Keshav Srikant

Viewpoint

How to optimize college aka what I learned from four years at Tufts

By Keshav Srikant | May 15

I first joined the Daily in the spring of my first year at Tufts. I had no idea I would spend the next three years writing for the Daily about everything from flight delay compensation regulations to zoning reform. However, throughout my time writing about economics and policy for the Daily, I always focused on external economic policies and issues. Therefore, as graduation looms, I thought it would be a fun exercise to write my final article for the Daily about economic concepts we encounter in life here at Tufts, starting with optionality.

Viewpoint

Addressing the costs of excessive alcohol consumption

By Keshav Srikant | March 26

For the majority of Americans, the consumption of alcoholic beverages plays some role in their lives, whether it takes the shape of a drink out with friends, a glass of wine at a restaurant, or a beer after work. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around two-thirds of American adults consumed alcohol in 2018. While alcohol consumption has been decreasing over time, a study from Gallup found that 54% of Americans reported drinking alcohol in 2025. A significant proportion of these Americans engage only in light drinking; the CDC found that just 5.1% engaged in heavy drinking in 2018. However, though that proportion is small, the economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption are significant and often underestimated.

Viewpoint

To decrease socioeconomic stratification at Tufts

By Keshav Srikant | February 19

In 2022, economists led by Raj Chetty published a paper in which they analyzed something called “economic interconnectedness,” the number of friendships across class lines. They found clear socioeconomic stratification, with people of high socioeconomic status having a higher share of friends who were high-income than people of low socioeconomic status. This is problematic because they also found that forming friendships across class lines is strongly correlated with increased upward mobility.

Viewpoint

A case against lazy AI use

By Keshav Srikant | December 3

This week, nearly one in 10 people across the world will use a tool that did not exist just a few short years ago — ChatGPT. According to a September 2025 working paper by economists and researchers at OpenAI, more than 700 million people actively use ChatGPT each week and that “for a new technology, the speed of global diffusion has no precedent.”

Viewpoint

The MBTA must crack down on fare evasion

By Keshav Srikant | October 14

In September, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, responsible for Boston’s public transit network, announced they would be cracking down on fare evasion — the practice of traveling on public transit without paying. This move comes after the MBTA has already lost tens of millions of dollars from unpaid fares. According to a 2021 MBTA analysis, the system lost between $5 million and $6 million in annual revenue from unpaid fares on subways, trolleys and buses. Including the commuter rail, the MBTA lost an additional $10–20 million each year. When an NBC investigative team scoped out several Green Line stations near Boston University, they found that almost every passenger boarded the train without paying.

Viewpoint

Consider eating less meat this fall

By Keshav Srikant | October 1

As a new semester at Tufts begins, food is everywhere — at dining halls, social bonding events, late-night study sessions and parties. It is ubiquitous, a triviality many of us neglect to consider, yet essential for survival — and for most Americans, food is also synonymous with meat. 89% of Americans include meat as part of their regular diet, while only 4% of Americans identify as vegetarian and a minuscule 1% as vegans. However, as we enter the fall, I would like to respectfully urge those who enjoy meat to consider eating just a little less of it this semester, or at least consider the notion before rejecting it immediately.

Viewpoint

An economic defense of H-1B visas

By Keshav Srikant | January 15

In recent weeks, the H-1B visa program has faced an onslaught of criticism. Intended to encourage skilled immigration to the United States, H-1B visas allow companies to hire temporary foreign workers in specialized occupations. Today, most H1-B visa holders hail from India or China and the biggest beneficiaries of the H-1B visa program are tech companies like Amazon, Google and Microsoft.

Viewpoint

It’s time to prepare for Trump’s economy

By Keshav Srikant | December 6

In less than one hundred days, President Joe Biden will leave office, passing the baton to President-elect Donald Trump, who will reassume control of the presidency with Republicans in charge of both chambers of Congress. This governmental trifecta means the incoming Trump administration will have a significant amount of power with which to enact their economic agenda — an agenda that could both raise prices and increase deficits.

Viewpoint

There is no one reason Harris lost

By Keshav Srikant | November 19

On Nov. 5, 2024, Democrats were handed their worst defeat in a presidential election since 2004. Donald Trump decisively defeated Kamala Harris, winning the popular vote by around two points and sweeping every swing state. The “tipping point” state in the election was Pennsylvania, which Harris lost by two points, roughly the percentage by which she lost the national vote. This was not a close election and Harris’ loss cannot be attributed to Electoral College bias or depressed voter turnout. On Election Day, American voters sent a loud and clear signal they wanted Donald Trump back in the White House.

Viewpoint

What we can learn from the defeat of David Duke

By Keshav Srikant and Sadie Roraback-Meagher | October 28

In 1991, Louisiana voters were faced with two unfavorable options for governor: Democrat Edwin Edwards and David Duke, a white supremacist and former KKK grand wizard. Edwards had a history of gambling, corruption and scandalous affairs. In 1985, Edwards even admitted to taking $1.9 million to sell state hospital and nursing home permits. Nevertheless, faced with the choice between Edwards and a white supremacist, Lousianians chose Edwards as the lesser evil.

How to optimize college aka what I learned from four years at Tufts

Addressing the costs of excessive alcohol consumption

To decrease socioeconomic stratification at Tufts

A case against lazy AI use

The MBTA must crack down on fare evasion

Consider eating less meat this fall

An economic defense of H-1B visas

It’s time to prepare for Trump’s economy

There is no one reason Harris lost

What we can learn from the defeat of David Duke

More articles »

BREAKING: Tufts Buddhist Chaplain arrested in prostitution sting, resigns from university