DRIVERS OF GROWTH
India’s new growth recipe: Larger firms

Large Indian firms are yet to become global champions. India should focus on improving their competitiveness so that they can tap into large external markets far more than they have managed so far.

#Trade #Economy
FINANCE REGULATION
How well are securities laws enforced in India?

An analysis of over 8,000 enforcement orders passed by the Securities and Exchange Board of India over a span of ten years provides insight into the use of its powers by the institution, and its priorities. 

#Economy
INEQUALITY
The need to spatialise human rights in cities

Informal settlements, despite containing a majority of the people, are treated as aberrations. Forced to live outside legal sanction, the poor are condemned to a degraded quality of life.

#Cities #Urban Poor #Human Rights
URBAN MOBILITY
Shaping our streets for people

Plenty of money has been spent widening roads. It is clear that doesn't work. Instead, designing our cities for walking and cycling is a much better option, and is also imperative to fight climate change.

#Cities #Climate #Transport #MAHARASHTRA
ECONOMIC POLICY
Third generation of reforms needed

Adequate attention has not been given to strengthening the government in performing key functions, directly or through public authorities. Reforms to address this are now needed.

#Economy #OP-ED
ORAL ARGUMENTS
Less talk would provide more justice

Huge backlogs in the justice system have prompted judges to look for ways to speed things up. The Supreme Court has twice pointed fingers at long and repetitive oral arguments.

#Justice System
PARTICIPATORY PLANNING
The people and their plans
PARTICIPATORY PLANNING : The people and their plans

By listening to residents, and understanding the needs that have driven them to organic solutions, it is possible for Master Plans in cities to be a lot more attentive to the lived realities of people.

#Cities #Housing #Urban Poor
WASTE MANAGEMENT
Higher funding alone doesn't improve services

Urban finances do need to be strengthened, but expenditure alone is not enough to improve outcomes. A study of waste management in 27 cities shows the importance of other non-monetary influences.

#Cities #Public Funds #Waste
REFORMS
An 'institutions' model is needed

States have followed varied paths to development, proclaiming models of their own. But these have been limited, and not presented a new imagination of governance itself. 

#OP-ED
SELF-GOVERNANCE
Reversing the gaze on democracy

Can people themselves decide how governments should respond to their needs? Janta ka Faisla asks us to consider how the practice of democracy would look if it began from the most vulnerable citizens. 

#Livelihoods #Urban Poor #OP-ED #Poverty #CHHATISGARH
REAL DEMOCRACY
Citizens demand real participation

In cities across Karnataka, civil society groups are pushing the government to set up ward committees and area sabhas through which they can direct the governance of their localities.

#Cities #Laws #KARNATAKA
SELF-GOVERNANCE
Ground-up planning in Ranchi's slums

Can people themselves plan for their basic services? A new initiative in informal settlements which have been ignored by formal planners shows the potential of a different approach.

#Adivasis #Cities #Water #JHARKHAND
URBAN RESILIENCE
Disaster response must be decentralised, humanised

For long-term mitigation of disasters in urban areas, ward-level citizens' committees will need to carry out community-based bottom-up planning for sustainable and inclusive development.

#Cities #Public Health
FEDERALISM
States need their own development models

Our federal nation will always have different models of growth that suit local aspirations. State governments can distinguish themselves by asking what this means for each one of them.

#Economy
URBANISATION
Bird's eye view is full of blur

Planning for settlements in the country follows an outdated approach. Re-imagining urban India will have to start with an overhaul of the existing statutory frameworks.

#Cities
WOMEN IN POLITICS
Deciphering low Election Sex Ratios

Why are there so few women in electoral politics at the state and national level? The biggest reason is that in the absence of reservation, political parties deny tickets to women.

#Gender and Leadership #Elections
VOTER IDENTIFICATION
EPIC+Aadhaar: Promises and dangers
VOTER IDENTIFICATION : EPIC+Aadhaar: Promises and dangers

Data governance in India is evolving. Against that background, what are the potential benefits and risks of the proposal by the Election Commission to link voter IDs to Aadhaar numbers?

#E-Govt #Elections
URBAN FOOD POLICY
RICH food for better cities
URBAN FOOD POLICY : RICH food for better cities

A new book by the World Bank urges all cities to implement explicit food policies to foster reliable, inclusive, competitive and healthy food systems aligned with their aspirations and challenges.

#Cities #Food Security #Public Health
POLICY AND IDENTITY
Who, exactly, is the public?
POLICY AND IDENTITY : Who, exactly, is the public?

There is rising interest in public policy, but much of the focus so far has been on the 'policy' part. But it is even more important to understand the 'public' part of this phrase.

#People #Society
ENERGY POLICY
Can governments let go of fossil-fuel revenues?

The energy-mobility landscape is transitioning to renewables and electric vehicles. But public finances are highly reliant on the fossil fuels economy. Excerpts from a discussion of the challenges this poses.

#Energy #Public Funds
SCIENCE POLICY
STIP2020: A wish-list, not a policy

The new science and technology policy joins its predecessors in presenting a wish-list for the country, but equally it also mimics the old policies in failing to detail how these wishes will come true.

#Science and Technology #Society
URBANISATION
Are metros growing or sprawling?

The large metropolitan areas of the country are continuing to grow. But why, and is this the same thing as sprawl? A recent position paper from the IDFC Institute delves into the data, and discusses the challenges thrown up by India's urban expansion.

#Cities
INDIA AND CHINA
Following the yuan
INDIA AND CHINA : Following the yuan

A research paper published by Brookings India argues that while rising investment from China helps correct a lopsided trade relationship, the Indian government should also proactively safeguard security and privacy interests.

#National Security #Trade

Podcasts from Takshashila Institution.
  • Regulating judicial data
  • What makes governments responsive?
  • What makes democracies tick?
  • Pegasus and India’s cyber security capabilities
  • The challenges of governing states
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India Together has partnered with The Takshashila Institution to bring our readers all episodes of the policy chat podcast series, All Things Policy. The podcasts are tagged based on the taxonomy IT uses to archive its own content, so readers can find the various episodes in the respective Section and Topic pages.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
in each topic ...
PUBLIC FUNDS CITIES E-GOVT ELECTIONS LAW AND ORDER PANCHAYATS GOVERNMENT OPINIONS NATIONAL SECURITY ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION