Public Policy – Page 2 – NICKELED AND DIMED

Protection or Exclusion: Does India Gain from Its Refugee Policy Change?

By – Ayushmaan Abstract This piece examines the historical shift in the Indian Government’s approach to the rising refugee population in India with respect to recent security concerns from the neighbouring countries of India. History is evident; India adopted non-refoulement towards refugees. without any specific obligation, neither domestic nor international. The past decade presents India’s…
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Israel’s Innovation Playbook: What India Can Adapt and Localise

By – Vansh Aggarwal Abstract India’s innovation story stands at a critical juncture where global ideas must meet local realities. Drawing lessons from Israel’s state-led innovation, defence-tech advances, and agri-tech revolution, India can adapt these models to its unique socio-economic landscape. Introduction There is a Japanese saying, ‘Dochakuka’, which means adapting global knowledge to suit…
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Lessons For and From India’s UPI

By – Anubhi Srivastava Abstract India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), launched in 2016, is a key example of ‘Glocalisation’ in digital payments, where global fintech principles are adapted to India’s diverse socio-economic landscape. It has rapidly ascended to become the world’s largest real time payment system, processing over 650 million transactions daily and dominating India’s…
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Glocalising Iceland’s 100% Fish Project: A Transformation of India’s Fisheries into a Circular Blue Economy

By – Samaira Prakash Abstract: The aquaculture sector in India currently faces a paradox, where the production of fishery remains on the rise, while there is minimal value addition, alongside a significant increase in externalities caused by the widespread discarding of fish waste. The 100% fish project, an initiative spearheaded by Iceland’s Ocean Cluster, offers…
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Glocalization of Slum Housing Policy in India: Inspiration from The Brazil Favela-Bairro Program

By – Ayushmaan Abstract This article examines the limited efficacy of India’s current Slum Housing policy – PM Awas Yojana Urban, despite receiving a significant and increased budget every 5 years. The centralised decision-making framework of the policy hinders implementation at the lowest level, affecting the beneficiaries in return, resulting in a lower use value…
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Biometric Schooling: Are We Normalising Surveillance for an Entire Generation?

By – Ann George Abstract As biometric technologies become increasingly embedded in educational settings, from facial recognition for attendance to emotion-detecting AI, the school is no longer just a site of learning but one of surveillance. This article critically examines the growing normalisation of biometric surveillance in schools and its psychological, behavioural, and legal implications…
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The Broke Generation: Why Gen Z’s Economic Reality Is Nothing Like What Boomers Think

By – Ann George Abstract This paper challenges prevailing stereotypes that label Generation Z as “lazy” or “entitled” by exploring the distinct economic challenges they face in contrast to previous generations. Factors such as soaring housing costs, stagnant wages, overwhelming student debt, and insecure labor markets, exacerbated by technological changes like AI, have created significant…
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Quiet Quitting the City: Should Public Policy Support Digital Nomadism?

By – Ann George Abstract Digital nomadism, a growing lifestyle enabled by advances in remote work and digital technology, is reshaping traditional notions of home, work, and mobility, particularly among younger generations such as Generation Z and Millennials. This paper explores the complexities of digital nomadism, highlighting its appeal alongside significant global inequalities rooted in…
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The Power of Being Counted: Caste Census and the Future of Indian Governance

By -Vansh Aggarwal Introduction: “Justice has always evoked ideas of equality… But equality requires the absence of special privileges.” – Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. For a country that often speaks of caste-based injustice, its governance remains oddly blind to the actual numbers that define its social landscape. The last comprehensive caste enumeration was conducted in 1931,…
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Who and what drives the Great Indian Public Transport

By – Anubhi Srivastava Abstract India’s public transport system stands at a crossroads. While public systems ensure affordability, they often suffer from inefficiency and poor service. Privatisation brings innovation but risks inequity and exclusion. Drawing from global models and domestic public-private partnerships, this paper argues for a hybrid and regulated approach that integrates equity, environmental…
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Beauty & The City: Beautification Drives in Indian Urban Spaces

In the guise of modernization and beauty, cities in India often undergo beautification campaigns that hide a more profound politics of exclusion. From flyovers painted with murals to sanitized lakefronts, these initiatives tend to hide the displacement of slums, the eviction of street vendors, and the criminalization of urban poverty. This paper critically analyses the…
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Reforming Waqf Governance: Striking a Balance Between Faith and Fairness

“Public policy is not about choosing between right and wrong but about navigating between competing rights.”
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