Want to learn more about policy-making?

With the general elections round the corner, political parties are channelising their energies into analysing and modifying their strategies to understand voter sentiments. Some of them are also relying on a new generation of public policymakers and policy analysts who can help them script a success story.

Having a qualification that trains you in public policy, administration and management can help you if you wish to work closely with policy makers. According to Professor Ramesh G, chairperson, Centre for Public Policy, IIM Bangalore and postgraduate programme in public policy management, “The glare on the subject is increasing and people also want significant voice in policy making. The space of the public system is increasingly being occupied by the private sector, like education, healthcare, infrastructure, and even municipal services. These require greater awareness of strategy frameworks and policy-making processes. Managing the public system is quite complex and it is important to infuse professional management in it.”

IIM Bangalore’s programme provides policy courses, general management and a range of electives. “Specialisation comes through term papers and a final policy paper. The students have to undertake a policy paper which will focus on a particular issue and undertake a study under the guidance of a faculty. This helps students to focus on their areas of interest. Students can work with government and public systems, in international agencies, in NGOs, and

public-private partnerships. We feel the students will find their way into the public system through the private arm of PPPs,” says Professor Ramesh G.

Experts on public policy courses believe that the everchanging economy demands, proper policy formulation and implementation. For this, a well-trained policy analyst will be of immense benefit to the government and private sector.

“The need of the hour is that our bureaucracy should become citizen-centric, accountable and transparent. Through this course, the officers get exposed to the knowledge and expertise in their respective fields like public governance and managerial techniques. It will noticeably improve their productivity and help them in sharpening their existing skills. Our postgraduate programme in public policy and management (PGP-PPM) is an initiative to create a global programme for teaching, research, training and consulting in the field of public policy management and governance. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has been sponsoring this PG diploma course,” says Professor SK Tapasvi, chairperson PGP-PPM, MDI Gurgaon.

Experts also say that there are many new business opportunities that are likely to be created when policy innovations are introduced, such as promoting renewable energy or green buildings. “Policy analysts can help the industry in identifying and preparing for such opportunities. Sustainable development still remains an operational challenge for many governments, not only due to capacity constraints in regulatory agencies but more fundamentally due to the persistence of the traditional governance methods which fail to understand its impact on the economy, environment and society. Our MA in public policy and sustainable development course aims to train specialists in this domain,” says Arabinda Mishra, dean and professor, Department of Policy Studies, TERI University.