In the first episode of The Zanaan Wanaan Podcast, we discuss Economics as an academic discipline and locate it in the context of Kashmir. The episode touches upon some critical aspects of economics including, but not limited to, the political economy of development, the scope of public policy and advocacy, the methodological approaches in this discipline and the need for critical examination of the state welfare policies in Kashmir. For this we were joined by three dynamic researchers and practitioners from the field:
Aashna Jamal a public finance management and governance professional with strategy consulting and embedded government experience, is currently based in Timor-Leste. Aashna has cross-cutting experience in governance, health, child protection, social protection and education sectors.
Mariam teaches Economics at the University of Kashmir. She is also a doctoral candidate in Economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Mariam is interested in looking at development processes in conflict zones and ways to help reduce the cost of conflict on youth and their capabilities.
Mehak Dhaar works in the Department of Economics, University of Kashmir as a Senior Research Fellow. Her work focuses on the economy of Jammu and Kashmir, specifically focusing on the production side of the economy. Mehak is a prolific writer, contributing towards a better understanding of the local economic systems in a globally asymmetric structure.