News & Announcements

Sanghamitra Jayant, a PhD student at SPP at IIT-Delhi, has recently has received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Indian Energy Storage Alliance as part of the “Women leaders driving energy sector in India” for outstanding contributions to the Indian Energy Industry and for her leadership and being a role model for women in the energy sector.

We are proud to have Sanghamitra among our doctoral students!

Read more about her work here.

In the Indian public policy context, public bureaucracy can substantially alter public policy outcomes through good or bad governance.  Our last academic seminar this term will be delivered by Anustubh Agnihotri, who will speak to this subject.

Please see details of the seminar below and join us for this event.  

Speaker: Anustubh Agnihotri
Date: 21st April
Time: 5-6:30 pm
Venue: LH 602

Title: Organizational Rules, Bureaucratic Preferences, and Local State Capacity

Abstract:

State capacity, or the ability of the bureaucracy to effectively deliver services to its citizens, varies significantly at the local level. While in some jurisdictions, citizens experience bureaucratic delays, in other jurisdictions, the same bureaucracy can be responsive. How should we understand these spatial differences in local state capacity? I argue that we need to closely examine the politics within the state. Specifically, I look at the role of politics behind the transfers of Tehsildars – mid-level bureaucrats in the land bureaucracy who deliver crucial services to citizens – in creating differences in the extent to which jurisdictions remain unoccupied at the local level. I show that Tehsildars have strong locational preferences and regularly lobby against organizational orders relocating them over long distances or placing them in jurisdictions further away from their homes. These lobbying efforts result in less preferred jurisdictions remaining vacant for a longer duration. Further, the likelihood of state absence due to bureaucratic lobbying efforts mirrors historical patterns of development, less developed regions with lower bureaucratic representation experience a higher period of absence. These findings have important implications for how we think about determinants of the quality of last-mile delivery of public services. I suggest that aligning organizational processes with the preferences of individual bureaucrats can act as an important policy level for shaping the quality of local governance.

Brief Bio:

Anustubh Agnihotri is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Ashoka University. He finished his Ph.D. in Political Science at The University of California at Berkeley and holds a Masters in Public Policy and a Masters in Electrical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin as well as a Bachelors in Electronics and Telecommunications from Pune University. His research engages with questions around bureaucratic politics and citizen-state interactions and his papers are published in journals like World Development and Governance.  He also studies  how new technologies are adopted and scaled in resource-poor contexts and was part of an interdisciplinary team effort to put together an open source textbook in the field of Development Engineering.

You can find more information about Anustubh on his website https://anustubhagnihotri.com/

Abstract: 

Bio: 

The engagement between Mr. Alok Rajan and the students of the School of Public Policy (SPP) at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) focused on the projects undertaken by the speaker and the intersection of public policy students in his projects.
During the discussion, Mr. Rajan, who is the Program Officer – State Capacity and Public Finance at BMGF, outlined the criteria used to select projects and the different types of interventions that can be done. The session also delved into the topic of health system design, where Mr. Rajan highlighted the importance of design thinking and the need to focus on transversal issues.
The engagement concluded with an interactive Q&A session where the students had the opportunity to ask Mr. Rajan various questions related to BMGF's projects and their potential roles as public policy professionals. Mr. Rajan patiently addressed the students' queries, providing them with valuable insights and perspectives.
Overall, the engagement provided a valuable learning experience for the students, as it exposed them to the workings of one of the world's largest philanthropic organizations and the potential avenues for making a meaningful impact in the field of public policy.

Here's a wrap up of the peer-reviewed publications from our faculty members in the last 3 months. 

Suma Athreye, Abhijit Sengupta, Oladimei J. Odentunde. "Academic Entrepreneurial Engagement with Weak Institutional Support: Roles of Motivation, Intention and Perceptions ". Studies in Higher Education, March 2023 

Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2023.2184789 

Abstract: The paper investigates the potential impact of entrepreneurial motivation, entrepreneurial intention and academic researchers’ perceptions of departmental and university support on academic entrepreneurial engagement in a context of weak or missing institutional support. A conceptual model linking motivation, intention and perceptions to entrepreneurial engagement is developed and tested on primary data collected from academic researchers in Nigeria. We find that while entrepreneurial motivation strongly influences entrepreneurial intentions of researchers, the link between intention and engagement is weaker. Perceptions of departmental entrepreneurial orientation positively mediates a significant proportion of the latter link. In contrast, perceptions about the university’s supportive framework and facilities play a relatively weaker role. Subsequently, the implications of these findings on policies and incentives for entrepreneurial academics and universities in weak institutional settings are explored.

Nandana Sengupta, Vidya Subramanian, Anwesh Mukhopadhyay, Arul Scaria. "A Global South perspective for ethical algorithms and the State". Nature Machine Intelligence , Feb 2023

Link: https://rdcu.be/c6zPu

Abstract: We explore the intersection between algorithms and the State from the perspectives of legislative action, public perception and the use of AI in public administration. Taking India as a case study, we discuss the potential fallout from the absence of rigorous scholarship on such questions for countries in the Global South.

Yuno Tajima, Shizuka Hashimoto, Rajarshi Dasgupta, Yasuo Takahashi. "Spatial characterization of cultural ecosystem services in the Ishigaki Island of Japan: A comparison between residents and tourists". Ecosystem Services,  Feb 2023

Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212041623000128

Abstract: Culturall Ecosystem Services (CES) are non-material benefits that are indispensable for the health and well-being of communities. CES are often spatially explicit and fluctuate according to the knowledge, beliefs, and perception of users of the location. Therefore, understanding the spatial patterns of CES perceived by people from different backgrounds is important for decision-makers to carry out proactive landscape planning. In this study, we investigated the differences in the perception of CES between residents and tourists on Ishigaki Island, Japan. The study employed a Public Participation Geographic Information System (PPGIS) approach to spatially present the respective perceptions of residents and tourists regarding six types of CES, namely recreational, therapeutic, educational, spiritual, aesthetic, and historic CES, that are recognized as key contributors to human health and well-being. For data collection, we employed a combination of household-level postal surveys and in-person questionnaire surveys targeting residents (n = 410) and tourists (n = 102), respectively. A series of statistical and spatial analyses was conducted on the survey results to understand the influence of the duration of residence and the frequency of visits in shaping the perceptions of CES, as well as the relationship between perceived CES and land-use types. This included the contribution of protected areas to the delivery of CES. The results showed that the average number of locations indicated by residents was significantly higher than that indicated by the tourists, resulting in density maps with distinct spatial patterns. In particular, the spatial pattern of CES identified by tourists was considerably simpler than that recognized by residents and centered on two popular tourist spots. As per the elements of landscapes and seascapes, the perception of “aesthetic,” “recreational,” “therapeutic,” and “educational” CES by residents was associated with “forest” and “sea” and that of “spiritual” and “historic” was associated with “forest” and “farmland.” In contrast, the CES perception of “recreational,” “educational,” “therapeutic,” “aesthetic,” and “historic” by tourists was associated with “sea” and “forest.” “Spiritual” CES was associated with “forest” and “sea.” Lastly, a higher proportion of “aesthetic” CES locations were identified within protected areas compared to outside the areas. Overall, our findings revealed that residents and tourists perceive and appreciate the numerous CES arising from landscapes and seascapes of the island differently. This indicates a possible trade-off resulting from land or sea developments to the benefit among stakeholders, for example, tourists. Hence, to sustain CES that underpin equitable health and well-being benefits, spatial planning should consider the different perceptions of stakeholders, particularly of residents and tourists, regarding CES types and locations.

Pooja Prasad, Annelieke Duker, Charlotte de Fraiture, Pieter van der Zaag. "Irrigation development under uncertainty: A call for adaptive investment pathways". Environmental Science and Policy, Jan 2023

Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2022.11.017

Abstract: There is an urgent need in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to enhance irrigation access to meet the challenges of  growing population and climate risk. To achieve this, big investments are currently planned in large irrigation infrastructure. We believe there is danger in following this conventional approach, which requires big lumpsum investments, locking large capital into projects that do not adapt to deep uncertainties from climatic or socio-political factors. Instead, in this Perspective article, we propose an alternate “adaptive investment pathways”  (AdIP) approach for planning stepwise investments towards desired objectives, implemented progressively  depending on how the future unfolds, in order to gain flexibility. AdIP extends the adaptation pathways concept, which refers to a sequence of actions to be taken in response to a changing reality, and applies it to the context of  development under uncertainty. Monitoring and learning is at the heart of this approach, which ensures that the plan adapts as new knowledge becomes available. Thus, AdIP internalizes risk and reduces chances of failures. For financial institutions backing development projects, following a pathway of smaller de-centralized investments lowers risk and incorporates a learning approach that allows re-thinking and adapting along the path.  We illustrate the AdIP approach using the case of ephemeral sand river based small-scale irrigation in the drylands of SSA. We conclude that in face of deep uncertainties, the path to successful irrigation development in SSA  requires a shift from making few large upfront investments in large-scale projects to making large numbers of smaller investments that assure flexibility.

Krishna, H., Kashyap, Y., Dutt, D., Sagar, A.D. and Malhotra, A. "Understanding India’s low-carbon energy technology startup landscape". Nature Energy, Dec 2022

Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-022-01170-y

Abstract: Low-carbon energy technology (LCET) startups could play a key role in accelerating India’s decarbonization. Yet, our understanding of the LCET startup landscape and what shapes it remains low. Here we provide an analysis of the Indian LCET startup landscape to fill this gap. Our descriptive analysis of quantitative data on investment and patenting activities of LCET startups from 2010 to 2020 and qualitative data from 25 semi-structured interviews shows a substantial increase in investment and patenting activity, particularly after 2017, driven in large part by market-creation measures undertaken by the Indian government. However, there are large differences between LCET startups in different sub-sectors and core value-creating activities. Our findings suggest that the level of technological capabilities moderates the relationship between market-creation measures and innovation outcomes—thus highlighting the need to complement market-creation policies with long-term measures to strengthen technological capabilities. Furthermore, we propose a research agenda to improve our understanding of LCET entrepreneurship in developing economies.

Bio:

We are delighted to host a seminar by our very own Prof. Nandana Sengupta on the topic  "In her Shoes: Gendered Labelling in Crowdsourced Safety Perceptions Data from India" on Wednesday, the 15th of February 2023, at noon. See details about the talk, and the speaker bio below. We look forward to seeing you there! 

Speaker: Prof. Nandana Sengupta, SoPP, IIT Delhi
Date: Wednesday, the 15th of February 2023.
Time: 12-1:30 pm
Venue: LH 623

Title:  

In her Shoes: Gendered Labelling in Crowdsourced Safety Perceptions Data from India

Abstract: 

In recent years, there has been a proliferation of women's safety mobile applications in India that crowdsource street safety perceptions to generate `safety maps' which are used by policy makers for urban design and academics for studying mobility patterns. However, men and women's differential access to information and communication technologies (ICTs), and the distinctions between their social and cultural subjective experiences may mitigate the value of crowdsourced safety perceptions data and the predictive ability of machine learning (ML) models utilizing such data. We explore this by collecting and analyzing primary data on safety perceptions from New Delhi, India. Our curated dataset consists of streetviews covering a wide range of neighborhoods for which we obtain subjective safety ratings from both female and male respondents. Simulation experiments where varying proportions of ratings from each gender are assumed missing demonstrate that the predictive ability of standard ML techniques relies crucially on the distribution of data producers. We find that obtaining large amounts of crowdsourced safety labels from male respondents for predicting female safety perceptions is inefficient in a number of scenarios and even undesirable in others. Detailed comparisons between female and male respondents' data demonstrate significant gender differences in safety perceptions and their associated vocabularies. Our results have important implications on the design of platforms relying on crowdsourced data and the insights generated from them.  

Bio: 

Nandana Sengupta is an Assistant Professor at the School of Public Policy, IIT Delhi. She is an applied econometrician using both machine learning and qualitative techniques to inform her work. Her current research is centered on women in STEM and estimating potential biases embedded in machine learning systems in India. Her broader research agenda lies at the intersection of applied machine learning and economics, with a particular focus on Indian labour markets, survey design and algorithmic bias. Nandana received her PhD in Economics from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University in 2015. Prior to joining IIT Delhi she was Assistant Professor at the School of Policy and Governance in Azim Premji University, and a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Chicago. 

Rathin Biswas
SPL810D, 10 February 2-3:30pm, LH 604

Anshu Ogra
SPL721, 6th February, 11-12:30, Block V Room 418.

The School of Public Policy is hosting a seminar on "Thinking Southern Urbanism through Incentive Floor Space Index" by Prof. Sukriti Issar of Sciences Po, Paris, on Friday, the 27th of January 2023. See details about the talk, and the speaker bio below. We look forward to seeing you there! 

Speaker: Prof. Sukriti Issar, Associate Professor of Sociology at CRIS, Sciences Po, Paris 
Date: Friday, the 27th of January 2023.
Time: 5:00-6:30 pm
Venue: LH 422

Thinking Southern Urbanism through Incentive Floor Space Index

Abstract:

In this talk, I will consider recent debates over theorizing from the South using the example of Floor Space Index in Mumbai. How can theories developed in specific urban contexts travel to other contexts? Do we need a distinctly 'southern' theory for urban research? The talk will draw from research on FSI and its incentive uses in Mumbai. The talk will draw on two recent publications:

Issar, Sukriti (2022). The Financialization of Floor Space, Mumbai 1880-2015. Urban Studies, 59 (15): 3150–3166.

Issar, Sukriti and Ishani Shukla (2022). Policy change and floor space index. Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 57, no. 25: 23-25.

BIO

Sukriti Issar is Associate Professor of Sociology at CRIS, Sciences Po, Paris and the Scientific Director (responsable scientifique) of the Governing the Large Metropolis (GLM) master's program at the Urban School, Sciences Po. Her research focuses on urban governance, political economy, policy and institutional change, and urban history. Her work has appeared in Urban Studies, Housing Studies, and World Politics.

The School is proud to announce that one of our students, Ishan Kukreti,
has been shortlisted for this year’s RedInk Award for Excellence in
Journalism under the “Environment” category. Kukreti has been
shortlisted for his story, “How not to develop a hill station” (link at
the end) which was published on the new media platform Scroll.in. The
story is a deep-dive into policy issues surrounding India’s hilly
regions by focusing on the Dehradun-Mussoorie eco-sensitive area of
Uttarakhand.

The RedInk award, instituted by the Mumbai Press Club is one of India’s
most prestigious journalism awards. Works of journalism are selected by
panels consisting of eminent personalities and domain experts for each
of the award’s 12 categories. Some of the  categories include,
“Politics”, “Women’s Empowerment & Gender Equality”, “Business and
Economy” and “Human Rights”.

Kukreti has been working as an environment journalist for the last seven
years. Through his work he has tried to apply the lens of political
ecology on various environmental policies and problems. At the School,
he has been part of the Masters in Public Policy program since 2022.


Story link: How not to develop a hill station

Invitation to panel discussion: Unpacking the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2022

Course number: SPL810 

Course title: Role of ICT for Societal Development & Policy Support

Instructor: Prof Rathin Biswas

Course Description:  

The course will provide an understanding on how technology can help in addressing socially-critical policy-relevant complex real-world developmental challenges.   

• It will provide an exposure to the various developmental challenges at the global, national, and city level, across different domains – water, sanitation, health, transportation, education, waste management, urban environment, governance, etc.  

• It will demonstrate and discuss the benefits and use of ICT & IoT to address such challenges across various domain, and how it can eventually help in policy support.  

• It will impart the knowledge of accessibility audit and the concept of universal design towards inclusive society.  

• It will discuss the need of data privacy & protection as the major problem for IoT solution and traverse through the policy intervention  

• It will help students to ideate potential ICT solution for an area specific problem, contributing towards Sustainable Development Goal(s) and policy support.  

Course Content: 

Introduction to ICT & IoT, ICT Policy Review Framework, Smart City, Urban Sensing, ICT use in Transportation, Smart Signalling, ICT in Education, NMEICT, Swayam, e-Yantra, Happiness Index and the role of ICT in Health, Global Water Crisis, Sanitation Challenges and consequences – Mumbai & Delhi, Sanitation Policy, Smart Toilet & Sanitation Application, Urban Environment & Side Effect, Heat Island, Carbon Footprint & Assessment, Smart Housing, ICT in Renewable Energy Management, Inclusive Society, Universal Design, Accessibility Audit, Assistive Technologies, Municipal Waste Management through the lens of Marginalized worker, e-Governance, Digital Divide, Data Privacy, GDPR, Personal Data Protection Bill, Ideation of area-specific potential ICT solution contributing towards Sustainable Development Goal(s) and policy support. 

Course number: SPL810A

Course title: Case studies in Public Policy

Instructor: Prof Sanjay Mitra

Course description:

The course, an expanded version of 2001 SPV 799, will seek to use India-specific case studies to familiarize students with the imperatives and the process of policy formulation, implementation, and assessment in areas with substantial STI content. Will help develop an analytical understanding – through identification of common factors, drivers, implementation modalities and stakeholder involvement behind success or failure - of the intricacies of various aspects of policy process. We will look at the public welfare imperatives and other factors that called for a specific set of S&T policy interventions, measures required to create an enabling environment to ensure the success of the interventions, responses of the science and technology base to the enabling environment and policy requirements, and extent to which the public purpose(s) were met and concerns regarding the future, if any. Case studies will include, global leadership in pharmaceuticals, our defence indigenization, domestic manufacture of solar PV/wind, indigenization of supercritical thermal power plant equipment, reduction of Infant and maternal mortality, public health initiatives – Kala-azar, Polio and Guinea-worm, Aadhar, farmers’ welfare and DBT. There are no pre-requisites. The course is open for all students with an interest in public policy. Grades will be based on class participation and 3 written submissions of 1000 words each.

Course number: SPL810B

Course title: Urban Policy Challenges

Instructor: Prof Surajit Chakravarty

Course description:

After successful completion of this course it is expected that students will be able to: explain concepts related to urban planning and urban policy, discuss the evolution of human settlements, interpret the roles of various actors in urban development, explain the interconnectedness of urban functions, analyse urban issues, consider the spatial implications of social issues, critique existing policies and policy outcomes, and argue positions on urban issues with appropriate cases and theoretical arguments. 

Course Content: Spatial thinking, the location of urban policy amongst allied fields, functions of a city, the evolution of human settlements (medieval, industrialization, colonialism, post-colonial, global village), “eyes on the street”, “production of space”, “idiom of informality”, “network society”, location and rent, landuse and zoning, public transport, housing, informality, small towns, inclusion (gender, ability, difference), smart cities. 

Course number: SPL810C

Course title: Issues in the electricity sector- Theory and Experience

Instructor: Prof Kaveri Iychettira and Prof Sanjay Mitra 

Course description:

In this course, the students will be able to describe the structure and governance of electricity systems across the world. They will be able to elucidate the theoretical underpinnings of power sector reforms, and discuss global experience with reforms. The students will understand the basics of power system economics, wholesale electricity market design, regulation of the power sector, retail competition, and electricity tariff design. The students will also apply theoretical concepts to investigate contemporary outcomes in the Indian electricity sector.   

The students will also be able to analyse the transition to renewables in the power sector, related market design challenges and opportunities, with particular emphasis on the challenges specific to the Indian power sector, such as access, affordability and regional equity. The students will develop hands on expertise on the electricity sector using actual utility data, and be able to locate electricity sector issues within the wider public policy framework. electricity sector issues within the wider public policy framework  

Course number: SPV 799 (1-0-0)

Course title: Qualitative Methods for Public Policy

Instructor: Prof Surajit Chakravarty and Prof Debananda Misra

Course description:

After completing this course students will be able to:  

1. Use qualitative research methods  

1. Design qualitative inquiry to response to policy concerns 

1. Use qualitative methods to study policy issues including spatial and place-based matters, science, technology and innovation, and public participation or engagement 

1. Conduct research inquiry in disciplinary policy areas (policy development, public administration, and public institutions) and sectoral policy areas (i.e., energy, education, sustainable habitat and agriculture) while addressing ethical concerns in the best possible manner 

1. Analyse qualitative data with a focus on those needed for policy studies 

Course Content: Theory (phenomenology, knowing, grounded theory etc.), ethical issues, positionality, qualitative data collection methods relevant for policy studies (including ethnography, participant observation, interviews, focus groups, walk-along interviews, photo elicitation, community workshops, structured observation, place documentation etc.) and their applications to policy studies, tools for analysing qualitative data (coding methods, Qualitative Data Analysis Software (Nvivo, AtlasTi), case study methodology, critical discourse analysis etc.), writing up qualitative research for policy studies   

We are delighted to host a talk by our PhD Scholar, Anupam Kumar, this week at the SPP Seminar series, on the topic: 

Understanding Digital Agriculture in India -- networks, discourses, and end-user perceptions

The talk will be held at 11:15 am to 12:30 pm on 14th October, Friday in the NRCVEE Committee Room, Block V, IITD.

Abstract: 
Agrarian transformations are imagined globally through digital agriculture. Developed and developing economies have started to adopt digital agriculture technologies such as low-cost sensors, fielding disembodied IoT devices and farming drones, AI/ML layered farming apps, automation in existing machinery, etc. Possibilities of novel big data business models (facilitated by IoT, big data analytics, blockchain, etc.) have proliferated private players’ interest in digital agriculture. Also, the rationale that digital agriculture drives food security along with ecological sustainability has drawn the interests of policymakers across the globe. However, the concerns around the ‘soft impacts’ of the agri-digital transition, including socio-cyber implications, have received relatively little attention. Especially, scholarships on responsible agri-digitalization in the developing world remain nascent. We take up to make sense of agri-digitalization in India – How do policies imagine digital agriculture? How do public discourses shape them? What types of actor-network collaborate, co-invest, and co-produce them? How do end-users perceive them? We try to provide a preliminary reflection on these questions from the Indian perspective and in turn, also raise implications for responsible agri-digitalization.
 

This event is open to all IIT Delhi staff and students. Seating will be on first come first serve basis.

Institute and School Level Committees - Academic Year 2022-23