Policy Briefs & Reports

Do schools get their money? Between October and November 2010, PAISA went to 13,021 government run elementary schools across India to ask the following questions: Did you get your money? When did you get your money? Did you spend the money, if so what was the output of that expenditure? This PAIS...

Efficiency is everywhere, but it is an invisible resource and often underutilized. Energy efficiency is the fastest, cleanest, and cheapest way to meet energy needs— India alone could save $42 billion each year by largely improving energy efficiency in buildings, which currently consume more than...

Will the global climate regime resemble the trade regime? If so, what would such a development imply for the governance of climate change? Both before and certainly in the aftermath of the Copenhagen climate conference, a debate has been underway on whether the architecture of the climate regime ...

The objectives of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes are to act as an independent agency that will investigate, monitor and record any violation of the Constitutional rights of the Scheduled Tribes, suggest measures for their development and in general act on their behalf. This report f...

Institutions are often distinguished by whether they perform a protective or a promotional role. The NCSC is clearly more of a protective institution, though it does monitor the progress of promotional policy initiatives emanating from other state agencies. While its creation was mandated by the ...

This note undertakes a preliminary exploration of Low Carbon Growth Plans (LCGPs) in order to inform discussions on the appropriate role, if any, of this device in the global climate regime. What is the rationale for LCGPs? What exactly constitutes a LCGP and what are the implications with regard...

The final week of the climate negotiations in the lead up to the Copenhagen Climate Conference in December 2009, ended in Barcelona on November 6th with a deep sense of foreboding. Shakespearean allusions flew thick and fast, with one delegate ending the closing meeting on the fearful note that “...

In the intergovernmental climate negotiations India has consistently argued against greenhouse gas mitigation commitments for developing countries. This paper argues that while India’s position, given the burden sharing architecture of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and...

The ‘Coastal Regulation Zone Notification 2011’ (CRZ 2011) is a notification issued by the government highlighting procedures and resolutions regarding coastal regulations. The main objective of this notification is to: 1. Protect the livelihoods of traditional fisherfolk communities 2. Pres...