Rethinking Economics, Politics, and Globalization: An Interview With Mallika Sachdeva

At the UWC Dover 2026 Humanities Focus Week, the Don’t Be Afraid Editorial had the honor of collaborating with Anthropy, a student-led humanities-focused society. In a series of renowned guest speaker talks,  students had the opportunity to hear from Ms. Mallika Sachdeva, a UWCSEA alumna (Class of 2007) and current Foreign Exchange Research Analyst at Deutsche Bank. Nearly two decades after her graduation, Ms. Sachdeva reflected on how her education shaped not only her career in global finance but also her understanding of economics, leadership, and politics in an increasingly polarized world.

UWC & Global Citizenship 

Mrs. Sachdeva begins by explaining UWC’s relevance as a fosterer of international perspectives and diversity. “UWC is what the name says it is.” She states. “It’s the United World College.” UWC is known for its numerous branches worldwide and its mission to provide equitable, accessible education for all. Mrs. Sachdeva notes the importance of “holding on to” UWC. “Particularly in a world that feels a lot less united today,” she notes. Mrs. Sachdeva further discusses the idea of cultural curiosity, particularly in relation to the “culture of debate, of respectful dialogue, and of inquiry.” Taking into account global trends, whether political or social, it is important to recognize the fostering of accepting environments like UWC. 

Relating these ideas to the humanities field in particular, Mrs. Sachdeva references the “parable of the blind man and the elephant,” an illustration of visually impaired people touching different parts of an elephant and each having a unique interpretation of the animal. “The world is a lot like that today, in that we all only understand a little piece of it based on the exposure we have.” 

Economics, Education, and Thinking in a Changing World

In terms of discussing the economic climate of the world, Mrs. Sachdeva provides in-depth responses and case studies, analysing the relationship with the economy and other socio-political scenarios in the real world. 

Thinking about economics, Mrs. Sachdeva notes that economics is about “how we create the right incentives for people  across different spectrums of society to do things that are good for society and generate prosperity.” Empowering the skill of awareness and understanding, Mrs. Sachdeva notes that university education builds critical thinking capacities in terms of “different people, different cultures, and ways of looking at the world.” 

Mrs. Sachdeva also discusses her perception of the role of AI, noting that in a world that moves toward AI development, “education is going to be less about acquiring knowledge and memory and more about knowing how to ask the right questions, having an openness to different answers, and knowing how to use them.” 

Particularly relating her experience in economics to comparing the difference between textbook economics and how she has seen systems function in the real world, Mrs. Sachdeva premises this by explaining her focus on monetary policy decisions of different central banks worldwide. “When a central bank raises interest rates, what you learn in school is that it helps manage inflation and moderate economic activity by changing the incentives for people to save and borrow,” she explains. 

Rethinking Capitalism: Growth, Inequality, and Polarization

Mrs. Sachdeva discusses capitalism in a few ways. She begins by noting that “capitalism is not the only system that has existed through time.” Mrs. Sachdeva further explains that Capitalism has typically produced better outcomes in terms of growth when compared with communism or feudalism, but also recognizes that capitalism has only existed for “about 250 years,” making it not “necessarily the best or only economic model that’s going to exist in the future.” 

Mrs. Sachdeva critiques capitalism, noting that although “capitalism has more state involvement” and that there are versions of capitalism that “have more welfare,” the biggest failure of this system is that it is not “very good at distributing well or creating very equitable societies.” 

“Overall, some of the countries that were much poorer 50-100 years ago are now comparatively less so. But inequality within countries is, you know, near 100-year highs and at levels where, you know, back in the 1930s, which led to a big push towards both the political right and the left that we're seeing in a lot of countries today,” she explains. 

Therefore, she explains that in the cases where wealth is not distributed well, governments often need to step in. “When governments don't do that effectively or well, that can lead to a lot of political issues and a lot of polarization within countries, which is kind of what we're living through in a lot of the world today.”

Mrs. Sachdeva relates concepts of capitalism to Singapore as a case study. Noting that while Singapore has been “ostensibly capitalist” in its ability to provide legal frameworks to provide conditions for businesses to thrive, it has “also very effectively managed its savings to run surpluses that enable the ability to respond to a lot of problems that capitalism creates.” Mrs. Sachdeva references Singapore’s array of housing, education, and healthcare policies that benefit the general public. 

A Note From an Alumni: Careers & Interests 

As a final note, Mrs. Sachdeva ends the discussion by describing her personal experiences in her career field and the way she thinks the corporate field operates for today’s youth. Mrs. Sachdeva emphasizes an increased importance for internships, noting that “there’s definitely a growing fixation with preparing for the working world.”  

Recognizing the importance of networking in today’s world, Mrs. Sachdeva suggests students try internships and find opportunities that “give you energy,” while simultaneously not losing “sight of what your interests are.” Drawing from her own experience, Mrs. Sachdeva explains that she “loved economics and current affairs” while also having an immense passion for English and writing. Yet despite these passions, she didn’t immediately make a career out of these interests, as she would go on to explore diverse opportunities in her early career. 

Mrs. Sachdeva develops an empowering message, noting that “ultimately, you will succeed if you do what gives you joy and energy, not if you, you know, try and follow a golden rule, that's, that's not going to work.” 

Regardless of a student’s field of interest, whether it be in the humanities or in STEM subjects, Mrs. Sachdeva reminds students that there is always value in exploring one’s interests. 

Mrs. Sachdeva’s unique experiences and analysis of the world through her professional lens provide engaging and profound perspectives on the development of our contemporary world.