Recent Updates

Assessing the Merger of Delhi’s Municipal Corporations
Developing and Emerging Economies Aug 19, 2022

Assessing the Merger of Delhi’s Municipal Corporations

In April, the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2022, merged the North, South, and East Delhi municipal corporations into a single urban local body (ULB) called the Delhi Municipal Corporation. The unification is expected to lead to better service delivery, greater financial strength, economies of ...

The Road to Inclusive Democracy: Measuring the Political Participation of Women in India (1951-2019)
Domestic Politics and Governance | National Politics Aug 18, 2022

The Road to Inclusive Democracy: Measuring the Political Participation of Women in India (1951-2019)

This paper analyses historical trends in women’s participation in Indian democracy as voters, contestants, and legislators, using data on state assembly elections between the first one in 1951, and 2019. The paper finds that India is witnessing a strengthening of its democracy as measured in ...

The Role of Perceptions in India-Germany Relations
International Affairs Aug 17, 2022

The Role of Perceptions in India-Germany Relations

India and Germany, on their own, are important countries in their respective regions. Together, they have developed and diversified their partnership since the end of the Cold War. Yet, popular perceptions have historically failed to match what the governments are doing. This paper argues for ...

The PIE Index 2020-21: Measuring the Health of Primary and Secondary Education Systems in India
Education in India Jul 15, 2022

The PIE Index 2020-21: Measuring the Health of Primary and Secondary Education Systems in India

Education in India is compulsory and free for primary and middle school, yet about 20 percent of children aged 6-14 remain absent. Analysts offer various explanations for India’s continued challenges in ensuring universal basic education, including lack of access to schools and poor educational environment. ...

Crop Shifting for Improved Water Use and Nutritional Productivity in the Lower Indo-Gangetic Plains of West Bengal
Water | Agriculture Jun 28, 2022

Crop Shifting for Improved Water Use and Nutritional Productivity in the Lower Indo-Gangetic Plains of West Bengal

The challenge for agriculture is to meet rising demand for food while dealing with climate change and natural resource constraints. This paper takes the case of cereal production in the lower Indo-Gangetic plains in the state of West Bengal, India, and examines the implications of ...

Understanding the Economic Issues in Sri Lanka’s Current Debacle
Economic Reforms Jun 21, 2022

Understanding the Economic Issues in Sri Lanka’s Current Debacle

Sri Lanka, which in the 1970s was being hailed as a development success story for a low-income nation, is now mired in a financial and economic disaster, its worst yet since independence in 1948. Despite notable investments in infrastructure projects, and a largely stable growth ...

The Changing Contours of Bhutan’s Foreign Policy and the Implications for China and India
Indian Foreign Policy Jun 01, 2022

The Changing Contours of Bhutan’s Foreign Policy and the Implications for China and India

Bhutan has historically maintained a neutral relationship with China, to its north, and a more special relationship with India, whose states border its west, east, and south. Over the past two decades, however, many factors are forcing Bhutan to settle its longstanding territorial disputes with ...

The Role of Maternal Nutrition in Reducing Childhood Stunting
Healthcare May 23, 2022

The Role of Maternal Nutrition in Reducing Childhood Stunting

Maternal nutrition impacts not only the woman’s health during pregnancy but also that of her newborn; the child’s health in their first 1,000 days of life, in turn, will influence outcomes during childhood. Indeed, maternal undernutrition is estimated to account for 20 percent of childhood ...

The Kashmir that India Lost: An Analysis of India’s Post-1980s Policy on Gilgit Baltistan
Indian Foreign Policy Apr 25, 2022

The Kashmir that India Lost: An Analysis of India’s Post-1980s Policy on Gilgit Baltistan

This paper dissects the history and politics of Gilgit-Baltistan, a part of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), from the 1980s to the present day. It analyses the policies implemented by Pakistani leaders in the region and how successive political parties have attempted to justify Pakistan’s ...

Maritime Security and Development in the South-West Indian Ocean Region: Harnessing India’s Engagement with Small Island Developing States
Maritime Security Apr 12, 2022

Maritime Security and Development in the South-West Indian Ocean Region: Harnessing India’s Engagement with Small Island Developing States

In recent years, the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the South-West Indian Ocean (SWIO) region have emerged as vital security and developmental partners in the geopolitics of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR)—thereby gaining prominence in India’s foreign policy priorities. This paper examines India’s bilateral ...

Contributors

Soumya Bhowmick

Soumya Bhowmick

Soumya Bhowmick is a Fellow and Lead, World Economies and Sustainability at the Centre for New Economic Diplomacy (CNED) at Observer Research Foundation (ORF). He is pursuing his PhD and holds a double master’s degree in economics from Jadavpur University, ...

Read More + Sreeparna Banerjee

Sreeparna Banerjee

Sreeparna Banerjee is an Associate Fellow in the Strategic Studies Programme. Her work focuses on the geopolitical and strategic affairs concerning two Southeast Asian countries, namely Myanmar and Thailand. Her primary focus is on the Rohingya issue within the Bay of ...

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