Ep 4: The Roving Bandits of Uttar Pradesh
Description
When gangster Vikas Dubey's men gunned down eight policemen in UP recently, they were responding to incentives, both ancient and modern. Amit Varma and Vivek Kaul lay them bare in episode 4 of Econ Central. Also discussed: the unseen effects of the PMGKAY, a book you must read to understand India's post-independence economics and why no country has an 'ideal' economy.
Also check out:
1. PMGKAY Cost vs Actual Expenditure -- Harish Damodaran.
2. Agriculture: More from Less -- Economic Survey 2015-16.
3. The Delhi Smog -- Episode 44 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Vivek Kaul).
4. The Real Reason Behind the North Indian Smog -- Vivek Kaul.
5. The State of Our Farmers — Episode 86 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Gunvant Patil).
6. India’s Agriculture Crisis — Episode 140 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Barun Mitra & Kumar Anand).
7. The Art and Science of Economic Policy — Episode 154 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Vijay Kelkar & Ajay Shah).
8. In Service of the Republic — Vijay Kelkar & Ajay Shah.
9. Kanpur Bloodbath: The Anatomy of an Encounter -- NC Asthana.
10. Power and Prosperity -- Mancur Olson.
11. A Tale Of Two Bandits: Naxals And The Indian State -- Amit Varma.
12. The Evolution of Everything -- Episode 96 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Matt Ridley).
13. India Unbound -- Gurcharan Das.
14. Sweden’s Lessons for America -- Johan Norberg.
And do pick up Vivek's books, India's Big Government and Bad Money!
I absolutely loved the podcast. Several new ideas to mull over. The point about judging a policy by its outcome and not its intention resonated with me. Also, the analogy of stationary and roving bandits was illuminating. I feel like someone added new terms to my vocabulary.