Critical thinking is the ability to evaluate an argument. An argument is an attempt to persuade someone that a claim is true by giving reasons. Arguments proliferate in scholarly, civic, and personal discourse. Participants of this course will learn the tools and language that philosophers, lawyers, and rhetoricians use to reflect on such questions. What makes for a good argument? Should I be persuaded? Will others be persuaded?

By learning to ask and answer such questions, policy professionals will become more discerning in their pursuit of truth and effective in their persuasion. Topics covered include the structure of arguments, claims and their types, valid and invalid arguments, strong and weak arguments, plausibility of premises, refutation of arguments, and fallacies. The skill emphasized is reasoning well with “if-then” statements, commonly used statistical measures, analogies, and cause and effect relationships.

Design has been defined variously as a ‘User-led problem-solving process’ or a ‘Human-centered opportunity-resolution journey’. Design goes beyond aesthetics and is about evolution and progress; the underlying force behind creating compelling new things, new policies, new services, new brands and even new business-models. Design is about discovering what people really want or need and translating insights into great solutions. Design Thinking or User-Centered Innovation is not the exclusive preserve of Designers – It is an approach that deploys a high degree of empathy and collaborative spirit to solve complex challenges and create ideas with enduring value — all great innovators in literature, art, music, science, engineering, medicine and business have practiced it. Some of the world’s leading brands, such as Apple, Google, Samsung and GE, have rapidly adopted Design Thinking and integrated it into their management toolkit. Design Thinking is now being taught at leading universities around the world, including d.school, Stanford, Harvard and MIT. During the course, we will also select a public policy challenge and learn how to empathize with users, generate ideas to solve the problem, prioritize and select and come out with a prototype for the new solution.

By the end of this course the scholars will:

• Learn about the discipline of design thinking that helps innovation, value addition and problemsolving
• Build capability on how to identify and redefine problems, needs, make hypothesis, collect and analyse data in a real-world environment
• Learn about various design thinking tools like empathy maps, storyboarding, idea generation, rapid prototyping
• Learn how to apply design thinking methods in variety of areas including policy creation and implementation

The course offers a toolbox drawn from normative ethics which finds applications in public governance, primarily focusing on policy making and executive action. It includes ethical concepts and principles culled from different philosophical traditions, ranging from more familiar Western theories to non-Western ethical perspectives. Through the method of case-study analysis It attempts to show the significance of public practical reasoning in policy decisions. Acknowledging the challenges that policy makers often face, the course highlights the fact that policy making is hardly an exercise yielding a black-or-white solution; rather it involves finding the most reasonable normative outcome (course of action) in a given situation, especially employing an expanded understanding of values including justice, well-being, sustainability, interdependence and community. It aims to help bridge the gap between ethical theorists and policy practitioners by exemplifying the role of ‘engaged philosophy’ in public governance.

This couse aims to explore why a government does what it does and learn to examine an issue (e.g., trade, environment, food security, health) from both economic and political points of view. In this course, scholars also aim to learn to formulate non-market strategy of an organization, and legitimate ways to influence government policy making.

Through this course, scholars should be able to learn:

• Market failure, the problem of collective action and the role of government;
• Certain properties of dictatorial and democratic governance;
• The distinction between the economics of an issue and the politics of the issue;
• Ways to anticipate policy change;
• How an organization can influence policy outcomes;
• The ways to integrate an organization’s market and non-market strategies on the basis of current and anticipated government policies;
• about (i) interest groups (e.g., producers, consumers, associations, Unions), and who becomes organized and who does not,
  (ii) how various issues of the day (e.g., tariff, environment, corporate bail-out, poverty, education) unfold, and attract

The capstone is the penultimate academic exercise where scholars put to practice their learnings from courses and workshops to solve a real-world policy problem. First, they identify a policy challenge they want to solve and then use data to identify the root cause. Scholars will next develop a plan of action, which will include the reasons and techniques for intervention, as well as strategies to assess the effectiveness of their proposed solution.

This will serve as the foundation for a theory of change, which they will be required to create to comprehend how the intervention will achieve the intended results and predict possible responses from individuals or institutions. They will identify particular intervention points and explain tactics to build a successful intervention. The scholar should be able to identify the context and create an intervention that encourages people/institutions to modify their behaviour to accomplish the objectives indicated by the scholar. Faculty members and domain experts will mentor the scholars throughout the capstone process.

Economics is the study of decision making under scarce resources, i.e., how economic entities decide on spending their resources to attain their economic objectives. Given scarce resources, these entities are limited in how much they can spend on any one activity as whatever they spend on an activity is not available to be spent on another activity. This course will focus entirely on decisions made by individual entities like consumers and producers, both when they are faced with uncertainty and when they are not.

• To familiarise scholars with the nature of an economic system and the manner in which different public policy instruments affect it.
• To introduce the basic concepts and analytical framework of Macroeconomics and Public Finance.
• To critically examine specific policy measures implemented in India in light of the conceptual framework discussed in 1 above.

Description:-

• Basics of Macroeconomics
• Fiscal and Monetary policies
• Basics of Public Finance
• Case studies of specific objectives and public policies.

The course aims to explore Game Theory with applications to economic, social, political, business, and legal issues. This includes understanding of backward induction, Nash equilibrium, self-interest v. collective interest, credible commitment, simultaneous and sequential games of complete and incomplete information, repeated games, and game theory in economic development. Along the way, the students would learn the work of several Nobel Laureates in Economics; about a dozen won the prize between 1994 and 2017 for their work related to game theory.

The purpose of game theory is to predict how a game might be played. A game arises when a player’s payoff depends on what others do. A game has players (e.g., individuals, animals, genes, organizations, nations) and rules (e.g., who moves in what order), and each player has strategies (e.g., cooperate or defect; fight or not fight), information pertaining to the game, and payoffs under each scenario. The idea is to find solution(s): one strategy for each player such that the strategies are best responses to each other.

Almost every economic, social or political interaction is a game. Applications include problems associated with cooperation (as in Prisoner’s Dilemma game or Trust game), bargaining (e.g., labor-management, buyer-seller, government-government), auctions (e.g., auction of wireless spectrum or public projects), pricing, principal-agent relations, contracting, signaling, committee decisionmaking, political competition, microfinance, and Economic Development.

The Law and Economics course is designed to make scholars understand the role of law in public policy for achieving social goals from an economist’s viewpoint.

Through the course, the scholars will understand the normative aspects of law and economics as well as the interplay between legal and economic principles. The course will also go over the role of law in generating social value through market driven transactions.

The course would look at various laws from an economic perspective such as economics of Private Property Law, Intellectual Property Law, Contract Law, and Tort Law. Along with this, the course will also cover the economic relevance of legal compensations, punishments, and regulations.

Samaaj, Sarkaar and Bazaar are three big tools in policy makers’ toolbox. What are the pros and cons of each of these tools? Markets are used to solve many of the most common and important problems. However there are many instances where markets seem to fail in delivering expected results. A typical response in these situations is to look to samaaj or sarkaar. We would learn in this course that when these failures are properly understood, we could redesign/ repurpose markets to fulfill their promise. Many believe that markets cannot serve the poor, or would not provide certain products and services to all, or would miss marginalised people and geographies. We would explore tools through which markets could overcome these challenges. The Markets for the Poor (M4P) approach illustrates how markets could serve marginalised communities and areas. Markets could improve or substitute government provision of goods and services (M4G). They could help in sustainable management of natural resources (M4N). They could solve what economists claim to be market failures (M4F). Markets could work even in areas that are seen as outside the market like organ transplant, the undefendable markets (M4U). The course would develop different perspectives on the nature and workings of markets, missing markets, failing markets, undefendable markets, empowering markets as well as designing markets. It would illustrate the market power through what i call M4PUFNG (Markets for the Poor, Undefendables, (market) Failures, Natural Resources, and Govenment Goods and Services). These are radical ideas; be prepared to be shocked!

Politics is the art of the possible.

Otto von Bismarck

Public Policy is any action that affects the lives of citizens. However, the process is a complicated one which begins by developing and understanding of the context under which the situation emerged. Next, one needs to understand the reasons behind the issue gaining prominence and understanding the sources, tools, institutions, and people behind it. Thus, what follows is an interaction of various events, variables, resources, and other socio-economic and political factors. This is where the politics of public policy comes into play. It is both an art and a science that requires an astute understanding of the motivations of each actor and their possible actions and reactions. By navigating these complexities, policymakers can ensure that public policy decisions are informed and effective in improving the lives of citizens.

This course on Statistical Analysis for Policy Research is designed for the scholars of public policy to develop understanding of importance of data and data analysis in policy formulation and research. It aims to develop statistical thinking among the learners, and develop essential skills such as data summarization, data presentation and visualization, and model fitting for establishing causal relationships. Course aims to equip the learners with essential skills for sampling techniques, statistical inference and hypothesis testing. It covers practical tool of linear regression analysis by explaining the concept of dependent, explanatory and control variables. Course aims to develop working knowledge of Microsoft Excel for doing day to day statistical analysis for policy research.

This course on Statistical Analysis for Policy Research -II is designed for the scholars of public policy to develop understanding of essential tools of statistical inference and establishing causal relationship among the policy research variables. Its begins with discussion of one and two-way ANOVA, then move on to explain the concept of multiple regression with emphasis on the essential condition of ‘Cetris Paribas’ with regard to multiple regression. It provides functional knowledge of three ways of conducting multiple regression analysis namely, simultaneous, sequential, and step wise. It also deals with using qualitative information such as ‘Gender’ in regression analysis, and qualitative dependent variables using binary logistic regression model. It also introduces the concept of path analysis and panel data modelling.

Domain Objectives:

• To enable scholars to understand the challenges in the education domain with a socioeconomic lens
• To empower scholars to think about policies in education by taking into account the inherent complexities and real-world challenges

Hence focus is given on certain specific themes which are of interest to scholars who have selected the education domain. These include issues of financing education (private versus public); the role of technology in education; The challenges to education by the poor and other marginalised groups; the issues of employment and education (including skill development)

This domain is designed to introduce students to key contemporary issues in environmental economics. The domain is founded in economic theory and focuses on environmental policy. It covers economic analysis of the causes of environmental degradation, and regulatory instruments and policies that can be adopted to mitigate environmental problems. Applications of various approaches to real world environmental problems, technology choices, and policy measures will be presented in class to illustrate key concepts. It will also introduce students to global environmental concerns such as climate change. We’ll discuss non-market valuation techniques if time permits. The course comprises lectures, class discussions, student presentations, etc. Students are also expected to search for currently debated environmental problems and policies in India and other countries that would trigger discussions in the class.

The course intends to familiarise students with the policy environment that moulds and impacts public health and the provision of health care services, to develop a comprehensive understanding of the historical and political context of health policy, to develop approaches for analysis of health policy issues, and to communicate effectually in the policy environment. The course will allow students to gain the background and skills to approach a vast array of problems in the field of public health. The course is designed to help students develop the ability to critically examine current health policy issues and to contribute to the policy process.

Domain Objectives

• Applying the economic, legal, and political analysis to the design, implementation, and evaluation of health care and public health policies.
• Analyze, explain, and discuss the Indian health care system and the welfare state
• Understand the context in which health policy is created at the state and federal levels, including the influence of values, ideology, institutions, government structures, public opinion, ethics and research.

Infrastructure domain is designed to introduce the broad, complex and rapidly evolving canvas of public infrastructure in the country , through focused study of policy planning, financing, and execution of large infrastructure projects. With direct experiential learning at its core, teaching inputs are drawn from Government policy documents and strategic action points for infrastructure delivery including Contracts and Concession Agreements. Academic inputs also cover the areas of Public Private Partnerships ,Development Finance Institutions and Regulation and Oversight of Infrastructure delivery. Fast learning outcomes are envisaged through case studies, hands on project planning templates and tool kits. Due to its very nature , Infrastructure domain has multi-disciplinary teaching inputs which are useful across the policy spheres of economic planning ,public finance and public procurement.

This course on Statistical Analysis for Policy Research is designed for the scholars of public policy to develop understanding of importance of data and data analysis in policy formulation and research. It aims to develop statistical thinking among the learners, and develop essential skills such as data summarization, data presentation and visualization, and model fitting for establishing causal relationships. Course aims to equip the learners with essential skills for sampling techniques, statistical inference and hypothesis testing. It covers practical tool of linear regression analysis by explaining the concept of dependent, explanatory and control variables. Course aims to develop working knowledge of Microsoft Excel for doing day to day statistical analysis for policy research.

The students would develop the following understanding during the technology domain sessions:

• Contemporary Policy issues as regards Consumer Protection in the Digital Era
• Balancing considerations of:
• Inclusion,
• Competition,
• Privacy and Data Protection
• Balancing stakeholder interests in Tech. policymaking
• Ethics in artificial intelligence strategies

The objective of the course is to:

• Expose scholars to a variety of issues relating to urbanization in general and more specifically urbanization in India.
• Comprehensively analyze policy issues and approaches relating to the urban sector
• Understand the comprehensiveness of public policy
• Debate issues and positions and develop skills in making compelling arguments, both through written documents and through presentations.

The domain is designed in such a way that each session will focus on one public policy issue relating to urbanization such as housing, mobility, financing etc. The final outcome of this domain is for the scholars to design a plan/policy for a city of their choice and envision the growth and development through successful interventions.

The ISPP in the National Security Policy Domain tends to expand the horizon of discipline through thought provoking teaching of traditional and non-traditional domains. Major thrust is on global geo-strategic environment, national security, foreign policy, nuclear policy, border management – China and Pakistan and gray zone warfare. As part of it, the curriculum is committed to encourage new ways of thinking and expand the traditional and non-traditional contours of security analysis. In a Wargame held, participants are engaged in exploring the most pressing issues of India’s internal and external security dimensions and contribute via creative and innovative thinking to national security policymaking and structures. National Security Studies will equip future national security policy leaders and policymakers to understand global conditions, external and internal dynamics of the national security environment of India and shape India’s strategic environment.

The Antarang Leadership Lab (ALL) is an experiential lab. Antarang means ‘intimate’ and the lab is meant to create a comfortable space where scholars can have conversations amongst friends on issues that are relevant to their personal development as leaders. ALL gives our scholars hands-on, practical experience to build their leadership skills to help them both at ISPP and when they start working. ALL aims to make our scholars more aware of themselves and their surroundings.

All Workshops

ALL workshops kick off with a session on understanding yourself and identifying areas of your personality that need to be challenged. Subsequent sessions cover topics like first impressions and feedback; networking and building relationships; handling cross cultural situations; working in groups; making effective presentations; exploring what success means to you; and building resilience. We end with a 3-day leadership retreat in the hills. These workshops are led by professional trainers.

All Squads

As part of the Antarang Leadership Lab, the class is divided into squads of around 6 scholars each. The squads are informal spaces where scholars can explore a range of academic and non-academic ideas. Each squad has a Squad Facilitator from the management team. Squads meet frequently during the year to help scholars build close relationships with other members of their squad.

Mentors

Each scholar is assigned a mentor, who is a sounding board for their personal and career development during the year. These mentors are senior professionals from the government, corporate and non-profit sectors.

This workshop will provide scholars with the knowledge and skills to examine and solve complicated policy dilemmas in a fast-paced setting. Scholars will be trained in various analytical frameworks and problem-solving strategies, using hands-on practice on policy case studies. The workshop will include academic lectures and practice, emphasising increasing the scholar’s ability to swiftly and effectively assess policy challenges and generate answers.

By the end, scholars will have received significant experience using analytical methods to tackle real-world policy challenges, sharpened their critical thinking abilities, and developed a deeper grasp of the policymaking process.

Public policy governs every action one takes as well as the outcomes of these actions. The Policy Praxis Lab will train one to understand why and how to make public policy work for the public. The lab explores a range of policy-related questions: How should markets be organised? What is health policy? How does public policy handle the diverse interests of people? How do we find out these diverse interests? How do we make people agree on a common set of choices, allowing them to choose differently from the same set? Through a series of policy exercises characterised by curiosity and empathy, through thought experiments as well as real life experiences of successful and unsuccessful policy interventions, scholars will be trained to master the science and art of ethical policy objectives.

Understanding data is an essential requirement to solve all public policy problems. The Quant Lab equips scholars with data-handling tools in Excel. This includes data analysis and data visualisation. Scholars will learn how to clean the data, present it in a meaningful manner, handle qualitative and quantitative variables, make samples, test hypotheses, run regressions, and so on.

Engaging public policy stakeholders requires a sound understanding of the policy landscape, skills to conduct research, write scientifically, and the ability to repurpose scientific writing into communication formats that suit stakeholders. The Writing and Communication Lab at ISPP offers apprentice-style training to develop scholars’ verbal, non-verbal and writing skills to communicate well in development, corporate, and academic settings. The Lab also works closely with the Careers team to support scholars’ career development needs.

Through regular lectures and one on one sessions, the Lab will introduce scholars to:

• Public policy communication
• Academic writing
• Business communication