As an international tribunal in The Hague rejected China’s claim to sovereignty over most of South China Sea, ruling instead in favour of the Philippines, and China refused to abide by the decision, CPR faculty comment on it:
In an interview to Rajya Sabha TV (above), Shyam Saran unpacks the various aspects of China’s claims over the waters of the South China Sea; deconstructs the tribunal ruling and its impact; and contextualises China’s response geopolitically.
G Parthasarathy in an interview on NDTV analyses China’s dismissal of the tribunal decision rejecting its claims to the South China Sea and how this is likely to lead to increased tensions internationally, including commenting on how India should respond.
In China’s Challenge to the Law of the Sea, Brahma Chellaney writes that China’s refusal to accept the decision of the tribunal is indicative of its ‘incremental approach to shaping the region according to its interests’ through ‘confounding, bullying and bribing adversaries’.
LISTEN TO FULL TALK AND DISCUSSION
URBAN GOVERNANCE URBAN SERVICES
Listen to guest speaker Tripta Chandola’s full talk (above) about using the methodology of listening to study the everyday experiences and encounters of slum dwellers in relation to the space they inhabit, and how this shapes their sense of self and identity. While her research situates the position of the slums within the broader urban ecology affected by economic liberalisation, political movements, and evolving cultural practices, it also intends to highlight the sub-cultural practices of slum-dwellers negotiating their own space and self amid these transformations.
To listen to the lively discussion that followed, tune in to the Q&A session here.
This is the 65th in a series of urban workshops organised by the Centre de Sciences Humaines (CSH), New Delhi, and Centre for Policy Research.
FULL VIDEO OF LECTURE BY PRATAP BHANU MEHTA
POLITICS
Watch the full video (above) of the BG Verghese Memorial Lecture 2017 by Pratap Bhanu Mehta on Truth and Politics in Our Times, delivered at the Chameli Devi Jain Award Ceremony at India International Centre, New Delhi.
Ideas for India organised a panel discussion featuring Pratap Bhanu Mehta from CPR, Pranab Bardhan from the University of California, and Mihir Sharma from Bloomberg View/ORF, moderated by Ideas for India editor Parikshit Ghosh. The discussion spanned a range of topics (videos hyperlinked below):
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the intelligence displayed by machines such as computers by observing and learning from the environment, in a way similar to humans. It is based on the idea of building machines that can think, act and learn just like human beings and thus accomplish tasks that have historically required human intelligence. Whether it is the application of digital personal assistants, personalised recommendations for content on the Internet, the usage of applications like Google Maps for directions or the automatic categorisation of emails into ‘important’ and ‘spam’ folders – all these are simple instances of AI.
Ethical and Legal Concerns
AI has permeated the realms of ordinary life without us realising. While the above may be minor examples in the way the technolgy is used, there exist several larger breakthroughs. AI has noteworthy applications in various fields including healthcare, agriculture, transportation, aviation, finance, education, marketing etc. The most interesting use of this technology is in the development of self-driving cars. While consumer cars with the autopilot function that can park, steer and brake by themselves exist today, there is a race to see who can create a car that is absolutely driverless. This has created an ethical dilemma that is worth probing: In case of an unavoidable accident, who does the AI save – the pedestrians on the road or the passengers in the car? How is such a decision, concerning human life, made? Is the machine playing God by making such choices? And, in such an accident, who is to be blamed and punished, considering the absence of a driver.
The Way Forward
While AI is slowly replacing human beings in tasks that can be observed and learned, one must question whether it can really ever replicate human emotions and interaction? Clearly, our relationships with each other are undergoing a change as AI gets better at modelling human behavior. We must recognise that a line should be drawn when it comes to the use of such technology. At a time when even groceries can be ordered using AI, eliminating any need for human contact, it is evident that AI is changing the functioning of society as we know it. While this technology offers innumerable positives, it is essential to exercise some caution so that unknowingly we are not controlled by a technology that was invented to simplify our lives. It is also important to tackle the challenges that come with the use of AI, such as privacy and security concerns, the lack of awareness, lack of data, and high costs of adoption. This would enable a smooth transition for all, as people slowly migrate from traditional technologies that AI will now replace.
This learning video has been produced by Centre for Policy Research as part of the Metamorphoses- Talking Technology project, being executed in partnership with the India International Centre and NITI Aayog.
A CONVERSATION BETWEEN RICHA BANSAL, PERSIS TARAPOREVALA, AND ANKIT BHARDWAJ
PODCAST URBAN GOVERNANCE
Persis Taraporevala and Ankit Bhardwaj, both research associates at CPR, have conducted extensive research on the Smart Cities Mission across multiple states – both through empirical research of 60 Indian cities combined with intensive fieldwork across four cities.
In this episode of CPR’s podcast, Richa Bansal talks to Taraporevala and Bhardwaj as they draw on their research to contextualise and unpack the Mission and what being ‘smart’ means for different cities.
A CONVERSATION BETWEEN SENIOR FELLOW YAMINI AIYAR AND RICHA BANSAL
PODCAST POLITICS BUREAUCRACY
India’s bureaucracy has been her Achilles heel, often described as ‘corrupt’, ‘lazy’, ‘ineffective’ and more. And the reason for why the best-intentioned policies do not get implemented successfully on the ground. 70 years after independence, why are we still struggling with a ‘19th century administrative system in the 21st century’, as defined by Prime Minister Modi?
In the second episode (above) of CPR’s podcast, ThoughtSpace, Richa Bansal talks to Senior Fellow and Director of Accountability Initiative Yamini Aiyar on what is the root cause of this and unpacks ‘Bureaucracy from the Bureaucrat’s Perspective’, drawing on AI’s research with frontline bureaucracy.
All of AI’s research outputs on frontline bureaucracy can be accessed at their blog here.
PART 3 OF A SERIES OF INTERPRETATIONS DRAWING ON A NEW BOOK ON SMALL TOWNS IN INDIA: A CONVERSATION BETWEEN RICHA BANSAL, DR PARTHA MUKHOPADHYAY & PROF. SURINDER JODHKA
PODCAST URBAN GOVERNANCE
Small towns have remained an important feature of the Indian urban system. In this episode of CPR’s podcast, Richa Bansal speaks to Dr Partha Mukhopadhyay from CPR and Professor Surinder Jodhka from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, in part three of a series of interpretations drawing on a recently published edited volume on Subaltern Urbanisation in India. Dr Mukhopadhyay and Professor Jodhka draw on their research in the Madhubani district of Bihar to discuss the various aspects of social and economic transformations taking place in rural areas and small towns of India.
The other pieces in the series can be accessed below:
Understanding Economic Processes in Small Towns
What is happening beyond large cities? Understanding census towns in India
Understanding Subaltern Urbanisation in India and its Impact
A CONVERSATION BETWEEN AMB G PARTHASARATHY AND RICHA BANSAL
INDIA-PAKISTAN PODCAST
In an election that was marred by allegations of rigging, military interference and violence, Pakistan recently elected former cricketer, Imran Khan as Prime Minister. While Khan has called for a resolution of all issues with India, it is essential for India to discern whether his words translate into action, going forward.
In the 22nd episode of CPR’s podcast, ThoughtSpace (above), Richa Bansal talks to Honorary Research Professor at CPR and former ambassador to Pakistan, G Parthasarathy about this development across the border.
Amb Parthasarathy delves into the role of the army in the governance of Pakistan and sheds light on the possible future of India – Pakistan relations, focusing on issues like homegrown terror within Pakistan, terror groups targeted at India, Kashmir, and future trade relations between the two countries.
A CONVERSATION BETWEEN SENIOR FELLOW NEELANJAN SIRCAR AND RICHA BANSAL
PODCAST INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
On November 8, the American electorate voted in Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States, a phenomenon that the world is trying to deconstruct.
In the third episode (above) of CPR’s podcast, ThoughtSpace, Richa Bansal talks to Neelanjan Sircar, a Senior Fellow at CPR and an in-house election expert, who was born and raised in the US, to unpack the results of these presidential elections. Sircar both contextualises Donald Trump’s victory historically and analyses it by interpreting the data available.
