Programme Content
The course will broadly be divided into the following modules: Module 1): Introduction to Public Policy - What is public policy?; Policy cycle: agenda setting → formulation → implementation → evaluation; Types of policies (economic, social, regulatory, environmental); Role of government, institutions, and stakeholders; Public policy in the Indian context; Activity - Discussion on contemporary Indian policies Module 2): Policy Problems and Stakeholder Analysis - Problem definition techniques; Root-cause analysis; Stakeholder identification and mapping; Political economy of policymaking; Citizen participation and governance; Case Study – Public Health Program Module 3): Policy Analysis Frameworks - Rational policy analysis; Incrementalism; Multi-criteria decision analysis; Cost-benefit analysis; Cost-effectiveness analysis; Risk and uncertainty in policy decisions; Activity - Comparing policy options Module 4): Data for Public Policy - Sources of policy data; Administrative and survey data; Indicators and metrics; Basics of statistics for policy; Data visualization for policymaking; Activity/Hands-on - Stata (introductory exposure) & Interpreting government datasets Module 5): Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) - Monitoring vs evaluation; Theory of change; Logical framework approach; Key Performance Indicators (KPIs); Designing M&E systems; Exercise – Development of an evaluation framework Module 6): Impact Evaluation Methods and Policy Modelling - Experimental and quasi-experimental methods; Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs); Difference-in-differences; Before-after analysis; Outcome and impact indicators; Discussion - Ethical issues in evaluation Module 7): Governance, Ethics, and Public Accountability - Transparency and accountability; Ethics in public policy; Corruption and governance challenges; Policy implementation gaps; Regulatory governance; Activity – discussion on Efficiency vs equity; state vs. market approaches Module 8): Sectoral Policy Applications - Health policy; Education policy; Environmental and climate policy; Urban policy; Digital governance and AI policy; Social protection programs; Activity – some group-based policy analysis Module 9): Policy Communication and Writing - Writing policy briefs; Executive summaries; Presenting evidence to decision-makers; Visual storytelling and dashboards; Communicating uncertainty; Activity - Short policy brief preparation Module 10): Policy Lab (participants will start working on this once Module 1 is completed) - Participants work in teams to: identify a policy problem, analyze alternatives, design evaluation methods, present recommendations.; Outcome – Policy Report
