Policy

Reimagining the Road to a More Equitable India

India’s leaders face a crucial decision – persist with Western-inspired economic policies adopted after the 1991 shift away from industrial planning and socialism, or explore alternative approaches.…
▶22-Apr-2025
Arun Maira

Cash Transfers and Public Services Work in Tandem

Unconditional cash transfers empower individuals to address their immediate needs. Yet, this could yield greater benefits if complemented by public goods. The government must acknowledge that cash…
▶02-Apr-2025
Sheetal Bharat

Enumerators and the New Private Customised Survey Industry in India

In the absence of timely data from official agencies, private organizations and researchers have turned to designing large data surveys, often promoted by global philanthropies. There are questions…
▶18-Mar-2025
Vinayak Krishnan

NITI Aayog has Failed. India Needs a New Institutional Compact

Since it was created in 2015, NITI Aayog has neither been able to offer fresh thinking on the economy nor has it functioned as a a mediator between the centre and the states. A federal institution…
▶06-Feb-2025
Yamini Aiyar

When Big Business Influences the State and Foreign Policy in India

Neoliberalism has empowered India’s big capital to control the state, reversing an earlier relationship. Capital, once subordinate and nationally defined, now dominates and defines the nation, using…
▶29-Jan-2025
Amit Julka

Poor State of Crèche Schemes in India

The Government of India's crèche scheme, now renamed as Palna, needs revised guidelines and procedures. This analysis questions its sustainability and highlights the need for clearer details on…
▶25-Oct-2024
Neeha Susan Jacob, Shraddha Jain

Why are Government Canteens Important When 80 Crore People Get Free Grains?

Food canteens in cities offer affordable meals to many, especially marginalised groups without cooking facilities such as migrant workers. By enhancing menus, infrastructure, and staff wages, state…
▶01-Jul-2024
Reetika Khera
Book
Book Review

Understanding Policy through Economic History

This student-friendly book admirably accomplishes its task of helping the reader understand economic policy changes in India since 1947. It suggests reforms helped the urban rich, but it does not…
▶23-May-2024
Rahul Menon
Book
Book Review

India is at an Economic Crossroads: How Does it go Forward?

An elegant restatement of the need for appropriate policy to accelerate India’s development falls short of offering a detailed plan.
▶10-Jan-2024
Andaleeb Rahman

Citizen vs Labharthi?

Citizens denied the benefits of growth are compensated with direct transfers in the new welfarism that has yielded electoral returns. This 'techno-patrimonialism' is not based on the poor…
▶05-Dec-2023
Yamini Aiyar