Ashank Desai Centre for Policy Studies, IIT Bombay

20/02/2026

🎙️Policy Talk
Title: Reflections on AI in (NYC) Government
Speaker: Dr Neal Parikh, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of International & Public Affairs, Columbia University

Mark your calendars for 11 March 2026, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
📍Conference Room 1, ADCPS, II Floor Old CSE Building (Near Central Library), IIT Bombay

Abstract: AI and machine learning have emerged as increasingly ubiquitous technologies in a wide range of areas in both the private sector and in government. In the past several years, ethical and other policy and governance questions around how and whether to use AI for various tasks have become much more prominent, partly due to its widespread use and partly due to publicly documented failures or shortcomings of a number of systems that can negatively impact people in sometimes serious ways. The speaker recently served as the first Director of Artificial Intelligence for New York City, a then-newly created position in the NYC Mayor’s Office with broad responsibilities relating to policy and legislation, technical advisory work, and collaborations or partnerships with universities and other governments. This included publishing the first comprehensive AI Strategy for NYC. This talk will be an informal survey of reflections on this experience from the perspective of a computer scientist new to government. It will emphasize aspects of government in general and this experience in particular that those who have not directly served in a government or policymaking position but are interested in ethical AI or AI policy broadly might find surprising, interesting, or helpful.

https://www.cps.iitb.ac.in/tribe_events/reflections-on-ai-in-nyc-government/

20/02/2026

📸 Glimpses from Today’s Policy Talk (20.02.2026)
The Ashank Desai Centre for Policy Studies, IIT Bombay, hosted an insightful Policy Talk on “The Uneven State: Bureaucratic Preferences and State Capacity in India” by Prof. Anustubh Agnihotri, Assistant Professor at the Ashoka University

18/02/2026

📸 Glimpses from Today’s Policy Talk (18.02.2026)
The Ashank Desai Centre for Policy Studies, IIT Bombay, hosted an insightful Policy Talk on “Equity – Efficiency – Sustainability Trade-offs in Public Investments for Agricultural Water Management” by Dr Pooja Prasad, Assistant Professor at the School of Public Policy, IIT Delhi

18/02/2026

🎙️Policy Talk
Title: The Uneven State: Bureaucratic Preferences and State Capacity in India
Speaker: Prof. Anustubh Agnihotri (Assistant Professor, Ashoka University)
Profile: https://anustubhagnihotri.com/

Mark your calendars for 20 February 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
📍Conference Room 1, ADCPS, II Floor Old CSE Building (Near Central Library), IIT Bombay

Abstract:
Why do some places experience better governance than others? This question has been central to social science research, as regions with poorer governance often lag behind, creating disparities that hinder democratic participation. These uneven governance outcomes are frequently attributed to the strategic actions of centralised planners, local elites, or historical processes that shape the quality of local institutions. Based on the book (The Uneven State, forthcoming), I argue in this talk that mid-level bureaucrats, who are frequently transferred across regions, play a crucial role in reinforcing these disparities. Rather than stemming from political strategies or bureaucratic rent-seeking, persistent regional inequalities arise from common preferences for desirable postings close to home or with good services. The book examines how bureaucratic preferences influence governance through two years of fieldwork, administrative data, and a survey of mid-level bureaucrats. It starts by investigating bureaucratic lobbying around transfers, particularly using data on Block Development Officers and Tehsildars in Odisha. The second part connects these bureaucratic behaviours to public service delivery, showing how lobbying affects interactions between citizens and the state and ultimately reveals how internal politics within the bureaucracy shape public service effectiveness

https://www.cps.iitb.ac.in/tribe_events/the-uneven-state-bureaucratic-preferences-and-state-capacity-in-india/

13/02/2026

📢 Planning to apply for our MPP Programme for the 2026–27 (Autumn) intake?
Access the MPP Information Brochure 2026–27 (Advance Copy)
here: https://www.cps.iitb.ac.in/admissions/masters-programme/

11/02/2026

🎙️Policy Talk
Title: Equity - Efficiency - Sustainability trade-offs in public investments for agricultural water management
Speaker: Dr Pooja Prasad (Assistant Professor, School of Public Policy, IIT Delhi)

Mark your calendars for 18 February 2026, 3:30 PM – 05:00 PM
📍Conference Room 1, ADCPS, II Floor Old CSE Building (Near Central Library), IIT Bombay

Abstract: 55% of India's agricultural land is rainfed and highly vulnerable to rainfall variability. Investment in protective irrigation is vital to make rainfed crops resilient to monsoon dry spells. There is significant public investment in irrigation, but it tends to be motivated by the goal of increasing productivity rather than equity concerns. As a result, public investments are skewed towards supporting irrigators more than addressing the vulnerability of rainfed farmers. In this talk, I motivate why equity considerations are important in guiding irrigation investments. While there are many classical theories of equity, I explore a grounded understanding of equity through the case of the borewell pooling programme in Andhra Pradesh. Hundreds of farmer collectives have been formed by the organisation WASSAN in partnership with the AP government, in which borewell-owning farmers share water from their wells with the non-borewell-owning farmers through a pipeline network to enable protective irrigation of rainfed crops up to three times during monsoon dry spells. This is part of their formalised agreement, which also mandates that farmers do not dig any new borewells within the collective. I present an in-depth study of one such collective and analyse how the intervention reshaped access to water since the collective was formed more than 15 years ago. The study leaves us with new questions about the trade-offs among equity, efficiency, and sustainability, which further guide this ongoing research.

https://www.cps.iitb.ac.in/tribe_events/equity-efficiency-sustainability-trade-offs-in-public-investments-for-agricultural-water-management/

11/02/2026

📢 Launching The Polilogue Quarterly
We are pleased to announce the launch of The Polilogue Quarterly, the official Newsletter of the Ashank Desai Centre for Policy Studies
(ADCPS), IIT Bombay.
This inaugural issue focuses on the Circular Economy, exploring pathways toward sustainable resource use, decarbonisation, and inclusive growth through research insights, policy perspectives, and field-based initiatives.
Through this quarterly publication, ADCPS aims to bridge research and practice while fostering meaningful dialogue within the policy
community.
We invite academics, practitioners, policymakers, and students to read, engage, and contribute to future editions.

https://www.cps.iitb.ac.in/newsletter/

09/02/2026

📸 Glimpses from today’s workshop on “Streamlining Qualitative Data Analysis with MAXQDA” by Ms. Sarah Harniswala

09/02/2026

👏 Congratulations to Dr. Malini Krishnakutty on the publication of her recent paper (with Jayaraj Sundaresan)

📄 “Is Participatory Local Planning Possible in India? Reflections from the Chittur Thathamangalam People’s Plan Process”
📘 in the Review of Urban Affairs, Economic and Political Weekly (Vol. 60, No. 6, Feb 6, 2026).

🔗

The devolution of powers and responsibilities to local bodies—including that of spatial planning—mandated by the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts of 1992, remains unimplemented even after three decades.The devolution of powers and responsibilities to local bodies—including that of s...

09/02/2026

👏 Congratulations to Dr. Rahul Sapkal and Mr. Kinchan Chakma (with Dr. Daksha Parmar) on their insightful perspective paper published in Economic and Political Weekly!

📄 “A Race to Nowhere: Do Longer Working Hours Lead to Increased Productivity?”
📘 Vol. 60, No. 6 | Feb 6, 2026

🔗

In June 2025, India overtook Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest eco­nomy, with a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of $4In June 2025, India overtook Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest eco­nomy, with a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of $4,187.02 billion, marginally high...

06/02/2026

MPP Student Profile: An overview of MPP Cohort 2024-26, ADCPS, IIT Bombay
https://www.cps.iitb.ac.in/web/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Cohort_Profile_MPP_2024-26.pdf

05/02/2026

Need a better sense of our MPP programme?
Here is the e-copy of the MPP Handbook 2025–26.

https://www.cps.iitb.ac.in/web/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/MPP_Handbook_2025-26.pdf