Working Papers

The paper examines how contractual correspondence shapes governance and dispute resolution in India’s highway Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs). Drawing on correspondence from 15 disputed projects, it argues that letters, notices and clarifications are not merely administrative records but key t...

Standard economic geography assumes a linear demographic transition from rural agriculture to urban industrialisation. India's spatial trajectory, however, aggressively defies this orthodox blueprint. Utilising longitudinal plant-level data (ASI) and enterprise-level surveys (NSSO), this paper ...

This paper investigates public accountability in Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), for transport projects in India. So far, urban and regional studies scholars examining liberalisation in India have mainly critiqued structural macro-level shifts in policy to argue that an entrepreneurial Indian ...

This paper discusses that while mature firms are becoming "net job destroyers" as they automate, it is the young, agile "Ojazelles" — firms less than five years old — that are currently breathing life into the economy, creating 45% of all new jobs. Yet, these young job creators are being strangle...

Financing a Green 'Viksit Bharat' India's national goal of becoming a developed economy by 2047 is inextricably linked to achieving its Net Zero commitment by 2070. This twin ambition requires an investment of an estimated $10 trillion, primarily in green infrastructure and industrial modernizati...

This paper looks at the "Institutional Efficacy Puzzle" that lies at the heart of India's development challenge and provides a deep, systemic diagnostic of these key institutions—the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), financial regulators (SEBI, IRDAI), tax authorities (C...

This working paper serves as a useful reference for understanding the River Basin Management (RBM) trajectory of Germany vis-à-vis India through a comparative analysis. The paper further argues for acknowledging structural differences and contextual factors to enable meaningful knowledge exchange...

The paper seeks to understand (i) the role of National Health Mission (NHM) in defining/resetting health priorities in States and addressing horizontal inequalities; (ii) the constraints faced by States within the federal structure for delivering effective healthcare services; and (iii) the mecha...

This analysis attempts to address a pressing problem at the heart of India’s plans to combat extreme heat: finance. Indian Heat Action Plans (HAPs) contain a welcome diversity of adaptation solutions spanning many sectors, but generally fail to identify viable sources of public and private financ...

Background on National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) Air quality standards are primarily health-based standards that define the ambient concentration of air pollution to which the public can be exposed without suffering harm to their health. In India, the Central Pollu...

Air pollution is a pan-India problem, and whether viewed in terms of pollution sources or exposure, there is no reason to continue an urban-focus in air pollution mitigation measures. It is imperative for air quality governance in India to transition from a city-centric approach to an airshed app...

The statistical system of a country acts as its mirror. It generates the statistics that allow observers to see how well a country is performing on key socioeconomic parameters such as per capita income, inflation, poverty, life expectancy, and average years of schooling. In most countries, a sin...

In the context of a high level of dissatisfaction with the delivery of government services in India, this paper traces the evolution of policy regarding key actors in this process— frontline functionaries or street-level bureaucrats. Frontline functionaries form a special subset of the bureaucrac...

This paper analyses the structure and processes of field administration in India and matches these with the outcomes on the ground. It highlights features of the administrative structure, human resources, and organisational culture that result in the sub-optimal delivery of social services and po...

This paper explores the design of Indian regulatory agencies established post-liberalisation from an administrative perspective. Regulatory agencies were set up to replace state inefficiencies, and to discipline profligate state agencies, even as much as they were a response to state-market reorg...

Federalism in India is at a crossroads. Over the last three decades, India has undergone significant social, political, and economic transformations which have created new fault lines in India’s precarious federal compact. Economic liberalization and political decentralization have fundamentally ...

Ordinary people in rural Bihar and in Patna and Delhi have virtually no opportunity to be tested for a hidden talent, be it for athletics or singing or chess or mathematics or art. Not one of more than 800 young people we interviewed has ever competed at the national, state or district level in a...

Theorists of economic development have emphasized the importance of clear, legally guaranteed property rights in ensuring economic development. Legally enforceable rights over land are thought of as a solution to incentivize investment in land, ensure optimal use of resources and create the condi...