Dialogue on emerging trends in public policy education in India

Public policy education has made a remarkable move into the academic mainstream as a viable alternative, and the need for trained policy practitioners is becoming increasingly important in every developing country around the world. The scenario in India is no different and over the last 10 years, public policy agendas have seen an exponential increase in interest in India. As the Indian scenario looks into the future, its changing landscape reflects the hopes of the country itself.

India is home to more than a quarter of all public policy schools in Asia.

Although there is no centralized database recording the total number of colleges and universities offering public policy majors, approximately 130 public, private and nonprofit universities offer public administration programs. According to the All India Council for Technical Education, there are 29 institutes offering independent public policy programs. In the history of the growth trajectory, it has been less than a decade that we have seen concentrated efforts, supported by the Government of India, to establish schools and programs on public policy and management in reputed institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM), Institute of Management Development and various universities central, but public policy as a subject may have been part of different programs at different universities before.

This increase indicates two important aspects: the growing awareness of the need to solve contemporary social problems through effective policy-making and the growing number of students choosing these fields of study. As India treads this exciting path, there are still some concerns that require creative interventions to ensure a strong and impactful educational terrain.

Problems and concerns: nurturing domain, rugged terrain

These programs ideally aim to train graduates to deal with complex social issues in India through the creation, implementation and critique of policies. Despite this encouraging trend, there are certain constraints that are blocking the full flowering of public policy education in India, the main concern of which is the labor market. Research shows that there is a glaring gap between public policy education and available employment opportunities. There are almost no politics-related jobs, students are expected to compete in an intense environment on think tanks, NGOs, and other fields (ABP Live). This leads to concerns about career prospects and requires a more detailed and in-depth approach to career development in public policy education.

To strengthen this argument, access to government jobs is still limited in India compared to the US, where job seekers work in federal, state and local agencies. Indian programs do train graduates in policy development and research, but they are not always prepared for practical leadership roles in government. A 2022 report by the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy titled “The Future of Public Policy Education in India” said this is “partly because there are no dedicated admissions pathways and because selectors are looking for candidates with administrative experience.” .

Finally, an evaluation of the program/course structure indicates that these public policy programs are more theoretical in nature and focus on classroom sessions, excluding the internship period, with little emphasis on practical or practical experience. This disconnect limits the translation of academic research into practical solutions.

While these are challenges, there have been innovations and changes in this field over the last few years. State-backed initiatives such as the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 aim to put India on the global map as a hub for public policy education by encouraging interdisciplinary, experiential and inclusive learning. Days such as Good Governance Day on December 25 are examples of such efforts, and their motive is to create awareness among citizens about accountability in management and government.

In this new but emerging area of ​​public policy education in India, there is an immediate need to move beyond conventional theoretical paradigms and adopt a more comprehensive and practical mode of public policy education. Theoretical understanding in such a scenario is not enough to deal with the diverse challenges of the real world. Simulations and case studies are excellent pedagogical tools in this context. They give students the freedom to play with real-life scenarios in a relatively controlled learning environment. By simulating the policy-making process, students can better understand the intricacies of the decision-making process, learn from the consequences of their decisions, and improve their skills through practice and repetition. Field trips and policy labs can further complement this hands-on learning experience. They enable students to gain direct exposure to how policies are implemented in practice and the impact they have on people. This experiential learning helps students connect theoretical knowledge with practical reality, thereby gaining deeper insight into public policy. Moreover, to professionalize the bureaucratic apparatus and mainstream public policy education in India, we need increased efforts to strengthen research-policy links in promoting collaboration and communication between academia, practitioners and stakeholders.

(The article was written by Shobhit Mathur, Co-Founder and Vice-Chancellor, Rishihood University and Kankan Trivedi, Consultant, Public Policy Program, Rishihood University)