Research Areas

Economic Transition

India's rapid growth since the early 1980s has the potential of radically transforming the country. Other than China, never before in history have such a large number of people been affected by such rapid rates of growth. The entrepreneurial energies of a vast young and dynamic workforce hold tremendous promise for the country. Nonetheless the very promise of this growth is also introducing new challenges and stresses. Uneven growth across states, social groups, and sectors risks a popular backlash. Resource, environmental, and human capital limitations threaten to undermine the sustainability of long-term growth. Stagnating productivity in agriculture has troubling implications for rural India, still home to more than two out of three Indians. The research program in this cluster will attempt to understand these challenges and their implications for India's economic growth. The initial focus will be on Human Capital Challenges, Health, The Market Economy and Marginalized Social Groups, and Migration

Governance & Politics

The vibrancy of India's private sector contrasts starkly with a public sector that continues to struggle to deliver basic public services and is widely perceived to be inefficient and corrupt. The Indian state's weaknesses pose a formidable challenge to the country's future. There are two research projects in this cluster: Performance of State-Level Institutions and Rule and Reform in the Giants: China and India Compared.

International Security & Foreign Policy

The implications of global realignments of power and a troubled neighborhood are key foreign policy challenges facing India. The two projects underway in this research cluster are: Implications of China's Rise for the US-India Relationship, and Indian Public Opinion on Foreign Policy. A US-India dialogue meeting co-convened by the Center and the Observer Research Foundation in December 2006 has resulted in a rapporteur's report, and an edited volume is under preparation.

Media & Communications

Despite India's media explosion--vibrant, in multiple languages, in print and broadcast--we know little about the degree of media concentration, inequality in media consumption and its implications on social attitudes and expectations. Research in this area will examine the Indian media's effects on politics, in particular its role as an institution of accountability.

Publication Series

CASI Working Papers (Under Construction)

The Center has established a refereed working paper series, published electronically. Submissions on topics relevant to the Center's research interests are welcome.

Occasional Papers

The Center publishes, on an occasional basis, papers by leading scholars and policymakers on topics of relevance to contemporary India, often in connections with lectures and conferences held under Center auspices. An archive of papers is maintained here.

India In Transition: Economics and Politics of Change

From 1997 to 2006, the Center published a semiannual journal analyzing economic trends in the context of complex political, social, and cultural changes affecting the business environment in India. India in Transition aimed to broaden public knowledge of about the intersection of sociopolitical changes and economic policies that shape opportunities for investment, growth, and social welfare in India. A complete archive of issues is maintained here.