Research Areas

Others - Public Policy Processes in India - Ongoing

Comparative Studies of Public Policy Processes in India

Project Director	:	Jos Mooij
Sponsored by	:	The Ford Foundation, New Delhi

Motivation

One of the very interesting characteristics of policy debates in India in many sectors is that there is a relatively close contact between policy makers and social scientists studying policies. A limitation is, however, that most policy debates are dominated by economists, and that insights from other social sciences (sociology, political science) have hardly entered into the debates. As a result, some aspects of policy studies are relatively well developed (such as, modeling policy needs and measurement of policy effects), but others much less. The issues and questions, for instance, of why policies are formulated and designed in particular ways in the first place, and political shapings of policies 'on the ground', do not receive much attention.

The programme's starting point is that the politics of the public policy processes deserves more serious attention than it gets at present in India. The objective of the programme is to stimulate the development of empirically-informed insights and theories regarding these processes. Comparative studies can be a useful tool in this academic endeavour. The purpose of these studies is not only to encourage the study of policy processes within the political science discipline, but also to contribute to on-going policy debates.

Objectives

The long-term objectives are:

To stimulate the study of public policy processes in the social sciences.

To improve the quality of public policy debates in India, by producing relevant sectoral policy studies.

Included in the short-term objectives are:


1.	review of the various research activities undertaken in India on 'the politics of public policy'.

2.	exploring interest in further collaboration amongst the social scientists working on 'the politics of public policy' in India

3.	exploring possibilities (both organisationally and financially) for advancing the comparative study of public policy processes within India.

4.	writing a substantive research programme, anchored in various research institutes and building upon the various existing scattered activities.

Main activities

The main activities comprise establishment of a research and documentation centre, consultation of other research groups in India, writing of 2 review research papers,
organisation of 2 seminars, leading to the publication of two books.

The first review paper on politics of the economic reform in India has been written. The second paper will review approaches to the study of the policy process. An annotated bibliography on the topic is planned and writing of a substantive research programme is proposed. The first seminar, on the politics of the economic reform in India, attended by about 50 participants was held between 4-6 April 2002. The second seminar (Nov 2002) will have 'policy processes in Andhra Pradesh' as its theme. A preliminary workshop on 'approaches to the study of policy processes', in August 2002 will be organized for the same participants who will later write a paper for the seminar.

The project will conclude with the formulation of a substantive research programme, anchored in various research institutes and building upon the various scattered activities.