How is Policy Intent Set and Practiced in India?

CASI Seminar

in partnership with the South Asia Center and Penn Development Research Institute (PDRI)

Suraj Jacob
Political Economist, Azim Premji University; CASI Fall 2023 Visiting Scholar
Center for the Advanced Study of India
Ronald O. Perelman Center for Political Science & Economics
133 South 36th Street, Suite 230
Philadelphia PA 19104-6215

About the Seminar:
Public policy discussions tend to focus on the policy intent expressed by formal authorities (such as government departments) and suggestions to change it. Departing from that view, the talk will explore how intent comes to be set and what becomes of it in practice, given India's social and historical context. For this, I introduce a framework to trace the external and internal influences on government policymakers and implementers. The framework is illustrated by constructing an account of the setting and practice of policy affecting the customary rights of forest-dwelling communities over 150 years through four distinct policy episodes (annexationist, conservationist, participatory, and rights-based).

About the Speaker:
Suraj Jacob is a Political Economist at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, where he teaches development and policy, and is a CASI Fall 2023 Visiting Scholar. His research draws on his training in political economy and collaborations with anthropologists and development practitioners. Suraj’s research explores development policy, institutions, governance, and social practices. His co-authored book Governing Locally: Institutions, Policies and Implementation in Indian Cities is based on fieldwork in Kerala and Gujarat and explores local autonomy and governance processes through which implementation of decentralization policy diverged from progressive intent. Suraj has published on global and Indian gender politics, food politics, maternal health and domestic violence, and schooling. He recently finished a co-authored book manuscript on social practices and state policy in the context of rural sanitation drawing on ethnographic material from Chhattisgarh. He is currently working on a book project to theorize Indian policy processes grounded in long case histories. Suraj also works with Indian nonprofits on vision, organizational health, program design and learning, and community relations. He previously served as chief executive of Vidya Bhawan in Rajasthan, a 90-year old institution with a staff of 500 reaching underserved populations for education, agricultural improvement, and environment conservation.

View Full CASI Fall 2023 Events Flyer

The Nand & Jeet Khemka Distinguished Lecture Series is an endowed public program of the Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI). Launched in the 2007-08 academic year, and made possible through the generous support of the Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation, the series brings renowned India specialists to the Penn community and serves as a critical forum for analyzing and understanding the complex economic, political, social, and cultural changes that the world’s largest democracy is experiencing, as well as the challenges that lie ahead.
The Saluja Global Fellows Program has been made possible by the generous gift from Vishal Saluja ENG’89 W’89. CASI was excited to launch the program during the 2022–23 academic year, coinciding with the Center’s 30th Anniversary. This new program enables CASI to invite eminent leaders and rising experts on contemporary India preferably from the fields of media, culture, law, and contemporary history to be in residence for one to two weeks at CASI.