‘New Thinking for a New World’: ESC 2026 explores future of globalisation at SRM University-AP

The Easwari School of Liberal Arts (ESLA), SRM University-AP made a significant mark by successfully hosting the Emerging Scholars Conference 2026 (ESC 2026), a dynamic two-day forum organised by the Department of Economics in partnership with the Young Scholars Initiative of the Institute of New Economic Thinking (INET).

Bringing together renowned academic stalwarts, policy practitioners and industry experts from across the nation, the conference served as a vital platform for exploring interdisciplinary and plural perspectives on conventional narratives around globalisation and development.

The conference conceptualised and facilitated by early career researchers and scholars on the theme “New Thinking for a New World: Reimagining Globalization and Development”, featured a series of technical sessions, research paper presentations across four thematic tracks, a keynote address and a panel discussion.

Prof. Bhanumurthy N R, Director, Madras School of Economics, delivered the keynote address on “Rethinking Gender Budgeting in India: Institutions, Development, and Inclusive Growth”. He expounded on why India, as one of the leading advocates of globalisation has benefited poorly due to the absence of an active productivity ecosystem in place.

Addressing gender budgeting in India, Prof. Bhanumurthy remarked that gender discourse in India is picking up momentum as a development concept. He stated that, “Gender budgeting is one such framework that helps in gender mainstreaming in policy-making that has the potential to switch resources and government attention to women-led development.”

A panel discussion on the “The City and the University: Educational hubs as early development policy” hosted esteemed dignitaries - Prof. Dhanmanjiri Sathe (Emeritus Professor, Savitribai Phule Pune University), Prof. Parikshit Ghosh (Professor, Delhi School of Economics), Prof. Pushpa Trivedi (Professor & Head of the Department, SNU Chennai & IIT Bombay), Prof. Rahul Sirohi (Associate Professor, IIT Tirupati) and Dr. Shahazadi Shaik (Brandix India) as panellists and Prof. Parag J. Waknis (Professor Department of Economics, SRM University-AP) as the moderator.

The panel explored the city-university relationship in urban development, discussing how universities should go beyond producing human capital to play a broader role, offering socio-cultural support, academic insight, and practical knowledge with real emancipatory potential for society.

Dr Manish Kumar, Head of the Department of Economics, SRM University-AP welcomed the distinguished guests, participants, faculty and students to ESC 2026. Vice Chancellor of SRM AP, Prof. Ch Satish Kumar, urged the research and academic cohort to explore the emerging fields within Development Economics, specifically Health Economics, as it is a field he identified as critically underserved in terms of case studies, frameworks, and effective policy implementation.

Dean–Easwari School of Liberal Arts, SRM AP Prof. Vishnupad highlighted the importance of the conference, noting that the global economy is currently at a complex crossroads shaped by shifting realities, technological transformations, deepening inequalities and growing concerns around sustainability.

The Emerging Scholars Conference at SRM University-AP brought together diverse minds from academia and the industry for a dynamic exchange of ideas, meaningful dialogue and a shared strategic vision for the development of India. The event concluded on a forward-looking note, reinforcing the importance of collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches in addressing the evolving challenges of globalisation and development.