Events
India relations is a rapidly changing global, strategic and economic landscape. The center aims to connect local and national communities by providing a regular forum for dialogue among opinion leaders, academic, business, government and policy experts. This is being accomplished through workshops and public events that emphasize both scholarly research and interactive engagement.
Upcoming Events
Be on the lookout for events taking place in the 2025–26 academic school year!
Past Events
View Past Events2025
Shifting Triangles: U.S., India and China in a Changing World
Oct. 21, 2025 | Video
As global dynamics rapidly evolve, the complex relationships between the U.S., India and China are being reshaped in significant ways. This event brought together distinguished experts to examine the current trilateral dynamics and to explore how shifting alliances, trade policies and investment flows are redefining opportunities and challenges for all three countries. Experts participating included: Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director of the Observer Research Foundation America (ORF America), a public policy think tank in Washington D.C.; Tanvi Madan, Senior Fellow in the Center for Asia Policy Studies in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.; Dr. Evan S. Medeiros, the Penner Family Chair in Asia Studies and the Cling Family Distinguished Fellow in U.S.-China Studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service; and Susan Shirk, research professor at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy and founding director of its 21st Century China Center. The panel was moderated by professors Achyuta Adhvaryu and Victor Shih from the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy.
Tariffs and Trust: U.S.-India at the Brink
Aug. 26, 2025 | Video
Leading voices in trade unpacked what’s at stake for both the U.S. and India. Panelists explored U.S. and Indian interests, incentives, and the likely responses in the coming weeks. Dean Caroline Freund and Kyle Handley examined the potential impacts of the new tariffs on the private sector in both countries, on global trade patterns and on the broader U.S.-India relationship. From the business perspective, Atul Keshap, former U.S. ambassador and president of the U.S.-India Business Council, along with Arun Kumar, managing partner at Celesta Capital, shared insights into how companies are reacting. Both drew on their diplomatic experiences in the U.S. government to offer their unique perspectives on the historical context and insights for navigating this critical moment in U.S.-India trade. Achyuta Adhvaryu served as moderator.
India-China Renewable Energy Trade: Setting a Research and Policy Agenda
Aug. 12, 2025 | Video
GPS professors Teevrat Garg and Michael Davidson presented key findings from their 2025 white paper, “The India-China Clean Energy Trade" (PDF). Prominent researchers and policy stakeholders joined the conversation to explore the state of clean energy trade among the world’s two largest emerging economies. Panelists included Shresth Garg, Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania; Rishabh Jain, Senior Programme Lead at Council on Energy Environment and Water (CEEW) in New Delhi; Dr. Ilaria Mazzocco, deputy director and senior fellow with the Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC; and Peter Wooders, Senior Sustainable Energy Expert and co-founder of the Geneva Platform for Resilient Value Chains. The discussion was moderated by GPS Dean Caroline Freund.
The Lion Uncaged: The Story of India's Institutional and Economic Rebirth
Jan. 10, 2025 | Video
Global Leadership Fellow Atanu Chakraborty discussed how India stands at a precipice in the coming era under a new Trump administration. India is poised to soon become the world’s third largest economy and perhaps the most important democratic trade partner to the United States, but it faces substantial challenges in realizing its ambitions to be the world’s manufacturing powerhouse. How can India leverage innovation, infrastructure and strategic partnerships to harness the transformative opportunities that lie before it? In this insightful conversation, Chakraborty explored these issues and also situated them in the rich economic and institutional history of India after independence.
2024
Making Work Work for Women
Hosted by the 21st Century India Center at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy and the Good Business Lab, the “Making Work Work for Women” event gathered experts to address India’s low female workforce participation. This event provided a platform to explore the barriers limiting women’s employment and reimagine job opportunities that better support their needs. Through presentations, panel discussions, and ideation sessions, participants shared emerging insights, identified funding interests, and discussed ways to foster effective partnerships. Together, they aimed to pave the way toward a more inclusive labor market for women in India.
Reflections on an Academic's Global Journey: Book Talk with Pranab Bardhan
May 29, 2024 | Video
This inspiring event featured renowned Indian economist Pranab Bardhan as he delved into his remarkable personal and professional growth journey. Drawing from the ancient Sanskrit hymn "charaiveti," which means "keep moving" in search of self-realization, Bardhan's narrative takes us from his early days in a poor neighborhood in Kolkata, where he was home-schooled by his father, to his vigorous student life at Presidency College in Kolkata and Cambridge, England.
India's Economy in the Next Quarter Century: Opportunities and Challenges
May 9, 2024 | Video | Story
India recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of its independence. Much has changed about India in the intervening years. India is now the world’s largest country by population, the fifth-largest economy globally and is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Yet fundamental challenges remain in India’s development path. Join the 21st Century India Center for an engaging event as we bring together world-class economists to delve into current research insights and discuss how future academic work can build on this knowledge to help make progress on the most pressing economic problems India will face in the next quarter century.
Reflections on an Academic's Global Journey: Book Talk with Pranab Bardhan
May 29, 2024 | Video
This inspiring event featured renowned Indian economist Pranab Bardhan as he delved into his remarkable personal and professional growth journey. Drawing from the ancient Sanskrit hymn "charaiveti," which means "keep moving" in search of self-realization, Bardhan's narrative takes us from his early days in a poor neighborhood in Kolkata, where he was home-schooled by his father, to his vigorous student life at Presidency College in Kolkata and Cambridge, England.
India's Economy in the Next Quarter Century: Opportunities and Challenges
May 9, 2024 | Video | Story
India recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of its independence. Much has changed about India in the intervening years. India is now the world’s largest country by population, the fifth-largest economy globally and is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Yet fundamental challenges remain in India’s development path. Join the 21st Century India Center for an engaging event as we bring together world-class economists to delve into current research insights and discuss how future academic work can build on this knowledge to help make progress on the most pressing economic problems India will face in the next quarter century.
Past, Present, and Future of Environmental Policy in India
March 12, 2024
An interdisciplinary discussion between a historian and an economist took place for: The Past, Present, and Future of Environmental Policy in India. Presented by the South Asia Initiative @ UC San Diego.
For past seminar series, please visit 21CIC Seminar Series 2023-24.
2023
Indian Climate Policy and the Future of Global Climate Collaboration
Oct. 11, 2023 | Video
Gain valuable insights into the pivotal role India plays in the global fight against climate change and how this harmonious collaboration is paving the way for a sustainable and brighter future.
A Conversation on Education Policy in India
April 18, 2023
Education benefits not just the individual, but society as a whole. We joined a discussion on the way forward for India’s education policy – particularly around the importance of a college degree – and how it is instrumental in fostering growth, reducing poverty and boosting shared prosperity globally.
A Roundtable Conversation on Contemporary India
March 15, 2023
We gathered for an informal discussion on topics ranging from political theory, intellectual history, constitutional law, productivity and competitiveness, Women’s health and equity in India and more.
For past seminar series, please visit 21CIC Seminar Series 2023-24.
2022
Critical Issues in the U.S. H-1B Visa Program
June 22, 2022 | Video
The H-1B Visa Program is a temporary (nonimmigrant) visa category that allows employers to petition for highly educated foreign professionals to work in "specialty occupations" and current research shows that H-1B workers complement U.S. workers and expand job opportunities for all. In this panel, discussion centered on how foreign workers fill a critical need in the U.S. labor market, particularly in the science, technology, engineering and math fields – commonly referred to as STEM – and how with a low statutory limit of visa numbers available, demand for H-1B visa numbers has outstripped the supply in recent years.
June 22, 2022 | Video
The H-1B Visa Program is a temporary (nonimmigrant) visa category that allows employers to petition for highly educated foreign professionals to work in "specialty occupations" and current research shows that H-1B workers complement U.S. workers and expand job opportunities for all. In this panel, discussion centered on how foreign workers fill a critical need in the U.S. labor market, particularly in the science, technology, engineering and math fields – commonly referred to as STEM – and how with a low statutory limit of visa numbers available, demand for H-1B visa numbers has outstripped the supply in recent years.
2021
U.S.-India Relations: An Ambassadorial Roundtable
Nov. 9, 2021 | Video
UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla and School of Global Policy and Strategy Dean Caroline Freund invited you to join Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu, along with former Ambassadors Nirupama Rao, Tim Roemer and Richard Verma on Tuesday, Nov. 9 for a webinar discussion of the current U.S.-India relationship. This special engagement opportunity highlighted the important relationship between India and the U.S., and how it will be a significant driver of the prosperity, security, health and well-being of both countries and the world.
India relations is a rapidly changing global strategic and economic landscape. This event was hosted as part of efforts supporting the formation of the 21st Century India Center at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy, which will serve as a world-class hub for the study of modern India and U.S. It will spark innovative research, support the creation and transfer of knowledge, and convene timely policy conversations.
Speakers:
- Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Ambassador of India to the United States
- Nirupama Rao, Former Ambassador of India to the United States and Former Foreign Secretary of India
- Tim Roemer, Former U.S. Member of Congress, 9/11 Commissioner and United States Ambassador to India
- Richard Verma, Former United States Ambassador to India
- Karthik Muralidharan (Moderator), Tata Chancellor’s Professor of Economics, UC San Diego