Topic: What Happens When a Country Tries Socialism
When: Tuesday 9/8/2026 at 2:00 pm ET
Socialism sounds good in theory — but what does it look like in practice?
From centralized economic policies to government control over markets and private enterprise, we’ll explore the real-world consequences of nations that have experimented with socialism — and the promises compared to the results.
Join us as we move beyond political theory and into the lessons history has taught us with special guest, Mercatus Center Senior Fellow Dr. Shruti Rajagopalan
Constitutional Chats are hosted by Janine Turner, Cathy Gillespie, student ambassadors, and experts who join us weekly to discuss hot-topic issues! The audience is not on camera, but you may ask questions!
Meet the Guest
Shruti Rajagopalan
Shruti Rajagopalan is a Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center and a Fellow at the Classical Liberal Institute at New York University School of Law. She leads the India political economy research program and Emergent Ventures India at Mercatus. She was an Associate Professor of Economics at Purchase College, State University of New York. She earned her Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University in 2013 and is an alum of the Mercatus PhD Fellowship. Additionally, she has a BA (hons) in Economics and an LL.B. from University of Delhi and an LL.M. from the European Masters in Law and Economics Program at University of Hamburg, Ghent University, and University of Bologna.