Unpacking Economic Freedom Under the Indian Constitution
Unpacking Economic Freedom Under the Indian Constitution
A 'We The People' discussion with Karthik Murlidharan and Harish Narasappa.
The second event of the We the People series is a discussion on how the Constitution of India frames the concept of economic freedom. We often think of the constitutional guarantee of freedom in terms of the freedom of speech and expression. This discussion moves beyond this framing to examine the oft-ignored aspect of economic freedom for individuals and organisations.
The panellists will discuss the balance between state intervention and individual economic rights, exploring issues like onerous licensing and compliance requirements for businesses, property rights and the right to trade occupation, profession and business.
They will also discuss the evolving interpretation of these rights by the judiciary and how constitutional provisions have shaped economic policies and reforms in India over time.
Panellists
Harish Narasappa is a senior advocate and Co-Founder of DAKSH. He regularly appears before various courts and tribunals across India in connection with commercial, company, competition, tax, insolvency, TMT, banking and constitutional law matters. Harish has a BA, LLB (Hons.) from the National Law School of India University, Bangalore, a BCL from the University of Oxford (where he was a Radhakrishnan Scholar), and a BA (Philosophy) from the University of London.
Karthik Muralidharan is the Tata Chancellor’s Professor of Economics at the University of California San Diego. His research spans public finance and development economics, with a focus on improving education, health, welfare, and public service delivery, and has been published in many of the world’s leading academic journals. Professor Muralidharan is also the co-founder and scientific director of the Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States, a non-profit organization that works with multiple state governments across India to improve state capacity, governance, and service delivery. Born and raised in India, he holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard, an MPhil from Cambridge (UK), and a PhD in economics from Harvard.