A workshop on how countries develop, and why some get stuck.
Take India. Most explanations stop at description: "license raj," "too much democracy," "wrong priorities." This workshop teaches you the logic underneath—why inefficient institutions emerge, why they persist even when everyone can see the costs, and why reform so often fails.
The questions we tackle
We treat policy not as a benevolent optimisation problem but as the outcome of bargaining between organised interests. Using examples from trade, industrial licensing and sectoral regulation, you'll see how concentrated groups can sustain inefficient rules, why reforms often stall, and why even well-intentioned governments face hard constraints.
We treat policy not as a benevolent optimisation problem but as the outcome of bargaining between organised interests. Using examples from trade, industrial licensing and sectoral regulation, you'll see how concentrated groups can sustain inefficient rules, why reforms often stall, and why even well-intentioned governments face hard constraints.
The integrated approach
Most people who care about development already read widely. The problem isn't a lack of material; it's a lack of structure: we scatter our attention across books, podcasts, and policy reports, and are left to stitch the ideas together on our own.
Political Economy of Development is designed as one integrated narrative: we start from a real question ("What went wrong with India's development strategy?"), build the necessary conceptual tools and historical context, and return to that question with a deeper, more precise answer.
What participants say
"I came away thinking less about 'what policies should we adopt?' and more about why the status quo exists and whose interests keep it in place."
"The overarching thesis and the way the modules fit together were extremely useful. It helped me connect many things I'd read before into one coherent story."
"Just looking at the comparison with Taiwan was eye-opening. Seeing what India could've been was enough to inspire."
Who this is for
This workshop is for you if:
It is probably not for you if you dislike detailed argument, expect quick policy recipes, or want a light, introductory overview.
This workshop assumes curiosity and patience more than formal training. Some basic familiarity with economic ideas helps, but the lectures build up the tools you need.
₹5,000 + taxes
One-time payment
If you've read this far, you're probably exactly who this workshop is built for.
Political Economy of Development gives you the tools to understand India's economic story—and development more broadly—with the depth and precision that serious questions deserve.