As part of its weekly Friday Forum Guest Lecture series, the Indian School of Public Policy (ISPP) was honored to host Mr. Anup Wadhawan, former Commerce Secretary to the Government of India and an eminent economist, on September 26th. His session on ‘Tariffs, Trade Wars, and the Future of Globalisation’ offered a sharp, evidence-based critique… Continue reading Tariffs, Trade Wars, and the Indispensable Future of Globalisation
Rajasthan has long been associated with the phenomenon of pati-sarpanch – a practice where elected women sarpanches act as proxies for their husbands. Despite the provision for mandating one-third reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) through the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Constitution in 1992, later expanded to 50% in Rajasthan (The… Continue reading Defying Proxy Leadership: Chhavi Rajawat’s Public Policy Drive to Uplift Soda Village in Rajasthan
The 73rd Constitutional Amendment ushered in a new era for women in grassroots governance. Haryana is part of this story: according to the state Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) dashboard, out of around 925 Sarpanch posts, around 48% (443) are currently held by women. As many as 21 States and two Union Territories, in their respective… Continue reading Women in Village Panchayats in Haryana: Representation and Realities
President Donald Trump’s current tariff policy for India and other developing nations compels one to think that he wants to rewrite history. But it will be a failed history, if he does not retract from current rates of imposition, which is as high as 50% for India and Brazil. Simply, because each country exports products… Continue reading Tariff Policy: US should prioritise economics over politics
It has been more than three decades since the attempt made to decentralize planning and development at the local government level through the 74th constitutional amendment. The constitution of India has placed the responsibility for urban development on the state governments. The amendment sought to change this by giving municipalities constitutional status, mandating regular municipal… Continue reading Urban Transition Institutionalising Efficiency within Urban Governance
Green finance is emerging as a game-changing concept in India. As our country progresses on its journey to climate commitments, this is becoming more relevant by the day. The management of key financial resources is very important, especially for industries like sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, and electric mobility. And now, it is increasingly important to… Continue reading Green Finance in India: Driving Sustainable Development Through Policy and Innovation
Housing isn’t just bricks and mortar. It is the foundation of human dignity, economic stability, and social inclusion. In India, where rapid urbanisation co-exists with persistent rural poverty, the need for safe and affordable housing has assumed importance. The national housing policy, anchored in flagship schemes like PMAY-U (Urban) and PMAY-G (Gramin), seeks to address… Continue reading The Role of Public Policy Professionals in Implementing the National Housing Policy
Is the tradeoff between ecological sustainability and economic growth a zero sum game? Often, paying heed to sustainability concerns is seen as an impediment to rapid economic growth. However, with increasing extreme weather events, unpredictable climate patterns, frequent occurrence of external shocks, and a dynamic geopolitical environment, the verdict is clear. Accounting for and incorporating… Continue reading Sustainability and Economic Growth: A Zero Sum Game?
An engaging peer learning session among scholars on August 22, 2025, was led by Ajan Sendhil at ISPP, who holds a BE in Geoinformatics from the College of Engineering, Guindy, Chennai, and worked as a geospatial strategy consultant with Woolpert Asia Pacific. In an era where technology policy discussions often focus on data privacy and… Continue reading Reimagining Tech Policy
Reform, Perform, and Transform were the policy making keywords in the past decade, but now new strengths need to be added to our efforts. This was one part of the speech by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the ramparts of Red Fort on India’s 79th Independence Day, 2025. The PM added that the government has… Continue reading Meeting of Best Minds for Policy Reforms
