:: About US ::

Panchayat is a discussion forum that aims to critically assess and debate pressing issues in contemporary South Asia. The forum was created by Conrad Barwa & Vikash Yadav.

> Conrad Barwa is a D.Phil student at St. Antony's College, Oxford University. He is a specialist on South Asian economic history. He is currently working on the politics of food redistribution and alcohol taxation policies at the state level in India.

> Jason Kirk is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Jason is a specialist on the concept of federalism in the Indian context and the evolving triangular relationship between the Indian Central government, state governments, and the World Bank.

> Stacey Sheridan Philbrick is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Stacey is specializing in Muslim political thought and contemporary politics in the Middle East.

> Vikash Yadav will begin a postion as an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the American University in Cairo, Egypt this fall. Vikash is a specialist in International Political Economy, with an emphasis on the concept of "risk" in international financial markets. He also writes on the relationship between India and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

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