India, a continent-sized country, exhibits profound regional economic disparities, with some regions having economic outputs comparable to upper-middle-income countries, while others resemble the impoverished regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Dore discusses how these disparities affect development and the importance of focusing on regional nuances to foster equitable growth across India. The book provides a deep dive into these issues, offering lessons and insights on leveraging regional strengths and addressing challenges through targeted development strategies. The episode highlights the need for precise regional analysis and development policies that consider the unique economic landscapes of India’s diverse regions.

What is more conducive to the economic development of a nation—specialisation or diversification? What is the role of data in harnessing regional potential effectively? How can India implement lessons from global economic governance to improve its regional development strategies?

Episode Contributors

Poornima Dore is a practicing economist, driving impact through finance, innovation and digital transformation. She previously served as director of analytics, insights and impact at Tata Trusts and is a highly sought-after advisor for leaders across diverse sectors. With a management degree from Xavier School of Management and a PhD in Economics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, she has, over the years, driven large programs at the intersection of business, philanthropy, academia and government, activated private sector investments in data-driven governance, digital public goods, regional growth, urbanization, and migration, and designed special institutional programs on impact and SME financing. She serves on the board of select institutions as well as ministerial committees and has been recognized as one of the top 100 Analytics Leaders in South Asia.

Suyash Rai is a deputy director and fellow at Carnegie India. His research focuses on the political economy of economic reforms, and the performance of public institutions in India. His current research looks at the financial sector, the fiscal system, and the infrastructure sector.

Suggested Readings:

Regional Economic Diversity: Lessons from an Emergent India, by Poornima Dore and Krishnan Narayanan

Every two weeks, Interpreting India brings you diverse voices from India and around the world to explore the critical questions shaping the nation's future. We delve into how technology, the economy, and foreign policy intertwine to influence India's relationship with the global stage.

As a Carnegie India production, hosted by Carnegie scholars, Interpreting India, a Carnegie India production, provides insightful perspectives and cutting-edge by tackling the defining questions that chart India's course through the next decade.

Stay tuned for thought-provoking discussions, expert insights, and a deeper understanding of India's place in the world.

Don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review to join the conversation and be part of Interpreting India's journey.

The recent war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East have provided valuable lessons when it comes to the nature of future military modernisation and defense innovation. While traditional warfare remains relevant, we are seeing a shift towards multi-domain operations that are more kinetic and are increasingly utilizing autonomous weapons.

As India seeks to boost its defence exports, its domestic industry will have a role to play. Several factors have played a role in the recent spike in defence exports—regulatory initiatives, enhanced capability of the private sector, and the desire among other countries to diversify away from their traditional defence partners and look at India instead. Additionally, the INDUS-X initiative between India and the U.S. has also been noted as a welcome mechanism to encourage further defence cooperation in other emerging technologies such as quantum computing, space, cyber-security, and deep-sea technology.

What are the potential opportunities that international collaborations present? Will India's domestic industry be able to meet the armed forces' requirements?

In this episode of Interpreting India, Ajay Kumar and Konark Bhandari talk about the current status of defence innovation in India and the emerging trends in this space.

Episode Contributors

Ajay Kumar is a nonresident senior fellow at Carnegie India. He served as the defense secretary of India between August 2019 and October 2022 and is the longest serving secretary in the Ministry of Defence, where he also served as secretary in the Department of Defence Production. As defense secretary, Ajay Kumar was the key architect for several major transformations, including the restructuring of higher defense management in the country and formation of the chief of defense staff in the Indian Armed Forces; the launch of the Agniveer scheme—a historic reform in recruitment, training, and retention of personnel in the Armed Forces.

Konark Bhandari is a fellow with Carnegie India. He is a lawyer who has researched certain areas in the digital economy, focusing primarily on approaches to antitrust regulation of companies in the digital realm. He had earlier worked at India’s antitrust regulator, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), where he worked closely with senior officials on a variety of matters. He is also an avid follower of the regulation of the space technology ecosystem and is keen to contribute to that discipline.

Additional Readings

INDUS-X: Charting the Way Ahead for India-U.S. Defense Industrial Cooperation, by Konark Bhandari.

Can a Defense Innovation Bridge Elevate India-U.S. Defense Cooperation? by Konark Bhandari.

Sameer Lalwani on India-U.S. Defense-Industrial Cooperation.

U.S.-India Defense Innovation Collaboration: Building on a Promising Start by Konark Bhandari.

Every two weeks, Interpreting India brings you diverse voices from India and around the world to explore the critical questions shaping the nation's future. We delve into how technology, the economy, and foreign policy intertwine to influence India's relationship with the global stage.

As a Carnegie India production, hosted by Carnegie scholars, Interpreting India, a Carnegie India production, provides insightful perspectives and cutting-edge by tackling the defining questions that chart India's course through the next decade.

Stay tuned for thought-provoking discussions, expert insights, and a deeper understanding of India's place in the world.

Don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review to join the conversation and be part of Interpreting India's journey.