Economist Karthik Muralidharan joins Milan Vaishnav to discuss his latest book, Accelerating India's Development: A State-Led Roadmap for Effective Governance, a deep dive into the challenges of governance & delivering public services.
Over the last five years, Milan has interviewed authors of big books, that have brought innovative new ideas to the India policy debate. And he’s also interviewed authors of lengthy books. On the show this week, he sits down with an author who’s written a big book in every sense of the term.
It is no stretch to say that Accelerating India’s Development: A State-Led Roadmap for Effective Governance is one of the most important books written about the political economy of India’s development. Over 600 pages and 200 pages of notes, it takes readers on an exhaustive deep dive of India’s governance challenges, especially in delivering essential public services. The book draws on a wealth of research and practical insights to offer actionable, evidence-based strategies for reforms.
The author of this new book is the economist Karthik Muralidharan. Karthik is the Tata Chancellor’s Professor of Economics at the University of California San Diego.
He is one of the most prolific economists of his generation and his works spans public finance and development economics, with a focus on education, health, welfare, and public service delivery.
Milan and Karthik discuss the book’s origin story, Karthik’s framework for thinking about state capacity, and how to change the incentives of politicians and bureaucrats. Plus, the two discuss some of the book’s big ideas, ranging from data collection to public sector contracting and cash transfers.
Episode notes:
1. Karthik Muralidharan, Niehaus, Paul, and Sandip Sukhtankar, "General Equilibrium Effects of (Improving) Public Employment Programs: Experimental Evidence from India," Econometrica 91, no. 4 (2023): 1261-1295.
2. Karthik Muralidharan, Paul Niehaus, and Sandip Sukhtankar, "Integrating Biometric Authentication in India’s Welfare Programs: Lessons from a Decade of Reforms," Center for Effective Global Action Working Papers, University of California, 2022.
3. Karthik Muralidharan, Paul Niehaus, Sandip Sukhtankar, and Jeffrey Weaver, "Improving Last-Mile Service Delivery Using Phone-Based Monitoring," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 13, no. 2 (2021): 52-82.
4. Karthik Muralidharan, Paul Niehaus, and Sandip Sukhtankar, "Building State Capacity: Evidence from Biometric Smartcards in India," American Economic Review 106, no. 10 (2016): 2895-2929.
5. Karthik Muralidharan, “A New Approach to Public Sector Hiring in India for Improved Service Delivery,” India Policy Forum 12, no. 1 (2016): 187-236.
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
Kamini Ramani joins Milan on the show this week to discuss her new book, Lotus Leadership: A Modern Playbook of Ancient Wisdom. Drawing on interviews with more than 100 Indian women leaders, her new book explores how culture, curiosity, relationships, and resilience have shaped their paths to success—and challenges some widely held assumptions about education, ambition, and what it takes to get ahead.
Milan Vaishnav, Kamini Ramani
On this week’s show, Milan speaks with Anit Mukherjee and Sameer Lalwani about U.S.-India relations, India’s defense and military reforms, and what Washington and New Delhi don’t understand about one another.
Milan Vaishnav, Sameer Lalwani, Anit Mukherjee
Host Milan Vaishnav speaks with Ambassador Pankaj Saran about the significance of Rubio’s visit, the structural shifts in America’s strategic orientation, and the limits and opportunities in China-India ties. Plus, the two discuss Russia-India ties, the significance of the BRICS, and the lasting impacts of Operation Sindoor.
Milan Vaishnav, Pankaj Saran
On the show this week, Ambassador Vijay Gokhale joins Milan to discuss the India-China relationship. His latest book examines how Beijing uses coercion, diplomacy, and military force to advance its interests—and what those patterns can tell us about China’s behavior today.
Milan Vaishnav, Vijay Gokhale
Vince Cable joins Milan on the show this week. The two discuss Vince’s first visit to India as a student in the mid-1960s, the contrasting reception to his writings on China and India, and the concept of “superstates.”
Milan Vaishnav, Vince Cable
