How to Survive a Plutocracy: A Conversation with Anmol Somachi
What does it mean to do development in India today — and who gets to define it? In this episode, Aaswash Mahanta sits down with Anmol Somanchi — PhD researcher at the Paris School of Economics and Global Justice Coordinator at the World Inequality Lab — to talk about inequality, policy, and the politics of knowledge. We unpack his landmark report "Income and Wealth Inequality in India, 1922–2023: The Rise of the Billionaire Raj", co-authored with Thomas Piketty, Lucas Chancel, and Nitin Bharti — and explore the broader landscape of research, caste, access to higher education, and rethinking economics from the margins.
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Workers vs. Big Tech: A New Politics for US Democrats
As artificial intelligence threatens to reshape the U.S. workforce and deepen economic inequality, Democrats have an opportunity to build a new politics around organised labour and resistance to Big Tech. Ahead of the 2026 midterms, this article argues for putting workers at the center of the party’s economic and technological agenda.
A Stronger Europe? Senator Calenda on Defense, Strategy, and Unity
As Europe faces mounting geopolitical pressures and strained alliances, Italian Senator Carlo Calenda argues that the Union's greatest strategic opportunity lies within itself. From the unfinished business of the internal market to foreign interference targeting Europe's own decision-makers, and what the Trump era really means for the West, this five-question interview cuts across some of the most critical fault lines in European stability today.
Bursting the AI Bubble: The Policy Debates Surrounding AI That Everyone Should Know About
AI policy discussions are often obscured by technical jargon and can be difficult to navigate. In this piece, Bruno Steel summarises the three key discourses surrounding AI at the moment: from the "hollowing out" of entry-level career paths to the escalating environmental and geopolitical costs of physical infrastructure. He argues that the pace of development has far outrun the seriousness of our deliberation and suggests we are repeating the mistakes of the nuclear age by sprinting towards a technological frontier without the international institutions necessary to manage the fallout.
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Beyond the Syllabus: Social Innovation with Johanna Mair
In this episode, we dive into social innovation with Johanna Mair, Professor at the Hertie School and Co-Director of the Global Innovation for Impact Lab at Stanford University. We explore the key moments that shaped her career, the role of mentorship, and how her work challenges conventional ideas on innovation and scaling impact. We also discuss democracy and political innovation in a year of historic elections, along with the influence of global institutions like the World Economic Forum. ...
A Journey to Unite India – the Bharat Jodo Yatra
This recording is part of a new endeavour at the Governance Post, the Shaping Tomorrow podcast. The motto of the Hertie School is ‘Understanding Today, Shaping Tomorrow’. With this podcast, we aim to talk to tomorrow’s policymakers to get their views on all that concerns our world today. This episode delves into a recent political movement in India, the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Neeraj Tom Savio talks with Abhijeet Panda and Oishik Dasgupta about the movement that seeks to unite the country against co...
Celebrating Hertie Women – Prof. Dr. Cornelia Woll
In this episode of the Celebrating Hertie Women series, Natalie Petit speaks with Prof. Dr. Cornelia Woll, president of the Hertie School. President Woll offers an honest look into the challenges many women face balancing the demands and desires of a career, family, and healthy work-life balance. She offers insights and encouragement that anyone can take to heart, as well as gives a glimpse into her daily life as the president of Hertie School. Produced by Neeraj Tom Savio.
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