In Episode 3 of The Seen and the Unseen, we had discussed GST -- the Goods and Services Tax. Now that it's actually been implemented, Vivek Kaul joins Amit Varma to discuss its Seen and Unseen Effects. Check out www.seenunseen.in for more episodes You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Indian television is appalling, and the reasons for that go beyond culture. Renowned journalist Ashok Malik joins Amit Varma in episode 27 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe how government regulation played its part. Check out www.seenunseen.in for more episodes You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

The Right to Property is the underpinning of all our rights -- and yet, the Indian constitution does not consider it a Fundamental Right, though it once did. Constitutional expert Shruti Rajagopalan joins Amit Varma to discuss why this right is important, and the consequences of its being weakened in India. Check out www.seenunseen.in for more episodes You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

In episode 25 of The Seen and the Unseen, Kumar Anand and Vivek Kaul join Amit Varma to talk about the part farm-loan waivers play in keeping farmers in PPP: Perpetually Planned Poverty. Follow The Seen and The Unseen:  Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

For all practical purposes, prostitution is banned in India, and looked down upon by society. Manasa Venkataraman joins Amit Varma to discuss the legal, moral and economic aspects of criminalising sex work. Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

In 1969, Indira Gandhi carried out a wave of bank nationalisations with some excellent stated intentions. But what were the Unseen Effects of that? Mumbai-based economist Kumar Anand joins Amit Varma to discuss the structural flaws in the very concept of public sector banks. Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

China has become an influential force in India's neighbourhood recently. Is this something India should be worried about? Foriegn policy expert Pranay Kotasthane joins Amit Varma to allay these fears. Follow The Seen and The Unseen:  Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Slums in India have been both demonized and deified. Some say they are an eyesore to the city; others say they are hotbeds of entrepreneurship. Pavan Srinath joins Amit Varma to take a deeper look at the role slums play in our society. Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Many of the terrible policies followed by our government over the decades have one common unseen effect: a lack of jobs. India is headed for a jobs crisis, and Vivek Kaul joins Amit Varma to discuss why it has come about and what we can do to stop the slide. Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

he Right to Education Act sounds noble, but has caused devastation in schooling across the country. Vivek Kaul joins Amit Varma to discuss its Unseen Effects. Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

If you want to see the many ways in which the government resembles a hafta-extorting mafia, look no further than restaurant regulations. They come about with a noble stated intent, but end up harming both consumers and restaurants. Madhu Menon joins Amit Varma to talk about the intended consequences of restaurant regulations. Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ This is an IVM Production. For more awesome podcasts, download the IVM Podcasts app on - Google Play: https://goo.gl/bI1toI iOS: https://goo.gl/9UhnGd or, find us on: Website: Indusvox.com Facebook: https://goo.gl/P130uw Twitter: https://goo.gl/7P7Uec Instagram: https://goo.gl/qH3PHm

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna. All these are centrally sponsored government schemes with good intentions at their heart. But are good intentions enough? Pranay Kotasthane joins Amit Varma to discuss the Unseen Effects of Centrally Sponsored Government Schemes. Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ This is an IVM Production. For more awesome podcasts, download the IVM Podcasts app on - Google Play: https://goo.gl/bI1toI iOS: https://goo.gl/9UhnGd or, find us on: Website: Indusvox.com Facebook: https://goo.gl/P130uw Twitter: https://goo.gl/7P7Uec Instagram: https://goo.gl/qH3PHm

Like all technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will make humanity better off in the long run. But in the short run, it will cause much disruption, including mammoth job losses in India's services industry. Futurist Ramez Naam and policy wonk Pavan Srinath join Amit Varma to talk about the Unseen effects of AI. Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ This is an IVM Production. For more awesome podcasts, download the IVM Podcasts app on - Google Play: https://goo.gl/bI1toI iOS: https://goo.gl/9UhnGd or, find us on: Website: Indusvox.com Facebook: https://goo.gl/P130uw Twitter: https://goo.gl/7P7Uec Instagram: https://goo.gl/qH3PHm

For decades, there has been a stricture in Karnataka that non-Kannada films cannot be dubbed into Kannada. The idea behind this was to protect the local film industry -- but were the unintended consequences just the opposite? Pavan Srinath joins Amit Varma to discuss the Unseen effects of this ban on Kannada dubbing. Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ This is an IVM Production. For more awesome podcasts, download the IVM Podcasts app on - Google Play: https://goo.gl/bI1toI iOS: https://goo.gl/9UhnGd or, find us on: Website: Indusvox.com Facebook: https://goo.gl/P130uw Twitter: https://goo.gl/7P7Uec Instagram: https://goo.gl/qH3PHm

Rent control is a classic example of a regulation meant to help the poor that ends up hurting everyone. Alex Tabarrok joins Amit Varma to discuss how real estate in Mumbai would be so much cheaper if not for such government regulation. Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ This is an IVM Production. For more awesome podcasts, download the IVM Podcasts app on - Google Play: https://goo.gl/bI1toI iOS: https://goo.gl/9UhnGd or, find us on: Website: Indusvox.com Facebook: https://goo.gl/P130uw Twitter: https://goo.gl/7P7Uec Instagram: https://goo.gl/qH3PHm

It is a sad day for any democracy when MPs and MLAs sell themselves to the highest bidder. Horse-trading is monstrous. It was to prevent exactly this that the Anti-Defection Law was passed in 1985. But did it end up doing more harm than good to democracy? Barun Mitra joins Amit Varma to discuss the unseen effects of this famous legislation. Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ This is an IVM Production; for more such awesome podcasts, come find us: Website: Indusvox.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts Twitter: https://twitter.com/IVMPodcasts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/

For decades now, India has either banned or heavily regulated futures markets in agriculture. The conventional wisdom is that futures markets can turn farmers into gamblers. But what if the Unseen Effect of such regulation is exactly the opposite? Karthik Shashidhar joins Amit Varma to chat about the unintended consequences of such well-intentioned but misguided regulation. Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ This is an IVM Production; for more such awesome podcasts, come find us: Website: Indusvox.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts Twitter: https://twitter.com/IVMPodcasts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/

Mumbai is one of the most expensive cities in the world, and one of the reasons is that there is too little land and too much sky. Alex Tabarrok joins Amit Varma to discuss Mumbai's insanely low Floor Space Index (FSI), a key reason why real estate here is at such a premium. Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ This is an IVM Production; for more such awesome podcasts, come find us: Website: Indusvox.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts Twitter: https://twitter.com/IVMPodcasts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/

Big Brother is watching you, and you have no protection. There has been much hype about how 'Digital India' will transform our lives, but there are unseen elements to it that should make you worry. Devangshu Datta joins Amit Varma to discuss why it is so alarming that there are no laws in India to protect privacy and defend against data theft. Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ This is an IVM Production; for more such awesome podcasts, come find us: Website: Indusvox.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts Twitter: https://twitter.com/IVMPodcasts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/

Jawaharlal Nehru once said that profit is a 'dirty word'. He wasn't alone in his distrust of the profit motive, which is effectively banned in education in India. Amit Varma chats with education reformer Parth Shah on why this thinking is misguided, and might be responsible for the pathetic state of education in India. Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ This is an IVM Production; for more such awesome podcasts, come find us: Website: Indusvox.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts Twitter: https://twitter.com/IVMPodcasts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/

Healthcare in India is in a dismal state, and so is the state of medical education. Pavan Srinath joins Amit Varma to discuss the role of the Medical Council of India in this mess. Is it a responsible industry watchdog helping keep standards high -- or is it a part of the problem? Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ This is an IVM Production; for more such awesome podcasts, come find us: Website: Indusvox.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts Twitter: https://twitter.com/IVMPodcasts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/

For any shopper in India, there is no acronym as comforting as MRP: Maximum Retail Price. When you see that on any packaged good, you feel assured that you won't be ripped off. But is it really that simple? Prithwiraj Mukherjee joins Amit Varma to discuss the seen and unseen effects of MRP. Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ This is an IVM Production; for more such awesome podcasts, come find us: Website: Indusvox.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts Twitter: https://twitter.com/IVMPodcasts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/

On September 18, 2016, a group of terrorists attacked an Indian army brigade headquarters near the town of Uri in J&K. Nineteen people died, and there was immense pressure on the Indian government to retaliate. The prime minister, Narendra Modi, eventually launched what he described as 'surgical strikes', meant to be a show of strength and resolve. Defence analyst Pranay Kotasthane joins Amit Varma to discuss the Seen and Unseen effects of these surgical strikes. Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ This is an IVM Production; for more such awesome podcasts, come find us: Website: Indusvox.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts Twitter: https://twitter.com/IVMPodcasts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/

A few years ago, a photo studio in Ahmedabad offered its customers free passport photographs. There was no catch, no small print. It was a free lunch. Amit Varma is joined by Mohit Satyanand, as they explore how this free lunch transformed financial regulation in India. They also discuss how bad incentives can lead to corruption becoming a cultural phenomenon. Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ This is an IVM Production; for more such awesome podcasts, come find us: Website: Indusvox.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts Twitter: https://twitter.com/IVMPodcasts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/ #AmitVarma, #Bastiat #Public #policy #government #MohitSatyanand #IPO #scam #retail #Investment #Financial #regulation

In Episode 4 of The Seen and the Unseen, Amit Varma discusses Immigration with Shikha Dalmia. Are the demagogues right about immigration being a bad thing? Do immigrants take jobs away from locals? Are they a strain on resources? Should we build yuge walls? Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ This is an IVM Production; for more such awesome podcasts, come find us: Website: Indusvox.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts Twitter: https://twitter.com/IVMPodcasts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/ #AmitVarma, #Bastiat #Public #policy #government #ShikhaDalmia #Immigration #immigrants

There are two kinds of diversity in India, one good, and one not so good. Our greatest strength is our diversity of people and cultures and languages. But one of our great weaknesses is our diversity of taxes, across states and regions. We have so many different kinds of taxes that the cost of compliance is the most daunting cost for many businesses, and corruption is out of control. Also, taxes create friction in trade, and the costs are borne by consumers and businesses alike. It’s a negative-sum game. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) was supposed to the panacea that would get us out of this mess. While India has been one country since 1947, it hasn’t been one market, and the GST was expected to get us to that promised land. It has been many years in the making, though, and has become more and more convoluted in the process of political and bureaucratic negotiation. Thus, while the Seen Effects of a perfect GST would normally be excellent, the potential Unseen Effects of the GST in its evolving form could be quite messy. In Episode 3 of The Seen and the Unseen, Devangshu Datta takes Amit Varma through the nuances of the GST and their possible implications. Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ This is an IVM Production; for more such awesome podcasts, come find us: Website: Indusvox.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts Twitter: https://twitter.com/IVMPodcasts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/ Tags: #AmitVarma, #Bastiat #Public #policy #government #DevanshuDatta #economics #business #Goods #Service #Tax #GST #Bill #FreeMarket #Trade

On November 8, 2016, India’s prime minister Narendra Modi announced that 500- and 100-rupee notes would cease to be legal tender from midnight that day, which removed 86% of the cash from circulation. Demonetisation (aka "DeMon" or "Notebandi") had humanitarian and economic effects that might take years to play out. In Episode 2 of The Seen and the Unseen, Amit Varma is joined by Suyash Rai, an economic analyst from Delhi, as they examine whether demonetisation achieved any of its intended effects, and try to come to terms with some of its unintended (but foreseeable) consequences. Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ This is an IVM Production; for more such awesome podcasts, come find us: Website: ivmpodcasts.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts Twitter: https://twitter.com/IVMPodcasts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/

India has a panoply of laws that prevent corporations from getting into farming, and which prevent farmers from escaping agriculture, by virtue of not being able to sell their farm land for non-agricultural purposes. The Seen Effect of this is that they are protected from exploitation by rapacious capitalists. But are the Unseen Effects much worse? Follow The Seen and The Unseen: Website: www.seenunseen.in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theseenandtheunseen/ This is an IVM Production; for more such awesome podcasts, come find us: Website: Indusvox.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts Twitter: https://twitter.com/IVMPodcasts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/   #AmitVarma, #Bastiat #Agriculture #Public #policy #governmen #TakshashilaInstitute #PavanSrinath #KarthikShashidhar #economics #business #agrobusiness #farmer #farming

All public policies -- indeed, all actions by humans -- have two kinds of effects: the effects that are intended, and visible; and unintended consequences, which are invisible. The Seen and the Unseen is a podcast that aims to examine both the seen and the unseen effects of our actions