In 1807, Britain passes the 'Abolition of the Slave Trade Act' which formally outlaws the buying and selling of enslaved people within the British empire. Although this took several more decades to effectively implement, it did eventually abolish slavery across the empire. What resulted in its wake however was the use of periodic labour contracts where individuals were required to work for a specific period, generally for no or very little money. This became to be known as 'Indentured Labour' and to many is considered the start of what we would call today 'Modern Slavery'. In today’s episode I sit down and talk to Professor Uma Kambhampati about Indian Indentured labour, it’s links to modern slavery, as well as the labour economics facing India in the current day. Uma is head of the School of Politics, Economics and International Relations at Reading University and holds a PhD in Economics from Cambridge university. Uma’s research as a whole focuses on applied development economics with particular focus in recent years on inequalities relating to gender. Professor Uma Kambhampati: https://www.reading.ac.uk/economics/our-staff/uma-kambhampati As always referenced research material is included below . Enjoy! References: 1) The Sweet and Sour History of Sugar Prices, winton.com, 2017 https://www.winton.com/longer-view/the-sweet-and-sour-history-of-sugar-prices 2) Between unfreedoms: The Role of caste in decisions to repatriate amount indentured workers, Hui & Kambhampati, 2021 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ehr.13115 3) Asymmetric Information in Economics Explained, Bloomenthal, 2021 https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/asymmetricinformation.asp 4) Over 180 Years of Indians in the Caribbean, Wilson, 2021 https://exceptionalcaribbean.com/2021/05/28/over-180-years-of-indians-in-the-caribbean/ 5) Modern slavery cases rise in Lancs as Home Office accuse victims of 'abusing system', Farnworth, 2022 https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/23060146.modern-slavery-cases-rise-lancs-home-office-accuse-victims-abusing-system/ 6) India's jobs crisis is more serious than it seems, Biswas, 2022 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-59870297 7) India: Youth unemployment rate from 1999 to 2021, statista.com, 2023 https://www.statista.com/statistics/812106/youth-unemployment-rate-in-india/ 8) Underemployment: Definition, Causes, and Example, Chen, 2022 https://www.investopedia.com/terms/u/underemployment.asp 9) India unveils higher spending for infrastructure in growth budget, Monnappa et al, 2022. https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/view-india-unveils-higher-spending-infrastructure-growth-budget-2022-02-01/ 10) India: extreme inequality in numbers, oxfam.org, 2023 https://www.oxfam.org/en/india-extreme-inequality-numbers 11) Marginal Propensity to Consume (MPC) in Economics, With Formula, investopedia.com, 2022. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/marginalpropensitytoconsume.asp 12) Ease of Doing Business rankings, The World Bank, 2019 https://archive.doingbusiness.org/en/rankings Socials: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maxwelldorey?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxdorey96/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaxDorey1 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxwell-dorey-7958a4128/