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Middle Powers in the Gulf: Navigating the Return of the Taliban in Afghanistan
International Affairs | Terrorism Feb 19, 2024

Middle Powers in the Gulf: Navigating the Return of the Taliban in Afghanistan

Amid the ongoing fundamental changes in the international order, such as the growing bipolar competition between the US and China and the promotion of multipolarity, middle powers may take more ownership of conflict points such as Afghanistan. To comprehend this possibility, it is important to ...

Gendered Prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases in India’s Older Adults
Healthcare Feb 16, 2024

Gendered Prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases in India’s Older Adults

Rapid advancements in medicine and falling fertility rates have contributed to the rise in the population of India’s older adults in recent decades. This demographic and epidemiological shift has a gendered impact: A higher proportion of women over the age of 60, compared to their ...

Revamping Water Governance in India: The Pathway to a New National Water Policy
Water Feb 12, 2024

Revamping Water Governance in India: The Pathway to a New National Water Policy

Despite the call for a global paradigm shift in water governance—from the traditional reductionist engineering approach to the more holistic integrated river basin governance framework—a change is not yet perceptible in India’s water governance architecture. The hesitation to change has led to ecological problems and ...

China’s ‘Three Warfares’ Strategy in Action: Implications for the Sino-India Boundary, the Arctic, and Antarctica
International Affairs Feb 07, 2024

China’s ‘Three Warfares’ Strategy in Action: Implications for the Sino-India Boundary, the Arctic, and Antarctica

China’s ‘three warfares’ strategy (TWS)—understood as public opinion, psychological, and legal warfare—has received considerable attention, but most analyses focus on Beijing’s sovereign claim to Taiwan and its maritime claims in the South China Sea and the East China Sea. This occasional paper evaluates the manifestation ...

Elected Women Representatives in Local Rural Governments in India: Assessing the Impact and Challenges
Gender | Urbanisation Jan 31, 2024

Elected Women Representatives in Local Rural Governments in India: Assessing the Impact and Challenges

India’s 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, which empowered local self-governments (Panchayati Raj Institutions) and reserved one-third of electoral seats in these bodies for women, has elevated women’s participation in rural governance. India is among the foremost countries for women’s participation in local governments, with over 1.45 ...

Continuity and Change in Bangladesh’s Indo-Pacific Outlook: Deliberating Post-Election Scenarios
International Affairs Jan 04, 2024

Continuity and Change in Bangladesh’s Indo-Pacific Outlook: Deliberating Post-Election Scenarios

Bangladesh’s Indo-Pacific Outlook, released in April 2023, is a projection of its interests in the region, and a testament to its political nonalignment and commitment to economic development. Its focus on upholding the rule of law and maintaining regional stability makes it a conducive partner ...

Gender in the Waterscape: Creating Economic Ripples in India’s Labour Markets
Gender | Sustainable Development | Water Dec 13, 2023

Gender in the Waterscape: Creating Economic Ripples in India’s Labour Markets

This paper assesses the gendered division of labour for household-level domestic service activities, of which water management remains a primary component, across Indian states and the various dimensions of gender that are relevant in this context. Women have traditionally played an essential role in water ...

Water Valuation and Pricing in India: Imperatives for Sustainable Water Governance
Sustainable Development | Water | Climate Change | Agriculture Dec 02, 2023

Water Valuation and Pricing in India: Imperatives for Sustainable Water Governance

This paper highlights the importance of water valuation and pricing for sustainable and efficient water allocation and management in India. An efficient water-pricing mechanism could be a tool to address the impending crisis of water scarcity, which necessitates a robust, objective, and holistic valuation technique. ...

India-France Trilaterals in the Indo-Pacific: Imperatives, Interests, Initiatives
International Affairs Nov 20, 2023

India-France Trilaterals in the Indo-Pacific: Imperatives, Interests, Initiatives

By broadening the scope of bilateral cooperation from the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to encompass the entire Indo-Pacific region, the India-France Indo-Pacific Roadmap, released in July 2023, underscores the importance of moving beyond the traditional self-centred approach to foster a more outward-looking dynamic with key ...

Catalysing Progress Through Capacity-Building Initiatives: Learnings from India’s Pan-African e-Network Project in Ghana and Malawi
International Affairs Nov 14, 2023

Catalysing Progress Through Capacity-Building Initiatives: Learnings from India’s Pan-African e-Network Project in Ghana and Malawi

Capacity building is a central feature of India’s outreach to Africa. Over the last seven decades, the Indian government has provided numerous scholarships to African students through the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation scheme. India has also established ...

Contributors

Soumya Bhowmick

Soumya Bhowmick

Soumya Bhowmick is an Associate Fellow at the Centre for New Economic Diplomacy at the Observer Research Foundation. His research focuses on sustainable development and globalisation economics. He is pursuing his PhD and holds a double master’s degree in economics ...

Read More + Sreeparna Banerjee

Sreeparna Banerjee

Sreeparna Banerjee is a Junior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation Kolkata with the Strategic Studies Programme. ...

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