How did E-Commerce grow from next to nothing in India a decade ago to a $50 Billion industry today? Is Indian e-commerce business little more than a clone of e-commerce in the United States or elsewhere? Akshay Alladi talks about the business and the public policy challenges of e-commerce on Episode 87 of The Pragati Podcast.

The Pragati Podcast is a weekly show on public policy, economics and international relations hosted by Pavan Srinath.

Akshay Alladi chronicles the rise of e-commerce and online retail in India, shares India-specific innovations that took place, and what caused various inflection points in its growth. He talks about various aspects of the business, and also about how foreign direct investment, taxation policies and more affect online retail. The episode also includes a discussion on the most recent 'clarification' issued by the Government of India on FDI in e-commerce, and how it can profoundly reshape the sector for the worse.

Akshay has worked at key roles at Flipkart and Ola, with a career in management consulting before that. Akshay is currently working in venture capital in Bangalore.

Related readings:

Anupam Manur: How to Regulate Internet Platforms Without Breaking Them. https://www.asiaglobalonline.hku.hk/regulate-internet-platforms-antitrust-competition/

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