuvoEx - a premium e-commerce logistics company. He also served as Vice President at Shadowfax (Another logistics company which had bought NuvoEx). He is currently working on a new startup of his own!

Saylee Jog is an Assistant Professor at Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics specializing in Microeconomics.

They talk about the startup scene in India, how much have things changed over the past few years, the Indian tech ecosystem in general, various aspects of logistics and retail, the funding ecosystem, the gig-economy revolution in India and what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur!!

Get in touch with them:

https://in.linkedin.com/in/milindsharma

https://in.linkedin.com/in/saylee-jog-48895a28

Listen to the audio version on your preferred podcasting apps 🎧

Anchor- https://anchor.fm/the-undismal-paradox

Spotify-https://open.spotify.com/show/0E5PReAJtDkKFBhbMKzo4n

Google Podcasts- https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8yNmUxYzkyNC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==

YouTube- https://youtu.be/-jyttH1aCxc

Follow us on these social media handles:

1) Twitter- https://twitter.com/undismalparadox?s=09, https://twitter.com/bscgipe?s=08

2) Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=1fnc7ph5srmr&utm_content=hbfx5n9, https://instagram.com/bscgipe?igshid=f092u5ec9u91

3) LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/company/bsc-gipe

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Welcome to the fourth episode of The Undismal Paradox Season 2!

In this episode, Prof. Ashish Kulkarni chats up with Rohith Jyothish.

Rohith Jyothish is a visiting faculty at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune and a teaching fellow at the Department of Political Science, Ashoka University (Delhi NCR). He is also Assistant Editor at the peer-reviewed academic journal, Big Data & Society. Previously, he worked in public policy organizations in management, research and founder trustee roles for around 8 years.

Dr. Ashish Kulkarni is an Assistant Professor at Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, specializing in Macroeconomics, commodities and derivatives.

They talk about the essence of democracies, religion and caste-based politics in India, first order issues and state capacity, and the field of political science in general.

Links and references:

1) https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/ezra-kleins-why-were-polarized-and-the-drawbacks-of-explainer-journalism

2) https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2020/01/my-conversation-with-ezra-klein.html

3) https://youtu.be/Ef30I_6zqa0

4) https://www.amazon.in/Jugalbandi-Before-Modi-Vinay-Sitapati/dp/0670091073

5) https://seenunseen.in/episodes/2020/12/6/episode-202-the-bjp-before-modi/

Listen to the audio version on your preferred podcasting apps 🎧

Anchor- https://anchor.fm/the-undismal-paradox

Spotify-https://open.spotify.com/show/0E5PReAJtDkKFBhbMKzo4n

Google Podcasts- https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8yNmUxYzkyNC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==

YouTube- https://youtu.be/UrBnbg6x-n8

Follow us on these social media handles:

1) Twitter- https://twitter.com/undismalparadox?s=09, https://twitter.com/bscgipe?s=08

2) Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=1fnc7ph5srmr&utm_content=hbfx5n9, https://instagram.com/bscgipe?igshid=f092u5ec9u91

3) LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/company/bsc-gipe

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Welcome to the third episode of The Undismal Paradox Season 2!

In this episode, Prof. Ashish Kulkarni chats up with Dr. Pradeep Apte on the future of Indian agriculture.

Dr. Pradeep Apte is a professor of economics at Ferguson college and a visiting faculty at GIPE. He specializes in Operations Research, Econometrics, International trade and Agricultural economics. He has published several research papers and books over the span of his academic career and has been a part of various committees including the '13th finance Commission Expert Group on State Finance Commission' and the 'Kelkar Committee Report'.

Dr. Ashish Kulkarni is an Assistant Professor at Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, specializing in Macroeconomics, commodities and derivatives.

They talk about the state of Agriculture in India, a need for better application of technology and wise management principles, why agricultural economics is an essential field in itself and having faith in the domestic enterprise of the farmer.

Links and references:

1) https://www.livemint.com/opinion/columns/lessons-from-bihar-s-abolition-of-its-apmc-system-for-farmers-11600962615201.html

2) https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/bihar-junked-apmc-act-in-06-but-it-hasnt-benefited-farmers/articleshow/80078630.cms

3) https://www.orfonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Farm_Laws_Reference.pdf

4) https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/the-different-types-of-wheat-and-what-theyre-used-for/

5)https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/punjab-farmers-protests-farm-laws-7094357/

6) https://www.epw.in/journal/2003/07/perspectives/reform-agenda-agriculture.html

7) https://www.amazon.in/Agricultural-Environmental-Degradation-Institute-Economic/dp/0195633431/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&qid=1614932881&refinements=p_27%3AC.+H.+Hanumantha+Rao&s=books&sr=1-2

Listen to the audio version on your preferred podcasting apps 🎧

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Welcome to the second episode of The Undismal Paradox Season 2 !

In this episode, Prof. Ashish Kulkarni chats up with a fellow GIPE alumnus, Binoy Mascarenhas, on the process and importance of planned urbanization.

Binoy Mascarenhas is an Urban Planner and Economist with 14 years of experience in implementing innovative and sustainable solutions to global urban challenges. He served as the Head of Urban Transport at the World Resources Institute (WRI) till 2019 where he managed urban transport and road safety work across India and south-east Asia.

Dr. Ashish Kulkarni is an Assistant Professor at Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, specializing in Macroeconomics, commodities and derivatives.

They discuss a wide range of topics from the importance of historical buildings, urban planning, and preference of pedestrians to planned/ smart cities, flyovers, and paid parking. Not to forget the advice given to students who want to get into this exciting field!

Notes and references (with time stamps) :

1) 00:00:20.architecturehttps://architexturez.net/pst/az-cf-179420-1467089878. 2) 00:1:16: BV Doshi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._V._Doshi 3) 00:2:49: Links : the sunday times article on the need to maintain historic buildings https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/how-indias-push-to-modernise-threatens-its-signature-buildings/articleshow/80075722.cms 4)00:9:57:66 Mumbai coastal road plan. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastal_Road_(Mumbai) 5) 00:18:50:BRT pune failure https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/a-decade-many-efforts-later-brts-fails-to-run-smoothly-in-pune-5976756/ 6)00: 20:31 price parking better in India:https://www.parkingtoday.com/articledetails.php?id=2547&t=on-street-parking-issues-in-india 7)00:35:00 Podcast:https://youtu.be/vPB51biw5f0 8) 00:42:18 https://www.amazon.in/Games-Indians-Play-V-Raghunathan/dp/0143063111 9)00:50:44 Arcosanti https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/paolo-soleri-arcosanti-arizona https://allthatsinteresting.com/chinese-ghost-cities 10)00:52:00 Ghost towns in china https://allthatsinteresting.com/chinese-ghost-cities 11) 00:53:00 hukou system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hukou 12)1:24:54 Haussmann renovation something along that lines in Pune if it is possible https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haussmann%27s_renovation_of_Paris 13) 1:29:42 thoughts on Auroville? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auroville

Listen to the audio version on your preferred podcasting apps 🎧

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Welcome to the second edition of The Undismal Paradox podcast!! This time we have decided to experiment with the video format because we realize that as listeners, one always wants to watch the folks talking, and especially when it's such an intelligent conversation.

In the first episode, we have Neha Sinha in conversation with Ashish Kulkarni, both are batch mates from the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics.

Neha Sinha is Deputy Director and Associate Fellow at IDFC Institute. In addition to her management responsibilities, she leads research on criminal justice with a focus on policing. Dr. Ashish Kulkarni is an Assistant Professor at Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, specializing in Macroeconomics, commodities and derivatives.

They talk about public policy in India, The work done at the IDFC Institute, Importance of networking, the beauty of statistics, Quantification of social costs, different schools of economic thought and the skills needed by students to get into this wonderful field!

Notes & References:

1) https://www.idfcinstitute.org/about/people/team/neha-sinha/

2) https://www.idfcinstitute.org/projects/state-capacity/safety-trends-and-reporting-of-crime-satarc/

3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_cost

4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schools_of_economic_thought

5) https://seenunseen.in/

LinkedIn Accounts:- Ashish Kulkarni- https://in.linkedin.com/in/ashishrkulkarni Neha Sinha- https://in.linkedin.com/in/neha-sinha-b669488

Also, Listen to the audio version on your preferred podcasting apps 🎧

Anchor- https://anchor.fm/the-undismal-paradox

Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/0E5PReAJtDkKFBhbMKzo4n

Google Podcasts- https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8yNmUxYzkyNC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==

YouTube- https://youtu.be/WjbPE7r7sZ0

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The coronavirus pandemic is the real deal, something straight out of a sci fi movie and... well by now we all know its 'larger' impacts on every aspect of human life, but let us focus on the biggest project ever undertaken and how covid is gonna impact that in the final episode of 'RISE OF CHINA' .

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The actual goal of China is something more than economic development... Some notes for your reference : 1)https://africacenter.org/spotlight/implications-for-africa-china-one-belt-one-road-strategy/ 2)https://thediplomat.com/2020/04/china-confronts-major-risk-of-debt-crisis-on-the-belt-and-road-due-to-pandemic/ 3)https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.civilsdaily.com%2Fnews%2Fwho-is-at-risk-from-chinas-belt-and-road-initiative-debt-trap%2F&psig=AOvVaw1s7IrXw4W12tI5_x38Skn9&ust=1596513984438000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCODah56U_uoCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAJ 4)https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=x-raw-image%3A%2F%2F%2F9bf477eebefbfdb015f9aaa3f8a4601350e42c1b9dcb42028d0d2ae4734341aa&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cgdev.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fexamining-debt-implications-belt-and-road-initiative-policy-perspective.pdf&tbnid=sP37vu539JtQrM&vet=12ahUKEwj9itKYlP7qAhXB73MBHb8ZDPAQMygDegUIARCXAQ..i&docid=k5VozZhRdmMUaM&w=1276&h=951&q=centre%20for%20global%20development%20BRI&ved=2ahUKEwj9itKYlP7qAhXB73MBHb8ZDPAQMygDegUIARCXAQ

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The Crisis-picuous Consumer spells out what the future of the world looks like in light of the recent spurt in adoption of automation and policies like re-shoring. Also, is globalisation, as we know it, destined for an imminent demise? Has the age of the hyper-connected global economic system long since had its day?

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The Crisis-picuous Consumer spells out what the future of the world looks like in light of the recent spurt in adoption of automation and policies like re-shoring. Also, is globalisation, as we know it, destined for an imminent demise? Has the age of the hyper-connected global economic system long since had its day?

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Tune in for Enlighten's season finale, where we introduce an interesting and currently trending concept - the Nudge - and how it can play a crucial role in not only in the energy sector, but in our daily lives as well.

The attached links will help not only to further explain this, but give some additional insights to the episode:

https://www.google.com/search?q=richard+thaler+nudge&oq=Richard+Thaler+&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l3.4458j0j9&client=ms-android-oppo&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/10/22/business/mcdonalds-tech-artificial-intelligence-machine-learning-fast-food.amp.html

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/40774415_Reducing_Portion_Size_Reduces_Food_Intake_and_Plate_Waste

https://www.ted.com/talks/alex_laskey_how_behavioral_science_can_lower_your_energy_bill#t-5907

https://www.google.com/amp/s/yourstory.com/2018/10/vidyut-raksha-electricity-bills/amp

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What's going on with travel and transportation right now? Will this sector bounce back or will we just stay cooped up forever?

Listen to this week's episode for all the answers!

Some show notes for reference:

WSJ video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_Yh1SsdmQE&feature=youtu.be

Mumbai Local travellers:

https://curlytales.com/mumbai-locals-are-now-being-disinfected-in-lieu-of-the-coronavirus/

Vehicle sales https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/passenger-vehicle/cars/etauto-originals-covid-19-to-change-fate-of-indian-car-market/75283843

Google trivago https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?geo=IN&q=Trivago

Mariott https://skift.com/2020/06/26/empty-rooms-move-marriott-and-other-chains-closer-to-flexible-pricing-for-corporate-guests/

Fuel prices: https://www.livemint.com/news/india/covid-19-impact-indian-aviation-may-incur-rs-25-000-crore-losses-says-crisil-11588838896045.html

History of tourism industry https://www.tourwriter.com/travel-software-blog/covid-19-pt1/

Travel Bounce back: https://www.bbva.com/en/bbva-promotes-spain-by-joining-the-spain-for-sure-campaign/

Airline industry

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/11/the-airline-industry-may-struggle-to-be-profitable-post-virus-citi.html

Travel refunds

https://www.businesstoday.in/sectors/aviation/coronavirus-impact-flyers-fume-as-airlines-travel-agents-refuse-cash-refunds/story/403864.html

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Tune in to check out the second part of the interview with Vasundhara Ma'am where we continue to break down and understand the various misconceptions surrounding the Standards and Labeling Program.

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Tune in to this episode to know how exactly startup world works as we interview Mr.Milind Sharma. This was the end of first series . If you have loved this series do share your reviews on our social media handles.

FACEBOOK:

https://www.facebook.com/The-Undismal-Paradox-112970387123189/

INSTAGRAM:

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TWITTER:

https://twitter.com/undismalparadox?s=09

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The pandemic has suddenly thrown a lot of things into disarray and most things into perspective. the swiper generation has suddenly become much more conscious of spending and has started saving. but, on the other hand, spending is also important. it's what drives the economy. and yet, we also need to save. so what does one do? spend, or save? join us on this episode to find out which is the way forward!

Here is a link for your reference :

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cUTc8w3N8_SgPQDKBe8AWtReUTatHTAiVwF_9li1op8/edit?usp=drivesdk

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Check out our episode where we discuss the misconceptions of the Standards and Labeling Program which we had mentioned in our previous episode, with the help of an interview with an expert in the energy sector.

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"Belt & Road Initiative" The most ambitious project ever taken.  What is in it for China? Some links for you : https://images.app.goo.gl/3rN25dfPGSvQTpHe7 https://youtu.be/EvXROXiIpvQ https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.visualcapitalist.com/global-chinese-financing-is-fueling-megaprojects/%23:~:text%3DAt%2520first%2520glance%252C%2520gifting%2520a,%25E2%2580%259Cdiplomacy%2520spending%25E2%2580%259D%2520since%25202000.&ved=2ahUKEwi_toC92crqAhWpxTgGHYueDyYQFjACegQIDhAI&usg=AOvVaw2Rw-uSdaeSJRUQ2G8FhcbO&cshid=1594659511088

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Last time round we moved work online. This time, let's see what happens when shopping and learning are thrown into the mix- featuring three students and a prof.

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Last time round we moved work online. This time, let's see what happens when shopping and learning are thrown into the mix- featuring three students and a prof.

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Get ready to understand and comprehend what exactly does the common crowd think of the Standards and Labeling Program and the Star Ratings.

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Welcome to the second episode of Chinese Takeaways where we will decipher the truth about fundings , stakeholders and many more surprising facts about successful food delivery apps Zomato and Swiggy.  

So stay tuned !

Here are the links which I mentioned during the podcast :

Link 1 :  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tG0qIxA29Go-TgGNCNk2FvS4FVFrQMU3C9GFiWIgnrE/edit?usp=sharing

Link 2 : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iZfWED6KIiljpBVzzjm3qmJCLSEdo6hvUJ1xufau5uw/edit?usp=sharing   

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We conducted a survey! 

Yes, The podcast you're listening to is backed up by a survey - accompanied by a long and lengthy process, surprising results and plenty of inferences. Join us on this episode as we describe what we found, the two sides of the debate of working from home, and what people are feeling about current times. Also, spoiler alert: Devangee will step out for coffee even if the whole world is locked indoors! 

The link to the info graphics from the survey: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WYYGSTc6hAgtfysjei9_WGPAxC2gLyqrh83A1aOTJXQ/edit

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Tune in to learn about the Standards and Labeling Program which has been implemented in India, and equivalent programs implemented in the European Union and the United States, to understand why this program is a simple, but yet underrated way to help combat climate change.

Take some additional help from these links attached below:

https://www.iea.org/reports/achievements-of-appliance-energy-efficiency-standards-and-labelling-programs

https://beeindia.gov.in/sites/default/files/BEE_Annual%20Report_2016-17____.pdf

https://www.energystar.gov/about

https://beeindia.gov.in/content/standards-labeling

https://www.google.com/amp/s/europa.eu/youreurope/business/product-requirements/labels-markings/energy-labels/indexamp_en.htm

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How did China reach here?

From an ignored third - world country to perhaps the strongest nation on earth in less than half a century.

Tune in as we trace China's history since Mao's regime till the present scenario.

The links mentioned in the podcast:

https://journals.openedition.org/chinaperspectives/5585

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four

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Remember those days when First Day First Show was still something to boast about? Don't worry if you don't, we'll jog your memories with a walk down memory lane. Stops along the way include consumers' favorites like the beloved cinema and the evergreen wonder of Maggi along with the microorganism responsible for disrupting it all- the Corona virus. And a basic knowledge of tastes and preferences on the house.

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Global warming and climate change are now phenomena which we are more than familiar with, and one of the main reasons why we are facing this is the energy crisis. But what is that you may ask ?

And are there any actual solutions to this ?

Find out these answers in the first episode of our series 'Enlighten'

Some notes for your reference:

  1. https://beeindia.gov.in/

  2. https://www.deccanherald.com/business/business-news/dishwashers-refrigerators-trimmers-large-screen-tvs-becoming-preferred-appliances-after-coronavirus-lockdown-835905.html

3.https://endcoal.org/climate-change/#:~:text=Coal%20is%20the%20single%20biggest,emissions%20from%20the%20electricity%20sector.&text=This%20means%20that%20the%20age,soon%20come%20to%20an%20end.

4.http://www.mospi.gov.in/sites/default/files/publication_reports/climateChangeStat2015.pdf

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Well can you imagine a situation where you are hungry but couldn't have anything as the delivery systems were closed. This sounded literally impossible until March 2020 right , but Corona virus and it's dear friend lockdown made it possible for us ! 

So what happened initially when Zomato and Swiggy decided to announce heavy pay-cuts and layoffs amidst this lockdown? Find answer to this question in the first episode 'The Lockdown Layoff' of our podcast 'Chinese Takeaways' , stay tuned for further questions and answers .

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A podcast to help you understand and break down Interesting situations that we see today. The podcast's name is derived from the term 'Dismal Science', coined by Thomas Carlyle to describe economics. It consists of various short 'series', each of which revolving around a particular topic. Enjoy listening and learning about numerous interesting scenarios!

Series 1: China vs Rest of the world

PART 1- Chinese Takeaways   Part 2- Rise of China 

Series 2: Enlighten 

Series 3: Crisis-Picuous Consumer

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Staying at home for the past few months has had all of us wondering when the lock down will end & how our lives will change after. Well look no further.

Our third series - The Crisis-Picuous Consumer - would be discussing about such changes from a consumer point of view. And by that, we mean to discuss about the changes in consumer trends and patterns before and after the pandemic. Curious to know more about this  ? Stay tuned to learn about our findings!

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It's funny how we think about reducing our carbon footprint in our battle with climate change . But Is there anything significant that we could do to reduce it, which wouldn't significantly alter our daily lives ?

Well, the answer to this is YES , there is a way to reduce our energy consumption! All you need to do is to look at one more aspect while buying appliances, and that itself could make a significant difference. Wanna know what we are talking about? Well, stay tuned for our second series - Enlighten - where we would discuss about this already implemented-but-not-well-known idea!

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The corona virus pandemic has turned the world against China and it's not only because the virus originated in China and their government didn't do anything to stop the infection globally, but mainly because the world has come to a harsh realization - we are dependent for almost everything on China ! Not only are the countries bracing themselves for perhaps the worst economic crisis in history, they are also preparing themselves to witness yet another cold war. This time it is U.S vs China, and China is no USSR, it is way more powerful !

Tune in to my podcast 'Rise of China' to witness China's miraculous rise, the present global scenario and Xi ping's ambitious plan to dominate the world.

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How many of you are foodies and how many of you like cooking along with that ? Surely not everybody. Our food delivery companies make it very easy for us-  just a few taps over your phone and your favorite dish is at your fingertips . But what happened when India went into lock down and the whole system collapsed? The news that no more food from our favorite restaurants was quite disappointing, right ? But what was going to happen later on was even scarier, and by that I am referring to the pivots, layoffs, pay cuts etc.  Hang on !

What if I could bring all this up for you in a series of podcast. Yes you heard us right. This is a podcast - Chinese Takeaways -  where you will find everything about what happened when food delivery industry collapsed. Stay tuned !

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We have all seen the growth of various startups in India such as Swiggy, Ola and Zomato, each playing a very crucial role in our day to day lives, and it may be a coincidence but all of them have huge investments from China! But one would wonder how is it affecting us? To find the answer tune into this series of podcast.

For this series, we will divide it into 2 sub series . The two sub series will be the 'Chinese Takeaways' and the ' Rise of China' respectively. 

For more, stay tuned!