Hacking Humans, with Vasuki Shastry - Part 2

Potluck

English - July 14, 2021 00:00 - 36 minutes - 25 MB
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Previous Episode: Lifting the Lid on Asia, with Vasuki Shastry - part 1

Next Episode: Brand Burns, with Vasuki Shastry - Part 3

A 20-minute ride through Mumbai with an auto rickshaw driver, two contrasting realities, and a sudden epiphany for our author. In part 2, Vasuki discusses how human stories helped him anchor the heavy hitting challenges facing developing Asia today.

We zoom in on two of the eight ‘circles of hell’ discussed in the book:

1) The Middle Class Trap: how the path towards an aspirational and vibrant middle class in developing Asia is filled with obstacles, including:

- Massification of education: how degrees are not translating into the expected opportunities, and the link to protests unfolding around the region

- The Rise of Future Tech: the threat of tech suited to ‘powerful narrow’ applications on labor intensive industries, and the need for more vocational training institutes in building nimble workforces

2) To be a Teenage Girl in a Rising Asia: we discuss gender inequality against a backdrop of the ‘meta preference’ for sons, missing women, a bride shortage crisis and girls not getting their shot at a fair education.

- How ground-up citizenry will be most critical in delivering meaningful change

- The role of ‘womenomic’ policies in markets both within and beyond Japan

And we round things off with Vasuki’s thoughts on how the impact of Covid-19 can be a ‘re-set’ for the region.