In this episode of Decoded, Aly Muhammad Dadwani sits down with Sita Slavov, a professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University who studies retirement, aging and Social Security. Sita has worked at the White House Council of Economic Advisers and at a think tank, and has testified before the Senate. It is Aly’s first solo episode as host.

The conversation starts with Sita’s cat, George Michael, and the Econ 5K, a virtual race run alongside the American Economic Association’s annual meeting where economists compete for artistic merit by running routes that sketch out economics graphs. From there, Sita explains why she sees an aging population as one of the biggest challenges society faces, and why, in her research with her mentor, she compares delaying Social Security to buying an annuity. She says it is a good deal for many people, especially higher earners in married couples, and explains why she is slow to call early claiming a mistake.

They also get into why she thinks younger workers should expect to work longer, what r-star is and why low interest rates and slow wage growth hit mid-career workers hardest, and why living mostly on Social Security can make sense for lifetime low earners but not for most college graduates. Sita talks through her research on why immigrants who arrive after 40 tend to retire later, how economists and politicians think differently when she has testified before the Senate, and what she says happens if Congress waits until the trust fund runs short in 2032.

The conversation ends on a question she thinks gets too little attention: beyond closing the funding gap, what should Social Security actually be for?Research and outreach by Panchu, Anubhav and Arif.

clarity before consensus.

In this episode of Decoded, Shrreya Loomba and Aly Muhammad Dadwani sit down with Ajay Shah, an economist and co-founder of the XKDR Forum who has worked in academia, policy research and the Ministry of Finance. He trained as an aeronautical engineer at IIT Bombay before moving into economics, and he co-hosted the podcast Everything is Everything with Amit Verma. It is also Shrreya and Aly’s first episode as co-hosts.

Ajay begins with his father, who died when he was 18, and the questions about what is worth doing that he says he inherited from him. He explains why economics felt like the right balance between physics and engineering, and why Manmohan Singh’s 1991 budget pulled him back to India. He talks about building research teams with Susan Thomas, what Bell Labs, RAND and the Cavendish Laboratory suggest about culture and incentives, and how XKDR chooses its problems. That includes the three questions he thinks matter most today: defending economic growth, climate change and populism.

A big part of the conversation is about AI and learning. Ajay argues that homework and projects no longer work as they used to, and that handing intellectual work to an LLM costs you your own growth. He describes two uses he thinks are worth it: AI as a tutor that suggests reading lists and runs diagnostic tests, and AI as a critic that finds mistakes in work you have done yourself. Drawing on Terence Tao, he also explains why he thinks proofs that nobody understands are not the same as mathematical knowledge.

The conversation ends on one question: if India could make a single reform for long-term growth, what should it be? Ajay’s answer is removing barriers to trade, capital, services and people, and having the state treat foreign and domestic firms the same.

Thank you to Deepanshu, Agrima, Anubhav, Aly Muhhamad, and Aarav for their help with research, outreach, and questions for this episode, and Nischay for help with Audio Production.

clarity before consensus.

In this episode of Decoded, Akshat Bhaskar and Amaira Akbar sit down with Dr. Mahendra Kumar Singh, Professor of Political Science at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University and former journalist at The Times of India, where he spent over 13 years covering Parliament, national political parties, government policy, and the institutions shaping Indian public life.

Mahendra reflects on his transition from journalism to academia and how the two professions offer different ways of understanding politics. He explains why democratic political parties can still be controlled by a small group of decision-makers, drawing on the iron law of oligarchy and his experience reporting on both the BJP and the Indian National Congress.

The conversation then moves to India's place in an increasingly divided world. Mahendra discusses how India maintains relationships with Russia, Ukraine, the United States, and other competing powers, why BRICS is pushing for a more equitable international economic order, and how India's economic dependence on China complicates its strategic rivalry. We also explore India's relationship with Nepal, the consequences of the 2015 economic blockade, and why historical and cultural connections alone cannot guarantee diplomatic influence.

We then turn to Aadhaar and the transformation of India's welfare system. Having reported on the project since its early development, Mahendra shares his experiences interviewing Nandan Nilekani and following the decisions that shaped India's digital identity infrastructure. He discusses how Aadhaar changed welfare delivery, the strategy behind its gradual introduction, and the questions it raises about privacy, government power, and accountability.

The conversation ends with a question that feels increasingly difficult to answer: how do we distinguish genuine political analysis from propaganda? Mahendra reflects on the influence of ideology, the explosion of information on social media, and why understanding political history, reading beyond headlines, and listening to voices on the ground remain essential.

From the corridors of Indian Parliament to the changing dynamics of global politics, this episode explores how political institutions work, why governments make the decisions they do, and what it takes to understand the world beyond competing narratives.

Thank you to Deepanshu, Agrima, Anubhav, Aly Muhhamad, and Aarav for their help with research, outreach, and questions for this episode, and Nischay for help with Audio Production.

clarity before consensus.