Dr. Waquar Ahmed is a 2015 recipient of an American Association of Geographers research grant for his project titled "Political Economy of Foreign Direct Investments in Retail in India." This project focuses on the changing role of state and policy making in the context of globalization. It examines the case of Walmart's effort to enter the Indian retail market and social movements in opposition to Walmart. In other words, it examines how the Indian state and, in turn, economic policies represent tensions between global corporate interests and demands of local civil society.