How can representation be designed such that the interests of vulnerable groups are best accommodated? Social science has tackled this question for decades, but much of the research on this topic has focused on the specific format of quotas. However, mandatory quotas—whether in politics, education, or the private sector—represent just one type of representation. They are a form of inclusion that allow minority groups to enter existing institutions and, at their highest level, mainstream marginalized interests through descriptive and substantive representation.

Of the many uncertainties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the damage it has inflicted on global communities, economies, and systems, its impact on India has been especially grim. While the nature and devastation unleashed by the pandemic has caused nation states to adopt an insular and introspective approach, given the interconnectedness of world systems, it is crucial to examine how partnerships can be built around the process of recovery, especially with countries in Africa.

Climate change affects countries, regions, and communities disproportionately. Places and populations already socio-economically vulnerable are set to bear the brunt of the global heating world. In the Indian context, recent research demonstrates that 75 percent of Indian districts are vulnerable to extreme climate events.

The past few months have been a time of great flux in India. While the economic slowdown and the COVID-19 crisis were the media’s central focus, two seemingly unrelated reports also appeared in this rapidly moving news cycle: a proposal to increase women’s legal age at marriage to 21 and floods in Eastern India. Although child marriage declined from 38.69 percent to 16.1 percent in the decade since the Child Marriage Act (2006) came into being, it is still a persistent phenomenon in Eastern India.